Silvio Berlusconi’s most controversial football-related phrases

Magnate Silvio Berlusconi died on Monday at the age of 86. The Italian excelled in various fields, becoming his country’s longest-serving prime minister. Of course, he also stood out as a football leader.

At the Milan striker, he managed to turn the rossoneros into one of the most successful institutions. VSWith him as president, the team won 29 titles, including five Champions League. After that he took the reins of Monza .

A management of which he was proud and always took the time to remember it, launching more than one polemical sentence.

• “Milan? It’s a matter of the heart. It’s expensive, but beautiful women are also expensive.
• “I learned in Milan to play football.”
• “I will send a letter: from Monday, any Milan coach will be obliged to play with at least two forwards. It’s not a request, it’s an obligation.
• “They talk about the Milan of Sacchi, Zaccheroni, Ancelotti and they never talk about the Milan of Berlusconi. I am the one who for 18 years made the compositions, dictated the rules and bought the players. It seems I don’t exist.”
• “Beating Juventus with a dubious penalty is even more beautiful.”
• “Milan is the team with the most titles in the world and I am the president who has won the most trophies. Santiago Bernabéu have won half of them and they even named a stadium after him”.

• “Shevchenko’s march? It was not wanted by us and was not caused by the will of the player: he had to submit to his wife’s wishes. And we know wives are often like bosses you can’t say no to.”
• “My dad used to say I had Milan tattooed on my heart. And I don’t plan on having a transplant.”
• “Balotelli? If you put a rotten apple in the locker room, it can infect everyone.”
• “We have found a good coach who is able to stimulate our boys. I also gave the players extra motivation and told them that if we beat Milan, Juve…one of those big clubs, I’ll send a busload of prostitutes to the dressing room”.
• “I’m worried about Ronaldo. Maybe we should take him to Lourdes.”
• “Ancelotti is chubby enough already. He ate a lot of panettones. In any case, you can still eat them this year.
• “Let’s talk about football and women” (about a meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at a G-8 summit).
• “I will intervene directly in Monza’s (tactical) choices, giving advice, because that’s what I did with all my coaches at Milan.”