Milan won the Italian Cup. Familiar name, familiar team. Catenaccio – still alive and kicking. Perhaps Milan’s win obscured the potential of Juventus – Italy was traditional, no matter what happens in the world, field five defenseman… and win by one goal scored. Tremendously boring by 1972. And Rivera was no longer 20-years old…

The team was aging – Trapattoni (yes, the same one), the Argentine with French citizenship Nestor Combin, Cudicini, Rosato were at their end. Not to mention Rivera. Hardly worthy replacement in sight to any of them. The red flag was really flashing in the heart of defense – Schnellinger was not invited to the West German national team after 1970. He was key player for Milan, but useless for the European Champions – and the difference between Beckenbauer’s manner of playing and Schnellinger’s was as big as between day in night in 1972. Milan’s Cup was more or less a last gasp of old 60’s football.

Thanks to Igor Nedbaylo for the photo.