The Lord of Milan
They are one of football’s biggest clubs, but AC Milan’s origins can be traced back to a man from the humble streets of an English city
When listing major European football clubs, few people will fail to mention AC Milan. Sharing their famous old San Siro stadium with bitter city rivals Inter, AC have won the Serie A title 19 times and the European Cup on seven occasions.
The club is one of the biggest and most successful in the history of the game, and in 2024 it marks its 125th anniversary. Some of the biggest names of the game have been associated with AC Milan over the years, but perhaps the most important figure in their history is a man who you probably haven’t heard of- and he was born right here in England.
Herbert Kilpin was born in Nottingham on January 24, 1870. The son of a butcher, Kilpin worked as a lace warehouse assistant after finishing school. The love of football was developed from a young age, and Kilpin played for several sides in his hometown. In 1891, at the age of 21, Kilpin made the move to Turin, Italy.
Working in the Italian textiles industry, Kilpin was employed by Edoardo Bosio. A man of Italian and Swiss heritage, Bosio had connections with a lace manufacturer back in Nottingham. Whilst in Italy, Kilpin was able to play football and it was his involvement in the sport that gave him fame and notoriety.
It can be said Kilpin was inspired by Bosio, who founded Internazionale Torino, a club that is thought to be the first fully dedicated football club in Italy. Kilpin played for the club throughout the 1890s, and in 1898 he left Turin and made a home for himself in Milan.
By the end of the decade and with the 20th century looming on the horizon Kilpin, and fellow Englishman Samuel Richard Davies who Kilpin had moved to Milan, were preparing to become founder members of the club we now know as AC Milan. In 1899, the Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club was founded.
Kilpin’s first role was as player-manager, and the club didn’t waste much time in winning silverware. In 1901 AC Milan were crowned Serie A champions in what was only their second campaign as a club. The momentum of the club would be hard to stop, and Kilpin helped the side win the title as a player only in both 1906 and 1907- this would however be the club's last top-flight title victory until the 1950s.
At the club he founded, Kilpin spent nine years as a player and/ or a manager. Other clubs in Italy ceased to exist several years after their creation. Yet AC Milan started strong and kept growing. A powerhouse in European football, the club has humble origins and a lace manufacturer from Nottingham is a vital piece of the success-laden history of AC Milan.
Herbert Kilpin retired from the game in 1908 having married his wife Maria Capua three years earlier. Unfortunately, Kilpin died young aged just 46 in Milan, a city where thousands of passionate football fans are grateful to him now- so much so that he is commonly referred to by them as ‘The Lord of Milan’ with a wider group believing Kilpin to be the father of Italian football.
In 2017, in his native Nottingham, a shrine was created to Kilpin in the window of the butcher's shop on Mansfield Road where he once lived with his family. It’s a far cry from the raucous atmosphere of AC Milan’s San Siro, but it serves as a fitting reminder of what this man did for the beautiful game.
