WHEN THERE WAS THE MUNDIALITO | OneFootball

On this day, 39 years ago. On 21 June 1987, AC Milan opened the 1987 Mundialito de Clubs with a victory, beginning a campaign that would see the Rossoneri lift the trophy for the first time after the 1981 and 1983 editions had been won by Inter and Juventus respectively. The Rossoneri's tournament began with a 2-0 victory over Porto on 21 June, followed by a 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain on 23 June, a goalless draw with Inter on 27 June and a 1-0 success over Barcelona on 29 June. The opening match against Porto also marked Frank Rijkaard's first appearance in an AC Milan shirt. Pietro Paolo Virdis opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Claudio Borghi added the second goal. Rijkaard featured under a special loan agreement for the summer tournament. The Dutch midfielder started as a defender/holding midfielder before being replaced by Zanoncelli in the second half.

The second match against PSG, which was decided by Massaro's goal, also coincided with Arrigo Sacchi's first appearance in the directors' box before he became AC Milan head coach shortly afterwards. Ruud Gullit was also in attendance, hoping to play alongside Rijkaard in the near future. That wish became reality a year later, from the summer of 1988 onwards. The victory over Barcelona that secured the Mundialito title also marked Ray Wilkins' farewell to San Siro. Following the 1-0 win, the English midfielder was honoured by the Rossoneri supporters with a standing ovation. His bond with San Siro remained strong over the years and, following his passing in 2018, the stadium and AC Milan supporters paid tribute to him with a minute's silence and black armbands. It was the Mundialito de Clubs, the tournament that changed the way football was experienced on television in Italy.

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