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AC Milan and Inter Milan are two of the most prominent clubs in Italian football. Both clubs are based in the city of Milan, and have one of the longest-standing rivalries in club football.
The two clubs are tied on the number of league titles won (19), however, Milan has enjoyed more success on the European front. The Rossoneri have seven UEFA Champions League titles, while Inter has lifted the prestigious cup thrice.
Asides from being based in the same city and sharing one stadium, the Milan clubs have also had players who have represented both sides. Some notable names who have played for both clubs in recent years include Mario Balotelli, Leonardo Bonucci, Hakan Calhanoglu, Matteo Darmain, and Francesco Arcebi, amongst others.
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This fierce Milan derby, the "Derby della Madonnina," took center stage when both sides meet in the semifinals first leg of this season's Champions League. Inter rattled Milan early on in the game with two quickfire goals in the first 11 minutes and have a 2-0 advantage going into the second leg.
Ahead of the much anticipated encounter slated for May 16, we look at the five best players to have played for both clubs.
#5 Hernan Crespo
Hernan Crespo is one of the most prolific strikers to have lined up for both Milan clubs. The former Argentina international had multiple spells with Inter and spent one season with the Rossoneri.
In 2002, Inter signed Crespo as a replacement for Ronaldo who joined Real Madrid that summer. He registered 16 goals and eight assists in 30 games across competitions that season before being sold to Chelsea.
Following the arrival of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge in 2004, Crespo became surplus to requirement. He was sent on loan to the AC Milan. That season, the former Argentine forward netted 17 goals across competitions which included a brace in the Champions League final against Liverpool.
He returned to Chelsea the following season, but despite winning the Premier League in 2005-06, returned to Inter on a two-year loan in 2006. He would spend another season at the Giuseppe Meazza after the expiration of his contract at Chelsea.
Crespo won three consecutive Scudetto with the Nerazzurri (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09), as well as two Supercoppa Italiana (2006,2008). Overall, he registered 45 goals and 13 assists in 116 games for the club.
#4 Clarence Seedorf
Former Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf is another big player that featured for both clubs. Seedorf is one of the most decorated players in European club competitions. He remains the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax, Real Madrid, and AC Milan).
He played for Inter between 2000 and 2002 before moving directly to city rivals AC Milan. He is fondly remembered for his stint at AC Milan where he became a club legend. He spent 10 seasons at San Siro registering 62 goals and 70 assists in 432 games.
Seedorf won 10 major trophies with the Rossoneri, which includes two league titles (2004,2011) and two Champions League trophies (2003,2007). He returned to the club in 2014 as club manager but was sacked after four months on the job.
#3 Andrea Pirlo
Like Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo is recognized more for this time at AC Milan than at Inter Milan. The Italian midfield maestro was a part of the Milan side which dominated Europe in the mid-2000s.
Pirlo signed for Inter in 1998 but failed to break into the first team for three seasons. He had loan spells at Reggina and Brescia before joining Milan in 2001. It was at San Siro that the Italian player developed into a world-class player.
He enjoyed domestic and European success at the club, winning two Scudetto, and two Champions League trophies. Although not a prolific goalscorer due to his position as a deep-lying midfielder, Pirlo was renowned for his technique, creativity, and free-kick prowess.
He made a total of 401 appearances for the Rossoneri, scoring 41 goals and providing 70 assists.
#2 Ronaldo
Despite not achieving much success in terms of honors for both clubs, one cannot exclude Ronaldo from the list of best players to have featured for the two Milan clubs due to his sheer brilliance.
The three-time 'FIFA World Player of the Year' moved to Inter in 1997 from Barcelona for a world transfer record fee of €26.50m. O Fenomeno was truly phenomenal at Inter, picking up the 'Serie A Player of the Year' and his second 'FIFA World Player of the Year' awards in his first season at the club.
He led Inter to win the 1998 UEFA Cup, scoring an astonishing goal in the final against Lazio. His time at the club was marred with recurring injuries which made him miss the entirety of the 2000-01 campaign. He still racked up an impressive 59 goals and 10 assists in 99 games for the Nerazzurri.
Ronaldo joined AC Milan in 2007 on a free transfer from Real Madrid, spending just one season at the club due to injuries and weight issues. He is one of the few players to have scored for both Milan clubs in the Derby della Madonnina.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is arguably the most prolific player to have represented both Milan clubs. He began his Milan journey with the blue and black side of Milan in 2006.
The Swedish striker spent three seasons at the Guiseppe Meazza, winning three consecutive league titles, two 'Serie A Footballer of the Year' awards, as well as the Capocanonniere in 2009, scoring 25 goals.
He then moved to AC Milan in 2010 on loan from Barcelona. After leading Milan to the league title in the 2010-11 season, the loan deal was made permanent. Ibrahimovic won his second Capocanonniere in 2012, scoring 28 goals in 32 league games befire leaving to Paris Saint-Germain that summer.
In 2019, seven years after he left San Siro, he returned to the club and in 2021, led them to win his fifth Scudetto. He is currently the oldest goalscorer in Serie A (41 years, 166 days).
So far, he has made a combined 163 apperances for the Rossoneri across all spells, scoring 93 goals and providing 35 assists. Ibrahimovic current contract at Milan is active till the summer of 2023.
