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Paolo Maldini (born June 26 1968 in Milan ) is an Italian Footballer who plays for A.C. Milan . He is also a former Italian National Team Captain and the Most Capped Player for Italy with 126 Caps . Maldini has played in eight Champions League finals (six under its current format) since the inception of the tournament - equalling Francisco Gento 's record and more than any other active player. He is the son of Cesare Maldini . Maldini is a defender who now predominantly plays the position of Centre Back although he sometimes plays at Left Back which is his original position in the team. Throughout his long career, he has remained a One-club Man with A.C. Milan, where he holds the current captaincy, and has currently made the most appearances for the club (as well as any player in Serie A) after having passed Franco Baresi 's record of 512. He made his Serie A debut on January 20 , 1985 in a 1-1 away tie to Udinese , under Nils Liedholm 's spell as AC Milan boss, and reached his 600th Serie A appearance (not including playoff matches) on May 13 , 2007 , in another 1-1 away tie, this time to Catania .1 Maldini is widely regarded as the best defender of his era and one of the greatest Defenders of all time. Approaching 40 years of age, he is still playing at the very highest level, which is confirmed by his inclusion in the FIFPro World XI in 2005 , his nomination to the UEFA Champions League 2004-2005 most valuable defender title, second place in Golden Foot nominations in 2005, a top-ten finish in the voting for the 2005 FIFA World Player Of The Year , and a UEFA Champions League victory in 2007 with a Best Defender of the tournament award given by UEFA. CLUB CAREER Maldini's Serie A debut came on January 20 , 1985 against Udinese , replacing Sergio Battistini as a half-time Substitute .2 He made no further appearances that season, but established himself as first choice left-back in the 1985-86 Season . His first major honour with Milan was the 1987-88 '' Scudetto '' (league championship).3 He has had a glittering career to date, winning multiple trophies with Milan, including seven Serie A titles and five European Cup s as of 2007. Maldini was also part of AC Milan's undefeated ''Dream Team'' in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Maldini set two records in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool F.C. in Istanbul ; he scored the fastest ever goal in a European Cup / Champions League final by volleying the ball in at the edge of the area after 51 seconds of play, and also became the oldest to score in a Champions League Final. Paolo's father, Cesare , also captained A.C. Milan in the 1960s , lifting the European Cup in 1963 . On , 2007 , Maldini has appeared in 600 Serie A matches. In November 2005, he announced plans to retire from playing professional football at the end of the 2006/07 season; however, he might re-consider it should he still be able to maintain his superb defensive skills. His contract with Milan ends in 2008. When he retires from playing professional football the Number 3 shirt for AC Milan will also be retired in his honour. If in future one of his sons play professional football at AC Milan they will be given this number.45 His eldest son is 12 and currently playing for the Milan junior team. World Player of the Year Award In 1994, Maldini was the first defender ever to win the final, as ''"the peak of my career so far"'', though he singled out AC Milan captain Franco Baresi as a player who ''"really deserves to receive the sort of award I have received"''. On May 22nd, 2007, the eve of the Champions League final against Liverpool FC , French sports daily L'Equipe dedicated its front page to Maldini, declaring that he ought to receive the prestigious Ballon D'Or prize for the best European Footballer of the Year. INTERNATIONAL CAREER Maldini is the most capped player in Italy and captained the national team for more than half of his international career. However, he never managed to win a trophy at the international level despite playing in the 1994 World Cup final and the 2000 European Championship Final . Maldini also played in the 1990 and 1998 World Cups (coached by his father Cesare ), Euro 88 , and Euro 96 . He retired from the national team after 2002 World Cup finishing his career with 126 caps and 7 goals (74 caps as captain). There was a public appeal in Italy, as well as an appeal from then national team coach Giovanni Trapattoni , for Maldini to come out of international retirement for the 2004 European Championship , but Maldini refused for personal reasons. CAREER STATISTICS Honours
Maldini has played in eight European Cup and Champions League finals (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2005 and 2007), a record jointly held with Francisco Gento ; Maldini has five winners' medals (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2007). Club performance6 International goals REFERENCES |
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