Daniel Maldini facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 October 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Milan, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Atalanta | ||
| Number | 70 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2020 | AC Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2024 | AC Milan | 15 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | → Spezia (loan) | 18 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | → Empoli (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Monza (loan) | 11 | (4) |
| 2024–2025 | Monza | 20 | (3) |
| 2025– | Atalanta | 10 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Italy U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | Italy U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021 | Italy U20 | 3 | (1) |
| 2024– | Italy | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:19, 26 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 June 2025 |
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Daniel Maldini, born on October 11, 2001, is a professional football player from Italy. He plays as an attacking midfielder for the Serie A club Atalanta. Daniel also plays for the Italy national team.
Contents
Daniel Maldini's Family and Early Life
Daniel Maldini was born in Milan, Italy. He is the second son of Paolo Maldini, who was a famous captain for AC Milan. His mother is Adriana Fossa, a model from Venezuela.
Daniel's grandfather, Cesare, also captained AC Milan in the 1960s. This means Daniel is the third generation of his family to play for the club! His older brother, Christian, also played in Milan's youth teams before playing professionally at a lower level.
Daniel's Club Football Journey
Starting in Youth Football
Daniel joined AC Milan's youth system in 2010. He played for different age groups, from the under-10 team all the way to the under-19 team. In the 2016–17 season, his team won the Under-16 National Championship. They beat Lazio 5–2 in the final game.
Playing for AC Milan
In July 2019, Daniel was asked to train with AC Milan's main team. He made his first senior team appearance in a friendly tournament on July 23, 2019, playing against Bayern Munich.
On February 2, 2020, Daniel played his first official game for AC Milan. It was a Serie A match against Hellas Verona, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He came on as a substitute near the end of the game.
Daniel made his UEFA Champions League debut on September 15, 2021, coming off the bench against Liverpool. On September 25, he started his first Serie A match for Milan and scored his first goal! This helped his team win 2–1 against Spezia.
On May 22, 2022, Daniel won his first major trophy: the Serie A championship. Both his father, Paolo Maldini, and grandfather, Cesare Maldini, had won this title before him. During that season, he played 13 matches, totaling 239 minutes, as AC Milan won the 2021–22 Serie A title.
Loan to Spezia
On July 29, 2022, Daniel joined Spezia, another Serie A team, on a one-year loan from AC Milan.
On November 5, 2022, he scored his first Serie A goal for Spezia against his former team, AC Milan. On March 10, 2023, he scored again in a 2–1 win over Inter Milan. This was Spezia's first-ever win against Inter Milan!
Loan to Empoli
On July 10, 2023, Daniel moved to Empoli, another Serie A club, on a one-year loan. This deal also included an option for Empoli to buy him later.
Playing for Monza
On January 10, 2024, AC Milan sent Daniel on loan to Monza, another Serie A club, until the end of the 2023–24 season. He scored four goals in 11 league games for Monza.
The loan deal became permanent on July 31, 2024, and Daniel signed a two-year contract with Monza.
Joining Atalanta
On February 1, 2025, Daniel Maldini made a permanent move to Atalanta from Monza. The transfer fee was reported to be around €13 million, including extra payments based on his performance.
Daniel's International Career
Daniel can play for either his home country, Italy, or Venezuela, because his mother is from Venezuela.
He first played for the Italy national under-18 football team on March 22, 2019, in a 2–0 win against the Netherlands. Later that year, he played two games for the under-19 team. In 2021, he played three times for Italy under-20 and scored his first international goal on October 7, 2021, in a 1–1 draw against England.
Daniel was called up to the Italy national team for the first time for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches. He made his debut against Israel on October 14, 2024, coming on as a substitute in a 4-1 victory.
How Daniel Plays Football
When Daniel first started playing, he was a defender, just like his father Paolo and grandfather Cesare. However, he soon started playing in more attacking roles.
Today, Daniel mainly plays as a free-roaming attacking midfielder. This position suits his skills very well. He is good at creating plays, dribbling the ball, controlling it, and seeing the whole field to make good passes.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AC Milan | 2019–20 | Serie A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 1 | ||
| Spezia (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 20 | 3 | |
| Empoli (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| Monza (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 11 | 4 | — | — | 11 | 4 | ||
| Monza | 2024–25 | Serie A | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 3 | |
| Total | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 7 | ||
| Atalanta | 2024–25 | Serie A | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| Career total | 81 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 94 | 14 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | |
Trophies and Awards
AC Milan
- Serie A: 2021–22
More to Explore
- List of European association football families
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Maldini para niños
