Former AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi dies aged 86 as the Rossoneri and Monza pay their own tributes

AC Milan have paid a glowing tribute to their former owner Silvio Berlusconi after he died at the age of 86.

The four-time Italian prime minister has been of ill health in recent months and had been suffering with leukemia and a lung infection.

His life was marred with controversy, with tales of sex scandals and alleged charges relating to tax fraud frequently coming to light.

He purchased AC Milan in 1986, and the club won five European Cups and eight Italian titles during his tenure as owner.

A statement on the AC Milan website read: “Deeply saddened, AC Milan grieves the passing of the unforgettable Silvio Berlusconi and wishes to reach out to the family, associates, and most cherished friends to share our sympathies.

“Tomorrow, we will dream of new ambitions, create new challenges, and seek new victories. Which will represent the good, the strong, and the true that lies inside us, in all of us who shared this adventure of binding our lives to a dream called Milan.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. Always with us.”

Berlusconi sold Milan to Chinese investors in 2017.

He was back involved with football again with Monza after taking over the club in 2018 and led the club from Serie C to the top flight in the space of four years.

Like Milan, Monza also published their own tribute to their former owner: “Adriano Galliani and the whole of AC Monza are heartbrokenly crying at the death of Silvio Berlusconi: a void that will never be filled, always with us. Thanks for everything president.”

Galliani, who worked alongside Berlusconi at Milan and Monza, took to social media and said: “Heartbroken, without words, with so much pain I cry for my friend, the master of everything, the person who changed my life for more than 43 years.

“Rest in peace dear president, With so, so much love. Adriano Galliani.”