Paolo Maldini, second from left, with Charles De Ketelaere. Last summer’s transfer record was disappointing and it hasn’t boosted the confidence of the club’s owners. — © AC Milan via Getty Images
According to several Italian sources, including La Gazzetta dello Sport, club icon Paolo Maldini and AC Milan are on the verge of parting ways. It is not entirely clear whether Maldini will be sacked or whether he himself wants to name him technical director. In fact, the meeting about the future with Gerry Cardinale, manager of owner club RedBird Capital, was very tense.
Michael Van Damme
The meeting between Gerry Cardinale and Paolo Maldini is said to have taken place in a very tense atmosphere. Therefore, the possibility of divorce is very high, according to some Italian media, because the water was deep before.
For Milan it will be a crushing blow. AC Milan enjoyed another success under Maldini: a title in 2022, a Champions League semi-final this season and qualification for next season’s Champions League group stage. Maldini is a true club icon: he played 647 matches for the Rossoneri, captaining many years and winning European Cup I five times with the club.
But the vision of the future will be different. The owners of RedBird were also dissatisfied with fourth place (after Juventus’ deduction of points) and Maldini also failed to score with Charles De Ketelaere’s disappointing record fee of 35 million euros.
Reportedly, talk of renewing Maldini’s contract in June last year was already in an atmosphere of disbelief, with all the paragraphs and fine print being discussed.
If Maldini leaves, his director of football’s right hand man, Ricky Massara, will also say goodbye.
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