Milan
Which team did Massimo Ambrosini play for between Nov 1998 and Dec 1998?
Massimo Ambrosini Massimo Ambrosini ( ; born 29 May 1977 ) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a defensive midfielder . At club level , he is mostly known for his successful time at Italian team AC Milan , where he spent eighteen years of his career , winning several titles , and captained the side from 2009 to 2013 following the retirement of Paolo Maldini . Ambrosini retired from professional football in 2014 , after a season with Fiorentina . At international level , he represented Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics , and in two UEFA European Championships , winning a runners-up medal at UEFA Euro 2000 . He currently works as a pundit and football commentator for Sky Sport Italia . Club career . Milan . Ambrosini began his career with Cesena and graduated to their first team at the age of 17 during the 1994–95 season . Milan coach Fabio Capello then won the race to sign him the following year , and despite facing tough competition to break into the all-star Milan side , Ambrosini was given a handful of games as the team romped to the Serie A championship . Used in the 1996–97 season only sporadically , Ambrosini was sent on loan to Vicenza , where he was given a spot in the teams starting line-up almost immediately , and helped his team avoid relegation at the end of the season . He also reached the semi-final of UEFA Cup Winners Cup with Vicenza . Recalled to the San Siro , Ambrosini at last made a first-team place his own as Milan won back the Serie A championship in 1999 . A regular the following term , he then saw his chances limited by a troublesome knee injury before returning to full fitness to help Milan win the Coppa Italia ( scoring in a 4–1 win in the first leg of the final over Roma ) and the UEFA Champions League during the 2002–03 season , where he replaced Rui Costa in the 87th minute of the final against Juventus , held at Old Trafford . In 2003–04 , although unable to establish himself as a first-team starter due to a series of niggling injuries and a loss of form , Ambrosini made 20 Serie A appearances – predominantly as a substitute – and scored one goal as Milan captured their 17th Serie A championship . In March 2005 , he renewed his contract to June 2008 . In 2004–05 , he struggled to break into Milan first team , making only made 22 Serie A appearances and scoring one goal . It is his late goal , however , that took Milan to the UEFA Champions League final . With Milan losing 2–0 , a scoreline which would have sent the match to extra time as Milan defeated PSV with the same score in the San Siro , Ambrosini scored a header in second half injury time to bring the score to 2–1 and give Milan the 3–2 aggregate lead . PSV immediately responded with a goal of their own to tie the aggregate score at 3–3 , but Milan advanced to the final on the away goals rule . Ambrosini , however , missed the final in Istanbul with yet another injury as Milan were defeated on penalties by Liverpool . In 2005–06 , he again suffered a series of injuries which limited him to just 13 Serie A appearances and one goal , thus making him out of contention for the Italian squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany . Unlike the previous seasons , 2006–07 became Ambrosinis late breakthrough as he had fully recovered from his recurring injuries . Although not an immediate starter at the beginning , following a series of stunning performances , he eventually made his way into the teams starting 11 , prompting Carlo Ancelotti to change his preferred formation from 4–3–1–2 to 4–3–2–1 ( alternatively , 4–4–1–1 ) , in which he would play a left-sided defensive midfielder , in a role similar to that of Gennaro Gattuso responsible for winning back possession and passing the ball to either a deep-lying playmaker Andrea Pirlo or other attacking players . He scored two decisive goals in Serie A against Sampdoria and Atalanta , both with his head . He was also a key member to Milans victory over Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League , balancing the game for Milan through his vision and leadership skills ; his long pass from his teams half of the pitch to an unmarked striker Alberto Gilardino helped ensure Milans eventual 3–0 victory as Gilardino scored a goal that drastically reduced Manchester Uniteds chances of a comeback . This game also prompted Ambrosini to change his mind about leaving Milan due to lack of playing time and extend his contract until June 2010 . Later that month , Ambrosini started in the final of the 2006–07 Champions League and played a strong game in Milans eventual 2–1 win over Liverpool . He was also the last player to touch the ball seconds before the final whistle . In Paolo Maldinis absence , Ambrosini was once again the stand-in captain for the European Super Cup Final against UEFA Cup winners Sevilla FC , which Milan won 3–1 . Ambrosini was Milan captain in the absence of Paolo Maldini throughout the 2007–08 campaign . In this campaign , Ambrosini scored four goals . He scored decisive goals against Palermo and Empoli , and played very well in the home leg of the Milan derby against Internazionale on 4 May 2008 , setting up the second goal for teammate Kaká and putting in an excellent performance throughout the game , which Milan won 2–1 . However , Milan had failed to earn 3 points in each single game leading up to a 4–1 win against Udinese on the final day of the season , thus finishing only in fifth place and qualifying for 2008–09 UEFA Cup instead of the desired Champions League . During the 2008–09 campaign , Ambrosini was once again a regular fixture in the Milan starting lineup , making 26 appearances in the teams Serie A campaign . During a pre-season friendly tournament against Juventus , Ambrosini was named Man of the Match as he netted twice to secure a Milan victory . His second goal was a superb effort into the roof of the net , past a bewildered Alex Manninger . This season was also memorable for him as he had managed a season total of eight goals ( one in the UEFA Cup ) , more than he has scored in any season in his career with Milan . The goals included a brilliant header off David Beckhams free kick against Lazio , and a well-placed goal in a 5–1 win over Torino . Ambrosini also scored his first double in a competitive fixture in a 3–2 loss to Roma during Paolo Maldinis final home game , and received a standing ovation from the home crowd despite being sent off by the referee for a second yellow card . On 6 July 2009 , as the Milan team reunited for pre-season training , Ambrosini was officially named club captain , inheriting the armband from Paolo Maldini . On 8 September 2009 , he added one more year to his contract , extending his stay with the team at least until 2011 . He won the Serie A title in 2010–11 season with three games in hand , edging out city rivals Internazionale . On 19 May 2011 , he signed a new , one-year contract . After a disappointing second-place finish in the 2011–12 season and the departure of fellow team greats Filippo Inzaghi , Alessandro Nesta , Gennaro Gattuso , and Clarence Seedorf , Ambrosini was reported to be considering his future with the club , but Adriano Galliani was able to convince Massimo to sign yet another one-year deal and continue on to be the captain for Milan for the 2012–13 season . After a very rough start with several notable defeats , Milan eventually finished the season in the third place behind the defending champions Juventus and runners-up Napoli , securing a spot in the next seasons Champions League qualification play-off . On 11 June 2013 A.C . Milan CEO Adriano Galliani confirmed that the club had decided not to extend Ambrosinis expiring contract , thus ending his eighteen-year stay at Milan . Fiorentina . On 4 July 2013 Fiorentina confirmed on their official website that they had won the race to sign Ambrosini on a one-year deal , beating West Ham United who were also looking to sign him . He made 30 appearances for Fiorentina in his first season with La Viola , helping the club to fourth place in Serie A . Massimo Ambrosini would announce on 21 May 2014 that he would be leaving Fiorentina after one season . International career . Ambrosini made his senior international debut on 28 April 1999 against Croatia , under manager Dino Zoff , and was part of the Italian squad at UEFA Euro 2000 , which ended with an appearance as a substitute in the final loss to reigning World champions France following David Trezeguets golden goal ; he also represented Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics under Marco Tardelli later that year , where Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual finalists Spain . Ambrosini was unavailable for selection for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals under Giovanni Trapattoni due to injury , and then failed to break into the squad for the UEFA Euro 2004 finals . Under subsequent manager Marcello Lippi , he was also excluded from the national side and was not called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup , which Italy went on to win . On 16 August 2006 , Ambrosini earned his 23rd cap for Italy after almost two years of absence from the squad in a 2–0 friendly home defeat to Croatia ; for this match , he was given the captains armband by coach Roberto Donadoni in the absence of regular contenders for the armband . He was then called up by the national sides manager to Italys squad for UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland , appearing in all four of his nations matches throughout the tournament , as Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the tournament by eventual champions Spain , following a penalty shootout . After Donadonis dismissal , however , Lippi was put back in charge , and Ambrosini was no longer called up for Italy , despite putting in battling displays for Milan . In total he made 35 appearances for Italy . Style of play . A physically strong , tenacious , energetic , and hardworking box-to-box , central , or defensive midfielder , with a wide range of skills , Ambrosini was well regarded for his ability in the air , and was capable of being a goal-threat , in particular from set-pieces , due to his height , elevation , ability to make attacking runs into the area , and his heading accuracy , as well as his powerful striking ability from distance , which even led manager Carlo Ancelotti to deploy him as a centre forward on occasion . Throughout his career , he stood out for his leadership , as well as his stamina , versatility , tactical intelligence , and aggressive tackling . Although Ambrosini primarily served as a ball winner , he was also known for his ability to start attacking plays after winning back possession , courtesy of his vision and passing range , despite his lack of notable technical skills . Despite his ability as a midfielder , he often struggled with injuries throughout his career . Personal life . Massimo Ambrosini is married to an Italian woman , Paola Ambrosini . Ambrosini has two children with his wife , his son Federico Ambrosini was born on 11 May 2009 , and his daughter Angelica Ambrosini was born on 21 November 2011 . Honours . Club . Milan - Serie A : 1995–96 , 1998–99 , 2003–04 , 2010–11 - Coppa Italia : 2002–03 - Supercoppa Italiana : 2004 , 2011 - UEFA Champions League : 2002–03 , 2006–07 - UEFA Super Cup : 2003 , 2007 - FIFA Club World Cup : 2007 International . Italy - UEFA European Championship runner-up : 2000 Individual . - A.C . Milan Hall of Fame External links . - FootballDatabase.com provides Ambrosinis profile and stats - FIFA Profile - UEFA Profile - AIC Profile - FIGC Profile