The Lord of Milan is a work of fiction based on the life of Herbert Kilpin, a textile worker from Nottingham who in 1899 founded AC Milan and led the football team to its first three championship titles. He played for the club until he was 38, in a time of widespread hunger, ice cream-eating assassins and war, while the seeds of fascism took root in Italy. Posing nonchalantly for the camera in his team's famous red and black stripes, cigarette in hand, he openly drank Scotch whisky before, during and after matches, to recharge his batteries. Kilpin died in obscurity in 1916 while his club went on to become one of the most successful in world football. One hundred years after this death, Kilpin is regarded as the father of Italian football. To the fans of his team he is, simply, The Lord of Milan.