Another year has come to an end for AC Milan and there are quite a few things to look back at as we enter 2024. Who was the best player of the year, who scored the best goal and who improved the most? In this article, we get to the bottom of this and more.
It perhaps wasn’t the most positive of years for Milan, only just clinching a top-four finish last season and struggling with a ton of injuries at the start of this campaign. There are, however, a few things that we can highlight to raise the mood a bit.
After all, the Rossoneri did have some good moments, with some wonderful goals scored and multiple players improving throughout the year. Of course, all of the categories below are highly subjective, but we will try to explain ourselves in the best way possible.
🥇 Best player: Mike Maignan
This a very difficult category to decide, there is no doubt about that. Just based on this season, our pick would be Fikayo Tomori. The Englishman has been superb since the summer and has really found his way back to the ‘Scudetto form’. However, last season was not as successful.
So, maybe we should say Rafael Leao instead? Well, the case is the same for him, with far too much inconsistency throughout the year. The one player we feel has consistently stepped up – bar a few mistakes, which is only natural – is Mike Maignan.
😳 We still can't figure out how this didn't go in
👏 @mmseize pic.twitter.com/MJ0IpOTrTe
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) November 22, 2023
He did miss three games due to injury at the start of this season, but when fit he has been pivotal for the Rossoneri. The Salernitana howler is still fresh in our memory, but we need to look at the broader picture and consider how well he has done.
Especially this season, it feels like he has made at least one world-class save every game, not to mention that he also got an assist with a great long ball (which we will discuss more below).
⚽️ Best goal: Pulisic against Frosinone
If the previous category was tough to pick, this is even worse. The quality of goals will always be subjective. Some prefer solo runs/efforts, others prefer a well-worked team goal. Theo Hernandez’s solo goal against Lazio comes to mind, as does Rafael Leao’s solo goal against Napoli in the league.
A recent example would be Noah Okafor’s goal against Monza, with Tijjani Reijnders’ perfect dink to Olivier Giroud and the one-touch set-up from the Frenchman. You could even argue that Christian Pulisic’s winner against Genoa was of the highest quality.
Our pick for this category, however, is Pulisic’s goal against Frosinone on December 2. It’s a recent goal, in other words, but Mike Maignan’s long ball to set up the American was fantastic. The first touch was even better, and the winger’s awareness to dink it over the goalkeeper after losing some angle must be highlighted.
Again, there are so many goals that could be given this award, so do let us know in the comments which your favourite from 2023 was.
🎯 Best assist: Leao against Napoli
This category was fairly easy, even if there were many good assists during the year and especially from Rafael Leao himself. The one against Napoli in the Champions League, though, is really unbeatable if we also consider what that game meant.
That solo run highlighted everything that Leao does best, and even though the Napoli defenders knew what was coming, they simply could not stop him. Milan fans will be hoping to see more of that in the future, but only the winger himself can make it happen.
🤷 Since the @ballondor forgot, here’s a reminder of what @RafaeLeao7 can do 🏄
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) September 7, 2023
Mike Maignan’s assist for Christian Pulisic is also a good shout, of course, as is Olivier Giroud’s assist for Noah Okafor. Which one was your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!
😍 Best moment: Giroud in goal against Genoa
There are many moments to pick from here, such as knocking Napoli out of the Champions League and beating them 4-0 away from home. Francesco Camarda making his debut for the first team, Jan-Carlo Simic scoring on his debut and so on.
The fairly obvious pick, though, is Olivier Giroud making *that* save in goal against Genoa after Mike Maignan got sent off. It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that, and the Frenchman was rightfully praised by every single media outlet and football fan.
😅 Still can't get enough of Giroud's save? We got you covered 🤝pic.twitter.com/VtSj7C5Oed
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) October 9, 2023
It takes gut to dive head first into a challenge like that, with Giroud really showcasing just how keen he is on helping the Rossoneri succeed. He did have some luck, seeing as the punch was ‘scuffed’, but he certainly deserved that for his courage.
📈 Most improved player: Malick Thiaw
As with the best moment, this category is rather easy to decide. Malick Thiaw went from basically not playing to becoming a key part of Milan’s defence. In a three-man as well as a four-man backline, the German immediately stepped up when given the chance.
The games against Tottenham were some of his first, as a regular starter we should add, and he did not disappoint in those. He continued to go from strength to strength after that and while he still needs to improve some aspects, he is the obvious pick for this category.
Malick Thiaw 🆚 Spurs
😨 His Champions League DEBUT!
📹 @CompsACM pic.twitter.com/aKXovFERYE
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) February 15, 2023
Some could perhaps make a case for Rade Krunic, who was important at the start of this season and towards the end of last season. However, his recent decline cannot be ignored and besides, Thiaw has been a lot better anyway.
✍️ Best signing: Christian Pulisic
Pulisic was one of 13 players who arrived in the summer and the expectations were not that high, following a very poor season with Chelsea. However, the American has been the best signing so far with seven goals and four assists to his name.
He has really made that right-wing spot his own, when everyone expected Samuel Chukwueze to compete with the former Borussia Dortmund man. He has come in clutch several times and given the price tag of around €20m, the management must be praised for this signing.
▶️ @pulisic, but in slow motion 😍pic.twitter.com/YFi7VPOWsk
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) December 6, 2023
Tijjani Reijnders is another good shout, having come into his own lately, and the price tag was also relatively low for the Dutchman. It remains to be seen what will happen during the rest of this season but for now, these are the two frontrunners.
Let us know in the comments what your picks are! Here is the guide for you to copy:
🥇 Best player
⚽️ Best goal
🎯 Best assist
😍 Best moment
📈 Most improved player
✍️ Best signing
Best Player: Maignan.
Says a lot about 2023 when the GK is the best player.
Best goal: Theo solo goal vs Lazio.
Best assist: Maignan to Pulisic vs Frosinone.
Best Moment: Juventus getting 10 points penalty which moved Milan from 5th to 4th.
Most Improved player: Tomori. Can’t really say Thiaw because it’s not like he Improved, he just wasn’t given a chance before.
Best signing: Pulisic.
I’m not seeing my first reply. Had to repost.
🥇 Best player: Maignan. Love him but🤦🏾♂️. Reminds me of the time David De Gea was Manchester United’s Player Of The Year for 4 consecutive years. Says a lot.
⚽️ Best goal: Theo vs Lazio. No other goal comes close. End of argument.
🎯 Best assist: Definitely Leao vs Napoli. Super. A bulldozer. He’s too inconsistent it’s so frustrating. No more excuses for him. He’s not a wonderkid anymore. Highest paid in the team. Needs to make that step up (especially mentally).
😍 Best moment: Juventus’ point deduction😁. Even if, imo, we didn’t deserve the UCL spot, the fact that it was them made it all sweeter. Any other team (except our shit neighbor obviously) & I might have felt a bit sad. Might!😁
📈 Most improved player: Malick Thiaw. I would have gone with but Fikayo but he blew hot & cold all through last season. With Malick, his trajectory has just been one way. Upward!
✍️ Best signing: Tijjani Reijnders. I wanted to go with Puli but I’ll choose Tijjani because of one reason. Availability! There’s a reason he has appeared in every game all season (I think) starting all bar one.
Here’s to a fantastic year of football❤️🖤
Forza Milan.