A triumph for stylish warriors caught up in scandal

"In this country we are convinced that we are the best at everything," he said. "For example, we think that we have the best coffee in the world and we don't even grow the stuff!"

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That is very much the Italian approach to life. They like to think they have the best of all things. The best coffee, the best food, the best clothes...and of course the best football.

So it easy to imagine what last night's triumph will have done for the Italian sense of pride. When England had three teams in the last four of the Champions League, we were quick to start crowing in this country that the Premiership was the best league in the world.

Now that Italy boast the World Cup winners and the Champions League winners, don't for a minute think that the Italians will be slow to follow suit.

And who can blame them? This has not been a good year for Italian football, off the field at least. The match fixing scandal that hit Serie A last summer raised few eyebrows in Italy.

The only shock over there was that somebody had been caught. But the Italians will have heard what the rest of the world has been saying and this morning they will be happy to turn round and stick the proverbial two fingers up at everybody.

The view in Italy is that, on the field at least, their football is still dominant and from their point of view this will have proved it.

The Italians have a respect for English football and this triumph will only be the sweeter for that. That Milan have beaten Liverpool and Manchester United on the way to their seventh European Cup win will not be lost on them.

People often ask me about the match-fixing scandal and how it has affected Italian football's self-esteem. The truth is that it has not bothered them too much. The Italians have always taken the view that winning is what counts.

But with Milan, it is slightly different. In Italy Milan are known as a club with a bit of class and a bit of style. They have always had a reputation for doing things the "right" way.

As such, their association with last summer's controversy put a large dent in that image. That is one of the reasons they set out to place all their emphasis on winning this trophy. They will see this as a new beginning.

Many Italians see Milan as their "second" club. For example, I have a friend from Bari. Understandably, he follows his home town club but his "other" club is Milan.

Because of that this triumph will be greeted enthusiastically in boardrooms across Serie A, with the possible exception of Inter and Juventus.

Essentially, Milan are a nice club. They lost a little bit of that shine when Silvio Berlusconi took over and then became prime minister but they still command respect in Italy as one of the country's great sporting institutions.

I must admit that I didn't for one minute think that this Milan team would make the final. For all the enduring ability of the likes of Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini, I thought their best days were behind them.

I think the key to their success was the first game against United at Old Trafford. It may be the second-leg victory that remains in the memory, but it was that spell of football in the first leg - albeit a 3-2 defeat - that showed just what Milan could do.

People talk about the brilliance of Kaka but Milan's success has been about much more than the contribution of one man, however talented he may be.

This has been a triumph for a team playing football as it was meant to be played. A triumph for style. A triumph for Italy.