When Diego Maradona was the best striker in 1986, Paolo Maldini was the best young defender.
When Marco van Basten was the best striker in the 1990s, Paolo Maldini was the best young defender.
When Roberto Baggio was the best striker in 1993, Paolo Maldini was the best defender.
When Ronaldo de Lima was the best striker in 1998, Paolo Maldini was the best defender.
When Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the most talented names in 2005, Paolo Maldini was the best defender.
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Alessandro Nesta’s senior
Player who had a great influence on Kaká
In the early 2000s, Michael Owen, Gabriel Batistuta or David Trezeguet… were the best strikers, and Paolo Maldini was the best defender.
From Diego Maradona, Michael Platini, Ronaldo de Lima to later Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Francesco Totti, Fernando Torres, Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo… and Paolo Maldini is still the best defender.
Happy birthday 
Il Capitano – Paolo Maldini, immortal number 
at San Siro, the best left-back in human history!
In the eyes of Milan tifosi, Maldini is an immortal symbol, one of the best people in football history in the positions he played. He is the type of defender that needs to be cloned.
Football is very rich with ranks. There are people called “phenomena”, “aliens”, “emperors”, some “kings”… Next comes Maldini (Milan, June 26, 1968), who is called “Bello Paolo” (Beautiful Paolo) when he was young and one could not find the most suitable adjective for this particular case.
Paolo Maldini spent more than two decades playing professionally, with 25 seasons wearing only AC Milan’s shirt, with a career highly regarded for his determination and chivalry.
“Clonate Maldini” (let’s clone Maldini), that banner appeared in the stands in the last match that the great Paolo attended at San Siro, with more than 80,000 people.
Last May, 13 years after hanging up his boots, Maldini was the hero who brought Milan to the 19th Scudetto title. His love and football career were devoted to the Rossoneri.
Maldini, the living history of football
On January 20, 1985, Cesare Maldini – in his role as assistant coach of the Italian team – spent the afternoon in the cold stands of San Siro. Inter were playing and Enzo Bearzot, the great captain who took the Azzurri to the 1982 world championship, asked him to watch a young player.
It turned out that the young man was not registered. So, Cesare decided to leave and on the way home, while driving, he turned on the radio. “Here, Udine, there is something new: a very young Paolo Maldini is making his debut,” the announcer said on the radio. “Dear Mother Mary!”, the captain who lifted the first C1 Cup championship title in Milan’s history, in the 1962-63 season – exclaimed.
Before Milan went to Udine, the team did not have right back Mauro Tassotti and had only one solution left to replace Sergio Battistini. Coach Nils Liedholm announced that Paolo Maldini will be traveling with the team.
“If you could play, what position would you like to play?”, Liedholm asked. “Sir, in the right hallway, my natural position,” the young man replied. The next day, Maldini appeared on the bench in the match against host Udinese. At the end of the first half, Battistini was injured and the legendary Swedish coach looked at the bench: “Paolo, keep the right wing.”
The match score was 1-1, with a very normal Milan. The club ended the season in 5th place in Serie A.
Maldini did not know that the new president, Silvio Berlusconi, was about to arrive in Milan, nor did he imagine that the club was about to begin a sensational cycle, becoming a reference in world football for decades to come. Paolo – with his dexterity on both feet – in that debut, did not think that his life would become “unnatural”: the left-back position.
Fabio Capello is one of the people who had the biggest influence on Maldini’s career, with 3 years of training with the Primavera team (youth team). In 1987, not long after Berlusconi bought the club and before the arrival of the great Arrigo Sacchi, they worked together again when Capello briefly served as Milan’s interim coach.
Capello returned to the Milanello training center in 1991 and opened a brilliant period with Maldini as the main factor. In 5 years (until 1996, when Capello went to Juventus), Milan won 4 Scudetto titles (including 3 consecutive championships from 1992-1994), along with the 1993-94 Champions League championship with the final victory over “Dream”. Team” of Barcelona led by Johan Cruyff with a strong score of 4-0.
Today, after many different environments, Capello has not changed his view of Maldini: “The best defender”. Paolo also did not change his respect: “He is my teacher.”
“He played against me when he was 16 years old, but he looked like he was 19 years old. Paolo has spectacular physique,” Capello recalled. “There are people who say that Maldini plays football because he is Cesare’s son. No way! He completely deserves it. He is an extraordinary, complete player, one of those characters that All coaches want to own it.”
Capello emphasized: “Maldini is the living history of world football. A guy about whom I have never heard a complaint.”
Arrigo Sacchi – the architect of the 1989 and 1990 C1 Cups, whose pressing style is still a reference to this day – praised: “Paolo always seems very mature. He never causes difficulties for the team.” I”. Does Maldini learn things quickly? “He has a great physical condition. If God has given you such talent, it is completely normal that you are not normal,” the coach born in 1946 answered a journalist’s question.
“Paolo never had moments of weakness. He endured and kept everything to himself,” Franco Baresi, who gave the Milan captain’s armband to Maldini in 1997, said about his former teammate. “Despite his strong personality, on Sunday, at San Siro, I always noticed he was very emotional.”
“In the past 25 years, I have never seen my son cry even once because of football,” Cesare said at the time his son decided to retire in 2009. He also confided that without his wife, Mrs. Marialuisa Mazzucchelli (1935-2016), Paolo would not have had a happy childhood. “I’ve spent my life going from continent to continent in different roles.”
Cesare was at home when Paolo started playing soccer. “When he came home from school, the first thing my son asked for was a ball.” When Maldini was persuaded to play athletics because of his superior physical condition, the ball did not leave his feet. “Paolo has the ideal stride to run 200 meters, but he only loves football.”
Can the Maldini family live without football? a reporter asked. “Of course! Paolo never talked about football at home,” Cesare – who passed away in 2016, confided. That was the time that they, people who lived their whole lives with football and Milan, devoted entirely to their families.