Paolo Maldini is a well-known professional ex-soccer player who played in the position of libero (left back) in the āMilanā and the Italian team. Throughout his 25-year career he defended the colors of Rossoneri, where for many seasons he was the team captain. Currently, Maldini is a sports manager and technical director at Milan.
Achievements
The footballer is recognized as one of the best in the history of world football in his position - he is on the list of 100 best players according to FIFA. Thanks to his game, Milan won many trophies. Over 25 seasons, with the participation of Maldini, the ādevilsā won 26 trophies: 7 times a Scudetto (Italian Championship / Serie A), one Copa Italy Cup, 5 times the Italian Supercop, 5 Champions League cups, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA World Cup. After completing the 2008/09 season, the defender ended his many-year career.
Biography
Paolo Maldini was born on June 26, 1968 in Milan, Italy. His father Cesare Maldini is a formerly famous Italian footballer and coach. Paolo is the fourth of six children in the Maldini family. From an early age he began to be interested in football and demonstrate good playing skills. Once, his father set a choice for him - to go to the academy of Inter or Milan. The guy chose the second option, which he did not change until the end of his career. Maldini's youth career lasted from 1978 to 1985, during which time he became the best defender in his club and was soon transferred to the main team of the āred-blacksā.
On a professional level, Paolo began playing since 1984. Naturally, at first the young footballer sat on the bench and, in rare cases, went out onto the field, replacing experienced base players. Nevertheless, every appearance of Maldini on the football field was marked by a good game. The young Italian showed high-quality defensive skills, and also skillfully connected to the attack, creating useful and effective actions.
Career at Milan
Paolo Maldini made his debut for the Red-Blacks on January 20, 1995 in a duel against Udinese. Maldiniās entry into the field was a record in the history of Milan, because at that time he became the youngest debutant - 16 years and 208 days. By the way, this record holds to the present. In subsequent seasons, the player firmly entrenched in the main team. In each season, he spent from 20 to 50 matches for his club. Here he was a permanent leader for 25 years, from 1997 to 2009 he was the captain of his team. In total, he played 902 matches for the ādevilsā and scored 33 goals.
The farewell match of the Italian āCaptainā took place on May 31, 2009 against Fiorentina (Rossoneri victory 0-2). Exactly one month after this game, Paolo ended his career.
International career: sporting achievements Paolo Maldini
He made his debut with Italy at the age of 19 (March 31, 1988) in a friendly match against Yugoslavia (draw 1-1). Earlier from 1986 to 1988, he played in the youth team until the age of 21. At the 1988 European Championships, Paolo took part in four matches, then Italy reached the semifinals, where she lost to the Soviet Union.
In the following years, Paolo Maldini took part in all major tournaments where his national team participated. In the period from 1988 to 2002, he took part in 126 matches, in which he scored 7 goals. During this period, the Italian team won bronze medals at the 1990 World Cup , silver at the 1994 World Cup, and also bronze and silver at the European Championships in 1988 and 2000, respectively.
Specifications and style of play
Paolo Maldini was a very dynamic and intellectually secluded defender. He had a good command of both legs and could give a good pass from any uncomfortable point or break through the opponentās goal. Experts and coaches note that Maldini is the first defender in the world to demonstrate a new level of football. Unlike such masters as Franz Bakenbauer, Ronald Kuman, Bobby Moore (and many others), Paolo played carefully and gentlemanly. After all, the rules of the game are changing every decade, and for a tough fight in the selection you can get a yellow or red card. If Paolo Maldini rolled in a tackle, then this was verified with the utmost accuracy to play only the ball, without hitting the opponentās legs. He boldly entered the selection, but almost never broke the rules in the fight for the ball. By the way, over the course of many years of his career, Maldini received a red card only once.
Football player Paolo Maldini was famous for his technical abilities, athleticism, endurance, incredible self-control, as well as quick energetic movements on the left flank during the game. Playing in the defensive line, he posed an effective attacking threat, leading to an opposition goal.
In the last years of his career, Paolo lost his speed, so he was moved to the center of defense. However, here he has succeeded quite well - relying on his experience and tactical abilities, Maldini became the best centerback in Rossoneri.
The famous Brazilian footballer Luis Ronaldo (toothy) in one of the interviews said that Paolo Maldini is the strongest opponent he has ever played against.
Heritage
Maldini is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time. He was given nicknames such as the "icon of football" and the "gentleman of the game." The footballer was distinguished by a calm and unpredictable style of play, as well as excellent ability to read the game and the entire tactical plan of the opponent. In 2002, according to the results of popular voting, he was selected to the symbolic national team called FIFA World Cup Dream Team.
Paolo was the first Libero player (and defender in general) ever to be awarded the FIFA Best Player of the Year Award nomination, in which he won second place in 1995. Also, the Italian was elected finalist in the Ballon d'Or category in 1994 and 2003 (in both cases he took third place). In addition to the successes of his club, he also won many individual titles and awards. Among them are noted such as āUEFA's best defenderā, āSerie A's best defenderā, Bravo trophy winner (awarded to the best young player in Europe), World Soccer Player of the Year award winner and the like. The footballer has repeatedly entered the symbolic national and European teams, dedicated to the respective championships and mundial.
Paolo Maldini is a symbol of Milan and the Italian national football team. He was adored not only by the Italian public, but the whole world. As part of the Rossoneri and the Blue Team, he was always considered a leader, for which he received the nickname Il Capitano (āCaptainā). He was a personal commander and tactician. In the most unpredictable and fatal situations, Maldini took matters into his own hands and changed the tactical design of the game, in order to achieve a result. For this, he was grateful to all the coaches of Milan, which have changed a lot over 25 years of his professional career.
Highscores
Mentioning Maldini, it is impossible not to note that he is a champion in the club in the number of matches played - he has more than a thousand in his account. According to the same indicator, he is the leader in Serie A - 647 matches. And that's not all. Paolo Maldini is the author of the fastest goal in the history of the Champions League finals - in 2005 he scored a goal against the English āLiverpoolā on the 52nd second. In the same match, he became the oldest player in the Champions League final, at that time he was 38 years old and 331 days old.
Paolo Maldini has become an adherent of the game for such talented global defenders as Rafael Marquez and Carles Puyol (and many others).
Personal life: beautiful wife and sons, football players
Since 1994, Maldini is married to the Venezuelan ex-model Adrianna Fossa. Wife Paolo Maldini is a real beauty and an example of the guardian of the family hearth. Two children were born in the marriage - sons Christian (born June 14, 1996) and Daniel (October 12, 2001). The sons of Maldini are students of the Milan Football Academy, and here for many years they played in the youth system.
Life after retirement
In June 2009, the English club Chelsea made a job offer for Maldini. āRetiredā wanted to see Paolo in their club in the person of an assistant coach for Carlo Ancelotti, but the Italian rejected the offer. In each of the interviews, Paolo said that he did not want to further connect his life with coaching. He said that he simply did not see himself as a coach.
At the end of the 2009/2010 season, the leadership of Milan invited Paolo to return to the club to establish a game in the defensive line. Despite the love of the club (for the matches of which he constantly attended), Maldini refused to return to football.
On May 20, 2015, together with Riccardo Silva, he founded the Miami Football Club, which became the only professional in the state of Florida. In 2016, Miami made its debut in the North American Football League.