FC Barcelona Hold a Better Record, AC Milan Have Delivered When It Matters The Most

The UEFA Champions League is Europeai??i??s most prestigious club football competition, perhaps even the most important tournament in all of football. Some might argue that the World Cup is the most elusive trophy in football, but then again, realistically only very few actually challenge for the prize. A couple of nations have an embarrassment of riches in talent (Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain etc.) while some others hardly if ever produced a world-class player (Wales, Ireland et al). For instance, Welshman Ryan Giggs, who, during his heyday in the late nineties and early to mid noughties was undoubtedly a world-beater, never played in a single World Cup due to his weak national team. A tournament that doesnai??i??t feature a player of his caliber and stature is a weaker competition for it.

Hence, the UEFA Champions League is a more quantifiable tournament due to a more widespread allocation of talent in between Europeai??i??s competing clubs. Of course the traditional heavyweights of European football (Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United et al) have a larger share than, say, relative newcomers such as Borussia Dortmund or nouveau riche Paris Saint-Germain. Nevertheless, taking all into account, itai??i??s safe to say that the Champions League is less a lopsided affair than the European Championship or the World Cup – the key word being ‘less’.

Itai??i??s still an unfair competition as the deeper one team progresses into the tournament, the more important the depth of the squad becomes as the double load of domestic and Champions League (and sometimes even the domestic cup) usually takes its toll on players. One of this yearai??i??s dark horses, German champions Borussia Dortmund arguably forfeited their domestic title at the expense of the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

Perhaps the German side took a cue out of Milanai??i??s playbook. Since the turn of the new millennium the Italian side only won the Serie A title twice (2003/04 and 2010/11) but progressed to the Champions League final three times (2002/03, 2004/05, 2006/07), winning the elusive Cup twice (2002/03, 2006/07).

Ignoring for their feats in Europe over the last decade or so, Milan ai???successai??i?? pales in comparison to their rivals in Europe, with Manchester United, FC Bayern Munich, Barcelona and even city rivals Inter Milan being more dominant domestically in addition to their prowess in the Champions League.

It goes to show that the Champions League plays by its own rules, and that it is the competition that matters the most. Even Real Madrid are willing to take their chances in Europe in their quest for the elusive La Decima (the tenth Champions League title), having all but conceded La Liga to eternal rivals Barcelona.

Interestingly enough, Barcelona, Milanai??i??s opponent in the first knockout, has never managed to win the Champions League without clinching the domestic title too.

Normally, the match-up between Milan and Barcelona would be declared the glamour tie of the round by default. However, this fixtures thunder has been stolen by the equally mouthwatering and perhaps more balanced tie between Real Madrid and Manchester United.

At any rate, Milan vs Barcelona is always first-class entertainment. It pits an Italian side whose ambitions lie more in Europe than the domestic championship against a Spanish side that have never won one without the other.

Furthermore, many pundits have elevated the current Barcelona side onto a level with Johann Cruyffai??i??s Ajax Amsterdam and, yes, Arrigo Sacchiai??i??s Milan side – historic teams that are revered for their beautiful and more importantly successful brand of football. Being successful doesnai??i??t necessarily constitute embracing eye-catching, free-flowing football.

Many successful teams have become nothing more than a footnote in football history. However, the Ajax Amsterdam and Milan have left their mark on the sport and become the stuff of legends. Chelsea might have won their inaugural Champions League title against all odds, but the manner in which they achieved their goal is hardly the stuff anyone is talking about in a few years, let alone decades from now.

Before he became footballai??i??s ultimate result-oriented pragmatist and go-to-guy for domestic titles, Fabio Capello actually embraced attacking football and continued the work of his predecessor Arrigo Sacchi at Milan.

Unfortunately for CulAi??s, Don Fabioai??i??s Milan side ran riot against Johann Cruyffai??i??s Barcelona aka the Dream Team at the 1993/94 Champions League Final. The Italian side played the Catalans off the park and annihilated Cruyffai??i??s team 4:0. Thus far, itai??i??s the only final appearance the Catalans have lost ever since the competition was rebranded UEFA Champions League. Furthermore, the two times Milan and Barcelona met in a final of any kind the Italians always emerged victorious (including the two-legged 1989 European Supercup).

Since September 2011, the two sides have met four times in the Champions League, with Barcelona winning two and drawing the other two fixtures. Before then the all-time record stood at 4W-3D-4L, an evenly balanced scorecard between the two sides.

There also seems be an odd appreciation of ex-Blaugrana Brazilians at the Italian fashion capital. With the exception of Romario, all legendary Rai??i??s (Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho) have worn the Rossoneri jersey at a later stage in their careers.

At present the only ex-Blagurana on the Rossoneriai??i??s books is La Masia graduate Bojan who is enjoying a loan-spell with the Italian giants. While Bojanai??i??s stay with the Serie A outfit has been a mixed bag thus far, it can be argued that Barcelona facilitated Milanai??i??s most recent title-winning campaign (2010/11) with the loan of the supremely gifted but volatile Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who in hindsight was unwanted at Camp Nou.

The Ibrahimovic transfer also marked the second time the shrewd business acumen of Adriano Galliani got the better of Barcelonaai??i??s board. In 2008, Milanai??i??s CEO negotiated a cut-price ai??i??24m fee for then 28 year old Ronaldinho who was still worth ai??i??29m (according to the Transfermarkt website). Galliani repeated his trick in 2010 when he secured Zlatan Ibrahimovic (then valued at ai??i??39.5) on gratis loan with the stipulation to buy him at the end of the season for a fixed fee of ai??i??24m to be paid in three trances. To add insult to injury, Gallianiai??i??s Milan sold the mercurial Swede after his first full season as Rossoneri property for, wait for it, another ai??i??24m to Paris Saint-Germain.

The statistics suggest that Barcelona have a better record than Milan, however, when it mattered most the Italians always came out on top, whether at the Champions League Final of 1993/94 or the boardroom, the Rossoneri always have an ace up in their sleeve.

On Wednesday night all bets are off. Milan vs Barcelona is anything but a sure thing for the Catalans.

Written by guest author Adi-Oula Sebastian. He is a regular contributor to The Sabotage Times, Soccerlens and Fun Guide To Football Culture. Follow him on Twitter: @JubeiKibagame.

Tags: FC Barcelona Milan

FC Barcelona Hold A Better Record, AC Milan Have Delivered When It Matters The Most

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