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Galliani going for world prize Saturday 1 December, 2007

Milan may be about to face Juventus, but Adriano Galliani is already looking ahead to “number one objective” the Club World Cup.

“The Club World Cup is the number one objective of the solar year 2007, a wonderful 12 months that saw us already triumph in the Champions League and European Super Cup,” proclaimed the Vice-President.

“Now we are facing the biggest trophy a club football player can aim for – a wonderful and intriguing tournament.”

This will be the first time the Rossoneri have entered what was once known as the Intercontinental Cup since the format was expanded to include the winners of all the various continental competitions.

“It has been 18 years since our first time in Tokyo. I remember I ran like crazy when Chicco Evani scored. I got to the middle of the park and the referee looked at me badly. Now I certainly run a lot slower!”

Milan’s fortunes in this contest have been mixed, as they won three times, but have lost their last three attempts in 1993, ’94 and 2003.

“Japan has changed a lot since then and if we end up facing Urawa Reds in the semi-final then we’ll have 70,000 people in the crowd pushing them on.”

With the victory over Liverpool in May, Milan became the joint most successful club side of all time, but it is not enough for Galliani.

“I don’t understand why the Coppa Latina trophies we won don’t count, seeing as the Boca Juniors list has some very strange tournaments,” he complained.

“Still, we are on 17 cups along with Boca and the most successful side in Europe with 14 UEFA trophies ahead of Real Madrid’s 12.”

FIFA and UEFA do not recognise the Coppa Latina, a tournament played between 1949 and ’57 between sides from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Milan won the competition in 1951 and ’56 before it was effectively replaced by the European Cup.

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