📍Milan, Lombardy, Italy
1968 – 1985“Paolo Maldini was born in Milan in June 1968 into a family where football was a way of life. His father, Cesare, had captained AC Milan to the club's first European Cup in 1963 and won four league titles with the club, and was two years into retirement when Paolo was born; he later coached Milan and the Italian national team. Paolo grew up in Milan, and the only record of his father's playing days in the house was three albums of newspaper cuttings that a friend had collected. Paolo dreamed of being as good as his father, though he knew little about him as a player. He played in local parish teams around Milan and, for a while, in goal at school, but at about ten his athletic and technical promise was clear. Aware that the Maldini name could be a burden, Cesare offered to take him for a trial and let him choose between Inter and Milan, and Paolo chose Milan without hesitation, wanting to play in the red and black like his father. Cesare drove him to training at the club and talked to him about positioning and the work the game demanded. He made his first-team debut at sixteen, against Udinese, in January 1985, and became one of the greatest defenders of all time. He played his whole twenty-five-year career for Milan, winning seven league titles and five European Cups, and captained Italy. Like his father, he lifted the European Cup as Milan captain, and his son Daniel later played for Milan too, making three generations of Maldinis in red and black.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today