Paolo Maldini

Paolo Cesare Maldini was born in Milan in 1968, the son of AC Milan captain Cesare Maldini, and joined the club's youth academy at ten.

Paolo Cesare Maldini was born in Milan in 1968, son of AC Milan captain Cesare Maldini, and joined the club's academy at ten. His entire 25-year professional career was spent at AC Milan (1985–2009), making 902 appearances — all of them — across seven Serie A titles, 5 Champions Leagues and 29 major trophies. He scored 33 goals and kept 423 clean sheets across his career. He earned 126 Italy caps scoring 7 international goals, captaining his country at four World Cups and reaching the 1994 final. His top speed of 29.5 km/h and 11.2 km covered per game reflected his athleticism as a defender. He was UEFA Defender of the Year three times and named in the UEFA Golden Jubilee poll as one of the 50 best European players of the past 50 years. His reading of the game was so advanced he rarely needed to make sliding challenges — opponents were dispossessed through positioning alone. He captained Milan to Champions League titles in 2003 and 2007. He made his Serie A debut at 16 and played his final match aged 40. His partnership with Alessandro Costacurta was Italy's most dominant defensive unit across 15 years. He later became sporting director at AC Milan, helping rebuild them to a first Serie A title since 2011 in 2022.

Elegant left-back and centre-back with exceptional pace, technique and leadership

Considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and symbol of AC Milan loyalty

• Champions League 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007
• Serie A 7x
• Coppa Italia 1x
• Supercoppa Italiana 5x
• Intercontinental Cup 1989, 1990
• UEFA Defender of the Year 1994
• Ballon d'Or runner-up 1994
• FIFA World Cup runner-up 1994
• UEFA European Championship runner-up 2000

Club Career

Club	Period	Apps	Goals	Shirt
AC Milan	1984–2009	902	4	#3
Italy	—	126	7	—