Paolo Maldini – A legend
Paolo Maldini came through AC Milan’s youth system and made his debut at the age of 16 in the serie A. He won his first Scudetto in 1988 and was also part of the Milan side which went unbeaten throughout the 91/92 season. He formed a formidable partnership
with the club captain Franco Baresi at the back. He was the first defender to win the World Soccer Magazine’s World player of the year award in 1994.
He won 7 Serie A titles and 5 European Cups during his 25 years with AC Milan. He took part in 8 European Cup finals but the most memorable one for him was the 2003 final at Old Trafford against Juventus. He lifted the Cup as club captain exactly 40 years
after his father achieved the same feat. It was his 4th triumph in the competition but first as a captain.
Four years later he won the competition for the 5th time after Milan avenged their defeat in 2005 against Liverpool. Maldini labeled the defeat in the 2005 final as the worst moment of his career after his side let slip a three goal lead and eventually
losing out on penalties. Maldini scored the fastest goal in a European club competition final and also became the oldest player to score in a final.
Maldini was called up for Italy’s Under-21 side by his father at the age of 18. Two years later he made his debut for the Italian national team in a 1-1 draw against Yugoslavia. Maldini was part of the Italian side which lost the World Cup 1994 final against
Brazil in USA and was captain in the Euro 2000 final against France which the Azzurri also lost.
He announced his retirement after Italy’s elimination in the round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup at the hands of South Korea. He led the Azzurri a record 74 times but couldn’t match his success in club football with them as his international career ended trophyless.
He was a great influence on the field and was highly respected by his teammates and opponents. He is regarded as one of the best defenders ever to have played the game.
Alex Ferguson revealed him as his favorite Champions League player. The United manager told a newspaper, “When I think of the current generation, Lionel Messi is top-level, and although he has never taken my breath away, Kaka has impressed, Zinedine Zidane
was brilliant but without a doubt, Paolo Maldini has been my favorite.He has a wonderful presence, competitive spirit, athleticism, and although not the world's greatest technically, he has influenced all the AC Milan teams during his wonderfully successful
era.”
Maldini played his final match at AC Milan’s home, the San Siro, on 24 May 2009 against Roma which the Rossoneri lost 3-2. There was a controversial moment when il Capitano went for his final lap of honor, which left black marks on a memorable day. A section
of the crowd was holding banners against their own legend and jeering him in response to his attitude towards the supporters on a few occasions during his career. Despite the disrespectful behavior of those fans, the rest of crowd gave him a standing ovation
for his great services.
The admiration which the legendary defender earned during his playing career was displayed by FC Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola after his side’s triumph in the 2009 Champions League final. The final took place just three days after the incident in San Siro
and the Spaniard supported Maldini by paying him a tribute after the match “He is a true great of the game and what happened to him by 20, 30 or 40 supporters was wrong. I dedicated this triumph to him.”
Paolo Maldini scored 33 goals in a total of 902 appearances for AC Milan and his number-3 shirt was retired by the club. Just as the club realized there was no suitable replacement for the jersey number, it is perhaps fitting to concede that there shall
never be a player like Paolo Maldini to grace the stage of world football.
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