The city of Milan is preparing for the Derby della Madonnina UEFA Champions League semifinals between AC Milan and Inter, as the two teams meet for the second time in history in the competition's semifinals and the third time overall. The city rivals met for the first time during the 2002-03 season, exactly twenty years ago, when the Rossoneri knocked out the team coached by Hector Cuper and finally won the cup after beating Juventus in penalties in the first-ever Italian final.
AC Milan went through with two draws (0-0 and 1-1) thanks to the away goals rule and the deciding goal scored by Andriy Shevchenko, something that this year can't be repeated as away goals no longer exist.
Back then, it was one of the most tense derbies of all time, and this figures to be no different.
"It was a short week. Wednesday to Tuesday, we had six days of total tension," former AC Milan player and current director Paolo Maldini said.
Inter had some key injuries, as Christian Vieri was injured and couldn't play both legs, while AC Milan's coach Carlo Ancelotti desperately needed to win the semifinals to save his job.
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These were the starting lineups of the second leg played at San Siro:
AC Milan XI: Christian Abbiati; Kahka Kaladze, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Alessandro Costacurta; Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf; Rui Costa; Andriy Shevchenko, Filipo Inzaghi.
Inter XI: Francesco Toldo; Ivan Cordoba, Marco Materazzi, Fabio Cannavaro; Javier Zanetti, Cristiano Zanetti, Luigi Di Biagio, Emre Belozoglu , Sergio Conceicao; Alvaro Recoba, Fernando Crespo.
Let's try to combine these names with the ones that are playing right now. Take a look at the best XI combined between the 2003 and 2023 sides.
Derby della Madonnina ⌛#UCL pic.twitter.com/r6RxqPFFd0
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 8, 2023
GK: Mike Maignan, AC Milan (2022-23)
The French goalkeeper is definitely one of the best players around Europe right now as he became a key player since he joined AC Milan in the summer 2021 to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma, who joined Paris Saint Germain. Maignan's saves were also crucial last year when the Rossoneri brought the title back to the club eleven years after the last time, beating the same Inter after an exciting comeback in the second part of the year. Maignan is a complete goalkeeper that is showing potential, but there is also a feeling that he can also improve and become even stronger in the coming years.
RB: Javier Zanetti, Inter Milan (2002-03)
The former Inter captain has to be in the top eleven as he was one of the founding parts of that team that years later also won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2010. For years, Zanetti led the Nerazzurri's defense and played in many different roles, as he could play as left or right back and midfielder as well. The Argentinian legend holds the record for most appearances with the club, with 858 games played in all competitions.
CB: Paolo Maldini, AC Milan (2002-03)
Talking about club legends, Paolo Maldini is definitely one of the most iconic names on this list. The former AC Milan captain and current club director was one of the best defenders of all time, who also holds the most appearances record for the club as he has made 902 official appearances between 1985 and 2009. Maldini is a legend of Italian soccer and for the club where he won 26 trophies, more than any other player. Maldini won five Champions Leagues in total, including the one in 2003 after beating Juventus in Manchester's final.
CB: Alessandro Nesta, AC Milan (2002-03)
AC Milan's defense back then was just incredible. Alessandro Nesta was playing alongside Maldini after the club owned by Silvio Berlusconi signed him the summer before the semifinals from Lazio. Since Nesta joined the Rossoneri, AC Milan's defense became one of the strongest in Europe and was one of the secrets behind the success of the team coached by Carlo Ancelotti. This is why he makes it to this top eleven, despite Inter playing with 2006 Balon d'Or winner Fabio Cannavaro those two legs. Cannavaro's stint at Inter was not successful, and two years later he joined Juventus where he came back to the expected level before winning the 2006 World Cup and the Balon d'Or the same year.
LB: Theo Hernandez, AC Milan (2022-23)
After Maignan, Theo Hernandez is the second player of the current AC Milan team to make it into the top eleven. The French left back has been outstanding since he joined the Rossoneri in the summer of 2019. He was one of the smart moves of the current board led by Maldini, as before joining AC Milan he was not considered as great as he is right now. Hernandez's explosive run and shooting abilities have been a deciding factor for the recent success of the club. His attitude on the pitch makes him also one of the most influential players and usually creates some big rivalries on the pitch during the derbies.
MID: Hakan Calhanoglu, Inter (2022-23)
The Turkish midfielder is Inter's first player on the current squad to make it into this list as the former AC Milan man will be one to watch in these two games. The rivalry between Inter and AC Milan mainly focused on him in the past two years after the Nerazzurri decided to sign him after Calhanoglu didn't agree terms to extend his deal with the Rossoneri. He's a key player for Simone Inzaghi and this year in particular he also played as a playmaker as well, making him a complete midfielder that can cover different roles on the pitch. He's creative, he scores and also can provide some key assists to his teammates.
MID: Andrea Pirlo, AC Milan (2002-03)
Talking about creativity on the pitch, Andrea Pirlo has been probably the best playmaker in the recent history of Italian soccer. Pirlo has to give a lot of his career to Carlo Ancelotti, who decided to change his position from the classic trequartista role, making him one of the best if not the best playmaker of the era. His free-kicks, passes and assists are still in the minds of the fans who were lucky enough to see him play. Pure class.
MID: Clarence Seedorf, AC Milan (2002-03)
Clarence Seedorf, another iconic player of the past decades. The Dutch midfielder is the only player in history that won the Champions League with three different teams: Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan. Seedorf was one of the best midfielders of the time and scored some crucial goals in the Derbies against Inter, and he also played two and a half season for the Nerazzurri before joining AC Milan the summer before the 2002-23 season.
ST: Rafael Leao, AC Milan (2022-23)
The Portuguese winger has to be in the top eleven as he's one of the most important players of the four squads combined. His pace, his technique and also his young age make him one of the best players around Europe right now. He already showed that he can be incredibly decisive as he did against Napoli in the quarterfinals where his run and then assist to Olivier Giroud at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples basically ended the tie and gave AC Milan the possibility to play their first semifinals since 2007, when they last won the trophy after beating Liverpool in Istanbul, 2-1.
ST: Andriy Shevchenko, AC Milan (2002-03)
The 2004 Balon d'Or winner was one of the icons of that team. The Ukranian striker scored some incredible goals, but also the crucial ones. The goal scored in the second leg of the 2003 semifinal against Inter was the deciding one that gave the Rossoneri a spot in the final in Manchester, where Shevchenko also scored the fifth penalty against Juventus. His eyes before shooting that penalty are still in the minds of the fans that could celebrate the title after beating both the city rivals and historical country rivals, when Italian soccer was at its best.
ST: Filippo Inzaghi, AC Milan (2002-03)
The 2006 World Cup winner is the last name on this list in terms of players. It's impossible not to choose the brother of the current Inter coach as the number nine when it comes to Champions League soccer. Filippo Inzaghi was the man of Carlo Ancelotti for the European games, especially in 2007 when he scored a brace against Liverpool in the final. Looking at the rosters of the teams, former Inter star Christian Vieri deserved to be on this list as well, but the Italian striker didn't play in the 2002-23 semifinals because he was injured. Maybe, with him on the pitch, history changes.
Coach: Carlo Ancelotti, AC Milan (2002-03)
If you need to choose a coach for a Champions League semifinal, well, who else? Carlo Ancelotti won four Champions League as a coach: in 2003 and 2007 with AC Milan, in 2014 and in 2022 with Real Madrid. Nobody won more than him. Nobody could do better than him. He's in the semifinals again this season with Real Madrid.
Best XI 2002-2003: Abbiati; Cordoba, Maldini, Nesta, Zanetti; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Rui Costa; Shevchenko, Inzaghi. Coach: Ancelotti.
Best XI 2022-2023: Maignan; Darmian, Bastoni, Tomori, Hernandez; Calhanoglu, Bennacer, Barella; Leao, Mkhitaryan; Lautaro. Coach: Stefano Pioli.
Best combined XI: Maignan; Zanetti, Maldini, Nesta, Theo Hernandez; Calhanoglu, Pirlo, Seedorf; Leao, Shevchenko, Inzaghi. Coach: Ancelotti.
