Paolo Maldini

Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is an Italian football executive and former player, most recently the president of the technical sector for the Italian Football Federation. He played his entire career for AC Milan and the Italy national team, primarily as a left-back or centre-back, and is considered one of the greatest footballers ever. Known as "Il Capitano," he captained both Milan and Italy for many years. Maldini’s 647 Serie A appearances stood as a record until Gianluigi Buffon surpassed it in 2020, and he shares the record for most European Cup/UEFA Champions League final appearances (eight) with Paco Gento. After retiring, he served as AC Milan’s sporting director from 2018 to 2023 and is a co-owner of USL Championship club Miami FC.

A one-club man, Maldini spent 25 seasons with Milan, retiring at age 41 in 2009. He won 26 trophies with the club: five European Cups/UEFA Champions Leagues, seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana titles, five European/UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup. At age 39, he won the UEFA Club Football Awards’ Best Defender prize, and in 2004 he was named Serie A Defender of the Year. Milan retired his number 3 shirt after his retirement.

Maldini debuted for Italy in 1988 and retired in 2002 with 126 caps and seven goals. He held Italy’s appearance record until Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon surpassed him. He captained Italy for eight years, setting a record of 75 appearances as captain, later broken by Cannavaro and Buffon. He played in four World Cups and three European Championships, reaching the 1994 World Cup final and Euro 2000 final, as well as the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988. He was named to the all-star teams for all those tournaments.

In 1995, Maldini finished second to George Weah for FIFA World Player of the Year. He placed third in the Ballon d’Or in 1994 and 2003. He was named to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, included in Pelé’s FIFA 100 list in 2004, and ranked 21st in World Soccer’s 100 greatest players of the 20th century. In 2020, he was selected for the Ballon d’Or Dream Team. He held the record for most UEFA club competition appearances (174) until Iker Casillas surpassed it in 2017. He holds Milan’s appearance record (902) and is one of the few players with over 1,000 career appearances. He was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in December 2012.

Maldini joined AC Milan’s youth academy in 1978 at age 10, after playing only street football. He initially played as a right midfielder or winger in a 4–4–2 formation, staying in that role until age 14, when he switched to right full-back. Because he was comfortable with both feet, he occasionally played on the left. He won the Coppa Italia Primavera with Milan’s youth side in 1984–85.

His senior league debut came on 20 January 1985, replacing the injured Sergio Battistini against Udinese at age 16, under manager Nils Liedholm. That was his only league appearance that season, but he became a starter the following season at age 17, playing right-back and wearing the number 3 shirt previously worn by his father, Cesare. He made his Coppa Italia debut on 21 August 1985 and his European debut later that year on 18 September. He scored his first Serie A goal on 4 January 1987 in a 1–0 win over Como.

The 1987–88 Scudetto under Arrigo Sacchi was Maldini’s first trophy, the first of seven league titles. Sacchi’s Milan side, nicknamed “The Immortals,” featured the Dutch trio of Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, and Marco van Basten, along with Italian midfielders Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Donadoni (and later Demetrio Albertini), and a strong defense. Under Sacchi and later Fabio Capello, Maldini formed one of football’s greatest defensive quartets with Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, Mauro Tassotti, Filippo Galli, Stefano Nava, and later Christian Panucci.

In 1987–88, Milan conceded only 14 goals, the best defense in Italy, and won the Serie A title. The following season, Maldini won the 1988 Supercoppa Italiana, then back-to-back European Cups in 1988–89 and 1989–90, while Milan finished third and second in Serie A. He made his 100th Serie A appearance on 19 February 1989. Milan reached the 1989–90 Coppa Italia final, losing to Juventus, but won consecutive European Super Cups in 1989 and 1990, and consecutive Intercontinental Cups in 1989 and 1990.

In Sacchi’s final season, Milan lost in the European Cup quarter-finals to eventual finalists Marseille and finished second in Serie A behind Sampdoria, again with the best defense (19 goals conceded). They also reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals.