Rossoneri Advent Calendar Day 1: Sebastiano Rossi and the Impenetrable Defence

Sebastiano Rossi played for AC Milan and Italy at the height of his career but started off with Cesena. The shot stopper had a 21 year career where he picked up 12 trophies with Milan and deservedly received a spot in the Milan Hall of Fame. The is the second highest capped goalkeeper for the Rossoneri behind Christian Abbiati and is a true legend of the club.

photo by Alain Gadoffre / Onze / Icon Sport via Getty Images

Rossi will always be a Rossoneri legend for his understated role in Milan's 1993/94 for season when the squad historically only managed score 36 goals in 34 league games but somehow won the league. Rossi led the back line well and his side only conceded 15 goals all season all while keeping a staggering 22 clean sheets on the road to the Scudetto. He beat Dino Zoff’s record for the longest clean sheet run with his 929 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. This season was particularly difficult for Milan as they had lost van Basten to injury and struggled to score but the defence carried them all the way to a title led by the heroics of Sebastiano Rossi. More significantly, Rossi did not concede a single goal in the semi finals nor the final of the Champions League as Milan beat Barcelona 4-0 to lift their 5th title. Milan only conceded twice in the entire competition as they beat the likes of AS Monaco, FC Porto, Copenhagen, Anderlecht, Werder Bremen and FC Aarau to get to the final.

Achievements with Milan

• Serie A: 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99
• UEFA Champions League: 1993–94
• UEFA Super Cup: 1990, 1994
• Intercontinental Cup: 1990
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1992, 1993, 1994

Top Highlight

Rossi made an important double save on a penalty against Juventus when Milan won 1-0 there in 1992/93 on their way to the title. Watch the save here or below.