Paolo Maldini

Who is Paolo Maldini?

Paolo Cesare Maldini 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 24 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 the Champions League five times, as well as seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, five European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups. He played for 14 years for the Italian national team, making his debut in 1988 before retiring in 2002 with 126 caps and four World Cup participations.

He is regarded to be one of the greatest defenders of all time. Maldini 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. He came second to George Weah for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 1995, the closest a defender had ever come to winning the award until Fabio Cannavaro, a fellow Italian, won the award in 2006. He was chosen as a defender on FIFA Dream Team of the history of World Cups, and in 2004 was named as one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.