Paolo Maldini facts for kids
Maldini in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 26 June 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Milan, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Left-back, centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1984 | AC Milan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–2009 | AC Milan | 647 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Italy U21 | 12 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–2002 | Italy | 126 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian football legend. He played as a left-back or centre-back for AC Milan and the Italian national team. Many people think he is one of the greatest defenders of all time.
Maldini was the captain for both Milan and Italy for many years. This earned him the nickname "Il Capitano" (The Captain). He spent his entire 25-year playing career with AC Milan, retiring in 2009 at age 41. During his time with Milan, he won an amazing 26 trophies! This included the UEFA Champions League five times and seven Serie A titles.
He also played for Italy for 14 years, from 1988 to 2002. He played in four FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships. Even though he didn't win a major tournament with Italy, he reached the final of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000. After he retired, AC Milan honored him by retiring his number 3 shirt. This means no other player at the club can wear that number, unless one of his sons plays for the senior team.
Contents
Paolo Maldini: A Football Legend
Early Days and Milan Debut
Paolo Maldini started his football journey very young. In 1978, when he was just 10 years old, he tried out for the AC Milan youth academy. Before that, he mostly played street football. He impressed the coaches and joined the team. He first played as a right midfielder, then moved to right-back at age 14. He was good with both feet, so he could also play on the left side.
Maldini made his first team debut for Milan on 20 January 1985. He was only 16 years old! This was in a league match against Udinese. He became a regular player the very next season, wearing the number 3 shirt, which his father, Cesare, had also worn. He scored his first goal in Italy's top league, Serie A, on 4 January 1987.
Winning Trophies with AC Milan
The "Immortals" Era
Maldini won his first major trophy, the Serie A title, in the 1987–88 season under coach Arrigo Sacchi. This Milan team was known as "The Immortals" because they were so strong. They had famous Dutch players like Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, and Marco van Basten. Maldini was part of an incredibly strong defense with players like Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti. This defense was one of the best ever in football.
Milan won back-to-back European Cup titles in 1988–89 and 1989–90. They also won two European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. Maldini was a key part of all these victories.
The "Invincibles" Era
Under new coach Fabio Capello, Milan continued to dominate. Maldini was part of the Milan team that went undefeated in the 1991–92 Serie A season. They didn't lose a single league match for an Italian record of 58 games! This earned them the nickname "The Invincibles." Milan won three Serie A titles in a row in the early 1990s.
Maldini also helped Milan reach three UEFA Champions League finals in a row. They won the 1994 final against Barcelona with a huge 4-0 victory. Even though key players were missing, Maldini helped the defense keep a clean sheet. After this amazing season, Maldini became the first defender to win the World Soccer magazine's World Player of the Year Award. He said he was proud because defenders don't usually get as much attention as goal scorers.
Captaining Milan to Glory
After many older players retired, Maldini became AC Milan's captain. Even though the team had some tough years, Maldini led them to win the 1998–99 Serie A title.
Milan became a top team again under coach Carlo Ancelotti. In the 2002–03 season, Maldini won his first Coppa Italia trophy. He then led Milan to win the Champions League in 2003. This was a special moment because it was exactly 40 years after his father, Cesare, had also lifted the European Cup as Milan's captain. They are one of only a few father-son pairs to have both captained a team to win this trophy. Maldini was named the best player of the final.
In the 2003–04 season, Maldini captained Milan to another Serie A title. He was also named the Serie A Defender of the Year in 2004. In 2005, Milan reached the Champions League final again, but lost to Liverpool on penalties, even though Maldini scored the fastest goal in a Champions League final.
In 2007, Maldini led Milan to another Champions League final, where they beat Liverpool 2-1. At 38 years old, he became the oldest captain to lift the Champions League trophy. Later that year, he also became the first European captain to lift the FIFA Club World Cup.
Playing for Italy
World Cup Journeys
Maldini started playing for the Italian national team at age 19 in 1988. He played in all of Italy's games at UEFA Euro 1988, where they reached the semi-finals.
His first FIFA World Cup was in 1990, held in Italy. He played in all seven matches. Italy's defense was incredible, keeping five clean sheets in a row. They only let in two goals in the whole tournament and finished in third place. Maldini was chosen for the World Cup All-Star Team.
In the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Maldini was the vice-captain. He played in all seven matches, helping Italy reach the final. Even with key defenders missing, Maldini led the defense to keep a clean sheet in the final against Brazil. Italy lost on penalties, but Maldini was again named to the World Cup All-Star Team.
After the 1994 World Cup, Maldini became Italy's full-time captain. He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, where Italy reached the quarter-finals but lost to the hosts, France, on penalties.
Leading Italy at Euro 2000
In UEFA Euro 2000, Maldini led Italy to the final. They had a strong defense, letting in only two goals on their way to the final. They beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-finals. In the final, Italy was leading 1-0 against France until the last minute of injury time, when France scored to tie. France then scored a "golden goal" in extra time to win. Maldini was chosen for the Team of the Tournament in all three European Championships he played in.
Maldini played in his fourth World Cup in 2002. Italy was controversially eliminated in the round of sixteen by co-hosts South Korea. After this match, Maldini retired from international football at age 34. He had played 126 games for Italy, which was a record at the time. He was captain for 74 of those games.
Life After Playing
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After retiring, Maldini said he wouldn't become a coach. He was offered a coaching job at Chelsea, but he turned it down.
In 2012, Maldini was added to the Italian Football Hall of Fame. He also played in charity football matches, like the "Match Against Poverty" and "Match for Peace."
In 2015, Maldini became a co-owner of a football club called Miami FC in the United States. In 2017, he even played in a professional tennis tournament, but it was his only one.
In 2018, Maldini returned to AC Milan as a sporting director. He was later promoted to technical director in 2019. He helped sign important players like Théo Hernandez and Rafael Leão, who helped Milan win the 2021–22 Serie A title. This was Milan's first league title since 2011! In 2022, he was named Sporting Director of the Year. His contract with Milan ended in June 2023.
How He Played the Game
Maldini was known for being a very smart and versatile defender. Even though he was right-footed, he played as a left-back for most of his career. He was also great at tackling, fast, and had a lot of energy.
As he got older, he moved to playing as a centre-back. Here, he used his experience, his ability to win headers, and his strong tackles to stop attackers. He was also very good at reading the game and knowing where to be. He rarely made mistakes and only received three red cards in his entire career.
His Amazing Legacy
Paolo Maldini is truly one of the greatest defenders ever. He is seen as a gentleman of the game. He was calm, disciplined, and always knew what was happening on the field. In 2002, he was named to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team.
He won many individual awards, including the UEFA Defender of the Year and the World Soccer Player of the Year. He was also chosen for many "Team of the Year" lists. He played for a very long time, starting for Milan as a teenager and playing until he was 41.
Maldini was a true leader and captain for both Milan and Italy. He played over 1,000 professional games! He holds the record for most appearances for AC Milan (902 games). He also played in a record-tying eight Champions League finals. Many famous defenders, like Rio Ferdinand and Carles Puyol, have said that Maldini inspired them.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AC Milan | 1984–85 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86 | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
| 1986–87 | 29 | 1 | 7 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |||
| 1987–88 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 29 | 2 | |||
| 1988–89 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 40 | 0 | |||
| 1989–90 | 30 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| 1990–91 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 4 | ||
| 1991–92 | 31 | 3 | 7 | 1 | – | – | 38 | 4 | ||||
| 1992–93 | 31 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 3 | ||
| 1993–94 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 2 | ||
| 1994–95 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 41 | 3 | |||
| 1996–97 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| 1997–98 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 0 | ||||
| 1998–99 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 1 | ||||
| 1999–00 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 1 | ||
| 2000–01 | 31 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | – | 49 | 1 | |||
| 2001–02 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2002–03 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 | – | 49 | 2 | |||
| 2003–04 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| 2005–06 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 23 | 2 | |||
| 2006–07 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2007–08 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 32 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 647 | 29 | 72 | 1 | 161 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 902 | 33 | ||
European competitions include the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup
Other tournaments include the Supercoppa Italiana, European/UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup
Play-off for UEFA Cup admission
Played in the Torneo Estivo del 1986
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1988 | 10 | 0 |
| 1989 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1990 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 12 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 11 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 11 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2000 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 126 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Maldini goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 January 1993 | Florence, Italy |  Mexico |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 24 March 1993 | Palermo, Italy |  Malta |
6–1 | 6–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 11 November 1995 | Bari, Italy |  Ukraine |
3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualification |
| 4 | 29 March 1997 | Trieste, Italy |  Moldova |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 30 April 1997 | Napoli, Italy |  Poland |
2–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 22 April 1998 | Parma, Italy |  Paraguay |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 5 June 1999 | Bologna, Italy |  Wales |
3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualification |
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: 1992, 1993, 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
- Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
Italy U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1986
Italy
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1994; third place 1990
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2000
- Scania 100 Tournament: 1991
Individual
- Serie A Team of The Year: 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1988, 1996, 2000
- Bravo Award: 1989
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990, 1994
- Ballon d'Or: third place 1994, 2003
- World Soccer Player of the Year: 1994
- El País European Player of the Year: 1994
- ESM Team of the Year: 1994–95, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2002–03
- FIFA World Player of the Year: Silver Award 1995
- Onze de Bronze: 1995
- Onze de Onze: 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003
- Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2002
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2002
- FIFA XI: 2002
- UEFA Champions League final Man of the Match: 2003
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2005
- UEFA President's Award: 2003
- Serie A Defender of the Year: 2004
- FIFA 100
- UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: #10
- FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2005
- UEFA Club Defender of the Year: 2007
- AFS Top-100 Players of All-Time: 15th(2007)
- Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti: 2008
- FIFA Order of Merit: 2008
- UEFA Champions League Achievement Award: 2009
- Marca Leyenda: 2009
- Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009
- ESPN World Team of the Decade: 2009
- Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012
- World Soccer Greatest XI of all time: 2013
- World Soccer The Greatest Players of the 20th century: #21
- One Club Man Award: 2016
- UEFA Euro All-time XI
- AC Milan Hall of Fame
- Inducted into the Walk of Fame of Italian sport: 2018
- Gazzetta Sports Awards – Legend: 2018
- Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020
- IFFHS All-time Men's Dream Team: 2021
- Globe Soccer Awards Sporting Director of the Year: 2022
Records
- Most appearances in all competitions (Milan): 902
- Second-most Serie A appearances (only Serie A regular-seasons): 647
- Most league appearances for Milan (only Serie A regular-seasons): 647
- Most league appearances for the same club (Milan) (only Serie A regular-seasons): 647
- Most seasons played in Serie A: 25 (shared with Francesco Totti)
- Most seasons played in Serie A for the same club (Milan): 25 (shared with Francesco Totti for Roma)
- Third-most UEFA club competitions appearances: 174
- Most UEFA club competitions appearances for Milan: 174
- Most UEFA club competitions appearances for the same club (Milan): 174
- Most European competitions appearances: 168
- Most European competitions appearances for AC Milan: 168
- Most UEFA Champions League appearances for AC Milan: 139
- Most finals played in UEFA Champions League – 8 (shared with Francisco Gento)
- Longest-serving player (Milan): 24 years and 132 days (from 20 January 1985 to 31 May 2009)
- Most FIFA World Cup appearances for Italy: 23
- Record of minutes played in the World Cups: 2216
- Fastest goal scored in UEFA Champions League/European Cup final history: 50 seconds, 2005
- Oldest player to score a goal in UEFA Champions League/European Cup final history: aged 36 years and 333 days, playing for Milan against Liverpool, 2005
- Most European/UEFA Super Cup titles: (shared with Dani Alves) (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003)
- Most European/UEFA Super Cup final appearances: (shared with Dani Alves) (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2003)
- Second-most career club appearances by an Italian player: 902
- Most appearances for a single Italian club: 902 (with Milan)
Orders
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4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000
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5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991
Personal Life
Paolo Maldini was born in Milan, Italy, on 26 June 1968. His father, Cesare Maldini, was also a famous football player and coach. Cesare even coached Paolo when he played for Italy's under-21 team and the senior national team.
In 1994, Paolo married Adriana Fossa. They have two sons, Christian and Daniel. Both of his sons have also played for AC Milan's youth teams, following in their father's and grandfather's footsteps!
Paolo Maldini also has a fashion brand called Sweet Years with his former teammate Christian Vieri.
Images for kids
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Maldini playing for Milan in 2008
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Maldini lifting the European Cup for Milan after winning the 2003 UEFA Champions League final
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Maldini in a 2014 charity match
See also
In Spanish: Paolo Maldini para niños
