Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is a former Italian footballer who played as a left or central defender, being adept with either foot although naturally right-footed. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club. During that period, he won 26 trophies with Milan: the Champions League five times, as well as seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppe Italiane, five European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Maldini is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. He played at a world class level for his entire career spanning two and a half decades, and won the Best Defender trophy at the UEFA Club Football Awards at the age of 39 I always found it very difficult when I came up against Paolo Maldini. He was the best defender I faced over the course of my career. He definitely deserved to win the award [FIFA World Player of the Year] several times over. — Ronaldo He has been known for his calm and correct behaviour on the pitch, preferring elegance and intelligence to physicality and aggression when defending, and only having picked up a single red card throughout his footballing career, Senior Career "Appeaarance (Goals)" 1985–2009 Milan 647 (29) National Career 1986–1988 Italy U21 12 (5) 1988–2002 Italy 126 (7) |
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