Milan, Maldini: “Donnarumma was in a hurry. San Siro my home, but …”

“In the beginning, every night I went home and told my wife it was a disaster. Leonardo wanted me with him and I repeated to him that I felt useless. I didn’t understand the administrative part of the job, I wondered what I was doing there . I have to feel like a protagonist “. It is a Paolo Maldini with an open heart, the one who tells “Sette” in a long interview. The Rossoneri legend – first extraordinary champion on the pitch, now technical director – thus explains the great difficulties initially encountered in the transition from the field to the desk. “Then Leonardo decided to go to PSG? – he continues -. ‘What the f … are you saying Leo?’, Was my reply. for the first time at ease. I was back in a situation where I had no one to shield me. What I have always been looking for. I am very grateful to Leonardo, the apprenticeship with him was fundamental. We talk often “.

Stadium

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Today Maldini works in a Milan forced to focus on what happens off the pitch. Like the question of the stadium: “Farewell to San Siro? I believe and hope it can be like this – assures Paolo -. It makes an impression, I realize it. Me too. My father played it, I played it, he plays it. my son. It was my home. If we put it into my memories, who more than me could feel hurt by such an epochal change? San Siro is a piece of Milan’s history. But if it has become such an iconic place, it owes it to businesses of the clubs and players who played there. We need to think about this. If we want Milan and Inter to return to the top levels of European football, writing beautiful pages like those of San Siro, we can only have a new stadium. The alternatives they do not exist. This is not an opinion, it is a certainty. I don’t want to erase a wonderful past. I just like to look ahead. It’s a bit like the idea of ​​my life. “

Italian football

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Then the reflection widens to the general moment of Italian football. “Thinking of returning to the domination of the beginning of the millennium is unreal. There will be no more owners like Berlusconi or Moratti. Finance says it, how the world is saying. And in the meantime the others, the Premier League but also the Bundesliga thanks to the 2006 World Cup, they organized themselves and overtook us, redesigning the stadiums. Which is the way to generate profit and become more competitive. Had we done it first, we would have remained competitive, as Juventus demonstrates. But it hasn’t happened so far. for the prevalence of particular interests. When it comes to Lega Calcio, a minimum of common vision would be needed, preferably in the long term. Investment in infrastructures is the only possible opportunity, if we want to return to large European companies. all that remains is to dream of the arrival of the charming prince “.

Gigio’s haste

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One of the thorniest chapters to face for the executive Maldini was the Donnarumma affair. “Sometimes I know I seem almost fatalistic – is the thought of the director -. Gianluigi Donnarumma is a beautiful person, full of emotions. I believe that in an ideal world the only real motivation of a football player should be passion. But if the your goal is to get a social ransom, and money to give to your family, who tightened their belts for you in your childhood years, those are motivations. To understand and respect. To achieve certain results and a certain stature as a player , sporting motivations are fundamental. It may happen that the needs of a player do not combine with those of a club. There are those who can wait, and those who are in a hurry. It is not up to me to judge certain choices. “

The crossroads as a child

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Maldini and Milan are one, considering that even dad Cesare wrote history there, and that both sons (Christian and Daniel) trained for the Rossoneri. “As a child, my father left me free to choose between Milan and Inter – Paolo says -. I was ten years old. We were in the kitchen, next to the balcony, in our old house in Città Studi. Maybe he was confident in my answer of a certain type. … He also asked me if I wanted to stay in the goal, I liked him a lot, or to be an outfield player. And since then, he never asked me to become someone. He always repeated to me what I say to Milan players today. this job? Give your best, respect the group and the people. Be honest and you will have no regrets. In the end, we are what our parents were, there is no escape from this destiny “.

At the top

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Maldini then relives his best memory in Europe: “The first victory in the European Cup, by gap. Barcelona, ​​1989, against Steaua Bucharest. Perhaps one of the last games in which the stadium was all with a team. Now there are fixed rules on capacity, there are no more blocks in the East, there is no longer Ceausescu. The city was invaded by our fans, it was a kind of exodus. Arriving at the stadium, both our bus and that of Steaua got stuck in the middle of this Rossoneri tide. The result was already written “.

Future

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The last look is ahead. Far ahead: “How do I see myself in 10 years? With white hair, I hope happy. As for this job, either I do it with Milan or I don’t. Maybe abroad, but honestly I should think about it. I’m happy to have had this opportunity. Because I know that if I hadn’t done it, I would always have had the regret of not having tried. Also for this reason, the future does not scare me. “