Herbert Kilpin

The English pioneer who founded AC Milan as a charter member and player-manager.

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Herbert Kilpin was an English football player and manager, best known as the main founding father of AC Milan. Born in Nottingham on 24 January 1870, he moved to Italy in the early 1890s to work in the textile industry, becoming a pioneer of the sport in the country. After playing for Internazionale Torino, he settled in Milan by 1898 with fellow Englishman Samuel Richard Davies. Serving as player-manager, he led the team to its first national title in 1901, followed by further successes in 1906 and 1907, cementing his legacy before his death in 1916.

Quick Facts

Born: 24 January 1870
Birthplace: Nottingham, England
Died: 22 October 1916
Place of death: Milan, Italy
Position: Utility player

Lore & Background

Kilpin's journey began in Nottingham, where he grew up at 129 Mansfield Road (later renumbered to 191) as the son of a butcher. As a teenager, he was involved with an amateur club that may have been named after Giuseppe Garibaldi and wore red shirts, though the club's exact name and his age at the time are uncertain. His career took him from Notts Olympic and St. Andrews in England to Turin in 1891, where he worked for Edoardo Bosio. There, he played for Internazionale Torino, though he was not the first Englishman to play football abroad, as earlier English players had played overseas before 1891.

By 1898, Kilpin had moved to Milan with Samuel Richard Davies. The following year, they were charter members of AC Milan (originally Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club). Although Alfred Edwards was elected president, Kilpin served as player-manager. He chose David Allison as the first captain but led the team through its most formative years.

Reader's Guide

He is the link between English football roots and Italian sporting culture. His specific contributions include the club's founding as a charter member, his role as player-manager, and guiding the team to three Italian Football Championship titles (1901, 1906, 1907) and five FGNI tournament wins (1902–1907). He also secured the Medaglia del Re in 1900, 1901, and 1902. His legacy was nearly forgotten until the late 20th century; in the 1990s an amateur historian, Luigi La Rocca, tracked down his long-lost grave in Milan's Municipal Cemetery, and in 1999, the club's centenary year, AC Milan paid for a new tombstone in the Monumental Graveyard. On 2 November 2010, following a petition, he was inducted into the Famedio. His story was revived through Robert Nieri's 2016 book 'The Lord of Milan' and a documentary released in 2019.