The President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, immediately after the death of Silvio Berlusconi at the age of 87, said that he “changed the history of Italian football.” And this is not just a tribute to the legendary politician and functionary. Silvio really did something magical with Milan, while not forgetting to live to the fullest. They tried to put him in jail hundreds of times, but every time he managed to stay afloat.

Sang in a bar, then became a media mogul

The path to success was not easy for Berlusconi. He was born into an ordinary family of a bank clerk and a housewife in an industrial area of ​​Milan. The father went to Switzerland, and the mother and children remained in Italy. Young Silvio, even in such conditions, found a way to earn money, digging in the garden and running on various errands. When my father returned to the country after the war, the family began to live much richer.

Berlusconi was sent to a monks’ school, where he received a religious upbringing. While studying at school and then at the university, Silvio always worked part-time. At one time he even sang in bars. His career breakthrough came when, after graduating from the University of Milan, he began working in real estate. There he made a fortune and went on to become the first owner of a national television channel that showed the best Hollywood films, series and talk shows. Then Berlusconi acquired two more channels, several of the largest newspapers in the country, thus becoming a real media mogul.

Later, he admitted that even then he was thinking about a career in politics, but that was still far away. But Silvio had time to pursue another dream – football. In the winter of 1986, Milan were going through hard times. The two-time Champions Cup winner managed to drop down to Serie B, then returned, but in the top division he was far from the first places. It was at this moment that Berlusconi came to the club, who immediately declared his great ambitions.

Young Silvio Berlusconi / Photo: © Edoardo Fornaciari / Contributor / Hulton Archive / Gettyimages.com

Created the great Milan

At first, the fans were skeptical about Silvio’s bravados: they did not believe that it was possible to take and raise the troubled club to the very top in a few years. However, doubts were quickly replaced by enthusiasm. Berlusconi poured crazy money into Milan: more than a billion euros in the entire history of his reign. Now it no longer seems to be something phenomenal, but in those days there were completely different financial realities.

During his reign at Milan, Berlusconi brought Marco van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko, Kaka, Filippo Inzaghi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho and many other great football players to the club. At the same time, he did not forget about the pupils: such people as Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta, Ambrosini played superbly in the team. What about the coaches? Arrigo Sacchi, Fabio Capello, Carlo Ancelotti… Whatever the name, the absolute legend of world football.

Under the leadership of Berlusconi, Milan became the champion of Italy eight times and took the Champions League five times – and these are only the most prestigious trophies. But every great era comes to an end sometime. Silvio is mired in court cases after he became involved in politics in parallel. Berlusconi led the Italian government four times.

Players “Milan» and Silvio Berlusconi / Photo: ©Christian Liewig – Corbis / Contributor / Corbis Sport / Gettyimages.com

Villas, mistresses and the “bus of whores”

And there was something to envy! Silvio owned dozens of luxurious villas and houses around the world, but most of all, of course, in Italy. His favorite vacation spot was the Certosa Villa in Sardinia, which Berlusconi bought back in the 80s. There is an amphitheater with 400 seats, 35 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms. The main feature is an underground bunker with access to the sea in the style of James Bond films. It is said that one of the reasons for the creation of the bunker was the safety of the politician, because he was threatened several times a day.

In 2008, there was a scandal around this villa. Former Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek was spotted there surrounded by naked women. However, Berlusconi himself was often seen in the company of young ladies, and sometimes too young, which became the reason for litigation. Silvio had countless mistresses. On average, they were 50 years younger than the Milan owner. In March 2020, the media spread the news that the ex-Prime Minister of Italy left his mistress, who was 49 years younger, to start a relationship with a girl with a 53-year age difference.

This was all Silvio. He knew how to enjoy life, despite all the side circumstances. However, owning Milan at some point became too difficult. In 2016, he had to sell the club to Chinese entrepreneurs. A few years later, he returned to football and bought the Italian Monza, which then played in the third division of local football. And he brought it to Serie A. This season, he promised the Monza players a “bus of whores” for a victory over Milan or Juventus. And you know what? The guys beat Juve both at home and away.