Galliani recalls best Milan team, biggest signings and choosing iconic coaches

Adriano Galliani has revealed more fascinating anecdotes from his time at AC Milan, including his best signings from the teams he built.

Galliani was the CEO and vice-chairman of Milan from 1986 to 2017 in the Silvio Berlusconi era, one in which the club won 29 major trophies in 31 years and was catapulted from being a side that had spent time in Serie B to the best in Europe.

In his role, Galliani – who became known as ‘Il Condor’ due to having a habit of pulling off big deals late on – was at the head of pretty much everything, from signings and sales to being the public face of the Rossoneri. After leaving he headed for Monza with Berlusconi, who passed away in 2023.

Galliani spoke on the podcast ‘Colpi da Maestro’ in which he shared many anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories from his long experience at Milan. His words were transcribed by MilanNews.

What was your best team?

“If I had to choose one of my 31 years at AC Milan, I would say the 1993-1994 season.”

You saw and helped build the AC Milan of Sacchi, Capello and Ancelotti…

“That AC Milan thought big because its president, Silvio Berlusconi, thought big. And he passed this on to the club, the coaches, and the players. When I think back to when we chose Sacchi, people said we were crazy.

“Arrigo made his teams play well, but he was a coach who, in the year before coming to AC Milan, hadn’t won promotion from Serie B with Parma. People said Capello was Berlusconi’s darling because Fabio hadn’t coached for years and was doing something else.

“The third coup was Ancelotti, who was called the ‘successful loser’ because in the two years before he was at AC Milan, he was at Juve and finished second twice. It’s not just the players who made the greatest moves that should be remembered, but also the coaches.

“After Milan, I returned to Monza, and I think one of the greatest coups was taking the Primavera coach Palladino and bringing him to the first team. Coaches have a huge impact on a team’s results.”

How did you choose those managers?

“There have been different periods. I’d start with Sacchi: for Berlusconi, the key thing was to play well. The year before, we played a friendly against Parma and we saw the Emilians play well. In the Coppa Italia, we drew Parma, who came to win in Milan, playing very well.

“Berlusconi asked me if Parma had better players than Milan, I obviously said no. And then he asked me why they play better than us. I replied: ‘Well, it seems they have a good coach.’ Milan finished second in that Coppa Italia group, which Parma won. In the round of 16, who did we draw again?

“Parma, who returned to Milan and beat us for the second time. At that point, we thought it wasn’t a coincidence. On our return, we asked the president of Parma to go to dinner after the match, and at that dinner we met Sacchi. We talked, but didn’t conclude.

“In the following months, we decided that Sacchi had the right characteristics to coach Milan. When he came to us, he won the The league title in the first year, the Champions Cup in the second year, and the Champions Cup again in the third year.

“When Sacchi came to us, he didn’t ask for money; he had me put the figure in. He says it’s fine, but adds that if he wins, the fee will be doubled during the year. The following season, it starts again with a double.

“And if he wins the league title or the European Cup again, it’ll be doubled again, and then the same thing in the third year. And so, in the end, he bought himself a few hotels in Milano Marittima (laughs).”

What do you remember from those days as ‘Il Condor’?

“It came from the fact that there was a film called ‘Three Days of the Condor.’ I thought the Three Days of the Condor were the final days of the transfer window. I ended up doing a hundred transfers. I started my career in 1975 at Monza and finished with Monza’s 2025 transfer window.

“The first move was a swap: Monza took Braida and gave Peressin to Palermo. I remember all the moves. Since 1975, I’ve always seen one thing: players’ values ​​decreased as the transfer window went on.

“If you have to sell a player, you have to sell him at the beginning of the transfer window; if you want to buy, you have to get him at the end. I think all teams have more players than they need. So the Condor days have to be the final days.

“Not always, but often in the final days, deals that were previously noes become yeses, or even deals that seemed impossible become possible. That’s how the Condor days are born.”

What signings are you most proud of?

“Let’s start with the first Condor signing, Carlo Ancelotti. It was 1987, Sacchi wanted him at all costs, he pushed hard to get him despite his knee problems. Sacchi said that knees can be treated, but not the head.

“It was the penultimate day of the transfer window, and the Roma president was always saying no. I had given up a bit, but Braida was good at organizing a dinner with Roma. That evening, we realized that the president kept saying no, while his son and sporting director Perinetti were saying yes.

“The son invited me to Rome for the next day and organised a meeting with his father. And the next morning, I took a plane and went to Rome. What seemed impossible happened. Ancelotti gave us a great hand in those seasons, but I also think something else: if that relationship hadn’t been created, Carlo would have gone to Parma in 2022 because he had almost signed for them.

“Another Condor signing happened in Paris in 1997 when we signed Leonardo from PSG. Capello, who had returned to Milan, absolutely wanted him. Berlusconi and I didn’t want to spend any more money, so we told him about ourselves.

“But then something incredible happened: I was in Florida, supposed to return to Milan the next day. As I was about to leave for the airport, I saw a huge sign: ‘Leonardo’. So I immediately called President Berlusconi and told him I’d had a vision, so I flew to Paris to pick up Leonardo from PSG.

“I was lucky enough to know the PSG owners well, and they welcomed me right away, so we got Leonardo. Then, if I had to name another great signing from Condor, it would undoubtedly be Alessandro Nesta. I was in Sardinia and had coffee every morning with Lazio president Cragnotti.

“I had reached an agreement with him for a huge sum, 60 billion old lire, but Berlusconi turned me down. We had won the preliminary rounds and therefore would have participated in the Champions League. That night, Berlusconi was in Copenhagen with other prime ministers.

“I saw an interview with the president on the news, in which he was asked if his ministers were free. to move, and he replies that ministers, within the budget, can move the budget as they see fit. At that point, I seize the opportunity and, through one of his guards, manage to speak to Berlusconi and ask him: ‘But as CEO of AC Milan, am I considered the same as a minister?’

“He replies yes. And I tell him that if we sign Nesta, we’ll win the Champions League; if we win the Champions League, we’ll generate a lot of revenue. Berlusconi, partly out of tiredness since it was 4 a.m., lets me know that I can sign him.

“My friend Fedele Confalonieri tells me that I was lucky enough to immediately understand when Berlusconi said yes and thought yes, said yes and thought no, said no and thought no, said no and thought yes.

“Nesta arrives and we win the Champions League, which will always remain in my heart. The pleasure of beating Inter in the semifinals and then Juventus in the final is something that will perhaps never happen again. And Nesta gave us a huge hand.”

What was the most complicated signing?

“I’d say the one for Ibrahimovic. I was in Barcelona with the Barça president and Mino Raiola. The year before, Ibra had been signed by the Spanish club from Inter for a huge sum. I thought it was impossible to get him after just one year.

“A few days before the end of the transfer window, Raiola, who was the master of the transfer window, called me and told me to go to Barcelona because it was possible. I went to Barcelona and started a great battle to get Ibra, and in the end I managed to get him on loan with an option to buy.

“I had to convince Ibra, and I went to his house where his wife and children were also. His wife went out in the morning, came back in the early afternoon, and found me there. She hadn’t asked who I was beforehand.

“Ibra told her and added that until I signed with Milan, I wouldn’t leave their house. Zlatan then signed, and that year we won the Scudetto.”

Is it true Dzeko nearly came?

“Braida and I were hiding in Sarajevo, which still bore the scars of the war. We were very close to Dzeko, who had photos of Gullit and Van Basten in his room.”

Finally, your masterstroke?

“The masterstroke that I share with Braida was Marco van Basten. It wasn’t perhaps the most difficult shot, but I think Marco was the best of all.”