2 Marco van Basten
The €600,000 that Adriano Galliani parted with for Marco van Basten in 1987 represents the best bit of business of the famed Milanese transfer wizard. AC Milan managed to sign three of Dutch football’s best players in successive years, with Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit joining their compatriot on Italian shores in 1988.
However, what van Basten went on to achieve will go down in history – famed for his improvised volleys and moments of pure genius, goal-scoring numbers became a mere background to his artistry on the pitch, with the Dutchman picking up the Ballon d’Or in 1988, 1989 and 1992 – while also being named the 6th best player in FIFA’s ‘Player of the Century’ poll.
Van Basten scored 90 goals in his 147 games for Milan, winning multiple Capocannonieri awards as he inspired the Rossoneri to 4 Serie A titles and 2 European Cups. Yet, to Milanese faithful, the Dutchman remains a tragic tale – his ankle injury in 1993 proved so troublesome that he retired in 1995, with his last game for the Rossoneri the loss to Marseille in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Despite his short-lived spell, many Milan fans consider him the greatest striker to have ever played for the famed Italian club, which says it all.
