Paolo Maldini facts for kids
Maldini in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Paolo Cesare Maldini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 June 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Milan, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left-back, centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1984 | AC Milan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–2009 | AC Milan | 647 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Italy U21 | 12 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–2002 | Italy | 126 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is an Italian football legend. He was a professional footballer who played as a left-back or centre-back. He spent his entire career with AC Milan and also played for the Italy national team. Many people consider him one of the greatest defenders ever.
Maldini was the captain for both Milan and Italy for many years. His nickname was "Il Capitano", which means "The Captain". He held the record for most games played in Italy's top league, Serie A, with 647 appearances. This record was broken by Gianluigi Buffon in 2020. Maldini also shares the record for playing in the most European Cup/UEFA Champions League finals, with 8 appearances, alongside Paco Gento. After retiring from playing, he worked as a sporting director for AC Milan from 2018 to 2023. He is also a co-owner of the USL Championship club Miami FC.
Maldini played for 25 seasons in Serie A with Milan, retiring in 2009 at age 41. He won an amazing 26 trophies with Milan. These included the European Cup/UEFA Champions League five times and seven Serie A titles. He also won one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana titles, five European/UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 2004, he won the Serie A Defender of the Year Award. At 39, he won the Best Defender award at the UEFA Club Football Awards. When he retired, Milan honored him by retiring his number 3 shirt. This means no other player at Milan will wear that number.
Maldini first played for Italy in 1988. He played for 14 years, retiring in 2002 with 7 goals and 126 games played. He held the record for most appearances for Italy until Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon surpassed him. Maldini was Italy's captain for eight years. He also held the record for most games as Italy's captain (75) until Cannavaro and Buffon again surpassed him. He played in four FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships for Italy. Even though he didn't win a major tournament, he reached the final of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000. He also reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988. He was chosen for the all-star teams in all these tournaments.
Maldini was recognized as one of the best players in the world. He came second for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995, behind George Weah. He also finished third in the Ballon d'Or rankings in 1994 and 2003. In 2002, he was named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team. In 2004, Pelé included him in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. World Soccer magazine ranked him 21st among the 100 greatest players of the 20th century. In 2020, he was named in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. He held the record for most appearances in UEFA Club competitions (174) until Iker Casillas broke it in 2017. Maldini still holds the record for most appearances for Milan (902 games). He is one of the few players to have played over 1,000 career games. In December 2012, he was added to the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out at AC Milan (1978–1987)
Paolo Maldini joined the AC Milan youth academy in 1978 when he was 10 years old. Before that, he only played street football. He started as a right midfielder but moved to right-back at age 14. Because he was good with both feet, he sometimes played on the left side too.
Maldini won the Coppa Italia Primavera with Milan's youth team in the 1984–85 season. He made his first team debut in Serie A on 20 January 1985, at just 16 years old. He came on as a substitute against Udinese. That was his only league game that season. However, he became a regular starter the very next season, at age 17, playing at right-back. He was given the number 3 shirt, which his father, Cesare, had also worn. Maldini scored his first Serie A goal on 4 January 1987, helping Milan win 1–0 against Como.
Winning Trophies with "The Immortals" (1987–1991)
Maldini won his first major trophy, the Serie A title, in the 1987–88 season under coach Arrigo Sacchi. This team was nicknamed "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 a very strong defense with players like Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti. In the 1987–88 season, Milan had the best defense in Italy, letting in only 14 goals.
After winning the league, Milan also won the 1988 Supercoppa Italiana. They then won the European Cup (now Champions League) two years in a row, in 1988–89 and 1989–90. Milan also won the European Super Cup in 1989 and 1990, and the Intercontinental Cup in 1989 and 1990. In 1989, Maldini received the Bravo Award as the best young player in European competitions.
More Success with "The Invincibles" (1991–1996)
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. This team was called "The Invincibles" because they went 58 league matches without losing, which was an Italian record. Milan won three Serie A titles in a row under Capello in the early 1990s.
Maldini helped Milan reach three UEFA Champions League finals in a row. They lost the 1993 final but won the 1994 final against Barcelona. Even though key players were missing, Maldini helped the defense keep a clean sheet, and Milan won 4–0.
After winning his third Champions League title and reaching the 1994 World Cup final, 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 usually get less attention than goal scorers. He also finished third in the 1994 Ballon d'Or award.
In the next season, Milan won the Supercoppa Italiana and the European Super Cup. Maldini won his fifth Serie A title in the 1995–96 season.
Becoming Captain and Winning Again (1996–2001)
After many older players retired, Milan had some tough seasons. In 1997, Maldini became Milan's captain. Even though the team struggled, Maldini led them to the Coppa Italia final in 1998. They also won the 1998–99 Serie A title under coach Alberto Zaccheroni.
A New Era of Success (2001–2007)
Under coach Carlo Ancelotti, Milan became a top team in Italy and Europe again. In the 2001–02 season, Milan finished fourth, qualifying for the Champions League. In 2002, Maldini received an award for his great career and character. The next season, Maldini played with strong defenders like Alessandro Nesta and Cafu.
Milan won the 2002–03 Champions League with Maldini as captain. This was his first time lifting the trophy as captain. They beat Juventus in the final on 28 May 2003. It was special because his father, Cesare, had also lifted the European Cup as Milan's captain exactly 40 years earlier. Maldini was named Man of the Match in the final.
The next season, Milan won the 2003 UEFA Super Cup. Maldini finished third in the 2003 Ballon d'Or award again. He then led Milan to win the Serie A title with a record 82 points. In 2004, Maldini was included in the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living footballers, chosen by Pelé. He was also named Serie A Defender of the Year in 2004.
In the 2004–05 season, Milan finished second in Serie A. They reached the Champions League final but lost to Liverpool on penalties, even though Maldini scored in the first minute. In 2005, he was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFPro World XI.
In the 2006–07 season, Maldini captained Milan to their third Champions League final in six years. They beat Liverpool 2–1 in the final in Athens, getting revenge for their 2005 loss. At 38, Maldini became the oldest captain to lift the Champions League trophy. He played in eight Champions League finals in his career, winning five of them. Maldini was named the UEFA Club Defender of the Year for his performances in 2007.
In 2007, Milan won the FIFA Club World Cup. Maldini became the first European captain to lift this trophy. He had planned to retire at the end of the 2007–08 season, but he decided to play one more year.
Final Years and Retirement (2008–2009)
On 16 February 2008, Maldini played his 1,000th professional career game. Most of these games (861) were with Milan. In 2008, Maldini received the FIFA Order of Merit and the Giacinto Facchetti award for his skill and fair play.
On 18 April 2009, Maldini announced he would retire at the end of the 2008–09 season. On 17 May 2009, he played his 900th official match for Milan. His last game at San Siro, Milan's home stadium, was on 24 May. He received a standing ovation from the fans. His very last game as a player was on 31 May 2009, a 2–0 win against Fiorentina. This win helped Milan qualify for the Champions League. Milan retired his number 3 shirt, saying it could be given to one of his sons if they play for the club's senior team.
In August 2009, UEFA gave Maldini an award for his amazing career. In November 2009, a Spanish sports newspaper also honored him with the "Marca Leyenda" prize.
International Career with Italy
Early Days and 1990 World Cup
In 1986, Maldini joined the Italian under-21 national team, coached by his father, Cesare Maldini. He played 12 games and scored five goals for the youth team.
Maldini made his debut for the senior Italy team on 31 March 1988, at age 19. He played in all four of Italy's games at UEFA Euro 1988, where they reached the semi-finals. He was the youngest player to play for Italy in a European Championship at that time.
Maldini played in his first World Cup in 1990, which was held in Italy. He played in all seven of Italy's matches. He was part of a defense that set a FIFA World Cup record by not letting in a goal for five games in a row. Italy reached the semi-finals but lost to Argentina on penalties. Italy finished third after beating England. Maldini was chosen for the Team of the Tournament.
1994 World Cup Final and Becoming Captain
Maldini scored his first goal for Italy in his 44th game, in a friendly match against Mexico in 1993. He was named vice-captain for Italy at the 1994 World Cup. He played in all seven of Italy's matches, sometimes as a centre-back and sometimes as a full-back. He helped Italy reach the final, where they played against Brazil. Maldini helped Italy keep a clean sheet in the final, but the team lost on penalties. He was again named in the Team of the Tournament.
After Franco Baresi retired from international football in 1994, Maldini became Italy's full-time captain. Italy had a disappointing Euro 1996 and was eliminated in the group stage.
At the 1998 World Cup in France, Italy started strong. Maldini played in all five of Italy's matches. He helped the defense keep clean sheets in several games. However, Italy lost to the host nation, France, on penalties in the quarter-finals. This was the third World Cup in a row where Italy lost on penalties.
Euro 2000 Final and Fourth World Cup
Maldini played his 100th game for Italy in 1999. The next year, Italy reached the final of Euro 2000. They lost to France in extra time. Maldini played in all six of Italy's matches. The Italian defense, with Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, and Alessandro Nesta, only let in two goals before the final. Italy reached the final after beating the Netherlands on penalties. Even though Maldini missed his penalty, Italy won the shootout. France scored a late goal to tie the final, then won with a "golden goal" in extra time. Maldini was chosen for the team of the tournament in all three European Championships he played in.
On 7 October 2000, Maldini became Italy's most capped player ever, playing his 113th game. He played in his fourth World Cup, and his second as captain, at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. 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 scored seven goals for Italy. He was captain for over half of his 16 years with the national team, wearing the armband a record 74 times. Even though he was a great player, he never won a trophy with Italy. Maldini played in 23 World Cup matches, which is the third-highest total ever. He also held the record for most minutes played in World Cups (2,217 minutes) until Lionel Messi broke it in 2022.
In 2009, Italy's coach offered Maldini a chance to play one last game for the national team, but Maldini declined.
After Retirement
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After retiring, Maldini said he wouldn't become a coach. He was offered a coaching job at Chelsea by his former coach Carlo Ancelotti, but he turned it down.
In 2012, Maldini was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. He also played in charity football matches, like the "Match Against Poverty" in 2014, with other famous players like Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. In May 2015, Maldini became a co-owner of the North American Soccer League (NASL) club Miami FC. In 2016, he received the One Club Award from Spanish club Athletic Bilbao for playing his entire career with one club.
Tennis Career
In June 2017, Maldini and his tennis partner qualified for a professional tennis tournament in Milan. They lost in the first round. Maldini said it was his last professional tennis match.
Executive Career
In August 2018, Maldini returned to AC Milan as the sporting director. This was his first role at the club since he retired as a player. On 14 June 2019, he was promoted to technical director.
Milan won the 2021–22 Serie A title, their first since 2011. Maldini helped sign key players for this winning team, including Théo Hernandez, Pierre Kalulu, Rafael Leão, Olivier Giroud, Fikayo Tomori, and Mike Maignan. Maignan was named the Best Goalkeeper of the 2021–22 season, and Leão was named the MVP of the season.
On 1 July 2022, Maldini's contract was extended for two more years. On 17 November 2022, he was recognized as Sporting Director of the Year at the 2022 Globe Soccer Awards. However, on 6 June 2023, Milan ended his contract.
Player Profile
How Maldini Played
Maldini was right-footed but played as a left-back for most of his career. His coach, Arrigo Sacchi, moved him to the left side because Mauro Tassotti played on the right.
Maldini was known for his great skills in the air, his sliding tackles, speed, and stamina. He was also good at attacking, scoring and assisting many goals. In his later years, as he became slower, he moved to a centre-back position. Here, he used his experience and tackling skills to stop attackers.
He was very smart tactically and could predict what opponents would do. Even though he was a strong tackler, he often avoided unnecessary challenges. He preferred to stop opponents by being in the right position. His excellent passing also allowed him to play as a sweeper.
Maldini's Legacy
Maldini is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time. He is known as "an icon and gentleman of the game." He was calm and composed on the field, good at reading the game, and very disciplined. He only received three red cards in his entire career. In a 2002 FIFA poll, Maldini was named in the FIFA World Cup Dream Team.
Maldini was the first defender to be a finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, finishing second in 1995. He also finished third in the Ballon d'Or in 1994 and 2003. Besides his team's success, he won many individual awards, like the UEFA Defender of the Year and the World Soccer Player of the Year. He was also named in the UEFA Team of the Year and the World Cup Team of the Tournament. He was famous for playing for a very long time, starting as a teenager and playing until he was 41.
Throughout his career, Maldini was a strong leader and captain for Milan and Italy. He was called "Il Capitano" (The Captain) because of his leadership. He played over 1,000 professional games. He held the record for most Serie A appearances until 2020, and he still holds the record for most appearances for Milan in all competitions. Maldini also played in a joint-record eight European Cup/UEFA Champions League finals. He held the record for most games for Italy (126 caps) until 2009. He also held the record for most games as Italy's captain (75) until he was surpassed. Maldini has inspired many other famous defenders.
Media Appearances
Maldini appeared in commercials for the sports company Nike. He wore Nike Tiempo football boots at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In 1996, he was in a Nike commercial called "Good vs Evil," where footballers played against demonic warriors.
Maldini has also been in EA Sports' FIFA video game series. He was on the cover of the Italian version of FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 and was a Legend in FIFA 14.
Personal Life
Paolo Maldini was born on 26 June 1968 in Milan. In December 1994, he married Adriana Fossa, a former model. They have two sons, Christian (born 1996) and Daniel (born 2001). Both of his sons played for AC Milan's youth teams. His father, Cesare Maldini, was also a famous defender and captain for Milan and Italy. Cesare also coached Paolo for the Italy under-21 team, the senior Italy team, and Milan. Cesare passed away in 2016.
Maldini and his former teammate Christian Vieri have a fashion brand called Sweet Years. Maldini is a Roman Catholic.
Honours and Awards
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
- 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
Individual Awards
- 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
- FIFA World Player of the Year silver award: 1995
- Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2002
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2002
- UEFA Champions League final Man of the Match: 2003
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2005
- Serie A Defender of the Year: 2004
- FIFA 100
- FIFPro World XI: 2005
- UEFA Club Defender of the Year: 2007
- Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti: 2008
- FIFA Order of Merit: 2008
- Marca Leyenda: 2009
- Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012
- World Soccer Greatest XI of all time: 2013
- One Club Man Award: 2016
- Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020
- Globe Soccer Awards Sporting Director of the Year: 2022
Records
- Most appearances for Milan in all competitions: 902
- Second-most Serie A appearances: 647
- Most league appearances for Milan: 647
- Most seasons played in Serie A: 25 (shared with Francesco Totti)
- Most seasons played in Serie A for the same club (Milan): 25
- Most UEFA club competitions appearances for Milan: 174
- Most finals played in UEFA Champions League: 8 (shared with Francisco Gento)
- Longest-serving player for Milan: 24 years and 132 days
- Most FIFA World Cup appearances for Italy: 23
- Fastest goal scored in UEFA Champions League final history: 50 seconds (2005)
- Oldest player to score a goal in UEFA Champions League final history: 36 years and 333 days (2005)
- Most European/UEFA Super Cup titles: 4 (shared with Dani Alves)
- Most European/UEFA Super Cup final appearances: 5 (shared with Dani Alves)
- Most appearances for a single Italian club: 902 (with Milan)
Images for kids
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Maldini in 2018
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Maldini lifting the European Cup for Milan after winning the 2003 UEFA Champions League final
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Maldini celebrating the 2007 UEFA Champions League triumph with his Milan teammates. At 38, he was the oldest captain to lift the trophy.
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Maldini playing for Milan in 2008
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Maldini's Italy jersey from the 1990 FIFA World Cup, located in the Football Museum in Florence
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Maldini in 2013
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Maldini in a 2014 charity match
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Maldini's Milan jersey next to Dejan Savićević's number 10 in the San Siro museum
See also
In Spanish: Paolo Maldini para niños
