On January 26, Forza Italian Football wish Paolo Maldini a happy birthday, looking back on the day he took his first Rossoneri step towards one of the most glittering careers in Calcio history.
Six days before his birthday today, exactly 30 years ago, arguably one of the greatest defenders to ever grace the football pitch debuted for a club that would become synonymous with his name. And not just any club — one of the most renowned clubs in world football: AC Milan.
At only 16 years of age, Paolo Maldini was sent on for his inauguration; replacing the injured Sergio Battistini against Udinese for what would be the first of his astounding 902 appearances for the Rossoneri, spanning an incredible 24 years.
Regarded as one of the most accomplished and graceful defenders ever, Maldini was comfortable playing either at left-back or in the heart of defence. You always got the sense that Maldini was never flustered when he was on the pitch, unflappable and always composed. His reading of the game was second to none, and he was as graceful off the pitch, as he was on it.
Maldini wasn’t afraid of getting stuck in and winning the headers or tackles either; it’s just that he performed it with so much elegance and sophistication that he made the art of defending look easy on the eye. One of the true gentleman of the game, Maldini never picked up a red card in over 900 appearances.
“Maldini was the best and toughest defender I ever faced. He had everything he was a complete defender, who was strong, intelligent, and an excellent man-marker.” — Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The season after he had made his debut for the club, he was already an undisputed first-choice in the Rossoneri rearguard and was handed the now-iconic ‘number three’ jersey, which would stay that way for the preceding two decades.
It only took Maldini until his third season as a professional to win his first piece of silverware. Under the direction of legendary Arrigo Sacchi, and alongside greats such as Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and his soon-to-coach Carlo Ancelotti, Maldini held aloft the first of his seven Scudetti.
During that league-winning season, Maldini was part of an incredibly near-impenetrable rearguard that just conceded 14 goals the whole campaign — an extraordinary feat.
Maldini also had his first taste of European success in these years as he helped Milan win consecutive Champions Leagues in 1988-89 and 1989-90, becoming the last team to successfully defend their crown.
After Sacchi had retired, Maldini and Milan just continued on their path to becoming the leading force in Italian football under the guidance of Fabio Capello. The Rossoneri would win three consecutive Scudetti from 1991 onwards, which included an Italian record of 58 league matches unbeaten between that time as they established themselves as one the world’s most fearsome sides.
The mid-1990s proved a mixed period for Maldini, as the club went through a succession of coaches and poor form followed. Milan failed to qualify for Europe for two successive seasons, but still managed to win a Scudetto in the 1995-96 season.
It wasn’t until the end of the 1996-97 season that Maldini finally took the armband, after Baresi had announced his retirement. In conjunction with Carlo Ancelotti, who returned to the club as coach in 2001, the duo set about returning Milan to the pinnacle of Italian football just as they had achieved a decade earlier.
In his reign as captain of the Rossoneri, he led his team to a further two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia final victory over Roma in 2003, and two European Champions League victories to cap off a decorated career.
The first of his Champions League wins as captain came against Juventus in the 2003 final on penalties, as the game finished scoreless after 120 minutes. Il Capitano was superb in the final, intercepting every ball and leading his team heroically around the paddock, which culminated in Maldini winning man-of-the-match honours.
His next came in the 2007 final against Liverpool, which was sweet revenge for the defender after the events of ‘that’ night in Istanbul two years prior, which Maldini stated was the worst moment of his illustrious career. The 2–1 victory in Athens meant that Maldini had won five European cups in his career, an outstanding accomplishment.
At an international level with the Azzurri, the legendary defender never won that illusive trophy that would’ve been fitting for a player of his stature, despite coming close on a number of occasions. The excruciating 1994 World Cup final loss to Brazil on penalties was harsh on Maldini, who played an excellent game during the 120 minutes.
His next painful memory came at Euro 2000, when France snatched a late equalizer to take the game into extra time, and ultimately the victory on a Golden Goal. Despite these disappointing losses, Maldini exited with an astounding 126 caps for the Azzurri, 74 of them as captain.
Maldini is the definition of ‘one-club stalwart’. In a time where it is virtually impossible that players spend their whole careers with one club (even Steven Gerrard is leaving Liverpool to play for another club), Maldini would never have put on another team’s jersey.
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted in his book that he tried to sign Maldini for Manchester United with no success:
“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. I approached his father once, and the look he gave me, I knew never to go back for him.” — Sir Alex Ferguson.
Carlo Ancelotti tried to prise away Maldini when he became Chelsea coach as well, as have Real Madrid in the past, but were told in no uncertain terms where to go.
Such is his standing in the game that even the fans of bitter cross-city rivals Inter paid tribute to him in the last Milan derby he played before his retirement. “It was a wonderful surprise,” he later said. “On a human level, I think it’s one of the most satisfying moments I’ve ever experienced.”
It is unlikely we will see another Paolo Maldini again. His longevity at the highest level was truly amazing, as was his humility and selflessness. For many, he is regarded as the greatest Italian defender ever, which is no mean feat given the nation’s history of producing world class defenders.
His iconic number three jersey has been retired — or more accurately ‘reserved’ — until one of his sons makes the Rossoneri first-team, both of whom currently play in the Milan youth teams. If either son can achieve half of what their father accomplished, then they will have become some player themselves.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekBGD_k0KQ[/youtube]
PS: This feature was originally posted January 20, 2015
