Ale Bunga Ale

 

So, Berlusconi faded away, and Bokolis had a few things go through my mind.  For a bit, I wasn't sure what to think.

This man bankrolled AC Milan's surge to dominance, both of Serie A, the strongest league in Europe at the time, and through European football itself.  Officially, his reign over the club ran from 1986-2017, but the time Bokolis will most fondly remember is the the run of ass whuppin from 87-95.  There were Scudetti, there were European cups, and there was a barren period for the dreaded Juventus, which shut up everyone around me. 

Somewhere in there, Berlusconi managed to become prime minister of Italy.  When Bokolis had to explain Berlusconi to Americans, I would use the comp of Donald Trump for the bombast but, as Trump was a comparative piker, I would throw Ted Turner in there, mix the two and say that it was like Trump being president.  Then we would snicker, Donald Trump president, yeah right.

With Trump fulfilling the prophesy, it turns out that Italy were early adopters, you might say, of (right-)wingnuts.  Bokolis ribbed my Italian buddy about this, goading him (into invoking Benny Bianco from Bologna and) to state the obvious- just as they were in 1921, except, this time, it's the US increasingly looking like heading down the Via D'Annunzio.

In those heady days, it was kind of a cute novelty to have the owner run the whole country.  His time in charge lasted about as long as novelty does. 

That said, once Berlusconi came back from being prime minister, Milan, while still a top club, no longer would dominate as they did.  During his second run as Prime Minister, his stench of both his politics and appetites started to define him, even in the eyes of Milanisti.

By the time he came back from his third turn, the world had been introduced to the terms bunga bunga and culona inchiavabile, Barbara was fucking the striker, Pirlo was off to Juventus. Berlusconi, in addition to hurtling towards senility (as American football fans have seen with Al Davis and are now seeing with Jerry Jones), was in the process of having his comeuppance finances dwindle and empire unravel. 2011-2017 was a period of regression for AC Milan while we waited for Bunga Bunga to divest, and even that was a shitshow.

Berlusconi shitting all over Italy was possible to overlook while Milan were delivering trophies, but ultimately became impossible to reconcile.

Suave homes, the hedge funds have got it from here.

I bet that y'all thought this was going to be about the Iron Sheik. 

I'd have too much to say, and it's already been done.  In at once treasuring and lampooning him, we've all effectively been eulogizing him for the last 15 years.  He was always a Bokolis favorite, as he looked like one of my uncles, and almost as ornery.

With any luck, he has come up on his daughter's murderer, put him in the camel clutch, and humbled him for all times.

Suave homes, namber vun, there'll never be another.