He establishes the Milan legend, which is later continued by Fabio Capello. With the remarkable Dutch trio of Van Basten-Gullit-Rijkaard, Arrigo Sacchi brings about a revolution in football, leading the “red and blacks” to dominance on the grand stage with two titles each in the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup.
Arrigo Sacchi’s journey begins in his hometown of Fusignano, where he is guided by the municipal librarian. He first dips his toes into coaching at the young age of 19. Prior to a match with his team, he experiences back pains and informs Alfredo Belleti, who was then overseeing the team while also influencing the cultural life of the town, that he wouldn’t be able to play. “Then you become a coach,” asserts the librarian, who significantly impacts his ambitious compatriot.
“I once complained to him about needing to acquire a libero because we lacked such a player. He asked me about the number typically worn by a player in that position. I replied: Number 6. He then handed me a shirt bearing the number six and told me that I had to create such a player myself. He made it clear that there was no money, and a coach must develop his players,” recounts Arrigo. And so it begins, Fusignano becomes Sacchi’s first team as a coach in 1973, when he is only 27. The breakthrough comes with Parma in the mid-80s.
He steers the club to a spot in Serie B, and in his second season, the team falls just three points short of promotion to the top flight. However, the more significant event is Milan’s elimination from the Italian Cup tournament. The owner of the Rossoneri, Silvio Berlusconi, sees potential in Sacchi and promptly offers him a contract. The press reacts sharply. According to them, “an unsuccessful former footballer like him cannot possibly become a successful coach,” especially at prestigious Milan. They even suggest that Berlusconi, who had played in his younger days, was probably a better player than Sacchi. “I didn’t realize that to be a good jockey, one must have been a horse before,” Sacchi retorts to the journalists.
In his inaugural season, he guides Milan to the title and the Italian Super Cup, and in the following two years, he establishes his team as the kings of Europe. However, ironically, just before taking charge of the Rossoneri, Sacchi contemplated leaving the profession altogether.
“When I moved from Rimini to Parma in 1985, I told myself: Just one more season, and then I’ll call it quits. I could no longer escape the stress,” recalls the Italian legend. “But with Parma, we rose to Serie B, and I said to myself: ‘Let’s give it one more shot.’ When I won the Italian title with Milan, I gave myself another year. Then came the two European Cup triumphs. After the second one, I went to Berlusconi and told him I was done. ‘Mister, go home and take a 10-day break,’ he replied. A year later, I indeed left. But I worked tirelessly from 1973 to 2001 – 28 years without ever faltering or being sacked even once.”
He draws inspiration from the likes of Real Madrid’s Puskás, Di Stefano, and Santamaria, as well as Brazil’s Pelé from the 1958 World Cup. He absorbs the Dutch revolution and Ajax of the 70s, aiming to create his own version with Milan in the late 80s. The French newspaper “L’Équipe” even writes: “After witnessing this team, you perceive football in a different light.” Sacchi undoubtedly possesses a unique philosophy of the game.
“We aimed to create synergy because a team possesses a power that no individual player, no matter how great, can match,” shares the Italian. “In my first year with Milan, Rijkaard was on loan to Zaragoza, and Van Basten only played three out of 30 matches due to injury. Nevertheless, we clinched the title. In cinema or directing, there’s a screenwriter, but they hand over the script to the director. So, I question coaches who claim that players are paramount. Then I’d ask: ‘Why do you receive million-dollar salaries as coaches then?'”
Upon Sacchi’s arrival, Milan sells 30,000 season tickets annually. After winning the title, sales more than double. People’s faith is unshakeable. They are aware that there is a phenomenon within their team. The coach is exceedingly demanding in training, pushing his players to their limits. The great Paolo Maldini admits years later that he still has nightmares from Sacchi’s training sessions.
“I once sent him a message: ‘Dear Paolo, I apologize for my training sessions still haunting your dreams,’ and he replied: ‘Hello, Arrigo, I apologize because thanks to your sessions, I learned how to play football.’ I demanded a lot from my players, but it all paid off with results,” the esteemed coach asserts.
Pep Guardiola recently admitted to him: “Mister, I hope that after 20 years, people will speak of me in the same way they speak of you today.” A tremendous compliment! What more needs to be said? Following his tenure at Milan, Sacchi took the reins of the Italian national team, reaching the final of the 1994 World Cup, albeit losing on penalties to Brazil.
“No one in our homeland wants to remember that match, even though it marked our first appearance in a title match in 12 years,” Arrigo concludes. “But Milan played better than my Italy. I simply had 300-400 training sessions annually with my club team. With the national team – no more than 40.”
