Abbiati made his debut in Serie A in 1999 and became Milan's first choice between the posts for four years, until he lost his starting spot to the aforementioned Dida early in the 2002-2003 campaign.

Having scored four and conceded just one, they were in high spirits and had every reason to be, as Ancelotti welcomed back Alessando Del Piero to his starting 11, the number 10 having missed out on the clash with Bari the week before.As Del Piero, dressed in an unfamiliar silver shirt with matching shorts and socks, shook the hand of Paolo Maldini, the iconic stadium was filling with smoke and bright red flares as two of Italian football’s finest prepared to go toe-to-toe.Despite the electric atmosphere this was very much a game of two halves. The decade could, perhaps, be defined as the one that saw the crown of the most successful club side of the modern age begin to slip. It is almost impossible to think of Seedorf as a coltish 16-year-old making his debut for Ajax back in the early nineties. Before he became a spare part of a striker with an allergy to putting the ball in the back of the net at Chelsea, this skinny-looking Ukrainian spent a considerable amount of time being the most lethal finisher on the planet.

Granted, he does have off-days and his long-range shooting suggests he may be someone who believes he is more capable than he actually is, but when he finds his groove he can dominate and win games like few other midfielders. He drifts instead of dribbles, leaning one way, then the other, sprinkling little seeds of uncertainty into the collective minds of the opposition, as subtle and as dynamic as a breeze. One Scudetto, two Champions League's, two UEFA Super Cups, one FIFA World Club Cup, one Coppa Italia and the small matter of a World Cup suggest he has taken what was Rangers boss Walter Smith's idea and made it fly. Serie A didn’t have to wait long for its first real blockbuster of the 2000/01 season.

Nesta is an almost flawless defender, who's impeccable technique means he could have played anywhere on the pitch. The Milan man lost his marker, Alessio Tacchinardi, and powered his header down to get the better of Edwin Van Der Sar, who could only watch on as the ball bounced off the post and into the net, putting the home side 1-0 up.While the inquest went on in the Juventus defence, Milan immediately doubled their lead, thanks to a more recognised scored in Shevchenk. Gennaro Gattuso put it best when he said, "When I see what Andrea can do with the ball, I have to ask myself whether I am a footballer". Prior to this setback, Milan had comfortably won their opening game with a 2-0 victory over Serie A new boys Vicenza and star striker Andriy Shevchenko was in blistering form having scored in each of the Rossoneri’s first two games of the new season.As for Juventus, they would see off Napoli and Bari respectively to ensure they travelled to Milan with maximum points. He may have arrived as part of the South American heritage that gave us Zico, Rivaldo and Ronaldhinho but the boy named as a result of his kid brother's inability to pronounce the word 'Ricardo' is a very different kind of Brazilian. Two Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup isn't a bad return for a team supposedly going downhill. Press Esc to cancel.Avanti ragazzi: Why Lazio supporters chant about the Hungarian revolution AC Milan vs Leeds United. Some might say that the first ten years of the 21st Century have not been particularly memorable for Milan. If there were walls on the pitch, he would run through them. San Siro (Giuseppe Meazza). Pirlo has never looked back. And, while injury and personal misfortune have blighted his career at both club and international level, he would walk into any best team of the decade back four. Kaka's most devastating feature is to run, at pace, with the ball at his feet. Official Adidas 1999-2000 AC Milan ACM Opel Home Autographed Jersey Size Large. Victory for Vincenzo Montella’s side would put them within two points of Juventus at the top of the table and could spark a serious title bid.Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:Begin typing your search above and press return to search. 'Super Pippo' is probably the last of the great goal-hanging strikers, a genuine 100 per cent maverick.