MALDINI
Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a left-back and centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. As the Milan and Italy captain for many years, he was nicknamed "Il Capitano". Maldini held the record for most appearances in Serie A, with 647 appearances, until 2020, when he was overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon. He also holds the joint-record for most European Cup/UEFA Champions League final appearances alongside Paco Gento.
MALDINI
Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a left-back and centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. As the Milan and Italy captain for many years, he was nicknamed "Il Capitano". Maldini held the record for most appearances in Serie A, with 647 appearances, until 2020, when he was overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon. He also holds the joint-record for most European Cup/UEFA Champions League final appearances (8) alongside Paco Gento.
MALDINI
Club Career- AC Milan from 1985-2009
1978–1987: Youth career, AC Milan senior debut and early professional career
Maldini won the Coppa Italia Primavera with the Milan Youth side during the 1984–85 season, and he made his league debut for Milan under manager Nils Liedholm during the same season on 20 January 1985, replacing the injured Sergio Battistini in a match against Udinese at age 16. It was his only league appearance of the campaign, but he was immediately made a member of the starting eleven the following season, at age 17, at right-back, being handed the number 3 shirt, which had previously also belonged to his father, Cesare.
1987–1991: Domestic and international success with The immortals
The 1987–88 Scudetto under Arrigo Sacchi marked Maldini's first trophy, and the first of seven league titles, with the club. During the 1987–88 Serie A season, Milan only conceded 14 goals, finishing with the best defence in Italy, as they went on to win the Serie A title. Maldini went on to win the 1988 Supercoppa Italiana with Milan the following season, and followed up this trophy with back to back European Cup titles in 1988–89 and 1989–90, while Milan finished in third and in second place in Serie A during those respective seasons. On 19 February 1989, Maldini made his 100th appearance in Serie A.
1991–1996: Continued success with The invincibles
Under Sacchi's replacement, Fabio Capello, Milan continued to be a dominant force in Italy and in Europe. Maldini was also part of Milan's undefeated Serie A team, which won the championship in the 1991–92 season; in total, Milan went unbeaten for an Italian record of 58 league matches, earning the nickname "The Invincibles". That season, Maldini scored his first goal in European Competitions on 21 October 1992 in a 1–0 Champions League win against Slovan Bratislava, and also made his 200th appearance in Serie A on 4 October of the same year.
2001–2007: New era of success
Maldini lifting the European Cup for Milan after winning the 2003 UEFA Champions League final
Milan again became a dominant force in Italy and in Europe under Carlo Ancelotti. In the 2001–02 season, Milan finished in fourth place, qualifying for the Champions League, and also reached their best ever finish in the UEFA Cup, losing in the semi-finals.
The following season, Milan were defeated by Juventus on penalties in the Supercoppa Italiana, and in the Intercontinental Cup final by Boca Juniors, once again on penalties, but managed to defeat Porto to capture yet another UEFA Super Cup. Maldini placed third in the 2003 Ballon d'Or for the second time in his career. Maldini went on to captain Milan to win the Serie A title that season, with a record 82 points, whilst Milan were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia by Lazio, and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Deportivo de La Coruña.
2009: Retirement
On 18 April 2009, Maldini announced that he would retire at the end of the 2008–09 season. On 17 May 2009, in the Stadio Friuli, Maldini played his 900th official match for Milan in a league game against Udinese. Maldini's last match in San Siro was on 24 May, a 3–2 loss against Roma, and was given a standing ovation by the fans. His last appearance for Milan, and his last game as an active player, was a 2–0 win against Fiorentina on 31 May 2009 in the last match of the Serie A season. This win meant Milan finished in third place and qualified for the following season's Champions League. Maldini was once again given a standing ovation by the fans. As they had previously done with Franco Baresi's number 6 shirt, Milan retired Maldini's number 3 shirt, but stated that it will be bequeathed to one of his sons if one of them were to make the club's senior team.
Honours
AC Milan
Serie A: 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
Coppa Italia: 2002–03
Supercoppa Italiana: 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2004
European Cup/UEFA Champions League: 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 2002–03, 2006–07; runner-up: 1992–93, 1994–95, 2004–05
European/UEFA Super Cup: 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007
Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990
FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
Italy
FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1994; third place 1990
UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2000
Scania 100 Tournament: 1991
Individual
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1988, 1996, 2000
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990, 1994
Ballon d'Or: third place 1994,2003
World Soccer Player of the Year: 1994
UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2005
FIFA Order of Merit: 2008
Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009
ESPN World Team of the Decade: 2009
Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012
