AC Milan 1988-89 Squad

The team

The 1988-89 AC Milan squad stands among the most celebrated teams Italy has sent onto the continental stage. Representing Milan, this was one of the defining sides of 1980s European football, the sort of team whose matches became must-watch occasions. AC Milan won the European Cup, beating Steaua București 4-0 in the final that season, a campaign that still shapes how the club is remembered. The side was built on a clear spine: Giovanni Galli behind a defence organised by Franco Baresi, with Frank Rijkaard setting the tempo through the middle.

Further forward, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit gave the team its cutting edge, turning long spells of control into goals on the biggest European nights. There was depth to match the star quality, with the likes of Paolo Maldini and Roberto Donadoni adding options across the pitch. Reassembled here, the lineup is a reminder of why this vintage still sets a standard that later teams chase. Set out in a 4-3-3, the XI captures the balance and ambition that made this AC Milan team a benchmark of 1980s football — the players, the shape and the identity that made the vintage so hard to forget.

All eleven sit in the draft pool, so any of them can come up in the football draft game— you just don't get to choose which.