All-time Serie A XI

 Over the years Serie A, affectionately known as “Calcio” by its fans and followers, has played host to some of the world’s greatest names, its most dominating teams and astute managers. Picking an XI that encompasses the entire history of a league from a country that has won the World Cup four times and the Champions League/European Cup 12 times is an astonishingly difficult feat, and there were some difficult omissions.

However, I’ve tried to be as all-encompassing as possible – the temptation to dip into the Serie A glory days of my own personal memories were great, but there were more worthy names from earlier generations that could not be ignored.

Anyway, without further ado – here is the line-up. Remember, this is completely subjective and just my opinion – so feel free to discuss and debate with me on Twitter @SamCalcio.

Pre-note: Despite its relatively modern arrival into the world of tactics, I went with the 4-2-3-1. I did this for two reasons: 1) I needed a back four, as a Serie A XI without at least four defensive players is wrong on several levels and 2) It allowed me to put five attacking players on it, including four vintage #10’s. It just made sense.

Goalkeeper:  Gianluigi Buffon

Parma: 1995-2001, Juventus: 2001 – Present

Italian football historians will claim fellow Juventus legend Dino Zoff is the deserved candidate for the #1 jersey for his longevity and clean sheet record, but the fact remains that Gianluigi Buffon is the most complete goalkeeper in Italian football history and arguably the greatest of all time.

Making his Parma debut at the age of just 17(an achievement in itself in the notoriously veteran-dependant Serie A), Buffon was named Serie A’s Goalkeeper of the Year before he turned 23 as a stalwart in Carlo Ancelotti’s exciting Parma side, featuring fellow future Juventus stars Fabio Cannavaro and Lillian Thuram.

A move to Juventus in 2001 for a still record fee(for a goalkeeper) of £32.1m was immediately justified as Buffon won consecutive league titles in his first two years. A World Cup win followed while  only conceding two goals(not including penalty shoot-outs) along the way, and only one from open play (which wasn’t even scored by the opposition, Christian Zaccardo’s own goal against the USA responsible for that). The other goal? A chipped penalty from Zinedine Zidane in the final.

Buffon affirmed his legendary status in the hearts of Juventus fans when he opted to stay with his ailed club during their spell in Serie B after the Calciopoli scandal, and fought back from a back injury in 2010 to win his 9^th Serie A GKOTY award in 13 years in 2012.

Buffon’s agility, athleticism put him over the less mobile Zoff, and dons the #1 jersey in this XI.

Honourable Mentions: Dino Zoff, Walter Zenga.

Right-Back: Paolo Maldini

AC Milan: 1985 – 2009

I know what you’re thinking. Paolo Maldini, world’s greatest left-back, at right back? Well, yes. It seems a strange decision on the face of it until you find out that the Rossoneri stalwart was naturally right-footed, and played as a right winger up until breaking into the Milan first team at just 17. While it’s not ideal, because of the guy I’ve got at LB, this became a necessity.

Selected by then Milan manager Nils Liedholm after a second half injury to Sergio Battistini in 1985, young Paolo impressed the Swede with his composure and was given a starting berth the following season. Since then, Maldini was never taken out of Milan’s team, forming a key part of arguably football’s greatest ever modern club side when Arrigo Sacchi took over in 1987.

The victories came quickly and never really stopped, winning his first Scudetto of seven in 1988, and his first European Cup of five in 1989.

Blessed with composure, intelligence and technique that contradicted his position in defence, Maldini’s skill allowed him to have an almost inhumanly long career at the highest level, retiring from football in 2009 after nearly 24 years and 25 major trophies.

AC Milan retired the famous #3 until such time that Paolo’s children break into Milan’s first XI(note: they’re in the youth teams), and if they’re half as good as their father (or even their European Cup winning Grandfather Cesare) then Milan have much more to look forward to from the Maldini family.

Honourable Mentions: Mauro Tassotti, Cafu.

Centre-Back: Franco Baresi

AC Milan: 1977-1997

Another Rossoneri legend whose number has been kept back by his club, only this time there is no chance that anyone will wear the #6 again, and appropriately so. In a league dominated by great defenders, Franco Baresi was the probably the easiest choice in this entire team.

Despite Franco’s less than imposing physical stature (his 5’9 frame leading to fans calling Baresi “Piscinin”, Milanese for “little one”) Baresi neutralised attacking threats by playing as the last man of the defence, solely responsible for the offside trap and utilising positional awareness and timing to catch out strikers.

Baresi won 10 league titles and three European Cups throughout a 20 year career as arguably the best player on a team that contained Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Paolo Maldini, famously captaining Italy to the World Cup final in 1994, playing 120 minutes in the sweltering Pasadena heat at the age of 34 with a knee injury he sustained earlier in the competition. Probably the most intelligent defender to have ever played.

Honourable Mentions: Fabio Cannavaro, Armando Picchi. 

Centre-Back: Gaetano Scirea

Atalanta: 192-1974, Juventus: 1974-1988

The quiet leader of the Juventus defence that was more famous for partner Claudio Gentile’s notorious antics, Scirea was the key cog in a Bianconeri backline that set the example for the rest of Serie A during the entirety of his Juventus career.

The Italian answer to Franz Beckenbauer, Sciera was famous for taking the ball out of defence, forming an extra part to the midfield and even joining in up front – scoring 24 goals in the process for Juve during a 14 year spell with the Old Lady.

Like his defensive accomplices, Scirea was a serial winner – seven league titles in 14 seasons and a World Cup for Italy in 1982 emphasises the totality of his success.

A quiet individual whose unique sportsmanship set him apart from his rivals for this spot in the line-up, his red-cardless career emphasise Scirea’s placidity and sportsmanship in an footballing era that was often famous for little of either.

Honourable Mentions: Claudio Gentile, Alessandro Nesta.

Left-Back: Giacinto Facchetti

Inter: 1960-1978

The first attacking full back of the game, a man whose revolutionary style of playing changed the way wide-defenders played the game and defined Inter’s greatest ever team. Facchetti began his career at Inter in 1960, instantly impressing charismatic tactician Helenio Herrera who placed the then striker as full back, inviting him to push forward despite his field position.

The plan worked to perfection, as Facchetti was one of the main reasons why Herrera’s catenaccio style was so effective. His stamina allowed him to patrol the by-line with pace and strength while his forward strides made for an effective counter-attacking weapon. The complete defender, Giacinto managed to also score 59 goals in Nerazzurri blue from his left back position, including 12 in the 1965-66 season.

Facchetti was the captain of Herrera’s Grande Inter side that won and retained the European Cup in the mid-60’s before losing to Jock Stein’s Celtic side in 1967.

Almost a shoe-in because of his impact on the evolution of the game, Facchetti also proved he was a superb player and leader too – captaining Italy 70 times out of 94 caps and winning the country’s only European Championship to date in 1968. 

Honourable Mentions: Antonio Cabrini, Gianluca Zambrotta.

Central Midfield: Javier Zanetti

Inter: 1995 - Present

Javier Zanetti is probably the most astonishing example of human stamina in football’s entire history. Signed as a 21-year-old in 1995 from Argentinian side Banfield, “Pupi” has been a constant during a near 20 year stretch, his ability to play anywhere in defence or midfield as impressive as his consistency.

Zanetti played mostly as a right back for Inter until the Nerazzurri signed Maicon in 2006, where he became a defensive midfielder. The Argentinian doesn’t pass as well as Falcao, tackle as well as Edgar Davids or strike a ball as well as Marco Tardelli but the veteran’s ability to do all of those things well for nearly two decades at the heart of an Inter side wracked with change during the same period is the reason why his selection is justified.

At 39, Javier Zanetti is just as vital for Inter as he was when the Nerazzurri named him captain in 1999 – “Il Tractore(The Tractor)” the driving force of Inter season in, season out.

 A five-time Serie A Champion including the treble winning season of 2010, Javier Zanetti has won 16 major trophies in 18 years at Inter for 18 different coaches. He is set to break Paolo Maldini’s appearance record while under a contract that will see him at Inter until he is 40, and he will be the first name on the team sheet for whoever is in charge until he decides to hang his boots up – if that ever happens, of course.

Honourable Mentions: Falcao, Marco Tardelli, Edgar Davids, Nils Liedholm. 

Central Midfield: Michel Platini

Juventus: 1982 – 1987

Compared to the earlier entries on this list, Michel Platini’s 5 year spell in Turin is dwarfed by his contemporaries in terms of longevity, but that the Frenchman nailed a spot on this list despite being in Italy for a relatively short period of time is emphatic of his magic.

Arguably the greatest player of a country blessed with Zinedine Zidane, and arguably the greatest #10 for a club blessed with Roberto Baggio and Alex Del Piero, Michel Platini was both ahead of his time and a throwback to a less frantic age of football - if only because of how simple he made the sport look.

To contextualise with a modern parallel, Platini had the passing range of Andrea Pirlo, the first touch of Zinedine Zidane, the awareness of Andres Iniesta and the charisma of James Dean. He was the silky touch on the pitch, and the quotable icon off it.

Platini joined Serie A and Juventus in 1982, replacing Irish hero Liam Brady (whose last kick won the Bianconeri the league the season before) but originally struggled to adapt to Italian football, nearly leaving just months after his arrival.

However, a more accommodating set of tactics freed the Frenchman who went on to lead Juventus to two league titles in 1984 and 1986 and a European Cup in 1985, Juventus’s first continental triumph. 

Despite his position in midfield, Platini led Serie A in scoring three seasons in a row and also won an unprecedented hat-trick of Balon D’or trophies, a feat only bettered by Lionel Messi in 2012.

Platini’s ability to drop deep to spread the play before pushing forward to join the attack made Michel the perfect midfielder in any formation, meaning he can adopt a roaming role as the orchestrator in my 4-2-3-1, thanks to Javier Zanetti next to him doing the defensive duties of two (or three) men.

Honourable Mentions: Andrea Pirlo, Lothar Matthaus, Giovanni Trappatoni, Frank Rijkaard. 

Right-Winger: Valentino Mazzola

Venezia: 1939 – 1942, Torino: 1942-1949.

Mazzola may seem like a surprise inclusion for some who are unaware of the history of the Grande Torino side of the 1940’s, but a quick look through the history books reveal Mazzola’s inclusion is more than warranted.

Played as an attacking midfielder in Torino’s 4-2-4 formation, Mazzola was the best player on a side that dominated Serie A more than any side before or since.

Torino own all-time records for consecutive Scudetti, unbeaten home records(four consecutive between 1945 and 1949), the biggest ever Serie A home win(10-0 vs Alessandria in 1947-48), the biggest ever away win( 7-0 vs Roma in 1945-46) as well as single season records for goals scored, conceded, points amassed before the 3 point win was invented and a goal per game average of 3.125.

It’s an incredible run of success from a team that in a cruel irony was beaten by tragic circumstance rather than a sporting rival – the 1949 Superga aeroplane crash robbing Italian football of a legendary team that could have  - and probably would have – continued to dominate for years to come.

Mazzola scored 118 goals in just 204 matches for Torino before he died at just 30.

His son Sandro went on to become more famous as one of Inter’s greatest ever players in the 1960’s and 70’s, but no Serie A XI is complete without a player from Italy’s most endearing, successful and heartbreaking sides. 

Honourable Mentions: Gianni Rivera, Jose Altafini. 

Centre Attacking Midfield/Centre Forward: Diego Maradona

Napoli: 1984-1991

I had to fit him in here somewhere, didn’t I? Arguably the greatest player the world has ever seen left Barcelona in 1984 as a 24-year-old and entered himself into the hearts of Neopolitans everywhere, lifting them to their only Scudetti in 1987 and 1990.

Maradona became more than a footballer in Naples, embodying the Southern Italian attitude as his own, beating the Northern giants of Milan and Turin on the only medium they could compete – the football pitch. Diego became a social phenomenon, and a saviour. Even today, years after his exploits, murals of the Argentinian can be found in pristine condition throughout the Italian city.

Maradona’s effect and hero status during his time in Serie A was such that fans and management ignored Diego’s drug problems, partying and lateness. In fact, by 1990, Maradona barely trained, choosing instead to simply turn up to matches on his own minutes before kick-off.

During his peak, Maradona was simply untouchable. His talent was such that Napoli were instantly able to compete with Michel Platini’s Juventus (beating them to a title in 1987), and Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan(beating them to a title in 1990) during a time when Serie A was the undisputed king of world football. His departure began a trophy drought that was only been ended last season, Napoli winning the Coppa Italia after years in the Calcio abyss(that included a spell in Serie C), perhaps doing more than anything else to highlight how much of a difference ‘El Diego’ made to Napoli, and Serie A.

Rarely ever has there been a more influential player in a team sport.

Honourable Mentions: Zinedine Zidane, Kaka’, Ruud Gullit.

Left-Winger: Roberto Baggio.

Vincenza: 1982-1985, Fiorentina: 1985-1990, Juventus: 1990-1995, AC Milan: 1995-1997, Bologna: 1997-1998, Brescia: 2000-2004.

This was a difficult decision. I was very, very close to placing Francesco Totti in this spot, and I’m sure I’ve offended many by his exclusion from this XI. Trust me, I tried. Totti-supporters will point to his World Cup triumph, his longevity at Roma and his superior goal-tally to Baggio as for reasons why he should’ve been included instead, and they’re all fair reasons. However, the reasons I went Baggio over Totti was:

1) Baggio achieved despite being hampered by coaching disagreements and injury for a large part of his career.

 2) Baggio won the Balon D’or in 1993, while Totti was never indisputably the world’s best player.

3) Despite Totti’s superior goals tally – Francesco has 227 goals in 535 games, while Baggio has 205 in 452, giving Il Divino Codino a goals per game advantage of 0.15 (Totti: 1 goal per 2.35 games while Baggio: 1 goal per 2.2 games). Give Baggio Totti’s games and club support, and I’m convinced he’d have scored more.

4) Baggio scored for poorer teams while Totti has been the centrepiece of all of Roma’s activity for 20 years.

Baggio, for me, is simply more impressive.

There isn’t a player in Italian history more universally loved, respected and admired than Roberto Baggio, who spent a career battling injury and restrictive tactics to score 204 goals in Serie A, and 291 in all competitions.

Baggio’s career is probably best remembered by his missed penalty against Brazil in the 1994 final, robbing him of a World Cup his talent richly deserved. But, like that wayward strike in Pasadena in the unforgiving summer heat, Baggio’s career was not built on trophies. It was built on moments.

From his 1989 entrance into the Serie A spotlight with his stunning solo effort against Diego Maradona’s Napoli, no less, to his one touch-and-finish goal for Brescia against Juventus in 2004 at the twilight of his career, Baggio entertained Italian football fans the world over with flashes of skill and goals that lived in the memory forever.

Perhaps best remembered for his time at Juventus – winning the Balon D’or in 1993 and Serie A in 1995, it was for provincial sides that Baggio often displayed his best work, relishing the freedom given him by the likes of Brescia and Bologna rather than the tactical restrictions from Milan and Inter, two teams unwilling to shape their teams around the mercurial striker.

A successful year at Bologna saw Baggio re-join Italy for the 1998 World Cup after an Azzurri exile, and the veteran won a penalty in the opening game against Chile. It was the first he would take for Italy since the famous miss in 1994. Roberto bent over, staring at the ground for several seconds before picking up the ball, laying it on the spot and scoring. It was an exorcism for Baggio, and a reminder to his doubters.

Baggio was often dropped later in his international career in favour of younger, or more physical talent; Alex Del Piero, Gianfranco Zola and Christian Vieri all saw starts ahead of Baggio while Marcelo Lippi’s continued benching of the forward meant that he missed out on Euro 2000. Italy lost the final to France after Del Piero, favoured over Baggio, missed several gilt-edged chances to win the game.

Baggio continued to be adored by the Italian public, finishing his career with a four year spell at Brescia. His retirement saw an entirely universal response of praise from all corners of Italy, highlighting Baggio’s unique appeal and status among the notoriously territorial Italian football fan.

Honourable Mentions: Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, Sandro Mazzola

Striker: Giuseppe Meazza

Inter: 1927-1940, Milan: 1940-1942, Juventus: 1942-1943, Varese: 1944, Atalanta: 1944-1946, Inter: 1946-1947.

The man whose name was lent to the stadium that both Inter and Milan play is a pretty good reason on its own, but Giuseppe Meazza also happens to be a two-time World Cup winning striker who was probably the most dominating in his position in Italian football history.

Silvio Piola may have scored more, boasting a formidable 274 Serie A goals to his name, but Meazza could do more than score. An incredible technician, blessed with supreme dribbling and passing ability, Meazza was the complete striker before multi-faceted footballers was a modern trend.

Meazza was the first player with personal sponsors, a real bona fide celebrity before the term was commonly coined for sportsmen and anecdotes about Meazza’s career reveal what was a charming, entertaining and very talented rebel.

Giuseppe scored bicycle kicks, Maradona style dribbles through the heart of a team and dominated scoring charts in an unforgiving footballing climate, Meazza often having to dodge fouls from players who were keen to avoid humiliation. 

He could drop deep, he could challenge for headers and famous Italian journalist Gianni Brera even saw Meazza as “the perfect midfielder” due to the completeness of his ability.

Joining Milan in 1940 after an injury saw him cry after scoring a goal against beloved Inter in the Milan derby, perhaps becoming the only player in Milanese history to avoid abuse for crossing the footballing divide by virtue of being who he was.

Meazza returned to Inter after a six year absence, ending his career in the Nerazzurri colours, finishing with 314 goals in 511 games in all competitions.

A case can be made for Marco Van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko, Gigi Riva, Gabriel Batistuta and several other forwards, but none did for as long, as well or as emphatically as Giuseppe Meazza.

Honourable Mentions:

Marco Van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko, Gabriel Batistuta, Ronaldo, Silvio Piola, Gigi Riva

Final XI (4-2-3-1):

Buffon; Maldini, Baresi, Scirea, Facchetti; Zanetti, Platini; V.Mazzola, Maradona, Baggio; Meazza.

@SamCalcio's Weekly transfer round up: Cavani, Fabregas and Rooney.

Cavani mixing it with Zlatan, Fabregas coming back to England but not with Arsenal and Rooney in blue? 

1. Cavani - Ibrahimovic should be the most fun partnership in Europe

After weeks of testing Napoli with undersized bids, somebody actually decided to go ahead and bite the €64m - price tagged bullet and bring Edinson Cavani to their club. That somebody is Paris St Germain, and they're looking at sticking Cavani and Zlatan together to form what should be the most enjoyable strike partnership in Europe, one that only 2 years ago would only be compiled on "Serie A XI of the Year" lists.

Those thinking that El Matador's arrival should usher Ibra out may have spoken to soon, as the giant Swede is starting to run out of options should he want to leave. Juventus dropped out the race they never looked likely to win(I even tweeted as much in March) months ago, while Manchester City have literally just bought Alvaro Negredo from Sevilla and look to be adding Fiorentina star Stevan Jovetic too.

Jose' Mourinho and Chelsea now seem pre-occupied with a certain English forward(more on this later) while Real Madrid's "no over-30's" philosophy mixed with Carlo Ancelotti's sudden intention to try and keep Higuain and Benzema in his new team mean that there aren't any teams left he hasn't already played for.

Which means that Ibra will have to stay and Paris and play nice with Edi. What a shame. The two players combined for 59 goals last season for their respective clubs, and there is reason to believe the two players can in fact play together.

Given Ibra's ability(and new fond tendency) to play deep and push up with ball while Cavani is content to charge around the pitch doing the defensive work usually associated with a midfielder actually makes Zlatan's job all that easier. Add Lucas Moura, Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti and that's a very exciting team.

(Also, an interesting side-note is now Napoli president has revealed that he has €124m to play with this summer to turn his side into a Scudetto challenger. Watch some Serie A this season, trust me.)

2. Thiago at Bayern, Strootman at Roma and Manchester United STILL need a midfielder.

I have a feeling I'm going to be bemoaning United's inability to sign a player in this position until I'm staring down the barrel of a midlife crisis. From leading the hypothetical chases for talented midfielders Kevin Strootman(United being pegged as favorites before last season ended, PSV coach Dick Advocaat pretty much admitting that KS wanted England) and Thiago Alacantra(who send the world of Twitter into a flurry after receiving a reported "Welcome To Manchester" message on his hat-trick ball from the Euro U-21's final) their indecision and stalling has led to both targets going to different sides.

United will now turn their attention to other players. Other players apparently including Cesc Fabregas. The likelihood of the former Arsenal captain joining United for a rumored £25m appears unlikely considering that there is literally nothing in it for Barcelona who would be losing their second talented midfielder in two weeks for £15m less than they gave Arsenal for him just two years ago. Given Xavi's age(newsflash: it's increasing by the day) and the aforementioned financial investment the Catalan giants made to guarantee Cesc's arrival, it seems a tough deal to break.

 But, stranger things have happened. The Telegraph reported that the Spaniard would be interested in a move and the English newspaper are usually pretty reliable(they happened to break this, rather large, piece of United news). Just don't expect Barca to be pretty happy about the idea.

3. Wayne Rooney at Chelsea? Really? Yep.

The strangest rumor I'd seen for a while just a week ago just got confirmed by the club on their official website, with new Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho admitting that Chelsea had made a bid for the unsettled forward.

After you try and get past your inability to imagine Rooney, he of eight years at Manchester United in a Chelsea shirt, it kind of makes sense.

Rooney isn't happy at United. For whatever reason, ambition, wages, players, new manager. Whatever. United are happy to keep the 27 year old but the acquisition of Robin Van Persie plus the mood swings of their now former talisman means that they're much easier to negotiate with than they would have been in say, 2010.

Chelsea need a forward of quality and one that is more confident than Fernando Torres, who can link between midfield and attack and make what was a weak point in the Stamford Bridge machine last season a strong point. Wayne Rooney can be that man. A change of scenery, a desire to prove himself for a new coach without the anger and complacency that has formed as collateral to his Old Trafford career could breathe new life into the striker. Chelsea's fans vociferous support of Fernando Torres while he struggled with form and confidence were both surprising and admirable, and Rooney would surely benefit from a fanbase that is not against him.

Let's not forget as well, Rooney is still a remarkably talented player who is blessed with numerous talents and versatility, and is still one of the best players in the world.If you don't believe that, check the figures. They're not bad at all.

Despite not being the main forward for Sir Alex Ferguson last season and only appearing 22 times(his lowest since joining United) Rooney scored 12 and supplied 10 assists, contributing on average a goal a game.The season before, he scored 27 EPL goals in 32 games.
 Not bad from a player who has handed two transfer requests in that period. Imagine what he can do when he's happy?

5 Thoughts On This Week in Football

Another week in football, another few thoughts...

1. Spain's dominance isn't over, but the cracks are getting wider.

After what was a surprisingly excellent Confederations Cup full of exciting football and flamboyance was completed with a fitting home win for Brazil as a Maracana inspired Selecao rattled the world champions and won 3-0.

The surprise however, was not how good Brazil were - with players like Neymar, Oscar, Dani Alves it shouldn't be shocking that the team occasionally wins a few - it was how bad Spain were. 

The silky smooth passing was replaced by erratic possession and indecision, while Brazil were intense, penetrating and incisive, pulling the defence out of position and finding holes with ease. One wonders if Italy had Mario Balotelli fit and firing then maybe the Azzurri could have punished La Roja too.

The loss led to many knee-jerk tweets that declared the Spanish choke-hold over international football to be removed, similar to the gleeful reaction to Barcelona's Champions League thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich. The response was, if you ask me - over eager - but not completely untrue. The grip at the throat of the sport is still maintained by Spanish hands, but it's loosened slightly.

While still the best side on the planet, Del Bosque perhaps needs to swallow his pride and develop a back up plan just in case playing six midfielders doesn't work, because if you take away the passing, Spain are revealed as a side that lacks some key footballing fundamentals. 90% of the time of course, you can't take away the passing because they're pretty damn good at it, but while Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique is the defensive pairing there is always the chance of taking advantage of a positional error or a bad tackle and while the average height of the team nestles around the 5'6/5'8 sort of area, you will always have a chance at set pieces. Brazil also proved like Bayern did to Barca that with effective use of width and the ability to not be intimidated by the waspish pressing then you can cause both sides a lot of problems.

Circumstances were not in the Spaniard's favor, clearly exhausted after the penalty shoot-out victory over Italy and being without Xabi Alonso is a loss that is not to be understated but the fact of the matter remains that Spain just look more vincible than at any point under Vicente Del Bosque.

2. AC Milan put a "Not For Sale" sign on Stephan El Shaarawy, but we've heard that before.



Milan fans rejoiced when Thiago Silva became the highest paid footballer at AC Milan after signing a five year, €45 million deal worth €9m a year before he became the highest defensive transfer sale ever when he left for PSG for €42m, turning rejoicing voices into angry and confused ones.

Now, a year after the exodus that saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva leave the side to "balance the books" Milan fans should be cautious after hearing news that the Italian giants have declared Stephan El Shaarawy as "not for sale". Galliani once said Ibrahimovic and Silva were "100%" staying at the club while Riccardo Kaka' was "unsellable" in 2009. Stranger things have happened.

So, after vice-president Adriano Galliani declared "anything is possible" in the market two weeks ago throwing the youngsters position at the club into disrepute, his affirmation of the youthful striker's place at Via Turati should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Galliani's "summit" with "Il Faraone" may have been a motivational to a player that did not have the best second half to the season, only scoring one goal in Serie A while his new strike partner Mario Balotelli netted 12 in 13 after arriving in January.

However, we are not living in a world anymore where AC Milan can resist big offers for players, who are now seen more as financial assets than trophy winners at the San Siro. There is a long time yet, and "Not For Sale" could very much become "We couldn't refuse" in August.

3. Echoes of Roberto Baggio at Bologna as Antonio Cassano signs for Parma



The situations are eerily similar. After years of frustration and falling out with coaches who didn't want to build their teams around him, Roberto Baggio left Arrigo Saachi and Milan for Bologna and had the best season of his career, scoring 24 goals, becoming Serie A's top scorer and achieving his aim of making the World Cup in France '98, and justifying his selection immediately with this beautiful assist in the first group game against Chile.

After 2 and a half years shared between both Milan clubs, Antonio Cassano moves to Parma to sign for a club that will start him in every game and a coach in Roberto Donadoni that will build around his new star fantasista. Don't be surprised to see FantAntonio on the plane to Rio next season. I eagerly anticipate the Youtube moment that will follow.

4. Thiago Silva at Barcelona is a move that makes so much sense it probably won't happen



With Puyol's injuries, Barcelona need a long term centre back option who is actually a centre back. While Sergio Busquets may have the tactical nous and height for a defensive position, he doesn't have the tackling ability or the strength and while Javier Mascherano has the tackling and positional sense, his height disadvantage gives Catalan club a clear weakness when dealing with good crosses and aerial duels. It's no surprise then, really, that both are actually midfielders. Not defenders. Hear that, Tito? NOT DEFENDERS. I'm not even going to discuss Alex Song.

The signing of Thiago Silva for a rumored €35m would give Barcelona a world class centre back for at least the next 5 years who offers passing, physicality, pace and height. It's actually so logical, you should probably bet that Barcelona go out and sign another pass happy, positionally challenged midfielder and stick him in there. "Ola Senor, is Gareth Barry available?"

5. Borussia Dortmund are still going to be quite good



Champions League finalists and world renowned "plucky underdogs" Borussia Dortmund must have had fans on the edge of cliffs writing notes to loved ones after news that Robert Lewandowski was close to following Mario Goetze out of the club and into the loving arms of German supervillians Bayern Munich. However, things are definitely looking up as the German side are close to completing a deal for 24 year old Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who scored 19 goals in 37 games for St Etienne last season, while conversations had with Shkatar to rival Liverpool for Mkhitaryan are being had, as well as Ajax starlet Christian Eriksen. Lewnadowski to Bayern has cooled down while Dortmund are also determined to hold onto star defender Mats Hummels and coach Jurgen Klopp. I wouldn't overly worry if I was a Dortmund fan.