![\"The](\"https:\/\/icdn.football-italia.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/12098844-1-310x207.jpg.webp)
<\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nThe Champions League trophy
\nEPA-EFE\/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Johan\u00a0<\/span>Cruijff will forever be remembered as one of the best players and coaches of all time, but back in 1994, his Barcelona side underestimated Milan, who secured an historic 4-0 victory in the Champions League Final.<\/p>\n Forget the last 15 years during which Milan have failed to leave their mark on the Champions League: the Serie A giants remain one of the most successful clubs in the competition, having lifted the trophy seven times. Only Real Madrid have more with 15.<\/p>\n Back in the days, Milan were the team to beat as they reached three consecutive Champions League Finals from 1993 to 1995.<\/p>\n On May 18, 1984, they won the fifth Champions League in their history, beating Cruyff\u2019s Barcelona 4-0 in Athens.<\/p>\n On the eve of the game, the Catalans\u2019 coach looked beyond confident, telling the media: \u201cBarcelona are favourites. We\u2019re more complete, competitive and experienced than [in the 1992 final] at Wembley. Milan are nothing out of this world. They base their game on defence; we base ours on attack.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Barcelona had already won the Champions League (European Cup) in 1992, beating Sampdoria at Wembley Stadium.<\/p>\n Back then, it was already possible to gamble on football matches, but nowadays, an overview of the latest betting bonuses<\/span> massively helps football fans spot the best offers, especially the wagering rules and limits, so they can make smarter, more confident bets.<\/p>\n Cruijff\u2019s words surely produced a positive effect in the Milan squad, as Marcel Desailly, one of the legendary players of that Rossoneri team, said in a recent interview with the Italian Football Podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cHis words helped a lot. The coach didn\u2019t give the speech at the hotel but in the dressing room, with the assistant coach who had a copy of the newspaper with the quote that we were crap,\u201d said the former France defender.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about? We had Donadoni, Albertini, Savicevic and me all international players. So, saying that Milan wasn\u2019t anything special as we were about to win the Serie A, really motivated us.<\/p>\n \u201cCapello and his assistants were very, very smart by giving us the adrenaline to make the difference. Barcelona was a bit deluded in their motivation. Because they had already won La Liga a couple of weeks earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, automatically their adrenaline had dropped, so to bring back into the system the motivation back against a Milan that was like a wolf, they couldn\u2019t make it. And also, with an amazing Marcel Desailly, they couldn\u2019t make it [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n The last time Milan won the Champions League was in 2007, again in Athens, but against Liverpool, with Carlo Ancelotti in charge.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
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