Paolo Maldini

Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968 in Milan) is a former Italians Association football. Having spent Paolo Maldini List of one-club men at A.C. Milan, acknowledged as one of the greatest defenders ever to play the game, Maldini played for 25 years until the age of almost 41. In that time, Paolo Maldini was a winning member of seven Italian Serie A championships, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, five UEFA Champions League Cups, five UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cup (football)s and one FIFA World Club Cup. Paolo Maldini key strengths as a player were Paolo Maldini electric pace, the ability to execute precision tackles and Paolo Maldini leadership and influence on and off the pitch. Paolo Maldini father is Cesare Maldini, a former player and A.C. Milan captain and a successful national U-21 coach.

Maldini is currently the joint record holder of international appearances, along with Fabio Cannavaro, with 126 Cap (sport), since Paolo Maldini debut in 1988. Paolo Maldini retired from the national team in 2002 after nearly 8 years as team captain.

Club career

Maldini made Paolo Maldini league debut in the Serie A 1984-85 on 20 January 1985, at the age of 16, against Udinese Calcio as a halftime substitution for the injured Sergio Battistini. It was Paolo Maldini only league appearance of the campaign, but Paolo Maldini was in the starting eleven the Serie A 1985-86.

The Serie A 1987-88 Scudetto marked Maldini's first major trophy, and the first of seven league titles, with the club. Paolo Maldini was also part of Milan's undefeated "Dream Team" from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

In addition to winning Paolo Maldini third 1994 UEFA Champions League Final and reaching the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, Maldini became the first defender ever to win World Soccer Magazine magazine's annual World Soccer Magazine Award winners. During Paolo Maldini acceptance speech, Maldini called Paolo Maldini 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." Paolo Maldini then singled out Milan captain Franco Baresi as a player who "really deserved to receive the sort of award I have received." On 25 September 2005, Maldini broke Dino Zoff's Serie A appearance record after playing Paolo Maldini 571st league match against Treviso F.B.C.; seven days earlier, Paolo Maldini had played Paolo Maldini 800th game in all competitions for Milan. On 16 February 2008, Maldini reached 1,000 senior games with Milan and Italy when Paolo Maldini entered as a substitute against Parma F.C..

Maldini has participated in eight UEFA Champions League finals during the course of Paolo Maldini career, which is more than any other active player, and equals the record held by Francisco Gento, though Gento also appeared in a Cup Winners Cup final, bringing Paolo Maldini total European finals to nine. Maldini has lifted the trophy five times, the latest coming in Milan's 2-1 victory over Liverpool F.C. in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final on 23 May 2007 in Athens. In an interview with ESPN that aired prior to the broadcast of the 2007 final, Paolo Maldini labeled the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, a match that Milan lost on penalties to Liverpool after blowing a 3–0 half-time lead, the worst moment of Paolo Maldini career, even though Paolo Maldini had scored the fastest-ever goal in a European Clubs' Cup final just 51 seconds into the match, in the process also becoming the oldest player ever to score in a final.

Maldini announced Paolo Maldini plans to retire at the end of the 2007-08 season, saying that Paolo Maldini would do so with "no regrets." However, following Milan's elimination from the Champions League by Arsenal F.C. in March, Maldini stated that Paolo Maldini would possibly delay Paolo Maldini retirement for at least a further year. Paolo Maldini signed an extension on June 6 that kept Paolo Maldini at Milan for the 2008–09 season. On 18 April 2009, Maldini announced that Paolo Maldini will be finally retiring at the end of the 2008–09 season. On 17 May, in the Stadio Friuli Maldini played Paolo Maldini 900th official match for Milan in a league game against Udinese. Maldini's last match in San Siro was on 24 May, in a game lost 3-2 against A.S. Roma. Paolo Maldini last appearance for Milan, and Paolo Maldini last game as an active player was on 31 May 2009, in the last match of the season, against ACF Fiorentina, which Milan won 2-0.

Milan retired Paolo Maldini number 3 shirt, but it will be bequeathed to one of Paolo Maldini sons if one makes the club's senior side.

International career

In 1986, Maldini was called up by Paolo Maldini father Cesare Maldini to the Italy national under-21 football team side, where Paolo Maldini earned twelve Cap (sport) and scored five goals in two years. Paolo Maldini made Paolo Maldini Italy national football team debut at the age of nineteen on 31 March 1988, in a 1-1 Exhibition game draw against Yugoslavia national football team, and made one appearance for Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Maldini featured in all four of Italy's games at UEFA Euro 1988, and participated in Paolo Maldini first World Cup in 1990 FIFA World Cup, where Italy lost to Argentina national football team in the semifinals on penalties.

Maldini's first international goal came in Paolo Maldini 44th career match, in a 2-0 friendly win over Mexico national football team on 20 January 1993. Paolo Maldini captained Italy at the start of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, losing to Brazil in the final on penalties. Paolo Maldini was named in the Team of the Tournament, 32 years after Paolo Maldini father received the same honor at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Euro 1996 would see Italy eliminated in the group stage, and the quarterfinals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Italy did reach the final of UEFA Euro 2000, but lost to France national football team by a whisker; it was the closest that Maldini would come to winning a major tournament.

After Italy were eliminated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup round of sixteen, Maldini retired trophyless from international competition as Italy's List of football (soccer) players with 100 or more caps. Paolo Maldini scored seven international goals, all coming in home games. Paolo Maldini spent over half of Paolo Maldini 16 years as an international as team captain, wearing the armband a record 74 times.

In February 2009, Italian head coach Marcello Lippi declared Paolo Maldini support for a testimonial match for Maldini, stating that it would give Paolo Maldini a chance to play for the Azzurri for a final time. Italian Football Federation offered Paolo Maldini a place in the line-up in a friendly match against Northern Ireland national soccer team . However, Maldini rejected the offer, saying that Paolo Maldini wanted to part with football in an "official" match.

Retirement

Since Paolo Maldini retirement Maldini has expressed disappointment at the lack of coaching opportunities available to Paolo Maldini at A.C. Milan, and had been rumoured to be reuniting with Paolo Maldini former manager, Carlo Ancelotti, by joining Chelsea F.C. as a coach having reportedly met with Ancelotti and with Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, to discuss such a possibility.
On 30 June 2009, Carlo Ancelotti announced that Maldini had turned down Paolo Maldini offer to become part of Chelsea's coaching staff.

Personal Life

Maldini is married to Adriana, a model, and has two sons, Christian and Daniel. In 2003, Paolo Maldini lifted the UEFA Champions League as club captain exactly 40 years after Paolo Maldini father Cesare Maldini accomplished the same feat (only the father-son combos of Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo and Paolo Maldini father and Carles Busquets and Sergio Busquets have also accomplished this). Christian is currently in the Milan youth squad and also plays as a defender like Paolo Maldini grandfather and father.

Club Playing Honours

A.C. Milan
- Serie A: Serie A 1987-88, Serie A 1991-92, Serie A 1992-93, Serie A 1993-94, Serie A 1995-96, Serie A 1998-99, Serie A 2003-04
- Coppa Italia: Coppa Italia 2002-03
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2004 Supercoppa Italiana
- UEFA Champions League: European Cup 1988-89, European Cup 1989-90, UEFA Champions League 1993-94, UEFA Champions League 2002-03, UEFA Champions League 2006-07
- UEFA Super Cup: 1989 UEFA Super Cup, 1990 UEFA Super Cup, 1994 UEFA Super Cup, 2003 UEFA Super Cup, 2007 UEFA Super Cup
- Bravo Award: 1989
- 1994 FIFA World Cup All-star team: 1994 FIFA World Cup All-star team
- European Football Championship: UEFA Euro 1996, UEFA Euro 2000
- 2003 UEFA Champions League Final: 2003 UEFA Champions League Final
- Serie A Defender of the Year: 2004
- FIFA 100
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2005
- FIFPro World XI: 2005
- UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 2006.E2.80.9307 UEFA Club Football Player Awards: 2007
- Italian national football team: 1994-2002
- Italian national football team Most capped players: 126

Orders