We have been waiting for this day since May of 2009. The
return of the living legend, Paolo Maldini, to the club of his family, the club
of his life, and the club of his heart. There are so few one-club players
anymore, but not only did he only ever play for Milan, his
father played and coached for Milan, and in completing the
Maldini Dynasty, his sons have both played for Milan’s youth teams.
After being mistreated by disgusting and reprehensible Milan fans during his
San Siro farewell, blocked from joining the club by the tyrant Galliani, and
turning down offers to return by Yonghong Li’s initial investment group because
he didn’t believe in their project, he is finally coming home. Happy Maldini
Day!
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| Nine years later , his interrupted fairy tale begins again |
There are only two Milan jersey numbers that have ever been
retired: Franco Baresi’s number six, and Paolo Maldini’s number three. Even if
Maldini’s number carries the caveat that it can be worn by his posterity, by
birth alone, he is actually more Milan than the captain of all captains and his
mentor and former teammate, Baresi. Maldini is also more Milan than the club
itself these days, with Galliani’s “omnipotent”
reign finally come to an end, and strangers having taken over the club
for the past year.
Those strangers approached Maldini to bring him back into
the club almost two years ago, but only offered him a figurehead role in a plan
that he rejected because he believed it would fail. And he was right. Fans even
then knew that we were heading for dangerous waters, because he provided us
with a “Maldini
Litmus Test.” Everyone knows that if he trusts a project and he is
invited to be part of that project, then it will likely succeed. And the
opposite is also true, if he turns down a chance to come home or is not offered
a place in his home, then failure is around the corner.
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| Milan is his heritage |
This is partly due to Milan being everything to him, partly
because as a world class defender who won everything with the club, he knows
both football and the club better than most people working in football. For
example, in 2007, when Milan won our last Champions League title, he told
Galliani that the club had not renewed. He saw what the old buzzard could not, that
the squad was aging and had too many players on high wages, and offered his
wisdom. For that and other reasons, Galliani shut him out after he retired. Whereas
fans everywhere looked to Maldini as the reference point – he knew what the
club needed and was never afraid to say it, regardless of consequences.
His incomparable integrity and fierce loyalty are a
big part of why it has taken more than nine years for him to come back home.
And yet that same willingness to speak his mind and offer help to his Rossoneri
family is precisely what Milan needs most right now. With Elliott Management
having taken over the club, we all feared it would be just a Plan B, not a
solution. But when Maldini’s return was mentioned, it gave us hope once again in
our beleaguered club. However when it became an official announcement yesterday
that both he and the club had agreed to bring him back, that hope became a
certainty, and millions of hearts worldwide began to heal again.
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| Legends on and off the pitch and now helping us rebuild |
His new role was tailor-made for him. His title will be Sporting
Strategy and Development Director. Which is perfect, since he saw the cliff of
our development and renewal before Galliani did back in 2007. I absolutely
trust that he is the right man to get us back on track and help build a
glorious Milan once again. It will not be easy and it will not happen
overnight, but for the first time in years I can truly sleep better at night
knowing that one of Milan’s most valiant knights ever is protecting the club
again. He recently
celebrated his 50th birthday, with a massive interview that reminded us
all what we had been missing. So it’s amazing that he is finally returning and
we can look to him for Milan’s future.
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| Fiercely defending Milan again |
For once I am truly struggling to put into words my emotions
on such a massive occasion for the club of my heart. So I will just leave you
with the words of the President of the Board and Acting CEO of Milan right now, Paolo Scaroni, who deserves the credit for making this incredible day happen:
"There are few words to describe what Paolo Maldini
represents for AC Milan. It was a privilege watching him as a player, winning
countless trophies on the pitch, and I am excited and honoured to be working
with him today in this new role. Paolo’s leadership and experience will benefit
the Club greatly, as will his passion and energy. Today’s appointment is yet
another sign of Elliott’s commitment to build a strong foundation for long-term
success. It will not be easy and it will take time, but we have ambitious
objectives, and Paolo’s appointment is an important step toward returning AC
Milan to where it belongs".
Milan is safe again. Happy Maldini Day.
This post inspired by the music of “Inno
Milan”
Our next match is
the Trofeo
Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid vs. AC Milan
Saturday, August
11 • 21:00 CEST (3pm EDT)