From David Beckham to Fikayo Tomori: AC Milan's English players ranked as Kyle Walker completes San Siro switch

Luther Blissett is quite simply one of the most infamous and influential signings in the history of Italian football, a transfer flop that became something of a counter-cultural icon.

The likeable Jamaican-born England international arrived at Milan in 1984 on the back of a wonderful season at Graham Taylor's Watford, with the Rossoneri agreeing to pay £1 million ($1.23m) for an imposing No.9 who had just finished as the top scorer in England's top flight, with 27 goals.

However, Blissett scored just five times in 30 appearances during his one and only season at San Siro before being sold back to Watford - and at just over half the price.

His legend lives on, though, as Blissett's name became a popular nom de plume among radicals, activists and artists in Italy during the mid-1990s. The forward even got in on the joke himself by later claiming on an episode of the popular British TV show 'Fantasy Football' to be part of the 'Luther Blissett Project'!

So, while Blissett's time at Milan was by no means memorable from a sporting perspective, he certainly made an impact from a cultural point of view.

Jimmy Greaves scored nine goals in 10 Serie A appearances for Milan - and yet his time at San Siro was an absolute disaster. The prolific England international would even later claim in his autobiography that the transfer was the cause of his alcoholism.

It was certainly an ill-advised move. Greaves hadn't even wanted to leave Chelsea in the first place, and tried but failed to get out of the deal. Unsurprisingly, things just got worse from there, with Greaves quickly falling out with the Rossoneri's notoriously strict coach Nereo Rocco, who was renowned for keeping a very close eye on his players' private lives.

Greaves, who was only 21 at the time, said that Rocco made his life "hell" even though he was scoring freely on the field. A parting of the ways became inevitable and Greaves was sold to Tottenham in December 1961 - just six months after joining Milan.

Neither party regretted the break-up, as Greaves fired Spurs to FA Cup in May of the following year, while Milan won the league that same summer thanks in no small part to Dino Sani, the Brazilian playmaker that the Rossoneri brought on board just before getting rid of their unsettled English striker.

Tammy Abraham only joined Milan on loan from Roma just before the close of the 2024 summer transfer window - so it's still a little too early for a definitive judgement on his spell at San Siro.

It's certainly been eventful, though, with Abraham causing all sorts of controversy in October by missing a spot-kick against Fiorentina that should have been taken by Christian Pulisic, before netting a dramatic late winner in the shock Supercoppa Italiana win over Inter earlier this month.

The hope is that Abraham can now kick on in the second half of the season, but doubts remain over his ability to get back to his very best form, as he's not looked quite the same player since his sensational debut season at the Stadio Olimpico, with an ACL injury in June 2023 having played a big part in his struggles.

Unsurprisingly, Fikayo Tomori played a key role in Ruben Loftus-Cheek's decision to move to Milan. The pair had been team-mates at Chelsea and the defender spoke glowingly of the club, which effectively sealed the deal as far as Loftus-Cheek was concerned, as he'd also already enjoyed an encouraging chat with then-coach Stefano Pioli.

However, while Loftus Cheek's first year at San Siro went very well indeed - he equalled his career-high tally of 10 goals in all competitions over the course of a single season - he has struggled during the 2024-25 campaign.

Pioli's departure certainly didn't help, but the main issue has been injuries, which were so often a problem during the versatile midfielder's time at Stamford Bridge. The next few months, then, will determine if Loftus-Cheek can once again become a key player for Milan under new coach Sergio Conceicao.

David Beckham initially joined Milan on a two-month loan deal in January 2009, but things went so well that he ended up staying for the remainder of the season. The Rossoneri even tried to sign the England international on a permanent basis, but they were unable to reach an agreement with the LA Galaxy over the size of the transfer fee.

Nonetheless, Beckham returned for a second loan spell at San Siro in January 2010, although his time at the club was brought to a premature end by an injury that also ruled him out of that summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Looking at the bigger picture, the midfielder's move to Milan wasn't especially successful - he didn't help the club win any major honours - and it undeniably damaged his popularity in MLS. However, while Beckham made just 33 appearances for the Rossoneri in total, and scored only two goals, he earned the respect of team-mates, coaches, fans and journalists with his work ethic and enduring quality on the ball.

"He surprised me in a positive way," midfielder Gennaro Gattuso said at the time. "He's a great professional."

Mark Hateley scored just 17 goals across his three seasons with AC Milan - and yet he remains an iconic figure at the club. Why? Because of one towering header in the Derby della Madonnina on October 28, 1984. It was the defining image of Milan's first league win over Inter in six years and earned Hateley cult-hero status on the Curva Sud just a few months after his arrival from Portsmouth.

Unfortunately, the striker nicknamed 'Attila' was unable to build on that magical moment - he was injured in his very next outing and never rally recovered - but Hateley is still fondly remembered at Milan. Indeed, his legendary goal was honoured in a magnificent banner displayed ahead of another derby in 2016.

A move to Milan did very little for Tomori's England prospects under Gareth Southgate, but it unquestionably represented the turning point in the defender's career.

Before swapping Stamford Bridge for San Siro, Tomori was struggling to see any game time at Chelsea. Less than 18 months after arriving in Italy during the January 2021 transfer window, he was named in the Serie A Team of the Season after helping Milan win their first Scudetto for 11 years.

Tomori's form has dipped a little since the Rossoneri's surprise title triumph and he fell out of favour during the first half of the 2024-25 campaign under former coach Paulo Fonseca, igniting talk of a transfer to Juventus.

He now looks set to stay at San Siro, at least until the end of the season, but no matter what happens between now and then, the centre-back's time at the Giuseppe Meazza cannot be considered as anything but a success.

In the summer of 1984, Milan tried to sign Bryan Robson from Manchester United. The Red Devils refused to sanction the sale of the club captain but, due to their financial problems at the time, they surprised the Rossoneri by offering them Ray Wilkins instead. Milan were more than happy to accept.

Wilkins was one of the most accomplished deep-lying playmakers of his generation and he slotted seamlessly into Milan's midfield, earning praise not just for his controlled aggression but also his wonderful range of passing.

The England international was a Rossoneri regular for two seasons, and although his influence decreased during his third year as the club underwent great changes on and off the field under ambitious new president Silvio Berlusconi, when Wilkins played his final home game for Milan, he was hoisted up onto the shoulders of his team-mates and afforded a fittingly fond farewell from the Curva Sud.