Paolo’s second son has made his Milan debut.
He has now entered the third generation of the famous Rossoneri family.
There isn’t a name with a stronger association to AC Milan than Maldini, with three generations now having turned out for the Rossoneri. Today, 18-year old Daniel Maldini made his first-team debut in a 1-1 draw with Hellas Verona at the San Siro – following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
The young attacking midfielder, who featured for the club in pre-season, made his bow in the 93rd minute of the game to continue the esteemed family legacy. He debuted 36 years after his father Paulo and 66 years after his grandfather Cesare.
Daniel Maldini made his #ACMilan debut today, 3899 days after his father Paolo played his last game for the club (May 31, 2009 vs. Fiorentina).
Three generations of the Maldini family at Milan now complete.
?❤️️? pic.twitter.com/4lGKPHrKYC
— MilanData? (@acmilandata) February 2, 2020
Reflecting on his debut, the youngest member of the Maldini clan said: “My debut was a dream, shame about the result. We could have done more, but there was still a lot of emotion. Verona are a tough team, we deserved the three points but we brought home a draw. We hope to win the next one. This debut was a goal that I had set myself, now we hope to go on like this. I felt a strong emotion but my father reassures me.”
Cesare, who sadly passed away four years ago, won four league titles and the European Cup in his 12 seasons at the club, before having two spells in charge as manager. Paulo continued the legacy in incredible fashion – playing a record 647 games in Serie A along with winning the Scudetto seven times and the European Cup five times.
There was a great moment last year when Paolo, now working as a director, tried to play it cool when Daniel scored a great goal for the club’s Primavera. As the camera panned to him in the stands, he couldn’t decide whether to place his hands in his pockets or fold his arms but you got a sense of what it meant to him. Despite a disappointing result today, the legendary Italian defender will no doubt be very proud of his son.
?? Daniel Maldini made his debut today for AC Milan. That’s now three generations of the family to represent the club.
Cesare Maldini made his debut in 1954.
Paolo Maldini made his debut in 1984.
Daniel Maldini 2020.Historic. ? pic.twitter.com/b67oxekDhF
— FutbolBible (@FutbolBible) February 2, 2020
