Looking Back on Milan's Blockbuster Summer 2017 Shopping Spree

As Paolo Maldini lifted the Champions League trophy in 2007, jubilation filled the black and red half of Athens’ Olympic Stadium, as the streets of Milan partied to celebrate their club’s seventh European Cup and their second in just four years. The Rossoneri were at the pinnacle of football, but as they came to realise; when you’re on top of the world, you have a long way to fall.

That side boasted aging stars and club stalwarts who helped Milan stay relevant in a league which was ultimately steamrolled by city rivals Inter from 2005-2010, as Silvio Berlusconi - their esteemed owner since 1986 - was also coming to the end of his tenure amid an inability to compete with the riches of modern football.

Their denouement was sudden and drastic; four years after winning Serie A for the final time, Milan had tumbled into the bottom half of the top flight for the first time 1998 - culminating in a messy saga of failed sales and dodgy dealings, as Milan continued to flounder on the pitch.

But as Li Yonghong joined in 2017, they splashed the cash in a desperate attempt to fast track the Rossoneri back into title and European contention - but their lack of strategy prevented any of that, as we look to dissect their summer spreading spree.