Something quite extraordinary happened today and it something that really deserves an incredible amount of attention from any right minded football loving soul on planet earth.
If there is a footballer who has achieved more in the modern era than Italian and AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini then I would like to buy that man a very large drink because it would take a herculean effort to surpass the silverware glittering career of the 40 year old Milan born veteran. To list his achievements would take an article in itself but suffice to say an abridged version of his successes would read 7 Serie A titles, 5 Champions League medals and a World Cup to boot.
Paolo made his AC Milan debut in January 1985 as a fresh faced 16 year old hoping to eek out a career with the club who his father Cesare had represented with aplomb and today he lead out his side for his 900 appearance for the San Siro outfit in what turned out to be a hugely emotional occasion which in footballing terms ended in 3-2 defeat at the hands of Roma but that didn’t take the gloss off the celebrations that ensued as the final whistle rang out and ended the legendary figure’s glittering career.
What will be remembered as fondly as the consistency of the defender is also his generous nature and his infectious enthusiasm that seemed to win over almost all he came up against and the club has retired his number 3 shirt in his honour and will only restore it to the squad if one of his sons one day plays for the club. His eldest son Christian already represents the club’s youth system so expect another Maldini to be seen steaming playing for the Rossoneri before too long.