Acquired in 1910 from the Belgian side Union St. Gilloise by President Piero Pirelli, Louis Van Hege made an instact impact on his debut with a brace against Genoa. In five seasons with AC Milan, he averaged a goal per game, coming close to the Scudetto several times and winning the ‘Footballer of the Year’ award, a forerunner of the Ballon d’Or award. At the outburst of the First World War, the Belgian forward was drafted for military service and had to return to Belgium unwillingly.
