AC Milan won the Serie A title for the first time in 11 years, beating Sassuolo 3-0 on the final day of the league season on Sunday.
Stefano Pioli’s side went into the final round knowing a point would be enough to take the lead from rivals Inter Milan, with a brace from Olivier Giroud and a goal from Franck Kessie sealing the Scudetto in style.
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It’s the first time Milan have won the league title since Massimiliano Allegri guided the club to the Cup in 2010/11.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was part of that winning team and the forward has now sealed his seventh Italian league title with three different teams (Milan, Juventus and Inter).
Following Milan’s win over Atalanta last week, Pioli said he used NBA star Kobe Bryant as inspiration for his players.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend – who tragically died in a helicopter crash with her 13-year-old daughter Gianna – was a lifelong Milan fan, growing up in Italy between the ages of six and 13.
“I showed the guys an interview with Kobe Bryant who said that 2-0 in the NBA playoffs doesn’t finish the job. We’re not done yet,” Piolo said in his post-game interview. “We have to keep that calm and focus, which can be decisive in the end.
“When we took charge at Milan, the team had completely different tactical ideals and concepts, so we had to change everything. Now the good thing is that the players are happy to play to our strengths and prepare tactically, and can also adapt to the limitations of our opponents.”
Milan have now leveled with city rivals Inter with 18 Serie A titles and are the second most successful club in league history behind Juventus with 36 league titles.