.jpg) Maldini in 1969 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cesare Maldini | ||
| Date of birth | (1932-02-05)5 February 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | Trieste, Kingdom of Italy | ||
| Date of death | 3 April 2016(2016-04-03) (aged 84) | ||
| Place of death | Milan, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1950–1952 | Triestina | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1952–1954 | Triestina | 32 | (0) |
| 1954–1966 | AC Milan | 347 | (3) |
| 1966–1967 | Torino | 33 | (0) |
| Total | 412 | (3) | |
| International career | |||
| 1960–1963 | Italy | 14 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1967–1972 | AC Milan (assistant manager) | ||
| 1972–1974 | AC Milan | ||
| 1974–1976 | Foggia | ||
| 1976–1977 | Ternana | ||
| 1978–1980 | Parma | ||
| 1980–1986 | Italy (assistant manager) | ||
| 1986–1996 | Italy U21 | ||
| 1996–1998 | Italy | ||
| 2001 | AC Milan (interim) | ||
| 2001–2002 | Paraguay | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cesare Maldini (Italian pronunciation:[ˈtʃeːzaremalˈdiːni,ˈtʃɛː-]; 5 February 1932 – 3 April 2016) was an Italian professionalfootballmanager andplayer who played as adefender.
Father toPaolo Maldini and grandfather toDaniel Maldini, Cesare began his career with Italian sideTriestina, before transferring toAC Milan in 1954, whom he captained to win fourSerie A league titles, oneEuropean Cup and oneLatin Cup during his twelve seasons with the club. He retired in 1967, after a season withTorino. Internationally, he played forItaly, earning 14 caps and participating in the1962 World Cup. He served as teamcaptain for both Milan and Italy.
As a manager, he also coached his former club Milan on two occasions, as well as Italian sidesFoggia,Ternana andParma. He had a successful career in charge of the Italyunder-21 side, winning theEuropean Under-21 Championship a record three consecutive times; he later also coached the Italy senior team at the1998 FIFA World Cup, and theParaguay national football team at the2002 FIFA World Cup.
The son of Albino Maldini, a sailor, and Maria Vodeb, Cesare Maldini was born inTrieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. His family was ofSlovenian descent.[1][2] He married Maria Luisa (Marisa; née Mazzucchelli, 1939–2016[3]) in 1962; together they had six children: three sons and three daughters.[4] One of his sons,Paolo, also had a successful football career as a defender with Milan,[5] and also once held the record for the mostcaps for the Italy national team (now third behindGianluigi Buffon andFabio Cannavaro). Paolo Maldini captained Milan to theUEFA Champions League title in2003 and2007, and won the trophy five times in total.[6] Maldini's grandsonsChristian[7] andDaniel played football in theMilan academy, with Christian last playing inSerie C and Daniel currently playing atAtalanta.[8][9][10]
The young Maldini also studied to be a dental technician in case he didn't succeed in Football.[11]
Maldini began his playing career with local sideTriestina, in 1952,[4] and made hisSerie A debut in his first season with the club, on 24 May 1953, in a 0–0 away draw againstPalermo.[12] After two seasons with Triestina, Maldini transferred toAC Milan in 1954, where he went on to achieve notable successes both domestically and internationally in the team's starting line-up, also becoming an important figure at the club.[13] He made his debut with the club on 19 September 1954, in a 4–0 league win over his former side, featuring in a Milan team which included several important players at the time, such asLorenzo Buffon,Francesco Zagatti,Nils Liedholm,Gunnar Nordahl, andJuan Alberto Schiaffino; he immediately broke into the first team and won hisfirst league title in his debut season with the squad.[12][14] In total, he made 347 appearances for Milan inSerie A, scoring 3 goals,[15] and made 412 appearances for the club in all competitions.[14][16] Maldini won four league titles with Milan, and also later became the team'scaptain in 1961, a role which he held for five years, until he left the club, and was succeeded byGianni Rivera. During his time with Milan, he won aLatin Cup in1956 and then went on to capture the club's first everEuropean Cup as team captain in1963, as Milan defeatedBenfica 2–1 atWembley Stadium on 22 May, with two goals fromJosé Altafini;[5][16][17][18] as a result, Milan became the first Italian side ever to win the trophy, while Maldini became the first Italian captain to lift the cup.[9][19] He made his final appearance for Milan on 22 May 1966, in a 6–1 home win overCatania, in Serie A.[12] In 1966 he moved toTorino for a season, before retiring in 1967;[8] he made his final Serie A appearance on 28 May, in a 2–1 away defeat toNapoli.[12]
At international level Maldini earned 14 caps for theItaly national football team between 1960 and 1963, also serving as the national team's captain between 1962 and 1963,[20] but was less successful than with Milan. He made his debut on 6 January 1960, in a 3–0 win overSwitzerland in the1955–60 Central European International Cup,[20][21] and later took part in the1962 FIFA World Cup with Italy, making two appearances in the competition.[18] The team suffered a disappointing andcontroversial first-round elimination, although he was named to the team of the tournament for his performances.[8][22] He made his final appearance for Italy in aEuropean championship qualifier in Moscow, in 1963, as Italy suffered a 2–0 away defeat to theSoviet Union.[4]
A commanding, elegant, and respecteddefender, with good physical attributes, excellent technique, passing range, and an ability to set the tempo of his team's play, Maldini was known for being strong in the air, and for his outstanding ability to read the game, time his challenges, and anticipate opponents; he is considered one of the greatest defenders of his generation, and one of Italy's best ever defenders. He was also highly regarded for his leadership, and consistency, as well as his discipline and class, both on and off the pitch; throughout his career, he only received five yellow cards and was sent off only once. A tactically versatile player, although he was usually used as a man-markingcentre-back, or as asweeper, he was also capable of functioning as afull-back on either side of the pitch, but was usually fielded on the right flank when played in this position; he was even used as adefensive midfielder on occasion, due to his tendency to advance into midfield when in possession of the ball and start attacking plays from the back.[4][5][15][16][23][24] Despite his reputation as a consistently world-class defender, in his early career Maldini was at times also known for being overly confident in possession, and for having a penchant to take risks when carrying or playing the ball out of the defence, due to his passing accuracy and ability on the ball; this tendency occasionally led to sporadic and atypical defensive errors, which were later humorously dubbedMaldinate by the Italian media.[25]
After retiring from playing Maldini became a coach, starting his career as an assistant manager forNereo Rocco at Milan in 1970, and later also coached the team between 1972 and 1974, while Rocco served as the club's technical director. Maldini's first official match as Milan's head coach came on 6 September 1972, in a 4–1 away win overFA Red Boys Differdange in theCup Winners' Cup;[12][14] Maldini won aCoppa Italia and aCup Winners' Cup double in 1973, and also narrowly missed out on theleague title that season.[8][13][14][23] However, Milan also suffered a 6–1 defeat on aggregate toAjax in theEuropean Super Cup; this was the worst defeat for an Italian team in an UEFA competition final.[26] He was sacked by the club in1974, following a disappointing 2–1 defeat toVerona on 6 April, and was replaced byGiovanni Trapattoni for the final few games of the season.[12][14] He later went on to coachFoggia (1974–1976),Ternana (1976–77), andSerie C1 sideParma (1978–80), helping the team to obtainSerie B promotion during his tenure with the club, after managing a second-place finish in the league during the 1978–79 Serie C1 season.[8][21][23]
Between 1980 and 1986, he was one ofEnzo Bearzot's assistants for the Italy national team, and even served as his assistant manager during the1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, which Italy won.[8][23][27]
Maldini took charge of theItalian Under-21 side in 1986, and coached the team for ten years, winning theEuropean Under-21 Football Championship tournament a record three consecutive times between1992 and1996.[28] As Italy's Under-21 coach, Maldini was also known as a mentor for many of the team's players, who later stated that he played a key role in their development; indeed, former protégésFabio Cannavaro,Gianluigi Buffon andFrancesco Totti from Maldini's 1996 Under-21 European Championship-winning squad went on to win the2006 FIFA World Cup.[29] He also coached the Italian Olympic teams that took part at the1992 and1996 Summer Olympics.[23][27]
Following his successes with theUnder-21 side, Maldini took charge of the senior team in December 1996,[21] replacingArrigo Sacchi.[4] After taking over as the national team's manager, he helped Italy to a crucial 1–0 away victory overEngland atWembley Stadium on 12 February 1997,[4] and successfully aided the team toqualify for the1998 FIFA World Cup undefeated through theplay-offs againstRussia.[27] Under Maldini, Italy were one of the four teams who also took part in the1997 Tournoi de France friendly tournament, against his wishes, in preparation for the 1998 World Cup; Italy finished in last place,[30][31][32] suffering a 2–0 loss in the opening match against England, and subsequently drawing 3–3 and 2–2 withBrazil and hostsFrance respectively.[33]
Despite initially struggling in qualification, the Italian media and fans had great expectations of the 1998 side, which included a strong defence, and several prolific attacking players, such asChristian Vieri,Alessandro Del Piero andFilippo Inzaghi, among others, in their prime. Cesare Maldini's son, Paolo, was captain of the team.[5][9][27][34] Italy were drawn in Group B of the tournament withChile,Cameroon andAustria. They won their group, drawing 2–2 with Chile in their opening game,[27] and then beating Cameroon 3–0[35] and Austria 2–1.[36] Advancing to the Round of 16, Italy then beatNorway 1–0[37] to secure a spot in the quarter-finals against tournament hosts France. After a goalless draw, Italy were eventually eliminated by the eventual champions onpenalties.[38]
Although Italy did not lose a match at the World Cup, Maldini resigned after the tournament due to heavy criticism in the Italian media over his allegedly ultra-defensive and "old-fashioned"catenaccio-inspired tactics, which included the use of a traditional man-marking defensive back-line, as well as asweeper.[4][25][27][34][39][40][41][42] He was also condemned for leavingGianfranco Zola out of the squad, and for his reluctance to field creative forwardsRoberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero alongside each other in the front-line, opting instead to have one player come on for the other in the second half;[27][34][43] these controversial substitutions were compared to those made betweenSandro Mazzola andGianni Rivera byFerruccio Valcareggi, the Italian manager at the1970 World Cup.[44][45][46]
After serving as a head scout for his former team Milan from February 1999,[21] Maldini briefly returned to coach the Milan first team inMarch 2001, serving as an interim manager for the club (whose captain was his son, Paolo)[47] alongside youth coachMauro Tassotti, followingAlberto Zaccheroni's sacking, and led the squad for their final games of the season.[48] Although the club endured a disappointing season, finishing in sixth place and failing to qualify for theChampions League, Maldini did lead the team to a memorable 6–0 victory over cross-city rivalsInter in theMilan Derby on 11 May;[14] the result was Inter's worst-ever home defeat in Serie A, and Milan's biggest league win in the Derby.[49] After helping the club to qualify for theUEFA Cup,[48] Maldini was replaced byFatih Terim thefollowing season, although he initially remained with the club as an advisor to the coach.[21]
In January 2002, Maldini became coach ofParaguay.[50] His appointment caused some controversy as domestic managers were overlooked (prompting the managers union to try to unsuccessfully expel him for immigration breaches), and because he spoke little Spanish.[4] Maldini nonetheless had the support of star goalkeeperJosé Luis Chilavert and several other senior players.[51] He took over the team which had already qualified for the2002 World Cup hosted by South Korea and Japan; at the age of 70, he became, what was at the time, the oldest coach to ever be in charge of a national side at a World Cup tournament (his son Paolo captained Italy in the same tournament);[8] this record was later broken by Greece's coachOtto Rehhagel in the 2010 World Cup.[52]
Despite missing Chilavert for the first game due to suspension, Paraguay managed to advance from Group B to the Round of 16, after a 2–2 draw withSouth Africa,[53] a 3–1 defeat fromSpain,[54] and a 3–1 victory overSlovenia.[55] In the Round of 16, Paraguay were eliminated by the finalistGermany, losing 1–0 thanks to an 89th-minute goal byOliver Neuville.[56]
From a tactical standpoint, Maldini was known for his cautious, traditional, pragmatic, and conservative approach as a manager. A proponent of thezona mista orgioco all'italiana system, which combined aspects of bothzonal defence andman-to-man marking, he used a solid, defensive-minded system, in particular as the head coach of the Italian senior national side; the system was inspired bycatenaccio, which had had been widely used by his mentor, Nereo Rocco, andzona mista was even seen as an evolution of this system. As Maldini preferred to build his team on a very strong back-line, he often fielded a fluid3–5–2 or5–3–2 formation, but which usually employed a sweeper (or "libero," in Italian) and two man-marking centre-backs (or "stopper," in Italian) in front of the goalkeeper, as well as twowing-backs flanking a midfield trio featuring twocentralbox-to-box midfielders ormezzali, with adeep-lying playmaker orregista in the centre. However, at times, he would also use a4–4–2 formation, either with a sweeper behind three man-marking centre-backs in defence, or with a more common flat four-man defensive line and a zonal marking system, with two centre-backs, a left-back, and a right-back. His teams were often known for being very compact defensively and for their tight and physical marking of opponents, both in defence and in midfield. They would often play on the counter-attack, preferring to focus on obtaining results and conceding few opportunities, rather than producing an attacking-minded or attractive playing style.[nb 1] In attack, he usually paired two forwards who would complement each other alongside one another, namely a traditionally large, physical, and prolificcentre-forward – such as Christian Vieri – with a smaller, faster, creative and more technicalsecond striker – such as Roberto Baggio or Alessandro Del Piero.[71][72][73] He often preferred to rotate his second strikers so as not to offset the balance within the team.[44][74][75][76] On rare occasions, however, he also employed an attacking trident,[71] or two forwards supported by an attacking midfielder playing behind them in a4–3–1–2 formation.[33][77][78]
After the 2002 World Cup, Maldini returned toAC Milan as a talentscout for theRossoneri.[79] He also later worked as a sports analyst for several radio stations and sports channels,[21] such asbeIN SPORTS, and also forAl Jazeera in 2012, withAlessandro Altobelli.[8]
Maldini died on 3 April 2016 at the age of 84.[80] In his honour, a minute of silence was held before every league game in Italy that weekend, while Milan players wore black armbands in their match againstAtalanta. Maldini's grandson Christian also captained the youth team in a friendly match in his honor.[81] Maldini's funeral service was held on 5 April, at theBasilica of Sant'Ambrogio, in Milan,[82] and was attended by several important footballing figures.[10] His wife died later that year, on 28 July, just over three months after him.[3]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe[a] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Triestina | 1952–53 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| 1953–54 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 31 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| AC Milan | 1954–55 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| 1955–56 | Serie A | 22 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 1956–57 | Serie A | 21 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| 1957–58 | Serie A | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | – | 43 | 0 | |
| 1958–59 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 1959–60 | Serie A | 29 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 1960–61 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 1961–62 | Serie A | 34 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 1 | |
| 1962–63 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 1963–64 | Serie A | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 1964–65 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 0 | |
| 1965–66 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | – | 40 | 0 | |
| Total | 347 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 412 | 3 | ||
| Torino | 1966–67 | Serie A | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Career total | 412 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 483 | 3 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1960 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1962 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1963 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 0 | |
Individual
Source:[85]
Italy U21[28]
Awards | |
|---|---|
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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