In a recent interview at Coverciano during the Nereo Rocco Award ceremony, Paolo Maldini, the legendary AC Milan captain and former technical director, shared his thoughts on various football topics, carefully sidestepping direct questions about his former club.
Maldini began by discussing the Italian national team, emphasizing the need for patience and balance. He stated, “Sometimes it takes patience, sometimes balance. Two missed World Cup qualifications have had an impact on the perception of our football’s value. Italy will always be a protagonist, and the success against France will have done a lot of good for the environment.”
Regarding Serie A, Maldini expressed his appreciation for the league: “Do I like it? I like it, without a doubt. It’s a not-too-considered championship, but in terms of technical, tactical, and knowledge levels, it’s in the top 3.”
When asked about the current Serie A title contenders, Maldini said, “It’s the usual situation. Inter is the best-equipped team, then there have been many changes in the various opponents that need a little time to put the team together.”
Maldini also commented on Yacine Adli’s move to Fiorentina: “He found little space at Milan in the first year, last year more: I believe he can give a lot to Fiorentina, he has great geometry and is a high-level guy.”
When questioned about his current lifestyle, Maldini assured, “No, I’m not bored at home. In the end, my career was long and demanding, including as a director. These rest periods are also healthy.”
Interestingly, when the interviewer noted that no questions about Milan were being asked, Maldini simply replied, “Rightly so.”
Maldini also spoke about his son, Daniel Maldini: “I know him well, I’ve always had few doubts. There are players who are precocious and others who are late bloomers, he probably belongs to the latter category. He undoubtedly has a quality that is not common in kicking, in seeing the game, and physically he has grown. There are those who explode at 16, those a little later, now is the time to show what he’s worth and I think he’s doing it.”
Finally, when asked about which teams could challenge Inter for the title, Maldini said, “Milan finished second so it’s another candidate, Juventus without a doubt, Napoli, Roma has had an excellent transfer market. It’s always those teams that will fight for the final victory.”
