Paolo Maldini (born June 26, 1968 in Milan) is an Italian football player.
Maldini is a defender and predominantly plays the position of left
back, although he sometimes plays at centre back.
Throughout his
long career, he has remained with A.C. Milan. He is arguably the
best defender the world has ever seen, and will undoubtably go down
as one of the world's greats.
Maldini's Serie A debut came in 1985. He has had a glittering career
to date, winning many trophies with Milan (as of 2005, those include
seven Serie A titles and four European Cups). One of the great defenders
of all time, he was arguably the best defender in the world at the peak
of his career, and remains well known for influential captaincy, ice
cool temperament and flawless defending.
Maldini is Italy's most capped player. However, he never managed to
win a trophy at the international level despite playing in the 1994 World
Cup final and the 2000 European Championship Final. He retired from the
national team after 2002 World Cup finishing his successful career with
126 caps and 7 goals. Maldini also played in the 1990 and 1998 World
Cups, Euro 88, and Euro 96.
Maldini also set a new record in Champions League by scoring after only
51 seconds in the final against Liverpool FC in 2005.
There was a public appeal in Italy for Maldini to come out of retirement
for the 2004 European Championship, but he rejected the appeal for "personal
reasons". Paolo's father, Cesare, also captained A.C. Milan in the
1960's, lifting the Champions Cup in 1963.
