The ensuing legal battle between the player and Cruzeiro lasted for five months, and a FIFA ruling allowed Dida to be loaned to Swiss club FC Lugano in the meantime so he could keep in shape, though he never played a game. His move to Milan was finalized in May 1999 with a transfer fee of 2.7 billion Italian lire (R$5.2 million) paid to Cruzeiro, which brought the dispute to a close. Dida was the third goalkeeper on Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni's depth chart behind Christian Abbiati and aging veteran Sebastiano Rossi for the 1999–2000 Serie A season, and he returned to Brazil as he was loaned to São Paulo-based club Corinthians to receive regular playing time. During this stint, his reputation as a penalty stopper came into national renown after he saved two separate spot kicks—both taken by Raí—in Corinthians' 3–2 victory over intrastate rival São Paulo FC in the 1999 Campeonato Brasileiro semi-final, which earned him a 10 rating from Placar. Dida received his first nomination for the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award that season, finishing eighth in the voting. In 2000, he kept three clean sheets in four matches while allowing only two goals as Corinthians lifted the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup. After the 15 January final against Vasco da Gama ended goalless after extra time, he blocked a Gilberto penalty in the shootout that Corinthians won 4–3 after Vasco striker Edmundo's shot went wide right. Corinthians midfielder Ricardinho revealed to the media afterward that the team was actively seeking to take the match to penalties during the extra period, knowing Dida would save "at least one in five"; indeed, BBC News castigated the "poor final" as both teams "never look[ing] like scoring in two hours of open play", while Dida himself criticized penalty shootouts in that they "cause[d] suffering to the players and the fans". AC Milan 1999–2002: Beginnings with Milan and return to Corinthians Milan recalled Dida and named him their 2000–01 Champions League starter with first-choice Christian Abbiati on international duty with Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics. His Rossoneri debut was a 4–1 group stage victory over Beşiktaş on 13 September 2000, but six days later, against Leeds United at a rain-soaked Elland Road, he accidentally dropped a Lee Bowyer strike into his own goal, causing Milan to lose the match 1–0. His explanation was that he attempted to absorb the force