Paolo Maldini

Paolo Cesare Maldini, born on June 26, 1968, was an Italian football player and later an executive. He played his entire career as a left-back or centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Maldini spent all 25 seasons of his playing career with Milan, winning 26 trophies, including the European Cup/UEFA Champions League five times and seven Serie A titles. He also played for Italy for 14 years, taking part in four FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships.

After retiring in 2009, Maldini worked at AC Milan as sporting director from 2018 to 2023. He held many records during his career, such as the most appearances in Serie A and the most appearances as Italy’s captain. Milan retired his number 3 shirt after he left the team.

Club career

1978–1987: Youth career, AC Milan senior debut and early professional career

In 1978, when he was just 10 years old, Paolo Maldini tried out for the AC Milan youth academy. Before that, he had only played street football. He passed the test and joined his age group's squad, playing as a right midfielder or winger. He stayed in this position until he was 14, when he moved to right full-back. Because he was good with both feet, he sometimes played on the left side too.

Maldini won the Coppa Italia Primavera with the Milan Youth side during the 1984–85 season, and he made his league debut for Milan under manager Nils Liedholm during the same season on 20 January 1985, replacing the injured Sergio Battistini in a match against Udinese at age 16. It was his only league appearance that season, but he became a regular starter the following season at age 17, playing at right-back and wearing the number 3 shirt, which had also belonged to his father, Cesare. Maldini also made his Coppa Italia debut in 1985, on 21 August, and his debut in European competition later that same year, on 18 September. He scored his first goal in Serie A on 4 January 1987 in a 1–0 win against Como.

1987–1991: Domestic and international success with The immortals

The 1987–88 Scudetto under Arrigo Sacchi was Maldini's first trophy, and the first of seven league titles, with the club. Sacchi's Milan side, nicknamed "The Immortals," included Dutch players Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, as well as Italian midfielders Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Donadoni and later Demetrio Albertini, and a strong defensive lineup. Under Sacchi and later Fabio Capello, Maldini formed one of football's strongest defensive quartets of all time with Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, Mauro Tassotti, and later Christian Panucci. During the 1987–88 Serie A season, Milan only conceded 14 goals, finishing with the best defence in Italy, as they went on to win the Serie A title. Maldini went on to win the 1988 Supercoppa Italiana with Milan the following season, and followed up this trophy with back to back European Cup titles in 1988–89 and 1989–90, while Milan finished in third and in second place in Serie A during those respective seasons. On 19 February 1989, Maldini made his 100th appearance in Serie A.

Milan reached the final of the 1989–90 Coppa Italia, losing out to Juventus. Milan also managed to capture successive European Super Cup titles in 1989 and 1990, as well as successive Intercontinental Cup titles in 1989 and 1990. The following season, in Sacchi's final season with the club, Milan were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the European Cup by eventual finalists Marseille, and finished second in Serie A, behind Sampdoria, once again with the best defence in the league, conceding only 19 goals. Milan reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, losing out to eventual champions Roma. In 1989, Maldini was awarded the Bravo Award, as the best under-23 player in European Competitions.

1991–1996: Continued success with The invincibles

Under Sacchi's replacement, Fabio Capello, Milan continued to be a dominant force in Italy and in Europe. Maldini was also part of Milan's undefeated Serie A team, which won the championship in the 1991–92 season; in total, Milan went unbeaten for an Italian record of 58 league matches, earning the nickname "The Invincibles." This championship was Milan's first of three consecutive Serie A titles under Capello in the early 1990s. Maldini helped Milan defend the Serie A title the following season, and reach the first of three consecutive UEFA Champions League finals. Milan lost the 1993 Champions League final in a 1–0 defeat to Marseille. That season, Maldini scored his first goal in European Competitions on 21 October 1992 in a 1–0 Champions League win against Slovan Bratislava, and also made his 200th appearance in Serie A on 4 October of the same year. The following season, Milan captured their third consecutive Serie A title, finishing with the best defence in Italy, conceding just 15 goals. Maldini also helped lead Milan to a second consecutive Champions League final, where he helped his team defeat Barcelona 4–0 in the final, with two goals from Daniele Massaro and one each from Dejan Savićević and Marcel Desailly.

After winning his third Champions League title and reaching the 1994 World Cup final, Maldini became the first defender ever to win World Soccer magazine's annual World Player of the Year Award. During his acceptance speech, Maldini called his milestone "a particular matter of pride because defenders generally receive so much less attention from fans and the media than goalscorers. We are more in the engine room rather than taking the glory." He then singled out Milan captain Franco Baresi as a player who "really deserved to receive the sort of award I have received." Maldini also placed third in the 1994 Ballon d'Or, behind Hristo Stoichkov and compatriot Roberto Baggio, and fifth in the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.

The following season, Milan and Maldini captured their third consecutive Supercoppa Italiana under Capello, and won the European Super Cup, missing out on the Intercontinental Cup. After three consecutive titles, Milan were unable to retain their Serie A title, although they reached their third consecutive Champions League final, where they were defeated 1–0 by Ajax. Maldini came second behind future teammate George Weah in the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year Award for his performances. On 17 February 1995, he made his 300th appearance in Serie A. Maldini was able to capture his fifth Serie A title, and his fourth under Capello, the following season.

1996–2001: Assuming the captaincy, struggles, and 1999 Serie A title

Following Capello's departure, and the aging and retirement of several key players, Milan suffered disappointing results during the next few seasons, undergoing several managerial changes. Milan lost the Supercoppa Italiana to Fiorentina in 1996, and failed to qualify for European competitions for two consecutive seasons, as well as suffering a group stage elimination in the 1996–97 Champions League. Following Franco Baresi's and Mauro Tassotti's retirement after the 1996–97 season, Maldini was appointed Milan's captain. Despite the difficulties Milan encountered during this period, through Maldini's leadership, they reached the Coppa Italia final in 1998, losing to Lazio, and won the 1998–99 Serie A title under Alberto Zaccheroni, finishing one point ahead of Lazio. He made his 400th Serie A appearance on 25 April 1999. In the 1999–2000 season, Milan lost the Supercoppa Italiana against Parma, finished third in Serie A and finished bottom of their Champions League group. Milan were eliminated in the second round of the Champions League the next season and finished in sixth place in Serie A, failing to qualify for the Champions League, and participated in the UEFA Cup the following season.

2001–2007: New era of success

Milan again became a dominant force in Italy and in Europe under Carlo Ancelotti. In the 2001–02 season, Milan finished in fourth place, qualifying for the Champions League, and also reached their best ever finish in the UEFA Cup, losing in the semi-finals. In 2002, Maldini was awarded the Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea", for his career achievements and personality. The following season, Maldini lined up with Alessandro Nesta, Alessandro Costacurta and Cafu, who, along with Jaap Stam during the 2004–05 season, formed a formidable defensive lineup in Italy and in Europe. Milan finished third in Serie A, but Maldini won the first Coppa Italia of his career, defeating Roma in the final. On 15 March 2003, he made his 500th appearance in Serie A.

Milan won the 2002–03 Champions League with Maldini as their captain for the first time in his career, in the first all-Italian final, against Juventus, on 28 May 2003 at Old Trafford. Maldini helped Milan keep a clean sheet, as they defeated Juventus 3–2 on penalties after a 0–0 deadlock following extra time. On that day, it was exactly 40 years since his father, Cesare, had also lifted the European Cup trophy as Milan's captain, also in England. He and his father are only one of three other father-son pairs to have also done so; the others being Manuel and Manolo Sanchís of Real Madrid, and Carles and Sergio Busquets of Barcelona. Maldini was elected Man of the Match and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year for the first time in his career.

The following season, Milan were defeated by Juventus on penalties in the Supercoppa Italiana, and in the Intercontinental Cup final by Boca Juniors, once again on penalties, but managed to defeat Porto to capture yet another UEFA Super Cup. Maldini placed third in the 2003 Ballon d'Or for the second time in his career. Maldini went on to captain Milan to win the Serie A title that season, with a record 82 points, whilst Milan were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia by Lazio, and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Deportivo de La Coruña. In April 2004, Maldini placed tenth on the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, an online UEFA survey, which was organised to commemorate the best European footballers of the past 50 years. Maldini was the second-highest placed Italian after Dino Zoff. Maldini was also included in the FIFA 100 list in 2004, which was a selection of the 125 greatest living footballers, chosen by Pelé. Following his Series A-winning performances, Maldini was elected to be the Serie A Defender of the Year in 2004 at the Italian footballing Awards.

Maldini began the next season by lifting the 2004 Supercoppa Italiana as captain after Milan defeated Lazio. Milan finished second in Serie A to Juventus that season, and reached the Champions League final, only to lose out on penalties to Liverpool, although Maldini opened the scoring in the first minute. In 2005, Maldini was elected to be a part of the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time in his career, and was also elected to be the part of the FIFPro World XI for the first time in his career. The following season, Milan finished second behind Juventus in Serie A once again, and reached the Champions League semi-finals, only to be defeated by eventual champions Barcelona. Both Juventus and Milan were later deducted points for being involved in the 2006 "Calciopoli" matchfixing scandal, and the title was awarded to Internazionale, while Juventus were relegated, with Milan finishing in third place after the point deduction. During the season, Maldini scored his first and only double of his career, against Reggina. On 25 September 2005, Maldini broke Dino Zoff's Serie A appearance record after playing his 571st league match against Treviso; seven days earlier, he had played his 800th game in all competitions for Milan.

The following season, Maldini helped to captain Milan to a fourth-place finish, despite their point deduction, leading them to obtain a crucial Champions League qualifying spot. Maldini played his 600th Serie A match on 13 May 2007 in a 1–1 draw at Catania. That season, Maldini captained Milan to their third Champions League final in six years, leading them to a 2–1 victory over Liverpool in the final on 23 May 2007 in Athens, avenging their defeat from 2005. At age 38, Maldini became the oldest captain to lift the Champions League trophy. Maldini participated in eight Champions League finals during his career, which is equalled only by Francisco Gento of Real Madrid; Maldini lifted the trophy five times, twice as captain. In an interview with ESPN aired prior to the 2007 final, Maldini labeled the 2005 Champions League final as the worst moment of his career. Maldini was elected the UEFA Club Defender of the Year for his 2007 performances.

In 2007, after Milan won the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla (although Maldini did not appear in the match), Maldini became the first European captain to lift the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Boca Juniors on 16 December. He announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2007–08 season, saying that he would do so with "no regrets". Following Milan's elimination from the Champions League by Arsenal in March, however, Maldini stated that he would possibly delay his retirement for at least a further year. He signed an extension on 6 June that kept him at Milan for the 2008–09 season.

2008–2009: Final years and retirement

On 16 February 2008, in a match against Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, Maldini came on for defender Marek Jankulovski to make his 1,000th professional career appearance, of which 861 were with Milan, 12 with the Italy under-21 side, 1 with the Italian Olympic team and 126 with the Italy senior team. In European football, only the English goalkeeper Peter Shilton had collected more appearances at the time: 1,390 between 1966 and 1997. Maldini played his last game in the Champions League on 4 March 2008, a 2–0 loss at the San Siro in the last 16 against Arsenal which eliminated Milan from the 2007–08 Champions League. In 2008, Maldini was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, as well as the Premio Internazionale Giacinto Facchetti, which is awarded to a player who was demonstrated both skill and fair play throughout his career.

On 18 April 2009, Maldini announced that he would retire at the end of the 2008–09 season. On 17 May 2009, in the Stadio Friuli, Maldini played his 900th official match for Milan in a league game against Udinese. Maldini's last match in San Siro was on 24 May, a 3–2 loss against Roma, and was given a standing ovation by the fans. There was a small controversy, however, when the Milan Ultras fans known as Brigate Rossonere protested against Maldini as he said goodbye. His last appearance for Milan, and his last game as an active player, was a 2–0 win against Fiorentina on 31 May 2009 in the last match of the Serie A season. This win meant Milan finished in third place and qualified for the following season's Champions League. Maldini was once again given a standing ovation by the fans. As they had previously done with Franco Baresi's number 6 shirt, Milan retired Maldini's number 3 shirt, but stated that it will be bequeathed to one of his sons if one of them were to make the club's senior team.

On 28 August 2009 in Monte Carlo, Maldini was awarded a prize for his career by UEFA during the draw for the group stage of the 2009–10 Champions League. On 17 November 2009, Spanish sports newspaper Marca awarded Maldini the "Marca Leyenda" prize for his career and achievements.

International career

Paolo Maldini began his international career in 1986 with the Italian under-21 team. He later made his debut for the senior Italy team in 1988 at just 19 years old, becoming the youngest ever player for Italy in the UEFA European Championship. Maldini played in the 1990 World Cup, helping Italy keep five straight clean sheets, a World Cup record at the time.

Maldini became Italy’s captain in 1994. He played in several major tournaments, including the 1994 and 2002 World Cups and Euro 2000. Though he never won a major title with Italy, he was known for his strong defending and leadership. Maldini made 113 appearances for Italy, a national record at the time, before retiring from international play in 2002.

After retirement

Before he stopped playing football, Maldini said he would not become a coach. He was asked to join Chelsea as a coach and meet with their owner, Roman Abramovich, and former coach Carlo Ancelotti, but he decided not to take the job.

In 2012, Maldini was honored by being added to the Italian Football Hall of Fame. In 2014, he played in a special game called the Match Against Poverty in Bern, Switzerland, with famous players like Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luís Figo, and Pavel Nedvěd. The money from this game helped people in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. Later that year, he played in another game called the "Match for Peace" in Rome to help charity.

In 2015, Maldini became a part owner of a football club called Miami FC in hopes it could join a bigger league called the Major League Soccer. In 2016, he received a special award called the One Club Award during a game in Spain.

Tennis

In 2017, Maldini tried playing tennis with a partner and qualified for a tournament in Milan called the Aspria Tennis Cup. They lost their first match, and after that, Maldini said it would be his last professional tennis game.

Executive career

In August 2018, after AC Milan changed owners, Paolo Maldini returned to the club as sporting director. He later became technical director on June 14, 2019. Under his leadership, Milan won the 2021–22 Serie A title, their first since 2011. Maldini helped bring important players like Théo Hernandez, Pierre Kalulu, Rafael Leão, Olivier Giroud, Fikayo Tomori, and Mike Maignan to the team. Leão was named the MVP of the season, and Maignan was the Best Goalkeeper that year.

Maldini’s contract ended on July 1, 2022, but he stayed on for two more years. In November 2022, he and another director, Frederic Massara, were named Sporting Director of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards. Milan ended his contract on June 6, 2023.

Player profile

Paolo Maldini was a very talented football player known for his strong defending skills. He started his career as a left-back but later played as a centre-back. Maldini was famous for his speed, stamina, and ability to read the game well. He could also score goals and help his team attack.

Maldini is remembered as one of the greatest defenders ever. He was calm, smart, and very disciplined, receiving only three red cards in his whole career. He led teams as captain and played over 1,000 games, making many records during his time.

Media

Paolo Maldini has appeared in ads for the American sportswear company Nike. He wore Nike Tiempo football boots at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In 1996, he starred in a Nike ad called "Good vs Evil" set in a Roman amphitheatre with other famous football players like Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Luís Figo, Patrick Kluivert, and Jorge Campos. They worked together to protect "the beautiful game".

Maldini has also been in EA Sports’s FIFA video game series. He was on the cover of the Italian version of FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 and was a legendary player in FIFA 14.

Personal life

Paolo Maldini was born on 26 June 1968 in Milan. His parents were Cesare Maldini and Marisa Luisa De Mezzi, and he had five siblings. His family had Slovenian roots. In 1994, he married Adriana Fossa, and they have two sons, Christian and Daniel, who both played for AC Milan's youth teams. His father, Cesare, was also a famous football player and later a coach. Sadly, both his father and mother passed away in 2016.

Maldini and a former teammate, Christian Vieri, started a fashion brand called Sweet Years. He is a practicing Roman Catholic.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Maldini goal.

Honours

Paolo Maldini won many important prizes during his time with AC Milan and the Italian national team. With AC Milan, he helped the team win several league titles in Italy and many big international tournaments, including the European Champions League multiple times.

Maldini also earned many personal awards for his great play, such as being named one of the best defenders in the world and being part of teams chosen for their excellent performance. He played for AC Milan for many years, setting records for the most appearances and becoming a beloved figure in the sport.

4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000

5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991