Today is the 46th birthday of Milan legend and former Italian international Demetrio Albertini.
Born in Besana in Brianza in 1971, the midfielder began his career in the Rossoneri’s youth system.
Albertini made his debut for the club in the 1988-99 season, and made one further appearance in the following year.
Evidently the youngster needed more playing time, and he was loaned out to Serie B side Padova, helping the Biancoscudati to finish just one point away from promotion.
Today is the 46th birthday of Milan legend and former Italian international Demetrio Albertini.
Born in Besana in Brianza in 1971, the midfielder began his career in the Rossoneri’s youth system.
Albertini made his debut for the club in the 1988-99 season, and made one further appearance in the following year.
Evidently the youngster needed more playing time, and he was loaned out to Serie B side Padova, helping the Biancoscudati to finish just one point away from promotion.
That earned him the chance to impress at San Siro under Fabio Capello, and Albertini made 28 appearances as Milan won the Scudetto unbeaten in 1992.
Over the next decade he would become an integral part of the Diavolo midfield, winning five Scudetti as well as the 1994 Champions League.
After 406 appearances and 28 goals, Albertini opted to move to Spain, spending one season with Atletico Madrid, though they finished in a disappointing 12th place.
A return to Italy followed with Lazio, with Albertini helping the Aquile to win the Coppa Italia in 2004.
After 16 games and two goals for Atalanta, the midfielder opted to spend the final year of his career with Barcelona.
Despite making just five appearances in La Liga, Albertini brought his experience to former teammate Frank Rijkaard’s side, and the Blaugrana won the title, after which Albertini announced his retirement.
He also made 79 appearances for Italy, reaching the 1994 World Cup final and the Euro 2000 final, but unfortunately silverware eluded him on the international stage.
Following his retirement, Albertini began working with the FIGC and unsuccessfully challenged Carlo Tavecchio for the Presidency in 2014.
As well as working as a researcher for Football Manager, Albertini helped administrators when Parma entered administration in 2015.
He currently runs a football school, Scuola calcio Demetrio Albertini, with centres in Milan and Lecchese catering for over 1000 young footballers.