From Berlusconi’s Dream to Relegation: Monza’s Three-Yr Serie A Journey
Might 5, 2025 — AC Monza’s historic run in Serie A, a dream ignited by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, got here to a bittersweet finish on Might 4, 2025, because the membership was relegated to Serie B with three matches remaining within the 2024-25 season. After three exceptional seasons in Italy’s prime flight, the Biancorossi’s journey from third-tier obscurity to Serie A contenders has concluded with a return to the second division, marking the tip of an bold chapter for the Lombardy membership.
Monza’s ascent started in 2018 when Berlusconi’s Fininvest Group acquired the membership for a reported €3 million, with Adriano Galliani, his long-time AC Milan collaborator, becoming a member of as CEO. On the time, Monza languished in Serie C, having by no means reached Serie A of their 110-year historical past. Berlusconi, contemporary from promoting AC Milan in 2017, poured almost €70 million into the membership, investing in gamers, infrastructure, and the U-Energy Stadium. His imaginative and prescient was audacious: not simply to achieve Serie A, however to compete for the Scudetto and Champions League. “I’m used to successful,” Berlusconi declared after Monza’s promotion, a nod to his 29 trophies with Milan.
The climb was swift. Monza received Serie C in 2019-20, securing promotion to Serie B after a 19-year absence, and reached Serie A in 2022 via a dramatic playoff victory over Pisa, with Christian Gytkjaer’s extra-time purpose sealing a 6-4 combination triumph. The 2022-23 season, Monza’s first in Serie A, was a revelation. Underneath coach Raffaele Palladino, promoted from the U-19 squad after Giovanni Stroppa’s sacking, Monza completed eleventh with 52 factors, the perfect efficiency amongst newly promoted groups in Europe’s prime 5 leagues. The 2023-24 season noticed one other strong Twelfth-place end with 45 factors, regardless of Berlusconi’s loss of life in June 2023 and the lack of key gamers like Carlos Augusto and Nicolò Rovella.
Nevertheless, the 2024-25 season proved insurmountable. Monza struggled, languishing in nineteenth place within the 20-team Serie A desk, with a reported lack of €60.3 million in 2023 weighing closely. The membership’s relegation was confirmed after a string of poor outcomes, culminating in a defeat that left them unable to climb out of the underside three with solely three video games left. Followers on X expressed heartbreak, with one put up lamenting, “The dream of bringing Monza to the Scudetto and Champions League, misplaced with Berlusconi’s loss of life, appears to finish right here.” One other famous the irony of relegation simply years after Berlusconi’s daring guarantees.
Berlusconi’s affect was transformative. His investments modernized the Monzello coaching heart, renamed the Silvio and Luigi Berlusconi Sports activities Heart in 2024, and introduced in high-profile signings like Mario Balotelli and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Galliani’s switch acumen, honed at Milan, secured skills like Dany Mota and Davide Frattesi on mortgage, mixing youth with expertise. But, the membership’s fast rise additionally uncovered vulnerabilities. Excessive participant turnover—over 50 signings in three seasons—and reliance on mortgage offers created instability, whereas Berlusconi’s strict code of conduct, banning tattoos and beards, clashed with fashionable soccer tradition.
The Berlusconi household’s choice to hunt a purchaser or companion, introduced by Pier Silvio Berlusconi in December 2024, signaled monetary pressure and a shift in priorities. Regardless of revenues doubling to €68.3 million in 2023, Monza’s losses and relegation battle underscored the challenges of sustaining a top-flight membership. Galliani, now 80, stays a polarizing determine, praised for his function within the promotion however criticized for failing to keep up momentum.
Monza’s relegation marks the tip of a romantic sporting saga, as one X put up described it, however the membership’s legacy endures. With 40 Serie B seasons, greater than any Italian membership with out prior Serie A expertise, Monza’s three-year top-flight stint was a testomony to Berlusconi’s ambition. Because the Biancorossi put together for Serie B, followers hope for a swift return, carrying ahead the dream that Berlusconi and Galliani made actuality.
Observe AC Monza’s journey and Serie A updates on X or go to acmonza.com for official information.
