Ancelotti's AC Milan celebrate winning the title in front of the San Siro crowd
It seemed that the European Champions only had to bring in Cafu from Roma and Pancaro from Lazio in order to strengthen. However, thanks to the non-EU player slot that was now free after Aliyu Datti’s departure, a young Kaká, the decisive factor, arrived from Brazil. Having lost the Super Cup to Juventus on penalties in New York, AC Milan soon became the protagonists of the league, alongside Roma and Juventus, in a spectacular race at the top of the table. There was a slight dip in form during December, but on 6 January AC Milan beat Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico and were then at the top of the table.
The second half of the season was marked by big wins against Inter, 3-2 having been 2-0 down, and Juventus, a 3-1 win at the Delle Alpi in which ‘I Meravigliosi’ were born. Then on 2 May, after beating Roma at San Siro, AC Milan were crowned Italian champions and won their 17th Scudetto title. Shevchenko was top scorer with 24 goals whilst Kaká became the fans’ idol. Dida, Nesta, Maldini, Gattuso, Pirlo and Seedorf all also had a great season and the Dane, Tomasson, contributed significantly as well. AC Milan continued to ride their wave of success with the final in Manchester having turned the tide for the Rossoneri.
