in North America. He trained with his new teammates and made his debut in the final match of the tour, on 12 August against the New York Red Bulls. Zambrotta's official debut in Barça shirt was on 17 August against local rivals Espanyol in the first leg of the Supercopa de España. On 17 March 2007, he scored his first goal in the league game against Recreativo de Huelva. He also scored goals in matches against Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium (Atlético's record largest home loss, 0–6) and Gimnàstic de Tarragona. He is well remembered by his performance against Manchester United in the semi-final return clash – he marked perfectly the future Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo all game, but Barcelona lost the match 1-0 Paul Scholes' long-range effort that decided the match and the two-legged tie itself. In two seasons with the club, Zambrotta made 58 league appearances, scoring three goals, before his return to Italy. He was heavily tipped to join Milan or return to former club Juventus. AC Milan On 31 May 2008, Zambrotta signed a three-year contract with Milan. The club paid €9 million to Barcelona, with a potential €2 million added on depending on Milan's performance in the Champions League, for his services. Zambrotta would reportedly be earning €4 million per year. His move forced Milan right back Massimo Oddo to be loaned out to Bayern Munich for more chances to play regularly. On 21 September 2008, Zambrotta scored his first goal for Milan, from 31 metres out, in the league game against Lazio. In the 2008–09 season, Zambrotta played more games than any other Milan player. In the 2009–10 season, Zambrotta mainly played at left back, competing with Luca Antonini for a starting spot, while the emerged star Ignazio Abate consolidated the right back position as his own. For the 2010–11 season, Zambrotta was more versatile than before and often used as a utility. New coach Massimiliano Allegri also preferred Abate for the right back position while Zambrotta alternated between starting at left back and covering for Abate at right back. Nevertheless, he made 20 appearances in all competitions playing an important role in Milan's 18th Scudetto win. Later that year, he won the Serie A title with Milan, as well as the Supercoppa Italiana. Zambrotta renewed his expiring contract for another year, keeping him a Milan player until at least the