“Paolo has a good serve, along with some decent shots,” professional tennis player Stefano Landonio told UBI tennis. “He is also improving in his volleys. I don’t think he has any particular weak spots in his game. He’s quick on the court and I think he could play on a par with a 3.5, maybe 3.4.”
Surprising as it may be, he was talking about legendary former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini, who celebrates his 49th birthday today. The fact that Maldini is returning to professional sport at this age, is testament to his exemplary attitude before and since his playing days.
Indeed, that dedication saw the defender – widely regarded as one of the best of all time – play on until the age of 41, after having begun his professional Rossoneri career back in 1985. This one-club man made 902 appearances at club level, winning an incredible 26 trophies in his 25 seasons with Milan.
Wish five-time #UCL winner Paolo Maldini a happy birthday! 🎉🎁🎂
With Silvio Berlusconi at the helm, those glory years saw the San Siro outfit win six league titles, and a staggering five Champions League victories, as Milan dominated European football in a 22-year period. The captain would also lift the Supercoppa Italiana and European Super Cup on five separate occasions, also adding two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup to the total list of trophies won during a glittering career.
- Maldini: 5
- Ajax: 4
- Man Utd: 3
- Inter: 3
- Juve: 2
Happy Birthday Il Capitano
#ACMilan
It was a different story for his country however, Italy failing to win a trophy with Maldini in the side. His 2002 retirement occurred four years before the Azzurri triumphed over France in the 2006 final, but his commitment to the national team was unwavering. The defender wore the captain’s armband on no less than 74 occasions out of a total of 126 international caps and reached the final of the World Cup in 1994 and the European Championships in 2000.
“If I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake,” Maldini once said. His views show typical perfectionism, and when this elegant defender did have to intervene, he always did so with strength and impeccable timing. Always leading by example, countless numbers of his team-mates benefited from his consummate professionalism towards the game, another contributing factor towards his greatness.
Even Carles Puyol admitted to having been inspired by Maldini, the former Barcelona defender having written an open letter to his idol upon his retirement from football.
"Dear Paolo,” he wrote.
“I know that, as players, we all end up hanging up our boots sooner or later. I didn't think you ever would though. You are the great Maldini, invincible. Even at 40, you had not lost your competitive edge.
I was a kid when you started playing professionally and I have admired you ever since. They say that, as we grow up, we forget our idols. That hasn't been the case for me. My respect for you has only increased over time.
Your defensive concepts, your positioning, your (always sporting) aggression are all things I admired about you... But mostly I admired the way you live football, with such intensity and with exemplary sportsmanship, something I, in my small way, have tried to mirror at Barça.
You never made any inappropriate comments and I don't remember any dirty tackles from you either. You've proved that you don't need to resort to violence to be one of the best defenders in history.
In short, football won't be the same without Maldini. Thank you very much for all you have given to football and for being who you are.”
It takes one to know one, people often say. And here, Carles Puyol has perfectly summed up the memory of Paolo Maldini’s playing career that so many of us share. Milan may have retired the famous number 3 jersey, but his legend continues to live on.
