The curse of AC Milan's #9 shirt - 9 strikers who have failed at the Rossoneri since Filippo Inzaghi

In Filippo Inzaghi, AC Milan had one of the finest strikers of a generation, as the Italian graced the club for 11 years between 2001 and 2012. Joining the club from rivals domestic Juventus, Pippo, as he's fondly referred to, made over 200 appearances for the club, scoring 73 goals in all competitions.

The Rossoneri enjoyed one of the finest periods of their glittering history, as Inzaghi led the line to devastating effect. He won 8 major trophies in his time at the club, including a pair of Serie A and UEFA Champions League titles, as he cemented his status as one of the club's great #9s.

Since his departure, however, AC Milan's fortunes have nosedived and the club have struggled on and off the pitch. Strikers have come and gone, but none of them have been able to produce as consistently as Pippo did, leading to shouts that the club's #9 shirt is indeed cursed.

Over the years, several strikers have worn the shirt, here is a list of 9 such players in chronological order who took the iconic shirt after Inzaghi and failed to produce the goods:

#9 Alexandre Pato (2012/13)

AC Milan v Malaga CF - UEFA Champions League

Alexandre Pato joined the club as one of the most promising players in world football and hit the ground running immediately despite joining a club of such stature as a teenager. After Inzhagi's retirement in 2012, the Brazilian inherited his iconic #9 shirt and almost immediately, things went south for him as he was ravaged by injuries and poor form.

After being handed the #9 shirt, Pato made just 4 more appearances for the club that season, as a combination of injuries ensured that Milan cut their losses and shipped him off to Corinthians. The striker never found his feet since and will always be remembered as a player who failed to live up to the billing.

#8 Alessandro Matri (2013-14)

Having developed a reputation of being a hardworking striker who can play multiple positions, Alessandro Matri earned a move to AC Milan after two fruitful spells at Cagliari and Juventus. With the Rossoneri, however, the Italian striker had a torrid time as nothing went right for him despite his best efforts.

Upon receiving the #9 shirt vacated by Pato, Matri succumbed to the pressure that comes with it and departed the club after a solitary season. Despite signing a four-year contract, he was shipped off to Fiorentina on loan at the end of the 13/14 season and had just one goal to show for his time at Milan.

#7 Mattia Destro (2014-15)

Regarded as one of the best young strikers in Italy, Mattia Destro was banging in the goals for Roma and was courted by the big boys, with Real Madrid reportedly one of the clubs interested in securing his services at the time. As AC Milan were undergoing a crisis upfront, Destro was drafted in as an emergency loan signing in January 2015 and despite that, he was given the vacant #9 shirt left behind by Matri.

In 15 appearances for the club, Destro scored just 3 goals and failed to make his loan move permanent, meaning yet another striker with the #9 shirt had not delivered at the San Siro. The Italian striker left the club at the end of the season and joined Bologna, where he revived his career and found his scoring boots once again.

#6 Fernando Torres (2014-15)

Despite winning the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea, Fernando Torres' stint at Stamford Bridge did not live up to the hype and he was shipped off to AC Milan on a two-year loan deal at the start of the 2014-15 season. Upon joining, the Spaniard claimed that he wants to be remembered like some of the greats to have graced the club, naming Marco van Basten and Pippo Inzhagi amongst others.

However, his spell in Italy was lacklustre to say the least, as he scored just once in 10 appearances for the club, before being flogged off to Atletico Madrid 6 months later despite the fact that the club purchased him permanently.

#5 Luiz Adriano (2015-16)

Luiz Adriano was a goalscoring sensation for Shakhtar Donetsk and was believed to be the man who was could finally break the curse of the #9 shirt, as the Brazilian striker scored goals consistently in his time in Ukraine. It wasn't to be the case, as Adriano failed to adapt to Italian football and fizzled out, after showing signs of promise.

While he registered 4 goals and 3 assists in his first season, he failed to score a single goal in 7 appearances in the 2016-17 season, as he was subsequently shipped off to Spartak Moscow.

#4 Gianluca Lapadula (2016-17)

Gianluca Lapadula was never the most talented striker around, but he got his dream move to the Serie A outfit and played his heart out in his time at the club. Although a harsh assessment, it wouldn't be going far in saying that he didn't have the required quality to spearhead a team with a rich history like Milan.

While his record of 8 goals in 28 appearances is by no means the worst tally in the world, he was let go of after one season on loan at the club, as the club's search for a long term #9 continued. Unlike many of the aforementioned names, however, Lapadula was loved by the Milan faithful for his work ethic and he left with good memories, despite spending a solitary season on loan at the club.

#3 Andre Silva (2017-18)

When AC Milan splashed the cash on Andre Silva, who made a name for himself as a potent goalscorer in Portugal with FC Porto, it looked certain that the young striker would be the answer to their prayers as he looked all set to break the curse of the #9 shirt. In life, things never go as planned and Silva was given a rude awakening in Italy, as he flopped completely in his time at the club.

In two seasons with the Rossoneri, Silva found the back of the net just 2 times in 25 games, a dismal record considering the €38 million transfer fee he came with. In the summer of 2019, Silva was sent to Eintracht Frankfurt on a two-year loan deal, with Croatian striker Ante Rebic travelling in the opposite direction, and Milan will feel like they made a massive mistake in spending the big bucks on the Portuguese international.

#2 Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19)

Gonzalo Higuain, in his glittering career, has scored goals freely regardless of the clubs he's represented, but the Argentine fell flat in his time with AC Milan. Having joined the Rossoneri as part of the deal involving Leonardo Bonucci, Higuain spent just six months with the club and although he scored a handful of goals, he failed to settle in at the club due to which he terminated his loan spell and joined Chelsea on a short term deal.

In his brief stint with Milan, Higuain scored 6 goals in 15 appearances across all competitions and the manner of his exit left a sour taste among the fans, as he agitated for a move to Chelsea to reunite with Maurizio Sarri.

#1 Krzysztof Piatek (2019-20)

Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek was banging in the goals for Genoa in the Serie A and less than 6 months into his breakthrough season at the club, AC Milan sent out a massive statement of intent in the transfer market by securing his signature. While Piatek scored 9 goals in the second half of his first season, he found goals hard to come by in the current campaign.

With just 4 goals till January, Milan had already lost patience with him and accepted an offer from Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin, who agreed a fee believed to be in the region of €27 million for his services. Piatek will feel hard done by the Rossoneri, as it could be argued that they lost faith in him too quickly, but AC Milan's search for a long term #9 looks set to continue into the new year, as they look to recapture their mojo and establish themselves amongst Europe's elite once again.

Edited by Zaid Khan