#TBT: TWO ROLES REVERSED

It hadn’t been an easy Christmas for Rossoneri fans, with the bitter aftertaste of Palacio’s backheel in the Derby just before the winter break hanging over the various celebrations of the period. But their next match came against Atalanta, the Rossoneri kicking off the New Year at San Siro on 6 January. Ricky Kaká’s epiphany: goal number 100 and 101 for our Brazilian maestro in an AC Milan shirt. Still today, six and a half years on, that win on 6 January 2014 marks the last Rossoneri victory over Atalanta at San Siro.

That day, Bryan Cristante scored the goal to make it 3-0 to AC Milan, while Jack Bonaventura found himself playing for Colantuono’s Atalanta at the time, a side nowhere near the level of Gasperini’s, but still lively with Cigarini, Denis and Maxi Moralez. Just a few months later, Jack would make his arrival in Milan, while Cristante would begin to fade out of the spotlight, ending up at Atalanta after a handful of unremarkable spells at Benfica, Palermo and Pescara.

While it was a big AC Milan win, it wasn’t always comfortable: Benalouane had a goal chalked off with the score at 1-0, while Denis missed a golden opportunity for the away side. Nowadays, Bonaventura is an experienced Rossoneri player, while Cristante plays for a Roma side fighting it out with the Diavolo to finish fifth this season. But back on 6 January 2014, it was all about AC Milan v Atalanta for them. Since that day, the Rossoneri have only beaten the Orobici on two occasions, first in May 2015 and then in February 2019. Both were victories in Bergamo, with AC Milan finding wins against Atalanta at San Siro difficult to come by in recent times.

Indeed, Inzaghi and Gattuso suffered defeats against La Dea in Milan, while Mihajlovic and Montella only fared slightly better, picking up a solitary point. Different years, different periods. And now the current Rossoneri side will be looking to experience the same joy that Ricky did upon scoring his 100th AC Milan goal. They’ll be trying to overcome the strongest Italian team in 2020, taking another step forward and achieving a new feat in doing so. From Conti and Kessie through to Kjær and Bonaventura, there are a number of current Diavolo players who will be aiming to beat their former side. And they’ll give their all to do so.

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