Last night, Paolo Maldini was selected to be in AC Milan's starting lineup for yet another derby match against Inter. The Milan captain guided his side to a 1-0 win over their arch rivals.
Paolo Cesare Maldini is a legendary Italian defender who can play in the center or left back positions. He played in the Milan shirt for the first time in 1985.
The son of legendary player (and manager) Cesare Maldini, Paolo has had an illustrious career in which he has won the Serie A seven times and lifted the UEFA Champions League five times.
Maldini has also lifted the FIFA World Club Cup once, the Intercontinental Cup twice, the UEFA Super Cup five times, the Italian Super Cup five times, and Coppa Italia once.
He is more than just a born-winner, captain, and a fantastic defender. Maldini is a spirited player who has had a remarkable influence and continues to be an idolized figure in Milan.
Maldini's leadership is fundamental to Milan's success. He is the heart and soul of the Rossoneri and one of the most loyal players in the history of football.
A player of Maldini's abilities could have gone wherever he wanted at any point of his career. However, he has spent 24 years of his life in Milan's red and black jersey and plans to continue rallying the Milan troops to glory.
Last year was intended to be Maldini's last season playing football. However, to the delight of Milan fans and the Rossoneri board, he reversed his decision and prolonged his playing career for another year. His decision was to stay an additional year and continue wearing the Milan armband in utmost pride in order to help the team go back to the top after a disappointing fifth-place finish last season.
Milan plan to retire Maldini's No. 3 jersey after his eventual retirement. But as Cesare passed the torch to a talented son in Paolo, Milan will one day welcome 12-year-old Christian (Paolo's oldest son) into the Milan first team.
If Christian makes it into the first team, a couple of years from now, he will take his father's No. 3 jersey. The world will be delighted to welcome another Maldini.
Those are huge shoes to fill, Christian!
But for now, the legendary Maldini continues to give his all. At the age of 40, he runs with the motivation, hunger, and enthusiasm of a 20-year-old.
And Paolo Maldini looks to further establish himself as one of the finest defenders in the history of football.
We're going to send you the most entertaining AC Milan articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
13 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete