Filippo Inzaghi was so lethal he won the UCL in the worst form of his life

At 33, Filippo Inzaghi secured his second Champions League title with AC Milan, scoring two goals in the final. He was mostly crap that season.

Over the course of the 2006-07 season, Filippo Inzaghi was looking a little rusty. At 33 years old, playing as the decorative star atop Milan’s famous ‘Christmas tree’ formation, the World Cup-winning striker was, for once, failing to shine.

After scoring against Lazio on the opening day of the season, Inzaghi soon found himself in the midst of a long drought, not scoring his next Serie A goal until late January.

Rarely had the poacher misfired so frequently.

He didn’t get away with it, either. The loss of form saw manager Carlo Ancelotti turn instead to more potent alternatives such as the 24-year-old Alberto Gilardino and, in the latter half of the season, to a burly but still lethal Ronaldo.

Despite the performances of Kaka at his peak, Inzaghi’s slump and other factors contributed to a dangerous slide down the Serie A table in the autumn of 2006.

By Christmas, the club found itself in 13th position and in desperate need of a hard reset. Had the players not been shipped off for a much-needed pampering session in Malta, they might have fallen further still.