"Finally! After many unsuccessful attempts, Milan will finally have a football club. The aim of this new sports club is the very noble one of forming a Milanese team to compete in the Italian Cup next spring. For this purpose, the presidency has already made arrangements and obtained the vast Trotter premises for training. The new club warns that anyone who wishes to learn football will just have to go to the Trotter on the established days and will find instructors and playing companions."
AC Milan was founded as Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club in 1899 by English expatriate Herbert Kilpin, who wanted to give the city of Milan a club that would be able to compete with the main clubs of Turin and Genoa. He was joined by a group of compatriots and Italian businessmen. The club claims 16 December of that year as their foundation date,[2] but historical evidence seems to suggest that the club was actually founded a few days earlier, most likely on 13 December.[3] However, with the club's charter being lost, the exact date remains open to debate. Alfred Edwards, a former British vice-consul in Milan and well-known personality of the city's high society, was the club's first elected president, while Kilpin took the role of manager. First captain of Milan's history was David Allison, an experienced forward who was also the top scorer of the season, with two goals. The club included a cricket section, managed by Edward Nathan Berra. The location where the founders first met was the Hotel du Nord, later renamed Principe di Savoia, and the first headquarters were established in the Fiaschetteria Toscana, a restaurant near the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.[citation needed]
English football pioneer Herbert Kilpin: founder, footballer and manager of Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club wearing the characteristic Milan shirt of the 1900s.
The first game ever played by the club took place at the Trotter pitch, Milan's home ground in the first seasons, on 11 March 1900 against Mediolanum. The 2-0 win allowed the Rossoneri to reach the final of the Medaglia del Re, a trophy established in honor of king Umberto I of Italy. In the final, Milan beat Juventus with the same score to win the first trophy in their history.[citation needed]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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