(Football news) It was back in 1954 when a defender named Cesare Maldini arrived in Milan after a few years at Triestina. Before long, Cesare became the captain of the Rossoneri and led his side to four Serie A league titles and one European Cup during his twelve years at AC Milan, featuring in 412 appearances for the club in all competitions. Cesare Maldini is what one might describe as a Rolls Royce defender with excellent technique, dynamic passing range, good physical attributes and the ability to read the game well. For his contributions, he is still remembered as a world class defender and one of Italy’s greatest ever defensive players but his biggest gift was not the trophies he won for AC Milan, it was his son Paulo Maldini.
Paulo made his debut for AC Milan at the tender age of 16 on January 20th 1985. At his time at AC Milan, Paulo Maldini won five Champions League titles, 7 Scudetti, two Intercontinental Cups, one Club World Cup, five European Super Cups, five Italian SuperCups, a Coppa Italia and more individual accolades than can be counted. Paulo Maldini is regarded as one of the best left backs in his history of the game and just like his father, Paulo served as captain for both AC Milan and Italy and was fondly referred to as "Il Capitano" ("The Captain"). The defender won a total of 25 trophies in 25 years at Milan and when he finally retired in 2009, the Rossoneri retired the number 3 shirt in a fitting tribute to a player and captain who has given the club so much.
However, just like his father before him, the Maldini legacy continues to this day through Daniel Maldini, the third generation from his family to represent the Rossoneri. A product of Milan’s Youth Team since 2010, Daniel had been steadily rising through the ranks right from the Under-10 to Under-19 level until his senior debut in February 2020. In his first start for AC Milan, Daniel scored his first goal in a 2-1 away win against Spezia. Despite starting his career as a defender, just like his father and grandfather before him, Daniel plays as a free roaming attacking midfielder and is known for his playmaking skills, dribbles, vision and ball control. The 20 year old will undoubtedly hope that his career can be as successful as his father and grandfather in another illustrious period in the club’s history.
In an era of money and a lack of loyalty amongst footballers, the Maldini dynasty is something that can probably never be replicated at any other club. When Daniel made his sixth appearance for AC Milan, it also marked an important milestone as the Maldini family had made 1000 appearances in the Serie A for just one club. Given the number of matches that AC Milan have played in Serie A history, the ‘Maldini’ name has been at the back of a Rossoneri shirt for roughly a third of the club’s history. A staggering record to say the least and one that will be very difficult to replicate. The Maldini legacy continues at AC Milan for the foreseeable future and it’s a breath of fresh air in an industry that is increasingly becoming money oriented over old values such as loyalty, history and love.
