AC Milan’s place in the Italy picture has become remarkably small. In Roberto Mancini’s latest 34-man squad, not one Rossoneri player was selected for the senior national team, a sharp contrast with the club’s earlier eras, when an Italian core at Milanello was considered part of Milan’s identity as well as a resource for the Azzurri.
That tradition was especially strong under Silvio Berlusconi, who wanted Milan to retain a substantial domestic presence alongside its leading international names. During the Sacchi years and beyond, the Rossoneri supplied established figures to Italy and carried a group of players whose influence extended beyond the dressing room.
That connection has weakened to the point where Milan’s Italian contingent currently reaches only the Under-21 side. The senior setup is looking elsewhere, even during a period in which Italy is attempting to rebuild and widen its options.
The issue is quality, not simply nationality
Milan’s squad is heavily international: 19 of its 27 players are foreign, representing 70.4 per cent of the group. Yet the figures alone do not explain the absence of Rossoneri players from Italy selection.
Inter have an even greater proportion of foreign players, at 75 per cent, but still have four representatives in Mancini’s 34-man group. Como, meanwhile, have Moise Kean involved despite being another club with a strongly globalised squad, where foreign players account for 77.8 per cent. The Lombardy club have nevertheless indicated that they want to increase their Italian presence.
The more pressing question for Milan is therefore the standing of their Italian players. At present, they have not been considered compelling senior international options, even with a large squad available to the Italy coach.
Recent transfer decisions have also reduced Milan’s pool. Sandro Tonali and Daniel Maldini both left the club in recent windows, taking away two Italian profiles who had been part of the wider discussion around the national team.
A route back through the younger generation
The latest Milan players to move around the Italy set-up have been Matteo Gabbia, Samuele Ricci and Davide Bartesaghi. Gabbia’s momentum was checked by Milan’s difficult end to the season and later physical problems, while Ricci has since moved to Como. Bartesaghi is part of the youth overhaul overseen by Baldini.
There are, however, signs of a future pathway. Bartesaghi, Cisse and Francesco Camarda have all been called into the Italy Under-21 group and are viewed as players capable of setting their sights on the senior side. Comotto is another young Milan prospect to follow closely, while Gabbia could yet return to the wider Italy conversation.
Milan are unlikely to recreate the large Italian bloc associated with the Sacchi and Berlusconi years. But as the national team searches for a new foundation, the club will expect at least a modest Rossoneri presence to emerge again from its younger generation.
