We continue profiling items in the Chelsea Museum by using two pieces of memorabilia to tell the story of a notable pre-season friendly against AC Milan, our second opponents in the VisitMalta Weekender at Stamford Bridge next month.
The Italian giants visit SW6 on Sunday 10 August, shortly after we host Bayer Leverkusen on the evening of Friday 8 August. Tickets for both games are on general sale now. Season ticket holders and members can purchase at a discounted price and will receive five loyalty points per game.
Back in 2009, Chelsea and AC Milan went head-to-head in the inaugural World Football Challenge. The matchball used is on display in our museum and is pictured below. The four-team tournament was held across the USA and Chelsea, now managed by Carlo Ancelotti, kicked off with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Milan’s city rivals Inter in Pasadena.
The Blues then flew across America from the west coast to the eastern state of Maryland, and the city of Baltimore. The M&T Bank Stadium, home to the Baltimore Ravens NFL team, was to host its first soccer match a decade after opening.
The occasion had extra poignance for Ancelotti. He had only left the San Siro a couple of months prior so he could take the reins at Chelsea. It brought to an end a golden era in which AC had won two Champions Leagues and a Serie A title.
'For sure it is not a normal game playing against Milan, it was eight years that I was there, and for sure it is a different game for me,’ Ancelotti acknowledged at his pre-match press conference.
Andriy Shevchenko had recently returned to Chelsea from a season-long loan at AC Milan. He pointed out they had not only lost their manager, but also their captain, who had retired.
'It is difficult to imagine Milan without Paolo Maldini,' Sheva told the Chelsea website.
'Paolo has a fantastic career. He played 25-26 years for Milan, it is incredible, a fantastic job, and he won many titles as a captain. He is a legend but for every player there is a time to retire.
'For Milan it is a time to change many things and the manager has gone, many players have gone, and it is a new generation and we will see.’
Thunderstorms in the days leading up to the game meant a late switch of training away from the M&T Bank Stadium to protect the freshly-laid grass that sat atop the artificial surface. Come matchday, Friday 24 July, the weather was set fair and a capacity crowd of 71,000 had football fever for Ronaldinho, Drogba, Lampard, Pirlo and co.
The Blues lined up in the 4-diamond-2 formation preferred by Ancelotti during the summer of 2009 and the early months of the campaign. We donned our new away shirt for the first time.
The big team news was the selection of new signing Yuri Zhirkov, who had finally received a work permit following his transfer from CSKA Moscow. He was on the left of the midfield diamond. Our honorary captain was Denver Nuggets basketballer Carmelo Anthony, back in his home town.
Chelsea’s starting XI was: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry (c), Cole, Mikel, Belletti, Zhirkov, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba.
AC Milan, now managed by their former attacker Leonardo, included Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and two future Blues: 24-year-old Thiago Silva and Alexandre Pato, just 19. Pirlo and Pato had both been linked by the media with moves to Chelsea that summer.
The game was an entertaining affair with Chelsea emerging victorious by two goals to one. Drogba and Seedorf exchanged stunning long-rangers in the first half before debutant Zhirkov won it with a low left-footed drive.
The Russian was deservedly named man of the match having been at the heart of much of our best work. He showcased the dribbling ability and game awareness that had brought him to the Bridge, and only a goal-line clearance by Thiago Silva denied Zhirkov a second goal.
The following morning Chelsea departed for Texas, where we would play Club America at the spaceship-like AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Florent Malouda and Franco Di Santo found the net in a 2-0 victory that secured the World Football Challenge trophy, which is proudly displayed in the USA section of our Museum.
The taste of silverware in the US that summer proved prophetic as Ancelotti led the Blues to the first and to date only Double in our history. He moved away from the diamond shape used in pre-season to a 4-3-3 that yielded an avalanche of goals, with Drogba leading the way. Injury hampered Zhirkov’s involvement, but he did have an impact as the campaign drew to a close, notably in the 7-1 win against Aston Villa.
Milan’s summer of change was followed by a solid if unspectacular season. They finished third in Serie A and, like us, were knocked out in the Champions League in the Round of 16. One of the major plus points was the quick assimilation of one of their new signings, Thiago Silva, who quickly looked at home on the European stage.