Paolo Maldini

Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968 in Milan) is a legendary Italy Association football who has played his entire career for Serie A club A.C. Milan. The son of Cesare Maldini, and is the most-selected player in the history of the club, Serie A and the Italy national football team. He has played at Defender (football) Fullback for the majority of his career, since 2002 he has been deployed in that position or as a Defender (football) Centre back.

He is the most Cap (sport) player for the Italy national football team, retiring from international duty in 2002 having finished second in both the 1994 FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2000 UEFA European Football Championship.

Club career

Maldini made his league debut on 20 January 1985, at the age of sixteen, against Udinese Calcio as a halftime substitution for the injured Sergio Battistini. It would be his only league appearance of the campaign, but he 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. He was also part of AC Milan's undefeated "Dream Team" from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. Maldini is also commonly known in the UK as The Mald.

In addition to winning his 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 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." On 25 September 2005, Maldini broke Dino Zoff's Serie A appearance record after playing his 571st league match against Treviso F.B.C; seven days earlier, he had played his 800th game in all competitions for Milan. On February 16, 2008, Maldini reached 1,000 senior games with AC Milan and Italy when he entered as a substitute against Parma.

Maldini has participated in eight UEFA Champions League finals during the course of his 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 his 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, he labeled the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, which Milan lost on penalties to Liverpool in extra time after blowing a 3–0 lead, the worst moment of his career, even though he 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 his plans to retire at the end of the 2007-08 season, saying that he would do so with "no regrets." However, following Milan's elimination from the Champions League by Arsenal F.C in March, Maldini stated that he would possibly delay his retirement for at least a further year. He signed an extension on June 6 that will keep him at Milan for the 2008-09 season.

Milan plans to retire his number 3 shirt, but it will be bequeathed to one of his sons if one makes the club's senior side. His eldest son, Christian, is twelve years old and is currently playing for the Milan youth squad.

International career

In 1986, Maldini was called up by his father, Cesare Maldini, to the Italy national under-21 football team side, where he earned twelve Cap (sport) and scored five goals in two years. He made his Azzurri debut at the age of nineteen on March 31, 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 Euro 1988, and participated in his 1990 FIFA World Cup in 1990, where Italy lost to Argentina national football team in the semifinals on penalties.

Maldini's first international goal came in his 44th career match, in a 2-0 friendly win over Mexico national football team on January 20, 1993. He captained Italy at the start of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, losing to Brazil in the final on penalties. 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 Euro 2000, but lost to France national football team; it would be 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. He scored seven international goals, all coming in home games. He spent over half of his sixteen years as an international as team captain, wearing the armband a record seventy-four times. He is also the only current Milan player who have earned the most caps for their national teams.

Honours

AC Milan 1984-

Serie A
- Winner (7): 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
- Runner-up (3): Serie A 1989-90, Serie A 1990-91, Serie A 2004-05

Coppa Italia
- Winner (1): Coppa Italia 2002-03
- Runner-up (2): Coppa Italia 1989-90, Coppa Italia 1997-98

Supercoppa Italiana
- Winner (5): 1987-88, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 2004 Supercoppa Italiana
- Runner-up (3): 1995-96, 1998-99, 2002-03

UEFA Champions League formerly European Cup
- Winner (5): European Cup 1988-89, European Cup 1989-90, UEFA Champions League 1993-94, UEFA Champions League 2002-03, UEFA Champions League 2006-07
- Runner-up (3): UEFA Champions League 1992-93, UEFA Champions League 1994-95, UEFA Champions League 2004-05

UEFA Super Cup
- Winner (5): 1989 UEFA Super Cup, 1990 UEFA Super Cup, 1994 UEFA Super Cup, 2003 UEFA Super Cup, 2007 UEFA Super Cup
- Runner-up (1): 1993 UEFA Super Cup

Intercontinental Cup (football)
- Winner (2): 1989-90, 1990 Intercontinental Cup
- Runner-up (3): 1993-94, 1994-95, 2003-04

FIFA Club World Cup
- Winner (1): FIFA Club World Cup 2007

Italy 1988-2002
FIFA World Cup
- Runner-up: 1994 FIFA World Cup
- Third place: 1990 FIFA World Cup
- Appearances: 1990 FIFA World Cup, 1994 FIFA World Cup, 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2002 FIFA World Cup

UEFA European Championship
- Runner-up: UEFA Euro 2000
- Semi-final: UEFA Euro 1988
- Appearances: UEFA Euro 1988, UEFA Euro 1996, UEFA Euro 2000

Olympic Games
- Fourth Place: Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Appearances: Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics

Personal

- FIFA 100

- 1994 FIFA World Cup All-star team: 1994 FIFA World Cup All-star team

- European Football Championship: UEFA Euro 1996, UEFA Euro 2000

- Serie A Defender of the Year: 2004

- UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 2006.E2.80.9307 UEFA Club Football Player Awards: 2007

- 2003 UEFA Champions League Final: 2003 UEFA Champions League Final

- UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2005

- Bravo Award: 1989

- FIFPro World XI: 2005

- World Soccer Magazine Award winners: 1994

- World Soccer Magazine The 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century

- FIFA World Player of the Year (runner-up): 1995

- Ballon d'Or (third place): 1994, 2003

- Onze d'Or (third place): 1995

- Italian national football team: 1994-2002

- Italian national football team Most capped players: 126