Happy Birthday Paolo! The Rossoneri Legend’s First AC Milan Steps
On June 26, Forza
Italian Football wish Paolo Maldini a happy birthday, looking back on the day
he took his first Rossoneri step towards one of the most glittering
careers in Calcio history.
Six days
before his birthday today, exactly 30 years ago, arguably one of the greatest
defenders to ever grace the football pitch debuted for a club that would become
synonymous with his name. And not just any club — one of the most renowned
clubs in world football: AC Milan.
At only 16
years of age, Paolo Maldini was sent on for his inauguration; replacing the
injured Sergio Battistini against Udinese for what would be the first of his
astounding 902 appearances for the Rossoneri, spanning an incredible 24 years.
Regarded as
one of the most accomplished and graceful defenders ever, Maldini was
comfortable playing either at left-back or in the heart of defence. You always
got the sense that Maldini was never flustered when he was on the pitch,
unflappable and always composed. His reading of the game was second to none,
and he was as graceful off the pitch, as he was on it.
Maldini
wasn’t afraid of getting stuck in and winning the headers or tackles either;
it’s just that he performed it with so much elegance and sophistication that he
made the art of defending look easy on the eye. One of the true gentleman of
the game, Maldini never picked up a red card in over 900 appearances.
“Maldini was
the best and toughest defender I ever faced. He had everything he was a
complete defender, who was strong, intelligent, and an excellent man-marker.” —
Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The season
after he had made his debut for the club, he was already an undisputed
first-choice in the Rossoneri rearguard and was handed the now-iconic ‘number
three’ jersey, which would stay that way for the preceding two decades.
It only took
Maldini until his third season as a professional to win his first piece of
silverware. Under the direction of legendary Arrigo Sacchi, and alongside
greats such as Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and his
soon-to-coach Carlo Ancelotti, Maldini held aloft the first of his seven
Scudetti.
During that
league-winning season, Maldini was part of an incredibly near-impenetrable rearguard
that just conceded 14 goals the whole campaign — an extraordinary feat.
Maldini also
had his first taste of European success in these years as he helped Milan win
consecutive Champions Leagues in 1988-89 and 1989-90, becoming the last team to
successfully defend their crown.
After Sacchi
had retired, Maldini and Milan just continued on their path to becoming the
leading force in Italian football under the guidance of Fabio Capello. The
Rossoneri would win three consecutive Scudetti from 1991 onwards, which
included an Italian record of 58 league matches unbeaten between that time as
they established themselves as one the world’s most fearsome sides.
The mid-1990s
proved a mixed period for Maldini, as the club went through a succession of
coaches and poor form followed. Milan failed to qualify for Europe for two
successive seasons, but still managed to win a Scudetto in the 1995-96 season.
It wasn’t
until the end of the 1996-97 season that Maldini finally took the armband,
after Baresi had announced his retirement. In conjunction with Carlo Ancelotti,
who returned to the club as coach in 2001, the duo set about returning Milan to
the pinnacle of Italian football just as they had achieved a decade earlier.
In his reign
as captain of the Rossoneri, he led his team to a further two Serie A titles, a
Coppa Italia final victory over Roma in 2003, and two European Champions League
victories to cap off a decorated career.
The first of his Champions League wins as captain came against
Juventus in the 2003 final on penalties, as the game finished scoreless after
120 minutes. Il Capitano was superb in the final, intercepting
every ball and leading his team heroically around the paddock, which culminated
in Maldini winning man-of-the-match honours.
His next came
in the 2007 final against Liverpool, which was sweet revenge for the defender
after the events of ‘that’ night in Istanbul two years prior, which Maldini
stated was the worst moment of his illustrious career. The 2–1 victory in
Athens meant that Maldini had won five European cups in his career, an
outstanding accomplishment.
At an
international level with the Azzurri, the legendary defender never won that
illusive trophy that would’ve been fitting for a player of his stature, despite
coming close on a number of occasions. The excruciating 1994 World Cup final
loss to Brazil on penalties was harsh on Maldini, who played an excellent game
during the 120 minutes.
His next
painful memory came at Euro 2000, when France snatched a late equalizer to
take the game into extra time, and ultimately the victory on a Golden Goal.
Despite these disappointing losses, Maldini exited with an astounding 126 caps
for the Azzurri, 74 of them as captain.
Maldini is
the definition of ‘one-club stalwart’. In a time where it is virtually
impossible that players spend their whole careers with one club (even Steven
Gerrard is leaving Liverpool to play for another club), Maldini would never have
put on another team’s jersey.
Sir Alex
Ferguson admitted in his book that he tried to sign Maldini for Manchester
United with no success:
“When I think of the current generation, Lionel Messi is
top-level, and although he has never taken my breath away, Kaka has impressed,
Zinedine Zidane was brilliant but without a doubt, Paolo Maldini has been my
favorite.
“He has a
wonderful presence, competitive spirit, athleticism, and although not the
world’s greatest technically, he has influenced all the AC Milan teams during
his wonderfully successful era. I approached his father once, and the look
he gave me, I knew never to go back for him.” — Sir Alex
Ferguson.
Carlo
Ancelotti tried to prise away Maldini when he became Chelsea coach as well, as
have Real Madrid in the past, but were told in no uncertain terms where to go.
Such is his
standing in the game that even the fans of bitter cross-city rivals Inter paid
tribute to him in the last Milan derby he played before his retirement. “It was
a wonderful surprise,” he later said. “On a human level, I think it’s one of
the most satisfying moments I’ve ever experienced.”
It is
unlikely we will see another Paolo Maldini again. His longevity at the highest
level was truly amazing, as was his humility and selflessness. For many, he is
regarded as the greatest Italian defender ever, which is no mean feat given the
nation’s history of producing world class defenders.
His iconic
number three jersey has been retired — or more accurately ‘reserved’ — until
one of his sons makes the Rossoneri first-team, both of whom currently play in
the Milan youth teams. If either son can achieve half of what their father
accomplished, then they will have become some player themselves.