“It’s a rule that applies above all to Italy, I would never be able to see myself in a club other than Milan.” Paolo Maldini closes the door to any managerial adventure that is not linked to the club that made him great. There is therefore no possibility of seeing it elsewhere, with the former Milan manager also speaking about what Milan represents for him: “It was something present before I was born, my dad was a footballer for Milan. It’s my city’s team , the environment where I grew up. I started playing at ten and stopped at forty-one, it goes beyond cheering or work: it’s extreme passion. The relationship there goes beyond the eras I’ve gone through this great club. Every team can make the fan claim something special, we AC Milan fans have a glorious past with failures, but in the end it is easier for the fans to remember the bad moments and then go back to the good ones: us in this we were masters, Milan’s rebounds over the years have been sensational.”
Temptations from other teams as a footballer?
“No, there were some delicate moments within my club. Things weren’t going well and there was bitterness on my part, which however led me to try to improve things. To leave there must be a team that he asks you, your will and that of the club: these three things never came together no to Real Madrid. It’s difficult to say no: it can only happen if you’re not happy at Milan, in those years Milan was the team reference. Ballon d’Or? I don’t think about injustices in my career, it’s an individual award that wasn’t part of the goals I set for myself. It wasn’t a certification, for me I’m the biggest loser in history? It’s a broad discussion, of course only that phrase is taken, victories come through defeats, I’ve lost many finals and I’ve played just as many and won them, the same thing can be said of Federer or a great tennis player, it’s a broad discussion, I can’t consider myself a loser in life.”
As a manager, however, the negotiations with PSG.
“I never said no, before Milan I was in Paris three times and I had given my availability, then it didn’t go ahead; thinking about it now it was a good thing, I would have joined a club that was still evolving greatly, in a country I didn’t know, with a language I didn’t know. My first ten months as a manager were learning, I felt inadequate, I was learning and I couldn’t determine something. Leonardo laughed, he told me that I would slowly realize of my impact. It was a blessing to start working with him.”
Finally, Maldini’s words also on Inter, champions of Italy.
“What happened is very indicative. Inter has a sporting structure that determines the future of the sporting area. It was rewarded with long-term contracts, there was an idea of strategy. It is no coincidence that the Napoli went badly after the departures of the coach and sporting director, sometimes the players are considered as machines that have to produce something, but to do so they need people to help them do it I think it’s still something unexpressed in football both in Italy and worldwide, we forget that they are young guys who need support and someone who tells them things like they are, it’s not always easy to talk to them about it. Can the past be scary? Sometimes yes, but having a great past as a footballer doesn’t necessarily have to give you a present as a manager. They are two completely different jobs, until you try it you don’t know when they don’t give you the opportunity it’s probably because your past is cumbersome and people know it. That’s what I’ve always said, when they called me I said: “Are you sure?”, because you have to know the pros and cons. I like to play cards face up.”