During the 1987–1988 season, Milan Associazione Calcio competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.

Summary
The new coach is Arrigo Sacchi, who in the previous season with his Parma had faced Milan in the Coppa Italia three times, expressing a game capable of winning the esteem of President Berlusconi. The transfer market brought two Dutch players to Milan: Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, taken respectively from Ajax and PSV, in place of the English Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley. Angelo Colombo and Carlo Ancelotti joined in midfield. The coach from Fusignano could thus count on a young squad, which could allow him to fight in the league against reigning champion Napoli. The squad was already made up of a strong defense led by captain Franco Baresi and which included Paolo Maldini, Filippo Galli, Mauro Tassotti as well as the substitutes Alessandro Costacurta (who will make his debut in the first team during the season) and the new signing Roberto Mussi. Thanks to the play-off won at the end of the 1986–87 season against Sampdoria, the Rossoneri regained, after a one year absence, access to the European cups by participating in the UEFA Cup. Due to the disqualification of the Meazza (because of incidents during the match against Waregem on 11 December 1985), the club decided to play its home games at the Via del mare stadium in Lecce. In the Coppa Italia, Milan got through the first round, finishing their group in second place: they won four matches and lost only one, on penalties, against Parma.

The league began with the victory at Pisa, in which Van Basten (on his debut in Italy) scored the final 3–1 from a penalty kick. Milan then eliminated Sporting de Gijón in the UEFA Cup after losing the first leg 1–0 and winning the second leg 3–0 at the Via del Mare. On the league's fifth day, in the match against Sampdoria, Van Basten suffered an injury that would put him out of action until April. The journey in Europe ended in the next round, against another Spanish team: Espanyol, victorious away, in Lecce (2–0), and capable of imposing a goalless draw at home. Two months after the Dutchman's defection, Milan beat Roma at San Siro, but the match was later given forfeit by the sports judge for a firecracker shot from the Milan stand that had hit the Giallorossi goalkeeper Tancredi. The calendar year ended with a victory in the derby, achieved by beating Inter 1–0: Milan thus had 16 points in the standings, 5 less than leaders Napoli. The first match of 1988 had the challenge against the Neapolitans on the calendar, which the Rossoneri won with an imposing 4–1; the 3–1 goal was scored by Gullit, who had just been awarded the 1987 Ballon d'Or. Three days later, the team defeated Ascoli in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia: in the second leg, the score of 1–0 was overturned by Ascoli who would then win on penalties.

In the second half of the season, in the league, Sacchi's team didn't suffer any setbacks and recovered ground against Napoli. In the 25th round, Van Basten returned to the pitch after six months of absence, and scored the winning goal against Empoli. This success was followed by those against Roma and Inter, which made it possible to reduce the gap from Napoli to just one point, on the eve of the head-to-head match. At the San Paolo, Milan defeated the hosts again, with the 3–2 scored by Virdis (two goals) and Van Basten, who responded to Maradona and Careca. The result promoted the Rossoneri to first place in the standings, with an advantage of one point. The position was defended in the two remaining games, thanks to draws with Juventus and Como, giving Milan the Scudetto, their eleventh overall, as well as the first after nine years.

Squad

Transfers

Competitions

Serie A

League table

Results by round

Matches

Coppa Italia 

First round

Eightfinals

UEFA Cup 

First round

Second round

Statistics

Squad statistics

Players statistics

References

Works cited

Sources
  RSSSF – Italy 1987/88

AC Milan seasons
Milan
Italian football championship-winning seasons