#TBT: DIDA, THE BEGINNING OF HIS STORY WITH AC MILAN

A year and a half before making his debut for AC Milan, Nelson Dida was looking to leave Cruzeiro…

On 14 February 1999, the Rossoneri won an "ordinary" Serie A match 2-1 against Venezia at San Siro through goals from Guly and Ganz. But off the pitch, something just as important was playing out: a Brazilian goalkeeper with an expiring contract was getting closer to joining AC Milan.

DIDA AT AC MILAN: I AM HEREOn Valentine's Day in 1999, Nelson Dida was 25 years old. He was a goalkeeper at Cruzeiro, a major Brazilian club based in Belo Horizonte. The Rossoneri had just discovered Christian Abbiati, who had been in the starting 11 for a few weeks as part of a defence containing Maldini and Costacurta. But the club continued to scout goalkeepers. And while AC Milan were on the pitch against Venezia, negotiations between the Rossoneri and the goalkeeper from Irarà, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, were getting serious. Dida's contract was expiring and really wanted to join the club. To avoid the risk of a dispute with Cruzeiro involving FIFA, Dida was loaned to Lugano and then Corinthians following the negotiations in February 1999.

DIDA: BEING A CLUB WORLD CHAMPION IN HIS DESTINYThe Brazilian player's agent, former Rossoneri player Oscar Damiani, worked hard upon the commencement of talks. An agreement was amicably reached between Cruzeiro and AC Milan which would see the latter pay approximately three billion Italian lire. After not taking to the pitch in his first loan at Lugano, his second loan at Corinthians was far more successful. With the club from São Paulo, Dida produced heroics as Corinthians became Club World Champions after beating Vasco da Gama on penalties on 14 January 2000. He would go on to win the same competition with AC Milan seven years later, with the groundwork for this success having been laid on that day in February 1999…