History at San Siro: AC Milan have waited 64 years for this
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 24.07.25. | 19:13
For the first time since 1961, the Rossoneri will have a non-Italian first-choice captain
The new era at San Siro has begun with Massimiliano Allegri's return to AC Milan's bench. Still, yesterday's friendly match, in which the Rossoneri lost 1-0 to Arsenal, showed that the renowned tactician will have a lot of work trying to get the Serie A giants back to their glorious days.
The newcomers, Pietro Terracciano, Samuele Ricci, Pervis Estupinan, and especially Luka Modric, are expected to bring many positives and move Milan closer to the title race after their disappointing last season, when they finished eighth in the league.
However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, amid the changes happening at San Siro, Allegri decided to make a move unseen at Milan since 1961 and name a non-Italian player the first-choice captain of the team, as the French custodian Mike Maignan will wear the captain's armband!
Milan GK Mike Maignan has been named full-time captain, becoming the first non-Italian to be given the armband since Niels Liedholm in 1961, according to @Gazzetta_it 👏 pic.twitter.com/vvlWHoGPUa
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) July 22, 2025
The last time a foreigner was the Rossoneri's skipper was 64 years ago, when the Swede Nils Liedholm led his teammates onto the pitch.
Since then, Francesco Zagatti, Cesare Maldini, Gianni Rivera, Romeo Benetti, Alberto Bigon, Aldo Maldera, Fulvio Collovati, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Massimo Ambrosini, Riccardo Montolivo, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessio Romagnoli, and Davide Calabria have been first-choice captains, and they all are Italians.
Truth be told, Maignan has been Milan's captain since January, when Calabria left the club after a quarrel with manager Sergio Conceicao, but now he's been officially chosen for the prestigious role before the beginning of the new campaign.
What an honour for him!
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