At the time of this writing, a great Milan legend had passed away at the age of 84 on April 3rd, 2016. This is our tribute to Cesare Maldini, a man who dedicated his career to Milan and created one of the greatest and well known legacies known to Italian football.
When most hear the name Maldini today, they think of the most popular player in Milan history: Paolo Maldini. There was a time, however, when that name was prominent to another Maldini, his father Cesare. In Cesare’s most prosperous years he was himself a Milan player and a very good one at that. His time in Milan took place from 1954 to 1966, and he left quite a legacy. Out of his 14 or so years of playing professional soccer, he’d play 12 years for the Rossoneri! Not to mention he would also be a prominent member of the Azzurri and got to manage them as well. Not many players today could say that they managed and played for their respective football clubs at the national and international level.
During Cesare’s 347 appearances with the Rossoneri he would go on to win 4 scudetto, 1 European Cup (today’s equivalent of the UEFA Champions League Cup), and 1 Latin cup. He didn’t score that many goals, as you’d expect, but that was because he was a Defender (Center-back). His leadership and play-making skills promoted him to the title of Captain for Milan.
As a manager, his successes were a little less decorated, but he was certainly effective and better than most. As many players that played under his lead, they still are inspired by him today and he certainly has high regard by all Rossoneri and Azzurri fans alike. Although he did not win any cups for the Azzurri, his coaching ability had earned his team the U-21 European Championships in 1992, 1994, and 1996.
As a father, his legacy would pave the way for his son Paolo who would go on to be one of the greatest, possibly THE greatest Defender and Captain of Milan. Cesare’s 60 years of dedication to the sport would inspire not only his son, but his grandsons, as they have begun their journey in Milan’s youth club. If there’s anything that Cesare and Paolo taught us, is that the father-son legacy is strong with the Maldini name. There may be another father-son legacy that will live on with the Maldini family for years to come, possibly forever! At that, it would be another first for Cesare even in his passing, as the first father-son-grandson legacy.
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