an independent magazine about Italian football culture

Rossoneri

An independent magazine about Italian football culture. This is not the website of AC Milan, of a fan club or of the former fan site on this domain; we do not sell tickets and we do not write about betting.

History

History

Italian football grew out of the amateur clubs of the late nineteenth century, many of which included foreigners. Over the following decades came large stadiums, a single national league, World Cup wins for the national team and club success in European competitions. Below is a short timeline built only on verified dates, along with a few remarks on the city where two big clubs share one stadium.

A timeline is the skeleton of history. It is brought to life by the people who filled the stands and told others what they saw.

— From the editors

Timeline

  1. 1899

    On 16 December, Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club — the future AC Milan — is founded. Its founders include Englishmen, among them Herbert Kilpin.

  2. 1926

    The stadium known as San Siro opens; today it officially bears the name of Giuseppe Meazza.

  3. 1929

    The 1929–30 season begins — the first season of Serie A as a single national league.

  4. 1934

    Italy become world champions for the first time.

  5. 1938

    Italy win the World Cup for the second time.

  6. 1947

    From this year both Milan clubs — Milan and Inter — play at San Siro.

  7. 1956

    France Football magazine creates the Ballon d'Or.

  8. 1963

    Milan win the European Cup for the first time.

  9. 1969

    Milan win the European Cup again; the club's midfielder Gianni Rivera receives the Ballon d'Or.

  10. 1982

    Italy become world champions for the third time.

  11. 2006

    Italy win their fourth World Cup title.

  12. 2007

    Milan win Europe's top club competition, the Champions League, for the seventh time.

A city of two clubs

Milan is one of the few cities where two major clubs have shared one ground for many decades. To visitors it looks unusual: the same stadium turns red and black, then blue and black, and on derby days the stands are split in two.

Living side by side has shaped a distinctive city culture. Kit colours became nicknames — rossoneri and nerazzurri — and the nicknames entered everyday speech. Supporters of rival teams live on the same streets, read the same papers and argue about football in the same cafés.

For cultural history it is a handy example of how football becomes part of a city: through the architecture of the stadium, through language and through traditions handed down from one generation to the next.

  • Events

    Derbies, European nights, anniversaries and exhibitions: the kinds of events and how to check an announcement.

  • Articles

    Magazine topics: Milan's clubs, San Siro, colours and nicknames, fanzines, catenaccio, the language of calcio. Plus the article catalogue.

  • Archive

    The magazine's sections and what is known about the old material on this domain.

Sources

  • Encyclopaedic sources on the history of Italian football
  • UEFA — competition history
  • France Football — Ballon d'Or
  • FIFA — World Cup history

Historical information is based on encyclopaedic sources and official competition histories. Competition rules, stadium names and museum visiting arrangements change, so check them on the organisers' official websites.