Scudetto 1961/62

Gianni Rivera wasn’t the only big Rossoneri name for Italy at the 1960 Summer Olympics. El 'Paròn' Rocco was there too having made his name with Padova, where he signed Blason, Moro and Azzini to strengthen his side. Padova had finished third in the 1957/58 season, with the team maintaining their place in the top half in the following years. After coaching the Italian Olympic team, Rocco arrived at AC Milan. In addition to his own history as a player, Nereo Rocco had great experience as a provincial coach in his repertoire, but more than anything, he had his own extraordinary sense of drive as well as a remarkable ability to form relationships with his players.

However, not everything went to plan with the talented Englishman Jimmy Greaves, and when the former Chelsea player returned to his homeland he was replaced by a certain Dino Sani. The South American’s arrival marked a real turning point for AC Milan’s league campaign. With the first half of the season over, the Rossoneri sat in fourth place behind Inter, Bologna and Fiorentina, but it was all decided in the second half of the campaign. AC Milan charged towards the title, earning 31 points out of a possible 34 while playing some sublime football, allowing Altafini to finish in joint first place in the goalscoring charts alongside Fiorentina’s Milani on 22 goals.