Lazio won just their second Serie A title in history after dramatic final day in which they defeated Reggina 3-0 and title rivals Juventus succumbed to a 1-0 defeat away to Perugia in the rain.
AC Milan earned a passage to the qualifying rounds of the Champions League but city rivals Inter had to defeat Parma in a play-off to earn their place after they were level on 58 points.
As a result, the Ducali participated in the UEFA Cup with Roma and Fiorentina, while Udinese and Perugia entered the Intertoto Cup.
Hellas Verona, Reggina, and Lecce survived relegation after earning promotion from Serie B the season before but Torino, Venezia, Cagliari, and Piacenza were sent down to the Cadetti.
Here is the Serie A Team of the Season for 1999/2000, deployed in the 3-4-3 formation. Let us know your thoughts!
Sebastien Frey – Hellas Verona
The young Frenchman was one of the revelations of the campaign and he was fundamental to the Gialloblu surviving relegation. Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo voted him the best player of the season.
Paolo Montero – Juventus
The Bianconeri conceded less than anyone else in Serie A with 20 goals allowed in and Montero was always a defender to be feared. Played 28 out of a possible 34 games, the most he ever played in a season for La Vecchia Signora.
Alessandro Nesta – Lazio
Captain of the victorious Aquile side and marshalled the defence superbly throughout his 28 league appearances. Was also voted Serie A Defender of the Year by the AIC.
Sinisa Mihajlovic – Lazio
Biancocelesti coach Sven-Goran Eriksson decided to use the versatile Serbian as a centre-back and it was a successful move. Mihajlovic was still able to distribute the ball from defence and he scored six goals as well as provided five assists.
Stefano Fiore – Udinese
The right midfielder was a valuable contributor for the Zebrette, scoring nine goals and assisting in another nine. Italy coach Dino Zoff gave him his Azzurri debut and then made him a regular at Euro 2000.
Diego Simeone – Lazio
Purchased from Inter after the 1998/99 season and featured in 28 Serie A games for Lazio. His experience and tenacity were important as well as scoring five times in his last six appearances of the campaign.
Juan Sebastian Veron – Lazio
Moved from Parma in the summer of 1999 and proved to be a key playmaker for the Biancocelesti. Played 31 times in the league that season, scored a career-high eight goals, and provided 10 assists.
Francesco Totti – Roma
A switch from Zdenek Zeman’s 4-3-3 to Fabio Capello’s 3-4-1-2 meant that Totti had to play deeper as a trequartista. Scored seven goals in 27 Serie A games, was equal second for assists with Veron and Diego Fuser with 10, and voted Serie A Player of the Season by the AIC.
Hernan Crespo – Parma
The Argentine maintained his prolific scoring, finding the back of the net 22 times in 34 games and he also provided six assists. Earned a transfer to Lazio for the following season.
Gabriel Batistuta – Fiorentina
Suffered a serious leg injury in the previous campaign but he bounced back in incredible fashion, scoring 23 goals for the Gigliati and neither one of those came from the penalty spot.
Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan
Purchased from Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv after starring their run to the semi-finals in the 1998/99 Champions League, Shevchenko was an instant hit in his first campaign in Italian football and he finished as the leading scorer in Serie A with 24 goals.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com