Home » Costacurta criticises ‘mistake’ of sacking Maldini: “Many bad decisions were made”
Paolo Maldini, Technical Director of AC Milan

Costacurta criticises ‘mistake’ of sacking Maldini: “Many bad decisions were made”

Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

A lot of the criticism being aimed at AC Milan after their bad recent run actually concerns a decision made years ago: sacking Paolo Maldini.

Milan continue to experience a very negative moment towards the end of the season. Having seen the Scudetto dreams of March quickly fade away, the squad are now facing a battle just to finish inside the top four, with the previous gap now completely eroded.


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Amid all of this, there is once again a climate of protest surrounding the team in the most decisive moment. The Curva Sud voiced their anger towards the management and ownership, as well as the players after last night’s shameful showing against Atalanta.

After the final whistle in the game at San Siro, Costacurta spoke on Sky about the recent run of form and the decision to sack Maldini back in 2023. MilanNews relayed his words.

What went wrong?

“This isn’t a first half today. It’s the result of the games against Udinese, Juve and Sassuolo. In my opinion, they gave it their all, but you lose focus… and that’s the performance. They arrived out of breath at the most important moment of the season.”

Was firing Maldini the biggest mistake of recent years?

“Even those who don’t know him know it was a mistake. It’s clear to see how many bad decisions were made. Paolo was good at creating a certain atmosphere during those years, and I’m sure he did, because I know how much he cares about laying the foundations for a dressing room that inspires energy, positivity and courage.”

Tags AC Milan alessandro costacurta Paolo Maldini

19 Comments

  1. This is obvious to people with some brain. Unfortunately most people on the planet don’t have it so even years after this has proven itself to be true they still try to discredit Maldini and Massara with Origi (who in total cost less than half of Nkunku transfer fee, or less than Musah transfer fee) that built the team that won the Scudetto and got into CL semi finals. But the american couldn’t handle having a superior character besides him, that will alway say what they think, he prefers minions that deliver 8th positions, or 5th…

    If it isn’t obvious to you what the problem is go back to the first sentence of this comment. Read it. That is why.

    1. Well said Max 💯💯💯

      We have too many blind Redbird lovers on this forum that can’t see or won’t acknowledge the FACTS

      Sad

  2. Everyone can see getting rid of Maldini was a mistake. As indeed was getting rid of Boban, for speaking truth to power, though that is mentioned less. Neither would even entertain returning to the club with the current structure and I can’t blame them.

    1. Unfortunately you have some people still talking sh*t about them. And you are completely right about Boban. Without him Pioli probably wouldn’t be there to win the title.

    2. that’s right. don Maldini was ten times better than Tare and Ibrahimovic. I even don’t have any reaproaches to Max Allegri. I said last summer and during winter transfer window that strikers which they were privided to the club were big drama. another things is Rafael Leao. he is the biggest prima donna in the club. his skills are the same as his rap for 10 years old – boys. drama, drama, drama…
      .
      if Adrien Rabiot still want to support Leao so we can also say goodbay to him. we don’t want usless players, stars that doesn’t understand philosophy of the club.
      .
      drama, drama, drama… complete idiots manage of this club. I still can’t bealive how it’s possible.

    3. Boban was at Milan for 6 months.
      During those 6 months Milan had 2 coaches, Giampaolo and Pioli.
      Milan was 8th place on the table when Boban was fired.
      Milan turnaround happened after Boban was fired.

      1. What? So saying publicly Milan needs experience and bringing in Kjaer and Ibrahimovic had nothing to do with the turnaround? He literally held Ibrahimovics hand and got him off the plane but he did nothing? And he also stopped the behind the back negotiations for Rangnick with his interview. If you don’t even know the timeline, how do you think you understand what actually happened? 😂😂😂 My favourite kind of people.

        1. Was anything I wrote not a fact or wrong?
          He absolutely didn’t stop the behind the scene negotiations for Rangnick with his interview. Gazidis still planned to go on with cleaning the house and hiring Rangnick. Milan turning the season around after Boban was fired changed Gazidis mind, not a Boban interview. Milan won 10 out of 12 games to finish the season. Thats when Gazidis decided to scrap the Rangnick plan and stick with Maldini and Pioli.
          Milan should thank Napoli for firing Ancelotti for the Ibrahimovic signing, not Boban, because according to Ibrahimovic himself :”It was all done with Napoli, but then (Napoli owner Aurelio) De Laurentiis fired (coach Carlo) Ancelotti. I asked Mino: ‘Which team is in the worst shape, that I can change?’
          This article is about Maldini, but 2 people had to bring up one of the worst directors or managers Milan ever had.

          1. 🤣🤣🤣 Nice story. Boban was fired on March 7th 2020. Ibrahimovic and Kjaer joined 3 months before that. The plan to bring Rangnick was to bring him in before the summer, so he can evaluate players before the transfer window. That was his request, same as he did request at Manchester United later. The guy has his ways, he wasn’t going to change it for Milan no matter how you want to describe it. The interview definitely had a lot with Pioli being given a chance to finish the season as it would have looked bad for the management after they improved a lot since January. And no, the turnaround didn’t come after March 7th, but since January. Yes, Milan was 7th when Boban left but that is because they were extremely bad in the first half season. They won the same amount of points as Inter and Juventus. After the covid break of 2 months they improved even more. But that was all because 2 experience players joined and spent even more time with the team + they had a break to train together, a second pre season. It still did with the players signed, it wasn’t random. Saying someone that was part of a 3 man team that made the signing decision had nothing to do with it is clowning. But you’re good at that.

  3. While Maldini was at the club he made me dream of greatness again this ownership just tends to make me scream.

    I will always wonder what could have been as we we with a bit of tinkering could have had a great team but unfortunately I doubt we will see him back in the club again and certainly not under this ownership.

    I ask myself as a fan if I was still young and a professional football player would I actually join this club that I love if I could. The honest answer is I’m not really sure at this point but probably not.

    1. Hit the nail on the head there Martin.
      I ask kids where they would like to play football… Milan is definitely not up there among their choices. When I show them the history, they said to was so long ago/ a has been club. Sadly that’s the perception we have right now

  4. Sacking Furlani could increase the odds of getting Maldini back too but let’s focus on getting rid of Allegri first and THEN start dreaming of getting rid of The Banker.

  5. If u don’t get rid of the banker firs, the banker will replace allegri with another allegri level or worse. And another mediocre mercato. The fixing starts at the top period.

  6. Sacking Allegri and Tare will make little or no changes if furlani does not follow. However, Maldini also make some transfer mistakes as no one is a genius but with Maldini with him at the helm of the affairs Milan wouldn’t have gone worse beyond repair bcoz he wouldn’t have sanction the sales of established players like Theo, tonali and reijjinders.

    1. First of all Maldini only had a hand in the Theo and Tonali deals not the Reijnders one, Besides of that then he only had an annual transfer sum of roughly 35-40 mil pr. season + a lower salary bar….still build us a team and got us a Scudetto so any other argument now seems pretty bonkers at the very minimum.

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