Author: Amrit Santlani
Serie A giants AC Milan have parted company with their former idol Paolo Maldini, who was acting as the club’s technical director.
Maldini famously captained Milan to many titles in his playing days, but the veteran was recently sacked by the club. Having played a key role in Milan winning their first Serie A title in 2022 for over a decade, there have been reports of friction between the club legend and new owner Gerry Cardinale.
AC Milan’s 2022-23 season ended recently when they finished fourth and secured a Champions League place for the next stage, although they were beaten 3-0 on aggregate by rivals Inter Milan in the UCL semi-final.
The Italian club issued a statement following Maldini’s dismissal.
“AC Milan have announced that Paolo Maldini will be leaving the club on June 5, 2023. We thank him for his years of service in the role, contributing to a return to the Champions League and winning the Scudetto in 2021-22. Your day-to-day duties will be carried out by a team that works closely with the main team manager, reporting to the CEO“, says the statement.
The Italian defender, considered one of the greatest of his generation, oversaw the arrival of many important players who are part of Milan’s current backbone, such as Rafael Leão, Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud.
Having spent his entire playing career with Milan, Maldini won 26 trophies with the club, making an incredible 901 appearances, winning seven Serie A titles and five Champions League and European Cup titles.
Curiously, Maldini’s father, Cesare, was also a club legend, scoring 467 goals before becoming Milan’s coach in two spells, while his son, Daniel, also plays for the Italian giants, but was loaned out to Spezia last season.
The 54-year-old reportedly had a disagreement with Cardinale over the club’s transfer negotiations, as Maldini insisted that the team needed more players to compete with the likes of Inter and Napoli next term.
The move came as a shock to many players and fans, given the legendary figure’s popularity in the Italian capital.