Massimo Ambrosini has once again spoken about AC Milan’s decision to fire Paolo Maldini back in 2023, believing it to be a big mistake.
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Ever since the decision was made to show Maldini the door after the 2022-23 season, there has been a vocal portion of the fan base that hope he will return. It does seem unlikely at the moment given the circumstances that led to quite a messy exit in the end.
There are some that think Maldini’s sacking was a mistake – as Alessandro Costacurta believes – and that his return should be explored. This has even been demonstrated inside the stadium with fans taking Maldini shirts and chanting his name.
Ambrosini on Maldini sacking and return
Ambrosini spoke to Cronache di Spogliatoio about his old team and the current management situation. It was inevitable that the subject of Maldini would come up, with his response via Calciomercato.com.
“Can Maldini return? As of now, there’s only one condition for Paolo to return to Milan. The ownership must change. After what they did, indecently selling him in the space of ten minutes, what closes that possibility is this factor here,” he said.
“That he can return, that he wants to return, that he has a lot to give to football, yes, that he has a preference is quite clear. Paolo learned how to do this thing here, how to be a manager. Everything he brought with him wasn’t enough at the beginning, because Paolo had to learn from Leonardo first.
“He arrived and started observing. When Paolo arrived, he said to Leo, ‘I can’t do this stuff.’ In my opinion, he has an intellectual autonomy that has allowed him to grow in credibility. I don’t think a former player can automatically be a good manager.
“But if you have the ability to be there and understand what’s needed and you bring your authority, your autonomy, your personality, your knowledge, your sense of belonging, you make your own path, find a way to convey it, and then you understand how to do it, not just by being there.
“They say players measure coaches, but they also measure managers, and the person. And I think Paolo also had the ability to develop an empathetic side that perhaps, from a certain point of view, wasn’t his main characteristic.
“I noticed this a couple of times. I went to Milanello, I saw how he spoke, how he related, how he listened. When you’re a manager, you also have to listen.”