There is nothing new about putting expensively assembled football teams into the hands of former players with glorious on-field pasts and little coaching experience. But I think it’s fair to say that Pep Guardiola’s remarkable success in his maiden season in the Barcelona dugout contributed to AC Milan and Juventus recently appointing novice managers Leonardo and Ciro Ferrara.

Juve’s Italy defender Nicola Legrottaglie said he sees Ferrara as “the Italian response to Guardiola”. Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani, meanwhile, preferred to compare Leonardo to the precedent they set with Fabio Capello, who like the Brazilian was a club director before his 1991-96 stint in charge that produced four Serie A titles and a Champions League.

Leonardo’s apparent weakness is that he is absolutely new to coaching. Guardiola had been successful with Barcelona B before he got the first-team job at the Camp Nou. Ferrara can count on his experience at the helm of Juve’s youth team and at Marcello Lippi’s side in the Italy coaching staff, as well as the two matches he won in Serie A to clinch automatic Champions League qualification after Claudio Ranieri was sacked.

Ferrara’s challenge may be how to stamp his authority in the locker room. He now finds himself in charge of the team’s so-called senators, such as Alessandro Del Piero, Mauro Camoranesi and David Trezeguet, after playing alongside them before retiring in 2005. This could complicate matters if he wants to drop one of his old team mates. But if he is seen to favour them it could create rifts.

It might be easier for Leonardo to be the tough guy when necessary as, although he is younger than Ferrara, his playing days are further behind him.

Lippi, however, is confident Ferrara has what it takes to overcome these hurdles: “He has the charisma, personality, intelligence, wisdom and charm to establish a relationship with top level professionals and construct something important with them.”

The pair’s ability to match the success of Guardiola and Capello will also depend on the raw materials the clubs give them to work with in the transfer market.

Kaka’s sale to Real Madrid should give Milan the money for much needed squad rejuvenation, while one of Leonardo’s challenges will be to restore Ronaldinho to his best so his playmaker compatriot is not missed. It will also be interesting to see if he is better than his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti at convincing the club to buy the players he wants rather than big names who are easy to land.

Ancelotti wanted someone like Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor or Palermo’s Amauri, who was snapped up by Juve, for his attack last year. Instead he ended up with Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko, both of whom had poor seasons.

Ferrara will be able to base his attack on new signing Diego and Fabio Cannavaro’s return will bolster the backline. But with Pavel Nedved gone, the Turin side still look a couple of good signings short of being able to topple Inter Milan in Serie A and go all the way in Europe.

PHOTO: AC Milan’s Leonardo poses for photographers with club chief executive Adriano Galliani (R) after replacing Carlo Ancelotti as coach, June 1, 2009. REUTERS/Paolo Bona

The departure of Kaka from AC Milan to Real Madrid marks the end of the Italian era in European football. Not only can Italian clubs not attract the best players in the world to play in Serie A but now, when they unearth a talent like Kaka, they can’t stop them from leaving.

Italians used to describe their Serie A as ‘il campionato piu bello del mondo’ , the most beautiful championship in the world. It was not just because Italians love nothing more than talking themselves up — Serie A was the first league in the world to sign up top foreign stars, bringing in international talent at a time when the English league, for example, stretched no further than Scotland in search of players.

Beginning in the late 1950’s when the likes of Brazilian Jose Altafini (AC Milan) and Welshman John Charles (Juventus) were among the top performers, Serie A prided itself on being the league that had the money to bring in the best in the world.

After the 1966 World Cup, where Italy was humiliated by North Korea, foreigners were banned as part of an attempt to strengthen the domestic talent base and the national team, but when the rule was relaxed in 1980, the top clubs began importing talent again and before long Italy had become the first league to truly take on global status.

Frenchman Michel Platini at Juventus led the new wave and then the biggest name of all, Diego Maradona almost single-handedly led Napoli to titles in 1987 and 1990. The great Milan sides of Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello were built around foreign stars — the Dutch trio of Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten helped transform Serie A from a league dominated by cautious and defensive teams into a showcase for the world’s best talent.

Germany’s Lothar Matthaeus and Andreas Brehme helped Inter to the title in 1989, and by the nineties, any player in the world who could be considered a match-winner was being snapped up by an Italian team.

Just ten years ago, the top teams in Serie A included players such as Ronaldo at Inter, George Weah and a young Andriy Shevchenko at Milan, Gabriel Batistuta at Fiorentina, Hernan Crespo, Pavel Nedved and Juan Sebastian Veron (all at their peak) at Lazio and the best of his generation, Zinedine Zidane at Juventus. It was the departure of the latter to Real Madrid in 2001 that suggested Spain was beginning to replace Italy as the place where the world’s best could get paid best.

Since then though, England’s Premier League, flush with television cash, has begun gobbling up players that in the past would have headed to Serie A. In the 1990’s the likes of Fernando Torres, Michael Ballack, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Didier Drogba would have almost certainly been Serie A players. Real and Barcelona in Spain and Bayern Munich in Germany have also proven stronger in the transfer market that Italy’s top teams. It would have once been unthinkable that Italian World Cup hero such as Luca Toni would choose to play in the Bundesliga rather than in Milan or Turin.

A week after Milan captain Paolo Maldini, who played with or against all those great talents from the late eighties onwards, finally hung up his boots, Kaka leaves Milan for a fee of around 68 million euros and Adriano Galliani, who runs Milan on behalf of tycoon and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi conceded the golden era of Serie A was now over: “Ten years ago Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could have played in Italy but now no one even considers it,” he said.

That is the painful truth for Italian fans — it is not so much that Italian clubs cannot compete with Real’s occasional obscene bouts of cash-throwing that hurts but that Italian clubs are no longer even considered as likely destinations for the world’s best or most promising.

Berlusconi talked up Ronaldinho as the man who will now be the standard-bearer for Milan but the impression is that he moved to Italy after his best years, served with Barcelona, were over.

Money is the main reason for Italy’s relegation from Europe’s elite — Milan, Inter and Juventus no longer have the resources to compete with England and Spain’s top clubs. Italian clubs ignored marketing and merchandising as they presumed their wealthy owners — the Berlusconi, Moratti and Agnelli families — would take care of everything. Moratti still finds the cash but Milan and Juve now operate in the world of budgets rather than blockbuster transfer deals.

With the lack of foreign quality and top wages, Serie A has lost the sheen of glamour that once led fans from all over the world to tune in and watch. The days when Ronaldo and Zidane were face to face in an Inter-Juve match, with a supporting cast of quality Italians and exciting foreign players, is over. Does anyone watch Serie A on satellite or cable anymore?

The proof that this really is the end of an era is the way that the Italian media and fans have just shrugged their shoulders at the departure of Kaka. They know they cannot turn down offers of that size — offers their own teams used to make every summer.

KAKA: Kaka attends Brazilian training at Arruda stadium in Recife, northeastern Brazil, June 8, 2009. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

ZIDANE: Zinedine Zidane shows his Juventus shirt at a news conference announcing his move to Turin, July 3, 1996. REUTERS/Claudio Papi

They took their time getting there but Kaka is now officially a Real Madrid player.

The Spanish club and AC Milan issued statements at 0030 local time with the player due to hold a news conference in Brazil, where he is on international duty.

No figures have been given for one of the biggest transfers ever in soccer but it has been announced the 27-year-old has signed a six-year deal.

Media reckon the deal is around 68 million euros which puts it second in the list behind Zinedine Zidane’s 2001 move from Juventus to Real.

It’s tough to say if he is really worth that much. It’s difficult to say if any human being is worth so much, especially in current economic climes.

I’ve watched Kaka a lot in the last two seasons and he has not been as good as he was in 2007 when he inspired Milan to their seventh European Cup.

Niggling injuries haven’t helped but a move may reignite his passion.

Will Florentino Perez now up his efforts to sign Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery? Can he really pull it off or will he have to wait and bring in one Galactico each year like before?

Where this leaves Milan is unclear. The money will come in handy but top players are not coming to Serie A anymore. Kaka’s departure may give Ronaldinho more space to rediscover his form but if that doesn’t work, new rookie coach Leonardo has an enormous hole to fill.

PHOTO: Brazil’s Kaka celebrates a goal against Uruguay during their World Cup 2010 qualifying win in Montevideo, June 6, 2009. REUTERS/Pablo La Rosa

AC Milan’s PR machine has ground to a halt in recent weeks but it may have to leap into action shortly to explain to fans why they have sold Kaka for a good deal less than they could have in January.

Reports say a world record deal, worth between 65 and 80 million euros, has been agreed with Real Madrid but Chelsea have not been counted out yet.

Milan have admitted money is tighter than it has been and it looks like they have decided to cash in on a player who is not quite as good as when he won world player of the year in 2007.

In January, Manchester City left Milan with their tails between their legs after failing to agree a 100 million euro plus transfer for the Brazilian playmaker.

Rossoneri fans were overjoyed when Kaka stayed but the club, who finished third in Serie A, have not gained anything by keeping him for just five extra months.

Instead they have lost maybe 40 million euros and will be selling him to a main European rival rather than City, where it could all have gone pearshaped for him and he might have ended up back at the San Siro on the cheap.

Carlo Ancelotti’s departure for Chelsea was messy. The Milan coach was constantly forced to deny something which everyone knew was going to happen.

It would have been much better for everyone if an announcement had been made a few months ago and Ancelotti would have enjoyed his final weeks at the San Siro rather than having to dodge questions until the end of the season.

Milan have not dealt with the Kaka saga well either.

A statement on Tuesday said chief executive Adriano Galliani was solely in Madrid to celebrate Florentino Perez’s election. He had earlier told reporters he was at the seaside in Italy when he really was in Spain.

Soon after Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi let the cat out of the bag by saying they would struggle to keep Kaka because he had been offered so much money.

Having lost Ancelotti, the retiring Paolo Maldini and now possibly Kaka, it’s been a very tough week for Milan, who have only brought in novice coach Leonardo and joked at his unveiling that it was because he was cheap.

If reports that Chelsea are close to Andrea Pirlo are true, the San Siro could have quite a few empty seats next season.

PHOTO: Kaka’s last Milan apearance? The Brazilian is challenged by Fiorentina’s Manuel Pasqual (R) during their Serie A match in Florence, May 31, 2009. REUTERS/Marco Bucco

As impressive as two Champions League triumphs are, Chelsea’s appointment of former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti will not leave their Premier League title rivals quaking in their boots.

Ancelotti ended his reign at Milan on Sunday after eight years, following top flight stints at Parma and Juventus, all of which amounted to just one Serie A scudetto.

Some may say the Champions League is harder to win than a league, so two is a phenomenal achievement. He also won two domestic cups, two UEFA Super Cups and a World Club Cup, but Chelsea will be expected to challenge for the Premier League next season.

Outgoing temporary boss Guus Hiddink succeeded where his predecessor, Luiz Felipe Scolari could not, in giving a hint of the current Chelsea squad’s potential this season with a third place league finish, a Champions League semi-final and the FA Cup*.

The key to going a few steps further next season will be two or three key signings, including a striker.

In an attempt to put a disappointing fifth-placed finish in Serie A behind him, Ancelotti spent last summer signing the likes of Andriy Shevchenko and Ronaldinho, neither of whom made much of an impact.

John Terry apparently wants Chelsea to sign Franck Ribery and David Silva. Getting players of that quality would certainly make Ancelotti’s job easier. If Chelsea are not prepared to make that type of investment in the playing staff, it’s going to be hard for the new man to make his mark.

PHOTO: AC Milan’s coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures during their Italian serie A soccer match against AS Roma at San Siro stadium in Milan May 24, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

* Post updated to correct overgenerous reference to Hiddink cup exploits (see comments)

It has been quite a day in the world of sport, especially for tired sports journalists.

Rafael Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round at the French Open. Yes you read that right. The four-time champion's 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros is over.

Less of a surprise was Carlo Ancelotti saying he was leaving as AC Milan soccer coach, although he refused to confirm he is heading for Chelsea.

To cap a frenetic day, Russia's Denis Menchov won the Giro d'Italia despite falling over only seconds from the line.

I forgot why I love sport so much....

A Champions League with unfancied Porto, two Premier League titles with Chelsea — the first in fifty years — and the scudetto with Inter Milan in his first season.

Is there anything Jose Mourinho can’t do?

Roberto Mancini, who led Inter to the last three titles, should take a lot of the credit but Mourinho didnt try to stamp his authority on the team too much. After a bit of an experiment at the start of his reign, he realised Mancini’s tactics were the best with the personnel available.

(See here for a more depth look at Mourinho’s newfound humility)

Yes Serie A is much weaker than in the 1990s but Mourinho’s Inter have still romped home ahead of star-studded AC Milan and the might of a reborn Juventus.

If Zlatan Ibrahimovic decides to leave it will be much, much tricker next term. Then again, Mourinho is probably plotting right now how he can retain the title and make an impression in the Champions League…

Genoa striker Diego Milito and Udinese’s Fabio Quagliarella look good bets.

PHOTO: Inter Milan fans celebrate their team’s 17th league title in Milan’s Piazza Duomo after second-placed AC Milan handed them the scudetto by losing 2-1 at Udinese. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Florentino Perez is back on the scene and if the Madrid sports press are right the first ‘Galactico’ of his second era at Real Madrid will be Brazil’s Kaka, assuming he wins next month’s election to the presidency.

“Kaka signed” Marca said on a special wrap-around front cover for Saturday’s edition, while AS led with “Kaka, the details of the agreement.”

There was little evidence given to substantiate the stories, which spoke of a five-year deal agreed with the player and a transfer fee of around 60 million euros agreed with Milan, all linked to a Florentino victory.

On Thursday, Florentino formally declared he would enter the race for the presidency and spoke of plans for a “spectacular sporting project”. He said details would be forthcoming in the near future but his answers to questions were carefully designed to tip the wink.

When asked whether Kaka was on his agenda, Perez was charm personified as he replied with a smile: “I am a friend of (Milan’s vice-president) Adriano Galliani. We often speak to each other.

“Sometimes we talk about football, but you’ll have to wait until the election.”

This sort of talk is music to the ears of Real Madrid fans who are desperate for a return to the glamour of his previous six-year tenure when vast sums were splashed to lure Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham to the Bernabeu.

If timing is everything, the Kaka ‘revelations’ on the Saturday Barcelona could well wrap up the Primera Liga title, are the perfect tonic for downcast Madrid fans.

Also, the reported deal for Kaka is a perfect dig at former president Ramon Calderon, whose resignation back in January precipitated the new election. Calderon was elected to the post in 2006 on the back of a promise to sign Kaka — something he failed to do and something fans never allowed him to forget.

Florentino overshadows the other three candidates being tipped to stand when the registration period opens on May 21.

His media pull is reflected in the fact that Marca, Spain’s biggest selling newspaper, devoted the first 16 pages of Friday’s edition to coverage of his formal entry to the race.

Before the vote is held on June 14, expect further revelations, correct or not, with regards to Franck Ribery, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Arsene Wenger among others — not from Florentino directly, but from his cheerleaders in the Madrid-based sports press.

GALACTICOS NEW AND OLD?: AC Milan’s David Beckham (R) and his teammate Kaka speak during a news conference before their friendly match against Albania in Tirana May 12, 2009. REUTERS/Arben Celi

After bagging his 300th career goal last month, AC Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi has set his sights on Roberto Baggio’s tally of 318.

The 35-year-old hit a hat-trick in Sunday’s 5-1 thrashing of Torino in Serie A to take his total up to 304 and he looks good to achieve his target next season.

This got me wondering whether reaching a milestone set by a universally recognised great of the modern game will win over those still sceptical about Inzaghi’s talents.

Inzaghi’s goal feats often fail to receive the enthusiastic greeting they get in Italy outside his homeland, especially with British fans and journalists.

“English colleagues have often suggested that ‘SuperPippo’ was nothing more than a ‘poacher’ and a ’six-yard merchant’, with a marked penchant for taking a ‘dive’ to boot,” Irish Times correspondent Paddy Agnew wrote in his book Forza Italia.

Agnew, who has covered Serie A since the 1980s, argues that Inzaghi is no more of a diver than his colleagues who have played in the Premier League “Saint Michael Owen, Ruud Van Nistelrooy or Wayne Rooney included”.

But the accusation that he is little more than a goal-hanger may be harder to shake off. His first goal of the 2007 Champions League final against Liverpool, which he deflected in with his arm, is seen by many as a typical Inzaghi effort.

What critics fail to take account of is that Inzaghi’s knack of being in the right place at the right time is more than just luck, it stems from the understanding he has with his team mates and his superb ability to read the game.

What’s more, you don’t score 300 plus goals just by sticking out random body parts. Indeed, I’d says Inzaghi’s second strike in the 2007 Champions League final, where he rounded the keeper and coolly slotted in from a tight angle, was much more typical than his first.

And while he is not a playmaker forward in the mould of Baggio, scoring goals is not his only contribution, as displayed by the smart lay-off he produced to create Clarence Seedorf’s winner for Milan at Chievo Verona two weekends ago.

Inzaghi has already pulled off many achievements, including being part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad, so I doubt that one more will dispel the reputation he has gained, in Britain at least, for simply being an expert poacher.

For blogs on other sports than soccer, check out http://blogs.reuters.com/sport

PHOTO: AC Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi celebrates with team mate David Beckham (R) after scoring against Torino during their Serie A match at the San Siro, April 19, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Most Manchester United fans had no idea who Federico Macheda was before the Italian netted a stunning stoppage-time winner against Aston Villa on Sunday.

The 17-year-old’s goal could ultimately be the one that sealed the Premier League title for United.

He has been scoring regularly for United’s youth and reserve teams since joining the club in September 2007 after developing through Lazio’s youth system. Born in Rome, he signed professional forms last August and is regarded as one of the most promising young prospects of Italian soccer.

what irks Italians is that he is plying his trade in England. AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani has said it is a scandal that young Italian players can get hoovered up by big European clubs.

Remember Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi first appeared at United before finiding his way to Villarreal.

FIFA and UEFA want to do something to protect under-18 players and keep them at their local clubs. The trouble is that until they sign professional contracts, the ownership of young footballers is complicated.

It might be good for the clubs to hold on to good young players but what about the teenagers themselves?

Having scored on his debut for the European champions at Old Trafford, it’s doubtful Macheda wants to be anywhere else.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Federico Macheda (L) shoots past Aston Villa’s Luke Young (R) to score during their English Premier League soccer match in Manchester, northern England April 5 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble