San Siro

AC Milan 0-1 Parma (Serie A)

San Siro has long been on my bucket list, so when hearing of its devastating potential demolition within the next five years, I said to the Mrs, “We have to pay it a visit before it goes”.

So at Christmas, I surprised the wife with a trip to Milan and with it, a couple of tickets to the football which was the only catch for me taking her with me.

I chose this game as given the option of Inter or AC who both play at the iconic Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (named after a player who played for both clubs but who was largely associated with Inter), there really is no contest. Growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s watching the great sides of Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, it was probably the first overseas team I truly loved, so much so I can still name the players that beat Benfica in the 1990 European Cup final, Galli, Tasotti, Maldini, Colombo, Costacurta, Baresi, Ancelotti, Rijkaard, van Basten, Gullit, Evani, this was my first taste of I Rossoneri who won back to back European titles in 89 & 90.

A little older, by 1994 I was by now much in love with the side Fabio Capello had built, in beating Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League they had the likes of Rossi, Galli, Panucci, Boban, Albertini, Desailly, Savicevic and Massaro now added to that continental winning roster, during an epic time of Italian football dominance, Milan were the best in the world.

A little later in life I found out that Milan’s founder, Herbert Kilpin, was born in my own home town of Nottingham, he left his family home above a butchers on Mansfield Road to work in the booming lace industry during the late 1800’s, he moved to Milan and co-founded Milan Football and Cricket Club for some recreational pastime, his place of birth is a small shrine to his efforts to this day, hidden partially behind a bus stop, unassuming, there is at least a pub in the centre of Nottingham that now bears his name, and has some lovely photos of AC Milan players in action, upon its walls.

That connection has only strengthened my love over the years, not quite a ‘second club’ I have always had affection from afar for Milan, so when choosing AC over Inter, it really was no contest.

The second choice was to arrange an opponent, with tickets readily available for most games I could choose (affordably) between the likes of Genoa, Lecce, Como or Parma, the latter, another great name of the nineties and my adolescence whilst growing up during some of Italian football’s most iconic years, no team were more iconic of that era than Parma, twice winners of the UEFA Cup, they had names like Bucci, Apolloni, Fernando Couto, Minotti, Benarrivo, Di Chiara, Pin, Dino Baggio, Sensini, Zola, Asprilla, Brolin, Branca, Mussi, Fiore, just a few of Nevio Scala’s team that beat Juventus in the 1995 final over two legs, but in 1999, they were arguably even better. Under Alberto Malesani they beat Marseille 3-0 to win the final again, with Buffon, Thuram, Cannavaro, Boghossian, Fuser, Veron, Vanoli, Crespo and Chiesa, Sensini & Dino Baggio also played from those who appeared in the 95 team, whilst Asprilla & Apolloni were on the bench.

AC Milan v Parma, one of Italian football’s most notorious matches of my own celebrated 90's decade, it had to be that one I chose for probably my first and only visit to the San Siro.

The Venue

We arrived on Saturday and stayed at Navigli, in a quirky styled Airbnb apartment overlooking the canal with bars and restaurants a plenty, Sunday, matchday, allowed us to take our time, we walked around the antique market which had vintage Gucci and Versace handbags amongst many fine pieces of art and jewellery, sat in sunshine we had a coffee and breakfast before walking to the centre to see the Duomo di Milano and the equally stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping centre, the boutiques inside, Prada, Dior, Louis Vuitton, a little expensive to my liking, so a compromise was to visit the Winter Olympics store in the main square, I wasn’t even aware ahead of booking this weekend away, that the Milan/Cortina games would be on.

So an extra buzz around the city as Canadian and USA hockey fans roamed around in their oversized shirts ahead of the Olympic final, we sat down to a large Aperol before taking the Metro to Zona Lotto, and then a good half an hour’s walk to the stadium besides the back of Milan racecourse.

It’s a bloody long walk, Milan is the ninth largest city in Europe and bigger than any city in England bar London, I wasn’t aware of its magnitude until walking from A to B, the metro line to the stadium closed on matchdays, presumably to control the huge masses of people congregating on the line? Apparently the trams do work, but they looked as slow as walking, and whilst it was long, the sun out, it was peaceful and serene, until the corner turned and the giant structure appeared.

A thing of beauty, the San Siro set back stood alone is nicknamed 'la Scala del calcio (named after a theatre in Milan but this one is for football), as we walked through stalls of endless food and drink catering options it provided the backdrop to a perfect setting, walking through calm crowds slowly growing, a couple of hours ahead of kick off in perfect Italian winter sunshine, I decided to pay a little more for my tickets, to include a museum bar corporate buffet and after, a wind down in the on site sports bar named '1899'.

We went whole hog and got fast track tickets to beat the queues at the gates, and once inside headed for a stand alone portacabin with video screen wrapped around it, entering through the dark doors to find a funky lounge playing music with a DJ stationed high above, prosecco on arrival, a trophy cabinet of all the biggest prizes in world football, and a shirt collection behind glass, of some of the biggest stars, Beckham, Messi, Socrates, Maldini even the iconic 2006 world cup final shirt that Zinedine Zidane wore, before head-butting Marco Materazzi in his final act on a football pitch.

The lounge is fabulous, the food average but drinks flow free, there’s an Inter section but you feel despite split loyalty, the place feels more AC? I wonder how it is when Inter play here, whether the dynamics of the occasion change some what? Something I would probably be keen to see in comparison.

A good half hour before kick off we decide to leave the unattached venue for our seats inside el stadio, sat a good twelve rows up but by the corner in the Anelli Rossi, above to our right in the upper tier, home fans sing and chant, many dressed in black, others topless, the place already packed.

The stadium is quite something, steel structured and unique like no other in world football, it feels bigger than all I have been to, and I have been many times to Wembley, which is in actual fact bigger by capacity, perhaps not so in size?

The Parma fans are high up in the third tier to my left, in England we feel away fans who travel to Newcastle get a raw deal, I think you can double their step count getting up to the top of the San Siro to their seats.

The Game

Milan went into this match second in the table but ten points behind leaders Inter who beat Lecce on Saturday, Parma had won their last two but sat middle of the Serie A pack, still with one eye on those below them in the relegation places.

As the match settled into stride, in all red as opposed to their usual red and black pinstripes, Milan controlled the tempo, but everything Infront of Parma in their brilliant yellow and blue hoops, is easy to defend, slow paced, predictable, unimaginative, in truth, a little disappointing.

Although not on official business, I did a little scouting ahead of this match, I watched Parma v both Juventus and Bologna, and was impressed by young Argentine defender Mariano Troilo, although he did typically get sent off against I Veltri, I am relieved that he returns for some real life flesh viewing after a one match ban.

Another player I like the look of is Spanish number ten Adrian Bernabe, whilst Gabriel Strefezza is equally as pleasing on the eye wearing number seven.

The Score

Half time is goalless and not much has happened, Milan’s best players have been Modric and Rafael Leao, who hits a post early in the second half with probably the best chance of the game, but opportunity is limited and the longer it goes, the more you feel Parma might nick something, the home support has not stopped singing, the atmosphere terrific, but on 80 a rare venture forward earns the visitors a corner, swung in by Valeri it’s Troilo who rises highest, he heads home to silence the stadium, but the Referee immediately rules out the goal for a push.

There's a delay for VAR, near four minutes in total, by this time you sense the Referee could be wrong, he’s soon ordered to his pitch side monitor where he eventually explains his decision to the crowd, it’s all in Italian, but the language of football speaks louder, by now you know, that the goal will be given.

On hearing the good news, there’s a huge roar from the fans in the top tier, flags wave as all the Parma players run towards the corner where their fans are congregated, they celebrate like winning a World Cup final, they just know that one goal will be enough, in their defence they trust to see the job over the line.

And that they do, they nullify and frustrate their hosts in typical Italian fashion, Fulkrug comes on and smashes agonisingly wide, but in truth, the Milan bench is not one that screams out talent, like it once had.

Upon the whistle there’s empty seats, whilst those sat highest of all, are the ones staying for the after party. I also head to the bar, where the mood, inside, is sombre.

The Stars

Milan were most disappointing but saw a lot of possession, Ruben Loftus Cheek going off early with injury not helping matters, they were gelled together by the ageless Luka Modric, who had many admirers in the crowd with his name across their back, he plays effortlessly, 40 years old, he can last another ten years if he wishes.

Other than Modric, it was slim pickings on players who impressed me, Saelemakers and Leao in patches provided positivity and hope, Pulisic and Rabiot in particular disappointing, but defensively I did like the look of Koni de Winter, whilst Davide Bartesaghi looks like he has a good future.

Parma must take credit though, not quite the team of the nineties, but I do see some cult heroes pending, in particular their rugged defender and matchwinner Mariano Troilo who is just so typically Argentine in the way he defends and plays, Gabriel Strefezza on loan from Olimpiacos could be a good bit of business, whilst I think young Spanish playmaker Adrian Bernabe could be one day going for a lot of money. Both players seem to glide on the ball and look better in doing things than most around them.

One worthy mention is Mandela Keita who is a hard working midfielder who gets around the pitch very well, a Belgian international he's just 23 and looks like the sort of player who would excel in the Premier League.

The Verdict

Whilst Milan missed opportunity to close the gap on their roommates Inter at the top of the table, Parma's win eased relegation worries and they now have an eight point gap on the bottom three, but this wasn't about today, more about tomorrow, and reflecting on yesterday, to visit a venue so steeped in iconic history, so iconic in its own unique look and layout, so amazing and stand-out as a global amphitheatre of the game we love, to say thank you for the memories, and when you're gone, you'll be so very badly missed.

The Teams

AC Milan: Mike Maignan, Fikayo Tomori (Zachary Athekame 86), Koni de Winter, Davide Bartesaghi, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Ardon Jashari 11 (Christopher Nkunku 86)), Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupinian (Strahinja Pavlovic 62), Christian Pulisic (Niclas Fulkrug 62), Rafael Leao.

Parma: Edoardo Corvi, Enrico Delprato, Mariano Troilo, Lauraro Valenti, Sascha Britschgi, Adrian Bernabe (Hans Nicolussi Caviglia 59), Mandela Keita, Christian Ordonez (Oliver Sorensen 59), Emanuele Valeri, Gabriel Strefezza (Jacob Ondrejka 76), Mateo Pellegrino (Nahuel Estevez 90).

6:00pm Kick Off. Sunday 22nd February 2026, San Siro, Milan (att 73,017).