extra info :
Red Star Belgrade succeeded Milan as Champions Of Europe in 1991 playing some
wonderful football until nerves took hold in an insipid final decided by penalties.
The team was decimated, Savicevic, scorer of the winning goal against Bayern Munich
in the semi-finals, joined Milan.
After spending much of his first season on the bench, Savicevic forced his way into
the team following a superb performance in a Champions League victory over Porto
in 1993. Milan, desperately lacking a match winner following the enforced retirement
of Van Basten, had found their saviour. He inspired Milan to a league and European
Cup double. His performance in the European Cup final was arguably one of the
finest individual displays seen in the completion. He created the opening goal for
Massaro and scored the third in the club's infamous 4-0 victory, a spectacular
35 yard half volley from an acute angle. Despite the teams indifferent form the
following season, Savicevic lead Milan to their third successive European Cup final
but didn't play due to 'injury'. Milan, without their main creative threat, lost to Ajax.
Milan bounced back and won the scudetto the following season. Once again Savicevic
played an integral part. It would prove to be his last successful season in Italy as
injuries, which had plagued him throughout his Serie A career, took their toll.
It's fair to say Savicevic and Capello's relationship was strained. Had it not been for
the intervention of club President Silvio Berlusconi, Savicevic would probably have
been left to rot on the Milan bench. Capello controversially left Savicevic out of the
1993 Intercontinental Cup final claiming the player was 'tired' and even more
controversially out of the 1995 European Cup final claiming Savicevic was injured,
Savicevic insisted he was fit.
A player with tremendous close control and vision Savicevic was nicknamed Il Genio
(The Genius) by Berlusconi, his biggest fan. He was often criticised by an Italian
media obsessed with Baggio and Zola for his lack of effort against the 'smaller
teams' but unlike Baggio and Zola, Savicevic was one of the finest big match players
of the last decade (at club level). His contribution to Milan cannot be overstated.
His window of greatness may have been small but while he remained relatively fit he
was, in my opinion, the best player in the World. Unquestionably he was the most
underrated.
quoted from
www.soccereurope.com