Maldini, Paolo (1968– )
Italian footballer. A tall, left-sided defender, he made his international debut in 1988 at the age of 18, and during his career won a record 126 Italian caps, scoring 7 goals. One of the game's greatest defenders, he was a member of the Italian side that reached the 1994 World Cup final, and he also played in the 1990, 1998, and 2002 finals. An AC Milan first team player since the age of 16, he won the Italian league championship seven times and the European Cup five times.
Career highlights
International appearances (1988–2002)
126 (7 goals)
Italian League Championship
1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2003
Italian Cup
2003
European Cup
1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007
FIFA Club World Cup
2007
Awards
World Soccer Player of the Year
1994
Maldini has played more Italian league games in Serie A than any other player and also holds the record number of games played for AC Milan. In 2007, his eighth European Cup final appearance equalled Francisco Gento's record, while his fifth victory in the competition is one short of Gento's total, who won six times with Real Madrid 1956–66.
| As captain, Maldini led Italy to the final of the 2000 European Championships, in which they lost in extra time to France. Maldini's father, Cesare Maldini, also played for AC Milan and Italy; he was Italy's national coach 1996–98 before becoming coach of Paraguay. |
