But Milan's performances in the Italian league, with Beckham playing his part, have been more impressive and Sunday's eventual 1-0 win over Chievo left them hot on the heels of arch-rivals and defending champions Inter Milan in the title race.
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The win was Inter's third world title after they won the former Intercontinental Cup in 1964 and 1965.
Meanwhile in Serie A, Juventus remain on course for a second consecutive league title after beating Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro on Saturday.
Balotelli, signed in the transfer window from Manchester City, missed a string of chances as his side were held 1-1 by his former side Inter, damaging their Serie A title hopes.
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Zaccheroni led AC Milan to the Serie A title in 1999 and has also coached Inter Milan, Lazio and Udinese in the top Italian league.
His official title is president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue.
New evidence has emerged in the criminal trial linked to the match-fixing affair which Juve claim shows for the first time that Inter were implicated in the scandal and so the 2006 title should be stripped from them as well.
And as coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted the disappointment of their Champions League exit at the hands of Inter Milan may yet aid their attempts to regain the title, Chelsea's embarrassing superiority over a Villa side with sights set on the top four provides the perfect tonic for next Saturday's visit to Old Trafford.
After Porto and then Chelsea, Mourinho coached Inter Milan, winning the Champions League, the Italian league title and the Italian Cup in his second and final season with the club, before leaving to join Real.
Mancini has been criticized for his management methods since coming to England from Italian champions Inter Milan in mid-2009, but Toure credits him for inspiring belief that the title race was not over.
Drogba narrowly beat Eto'o to the 2009 award but the Inter Milan forward is favourite to win this year's accolade having won the UEFA Champions League and Serie A title, while also setting a new goal scoring record in captaining Cameroon at the African Nations Cup finals in Angola.
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