Every great football team shares something in common: they always have an incredible striker who scores goals at an alarming rate. AC Milan is one of the world's most successful club football teams, and it is no coincidence that some legitimate superstars have led the line for the Rosseneri. It is challenging to think of a time when AC Milan did not have a number nine who would get into any other side globally at some stage of their careers.
AC Milan's way of playing football makes it highly probable that the team's central striker will finish as among the leading goalscorers in Serie A, and that is often reflected in the odds at Onlinesportsbetting.net. In this article, we will look at five strikers who have donned the famous red and black shirts at the San Siro and written their names in Milan's history books for various reasons.
Marco Van Basten
Marco Van Basten is not only one of the best strikers to play for AC Milan but one of the best out-and-out strikers of all time. The Dutchman started his professional career with Ajax, where he scored 154 goals in 174 appearances in all competitions.
In 1987, then Milan president Silvio Berlusconi signed Van Basten, but a niggling ankle injury limited the Dutchman to only 19 matches. However, Van Basten made up for the lost time in the 1988-89 season, scoring 19 Serie A goals and 33 goals in all competitions on his way to winning the coveted Ballon d'Or for the first time and guiding Milan to the Scudetto.
Van Basten scored another 25 goals the following season, then 11, 29, and 22 in Milan colors, winning the Serie A title three times, the Suppercoppa Italiana, the UEFA European Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup twice, and the European Super Cup once. Oh, and he won the Ballon d'Or twice more.
Unfortunately, Van Basten's career was cut short after a hard tackle from Basile Boli in the Champions League Final against Marseille condemned Van Basten to the third ankle surgery of his career. Van Basten failed to recover from his injury and retired from playing at the age of 28. He had scored 129 goals in 205 games for the Rosseneri.
Andriy Shevchenko
Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko played for Milan from the 1999-2000 season to 2005-06 and was a fan favorite. Milan paid Dynamo Kyiv a then-record $25 million to secure Shevchenko's signature. His transfer fee was expensive but worth every cent because Shevchenko banged in goals like there was no tomorrow.
Shevchenko scored 127 goals in 208 Serie A appearances and 173 goals in 296 games across all competitions. The Ukrainian's deadliness in front of goals helped Milan win one Scudetto, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, UEFA Super Cup, and UEFA Champions League; he became the first Ukrainian to win the Champions League and was the first Ukrainian to clinch the Ballon d'Or.
Gunnar Nordahl
It would be criminal not to include the Swedish sensation that was Gunnar Nordahl in a list of iconic Milanese strikers. Nordahl started his pro career in his native Sweden, scoring 68 goals in 41 games for Hornefors IF. He scored 56 goals in 77 games for Degerfors and 93 in 95 appearances for Norrkoping. Nordahl's goalscoring ability caught the eye of Europe's elite clubs, but Milan beat everyone to his signature.
Nordahl spent eight seasons at the San Siro and was the team's leading scorer in seven. His first season apart, when he still managed 16 goals in 15 games, Nordahl did not score fewer than 23 times in each Serie A season! He ended his Milan career after the 1955-56 season, having scored 210 Serie A goals in 257 games, making him AC Milan's all-time leading scorer.
Nordahl passed away in the small town of Alghero in Sardinia in September 1995 at the age of 73. He will forever be an AC Milan legend.
Jose Altafini
Jose Altafini played for Brazilian outfit Palmeiras in the mid-1950s before joining the Rosseneri in time for the 1958-59 season. Cup competitions included, Altafini scored 34 goals in 38 games, marking his arrival in Italy in style.
Although Altafini only found the back of the net 11 times in 31 Serie A games in 1962-63, he starred in the European Cup, scoring 14 times in nine appearances as Milan became European champions for the first time.
Altafini scored 161 goals in 246 games for Milan across seven seasons.
Gianni Rivera
Gianna Rivera was dubbed Italy's "Golden Boy" by the media. Rivera spent 19 seasons of his 21-season career with Milan, scoring 164 goals in 658 games. Although his goals-to-game ratio is much lower than the other players in this article, one must remember Rivera played as an attacking midfielder and not a striker for large parts of his career.
Rivera is one of Milan's most successful players in terms of trophies won. His remarkable achievements include three Serie A titles, two European Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup, an Intercontinental Cup, and four Coppa Italias!
Conclusion
The five players featured in this article, Marco Van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko, Gunnar Nordahl, Jose Altafini, and Gianna Rivera, are AC Milan legends in their own right. Each has showcased their incredible skills in the famous red and black jersey, helping their club win numerous titles and trophies, all while setting club, competition, and personal records.
Labeling one individual as the best is subjective, mainly because these superstars played during different eras. For pure goals-to-game figures, it is difficult to make a case against Sweden's Nordahl. However most football experts consider Van Basten the most complete striker ever, but injuries caused his early retirement.
Whoever you consider the best ever Milan forward, nobody will argue that the five men in this article have written their names in the club's history books and will be fondly remembered forever and a day.
