When AC Milan beat Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final – to avenge Istanbul 2005 – they fielded the oldest ever starting 11 in a Champions League final with an average age of over 31, including club legend Paolo Maldini who was nearly 39.
Yet two years later Paolo Maldini was only just retiring while the old guard of legends such as Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi, Massimo Ambrosini, Clarence Seedorf and Alessandro Nesta remained key figures.
With the help of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Thiago Silva, those golden oldies managed to secure one more Serie A title in 2011, but by summer 2012 it had become abundantly clear that things would need to change.
However it happened in one fell swoop as Seedorf, Inzaghi, Gattuso and Nesta either retired or moved on, while Pirlo had gone to Juventus on a free transfer a year before.
Those club heroes should have been gradually sold after the 2007 Champions League triumph rather than cast aside all at once.
Very suddenly the Rossoneri were shorn of experience and coupled with the sales of Ibrahimovic and Silva to balance the books at the start of this season, it threatened to destroy Milan’s season.
Massimo Allegri’s team were plunged into crisis, losing five of their first eight matches to leave them perilously close to the relegation zone.
But fast forward a few months and the Red and Black side of the San Siro abounds with optimism as a vibrant, young team sit just outside the Champions League places.
After months of speculation Mario Balotelli has finally been secured and he joins a club that is a stark contrast to the Milan of 2007 or 2011…
Mario Balotelli
Balotelli’s imminent departure from Manchester City was always inevitable after a serious of controversies and petty misdemeanours.
And the 22-year-old finally got the move that he had always yearned for last month. He made his Serie A debut for the club he supported as a child last Sunday – and some debut it was.
There was something different about Super Mario against Udinese. He looked hungry and focused and he delivered immediate results scoring twice in a 2 – 1, including the injury time penalty winner.
It remains to be seen how long he can keep that focus up, but there is hope that he can turn the corner back home in his home country.
Stephan El Shaarawy
Sensational is the only word you can use to describe Stephan El Shaarawy’s impact in the first half of 2012/13.
Il Faraone (The Pharoah due to being half Egyptian) single-handedly kept Milan’s heads above water when they were struggling earlier in the season scoring 15 league goals in 23 games this term.
The 20-year-old Italy international has become irreplaceable on the left of Milan’s youthful front three and the early signs of a devastating strike partnership with Balotelli look promising.
His pace, trickery and eye for goal has caused Serie A defences problems all season.
M’Baye Niang
The 18-year-old Frenchman completes a forward line with an average age of just 20 as well as unmistakable Mohawks. But on the field he has managed to push his way into the starting line-up at the expense of the disappointing Robinho after arriving in the summer.
A pacey, powerful forward, Niang became the second youngest goalscorer in AC Milan history in a Coppa Italia tie in December.
Mattia Di Sciglio
The 20-year-old full-back is a graduate of Milan’s youth academy and is comfortable on both sides of the pitch. He made his debut for his home town club in late 2011 but truly became a first-teamer this season.
There are high hopes that he will have a long future at the San Siro after the club hierarchy handed him the No 2 shirt.
Bojan Krkic
It is hard to believe that Bojan is only 22, having made his Barcelona debut way back in 2007. But since then he has flattered to deceive despite being a revelation at underage level.
Krkic is currently on loan at Milan from Roma and his performances have improved at the San Siro – although that is not saying much considering the paucity of his displays for the Giallorossi.
Barcelona still have a buy-back clause in his contract, but it is unlikely that they will trigger it so Milan may decide to keep hold of him as they continue to freshen up the team with youth.
Beyond these youngster, there is also a core of players in their mid-20s including Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ignazio Abate, Riccardo Montolivo and Kevin Constant who could form the foundations of a new era.
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