At AC Milan, the centre-forward position has become problematic again, though not to the level of the 'number 9 curse' that followed Inzaghi's retirement.
The last goal scored by a Milan striker in Serie A dates back to May 9, 2025, when Santiago Gimenez scored twice against Bologna. Since then, ten league matches have passed without a goal from a true center-forward, writes Tuttosport in this morning's print edition.
Even Rafael Leao, who scored a brace against Fiorentina, did so by moving back and wide to the left, abandoning the role of central striker. The penalty area has become a 'desert' for Milan’s forwards due to a lack of chances and frequent finishing errors when those chances appear.
The statistics confirm this inefficiency: out of 74 total goals scored by Milan in 46 Serie A matches since August 2024, only 15 (20%) have come from natural center-forwards (Morata and Gimenez with 5 each, Abraham 3, Jovic 2, Camarda 0). Most of the goals have come from wingers or second strikers (31, mainly Leao and Pulisic) and midfielders (15, led by Reijnders).
This low output has fueled criticism toward the club for not investing properly in Giroud’s successor, who had scored 15 goals in the 2023–24 season. Across seven transfer windows (from summer 2022 to summer 2025), Milan have spent under €50 million in total on five center-forwards (Origi and Jovic for free, Morata and Abraham on loan, Gimenez for €35 million), excluding Nkunku, who is a second striker.
The results of these investments have been negative so far, and only Santiago Gimenez still has time to reverse the trend, with January’s transfer window in sight.
