Paolo Maldini has opened up about his decision to resign as the technical director of the Italian national team, leaving the job after just two weeks.
On July 11, the FIGC confirmed the appointments of Maldini and Leonardo to lead the revolution for Italian football. It was an announcement that received the praise of most Italian football fans, seeing as Maldini knows what it takes to win at the highest level.
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However, just two weeks later, Maldini and Leonardo both resigned from their jobs after the FIGC president Giovanni Malagò vetoed Andrea Pirlo as the new coach. Suddenly, as opposed to what was promised, Maldini didn’t have the freedom to choose the coach.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera this morning, Maldini explained why he chose to resign from the job. It wasn’t just Pirlo that they were after, but also Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso, two names that the aforementioned Malagò also shot down (indirectly).
Paolo Maldini, these are days of great sadness not only for AC Milan but for the entire sporting world, following Baresi’s passing. How do you feel?
“Besides profound sadness, I’ve revisited the last forty years of his life. I spent twenty-five of them with him. It wasn’t just a friendship. When you play alongside someone, you spend days and nights with them, you have fun together, you suffer together, you win together, and you bond.
“For me, Franco Baresi was an example of leadership that perfectly suited my character, which then, more than now, was introverted and closed. He showed me what I wanted to be: few words, many actions.”
You’ve remained silent until now. Can you tell us how your brief stint as technical director of the national team really went?
“Malagò called me at Easter, saying: ‘There’s a chance I’ll become president of the FIGC; you’re the person I’d like to have with me.’ I offered my services. For me, there are only two things in football: AC Milan and the national team.
“Then, I didn’t hear from him for a while. The day before the elections, Malagò called again: ‘The vote is tomorrow, there’s a good chance, I’d like you on board.’ I replied: ‘Let’s talk about it.'”
And you talked…
“He asked me to become president of Club Italia. It wasn’t just about reviving the national team. We had to rebuild Italian football.”
Was Leonardo needed too?
“I share friendship, values, and principles with him. Leo has great organisational skills, as well as a great understanding with me. So we started. And we thought about a new role: technical director.
“Technical director has never been part of the national team’s organisational structure: the coach reported directly to the president. But that wasn’t right: the coach needs to engage with others.”
And then what happened?
“Then the agreements were revised; consequently, the only thing left to do was to resign. Or rather, to forgo signing the four-year contract that was supposed to start on August 1st.”
But, excuse me, how did you accept without having agreed with Malagò on the name of the coach?
“In fact, the first thing I asked was: who chooses the coach? Malagò replied: ‘You choose the coach, and I endorse it’. That was the agreement. Then events caused this to change.”
Why Pirlo?
“Our idea was tied to technique. To attacking play. To a change. In Italy, we’ve fallen behind on many things. We wanted the boys’ training to be based not on tactical exasperation but on technique, one-on-one play, and an attacking mentality. And we wanted a young coach with experience in the national team. We had three names.”
Who, besides Pirlo?
“Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso. Three world champions. But the president told us that based on the agreements that led to his election, with the support of all the clubs except Lazio, we couldn’t touch the coaches of Serie A teams. So De Rossi and Grosso were excluded.”
What did Malagò tell you?
“He called me and Leonardo to say: ‘I don’t think Pirlo can be hired anymore. From today, I’ll decide who the coach is. From today, the rules will change: I decide who the coach is and you approve it.’
“This was unacceptable. We took 24 hours and submitted our resignations, on a contract that had yet to start. There was no longer any trust to carry out a job that is enormous, even if the project was enticing too.”
Maldini otvorio dušu: Pep već smišljao sastave; zvao sam Anćelotija, ništa nije sprečavalo Pirla
Vreme čitanja: 13min | ned. 09.08.26. | 11:47
“Prvo što sam ga pitao bilo je: ‘Ko bira selektora?’ Malago mi je odgovorio: ‘Ti biraš selektora, a ja potvrđujem tvoj izbor.’ To je bio dogovor. Onda su događaji doveli do toga da se stvari promene”
Čudan je i težak period iza Paola Maldinija… Od dolaska na mesto tehničkog direktora reprezentacije, potom i odlaska posle samo 16 dana zbog ozbiljnih turbulencija unutar Saveza i na nivou nacije, do gubitka dugogodišnjeg prijatelja i saigrača Franka Barezija, jedan od najdugovečnijih fudbalera u istoriji odlučio je da otvoreno o svemu razgovara javno, još dok je vruće.
Čuveni kapiten Milana i italijanske reprezentacije otvorio je dušu za Korijere dela Sera kao nikada ranije i bez uvijanja govorio o nedavnim potresima na poslovnom planu, velikom gubitku, a otkrio je i sve informacije iza kulisa o pregovorima sa Pepom Gvardiolom, Andrei Pirlu, razgovoru sa Karlom Anćelotijem, zašto nije hteo Antonija Kontea, o Robertu Manćiniju i dogovorima koje je napravio zajedno sa bliskim saradnikom Leonardom, pre nego što se u sve umešao novoizabrani predsednik Fudbalskog savezea Italije Đovani Malago.
Izabrane vesti / Najveće kvote
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Prvo, o legendarnom kapitenu Rosonera, prijatelju i saigraču koji ga je, po sopstvenom priznanju, oblikovao njegov pogled na fudbal, odgovornost i liderstvo. Njihov odnos, kaže, odavno je prevazišao granice prijateljstva.
“Dvadeset pet godina proveo sam uz njega. To nije bilo samo prijateljstvo. Kada igrate zajedno sa nekim, provodite dane i noći zajedno, zabavljate se zajedno, patite zajedno, pobeđujete zajedno i između vas se stvori veza koju je gotovo nemoguće raskinuti”, počeo je Maldini veliki intervju za Korijere dela Sera.
Barezi je za Maldinija bio i jedan od prvih primera kako autoritet ne mora da se gradi velikim rečima.
“Za mene je Franko Barezi bio primer liderstva koji je savršeno odgovarao mom karakteru, koji je tada, još više nego danas, bio introvertan i zatvoren. Pokazao mi je kakav želim da budem: malo reči, mnogo dela”.
Maldinijeva karijera bila je jedna od onih – da se pamti i prepričava. Čak 902 nastupa za Milan, sedam titula prvaka Italije, pet Liga šampiona, 126 nastupa u reprezentaciji, od čega 74 kao kapiten… Ali, kakav je Paolo karakter?
“Drugi mogu da sude o tome. Ne možeš svima da udovoljiš. Meni je važno da stvari radim kako treba. I važno mi je da ih jasno kažem. Ljudi koji su radili sa mnom, moji saigrači, kolege tokom pet godina koliko sam bio direktor Milana, dobro me poznaju. Ako je čovek koji pokušava da zaštiti svoju ulogu i svoje nadležnosti beskompromisan, onda sam beskompromisan. Ako je osoba koja preuzima odgovornost, koja pokušava da pobedi i ume da prihvati poraz beskompromisna, onda sam beskompromisan. Ali imam privilegiju koju mi daje 25 godina karijere”.
DOGOVORI SU PROMENJENI, JEDINO ŠTO SAM MOGAO BILO JE DA ODUSTANEM
Paolo Maldini (©Reuters)Paolo Maldini (©Reuters)
I tu dolazimo do glavne teme, one koja je obeležila vrelo fudbalsko leto u Italiji – funkcije tehničkog direktora reprezentacije, koju je Maldini najpre prihvatio, a potom od nje odustao posle nešto više od dve sedmice.
“Nisam vezan za svoj posao. Osećam se veoma slobodno kada donosim odluke. Hvala Bogu, nemam finansijskih potreba. Ono što me navodi da prihvatim neku funkciju jeste mogućnost da taj posao zaista obavljam i dam svoj doprinos. Žao mi je ako se to doživljava kao arogancija ili nepopustljivost. Ali ako se od mene traži odgovornost, osećam obavezu da budem takav”.
Potom iznosi svoju verziju događaja i objašnjava kako je uopšte počela priča o njegovom ulasku u strukture italijanske reprezentacije.
“Malago me je pozvao za Uskrs i rekao: ‘Postoji mogućnost da postanem predsednik Saveza. Ti si osoba koju bih želeo uz sebe.’ Stavio sam mu se na raspolaganje. Za mene u fudbalu postoje samo dve stvari, Milan i reprezentacija”.
Posle toga mu se Malago neko vreme nije javljao, da bi kontakt ponovo uspostavio neposredno pred izbore.
“Dan pre izbora ponovo me je pozvao: ‘Glasanje je sutra, postoje dobre šanse, voleo bih da budeš sa nama.’ Odgovorio sam: ‘Hajde da razgovaramo.’“
Maldinijeva uloga, prema prvobitnoj zamisli, nije trebalo da bude ograničena samo na prvi tim.
“Tražio je od mene da postanem predsednik Kluba Italija (telo koje spaja sve sekcije i sve sportove unutar Saveza i koodriniše aktivnostima pr. au). Nije se radilo samo o tome da ponovo podignemo reprezentaciju. Italijanski fudbal je morao da bude izgrađen iznova”.
Problem je, tvrdi čuveni defanzivac, nastao kada su dogovori pod kojima je prihvatio posao počeli da se menjaju. Posebno je važno bilo pitanje ko ima poslednju reč prilikom izbora selektora.
“Dogovori su promenjeni. Samim tim, jedino što sam mogao da uradim bilo je da podnesem ostavku. Ili, preciznije, da odustanem od potpisivanja četvorogodišnjeg ugovora koji je trebalo da počne 1. avgusta. Uostalom, prvo što sam ga pitao bilo je: ‘Ko bira selektora?’ Malago mi je odgovorio: ‘Ti biraš selektora, a ja potvrđujem tvoj izbor.’ To je bio dogovor. Onda su događaji doveli do toga da se stvari promene”.
U projektu je uz Maldinija trebalo da bude i Leonardo, njegov dugogodišnji prijatelj i nekadašnji saradnik u Milanu. Ideja je bila da se u strukturi reprezentacije praktično stvori funkcija kakva ranije nije postojala.
“Sa njim delim prijateljstvo, vrednosti i principe. Leo ima velike organizacione sposobnosti, a uz to se odlično razumemo. Tako smo počeli. Razmišljali smo i o novoj funkciji: tehničkoj direkciji. Tehnička direkcija nikada nije postojala u organizacionoj strukturi reprezentacije. Selektor je direktno odgovarao predsedniku. Ali to nije bilo dobro. Selektoru je potrebno da se konsultuje sa drugim ljudima”.
Maldini i Leonardo nisu, međutim, razmišljali samo o tome ko će voditi seniorsku reprezentaciju. Projekat je trebalo da ima dva paralelna pravca – jedan dugoročan, namenjen promeni čitavog sistema, i drugi koji bi odmah morao da donese rezultate.
“Predstavio sam naš projekat Ligi. Bio je zasnovan na dva različita koloseka. Za obnovu italijanskog fudbala potrebno je vreme. Razvoj novih talenata i novog mentaliteta dugotrajan je proces. Bilo je potrebno stvoriti novi pokret koji bi uključio sve delove federacije: Seriju A, Seriju B, Seriju C, amatere, udruženja trenera, igrača i sudija. A onda je postojao drugi kolosek ili, ako vam je draže, drugi voz, koji je morao da se kreće mnogo brže. Za manje od dva meseca igramo protiv Belgije, Turske i Francuske u Ligi nacija. Morali smo istovremeno da se pripremamo za sutra i da budemo dobri danas. I da ponovo počnemo da pobeđujemo”.
PEP JE BIO VEOMA BLIZU TOGA DA PRIHVATI, DE ROSI I GROSO OTPALI
Paolo Maldini (©AFP)Paolo Maldini (©AFP)
Upravo iz te šire ideje proistekao je i izbor potencijalnog selektora. Maldini kaže da nisu tražili samo veliko trenersko ime, već čoveka koji bi odgovarao zamišljenom fudbalskom pravcu.
“Naša ideja bila je vezana za tehniku, za napadačku igru i promenu. U Italiji smo u mnogim stvarima zaostali. Želeli smo da razvoj mladih igrača ne bude zasnovan na preterivanju sa taktikom, već na tehnici, igri jedan na jedan i napadačkom mentalitetu. Želeli smo i mladog selektora koji iza sebe ima iskustvo igranja za reprezentaciju”.
U tom trenutku postojala su tri imena.
“Andrea, Danijele De Rosi i Fabio Groso. Trojica svetskih prvaka. Ali predsednik nam je rekao da, na osnovu dogovora koji su mu omogućili da bude izabran uz podršku svih klubova osim Lacija, ne možemo da diramo trenere klubova iz Serije A. Tako su De Rosi i Groso otpali. Ali razumem to. Krajem jula ekipe su već na pripremama i teško je praviti promene usred procesa. Malago nam je rekao: ‘Ovo ne može da se uradi.’ I nastavili smo sa Pirlom”.
Pirlo, ipak, nije bio jedino veliko ime sa kojim su razgovarali. Maldini otkriva da je prvi poziv upućen treneru čiju bi stručnost bilo teško dovesti u pitanje.
“Pozvali smo najboljeg italijanskog trenera svih vremena, mog bliskog prijatelja Karla Ančelotija. Odgovorio nam je da mu je Brazil ponovo potvrdio potpuno poverenje, pozdravio nas i poželeo nam sreću. Bio je to poziv koji smo morali da obavimo”.
Još zanimljiviji bio je razgovor sa Pepom Gvardiolom. Njega su Maldini i saradnici videli kao oličenje fudbala kakav su želeli da postave kao osnovu buduće italijanske reprezentacije.
“On je kao trener oličenje za tehnički i napadački fudbal. Preko nekih prijatelja ranije je pomenuo mogućnost da jednog dana vodi reprezentaciju. Otišli smo kod njega u Barselonu, ručali zajedno i razgovarali čitav dan. Bio je veoma zainteresovan. Bio je veoma blizu toga da prihvati. Čak je počeo da zapisuje sastave na papiru… Ali novac, tih 20.000.000 evra o kojima se govorilo, nikada nije predstavljao problem. Pep nam je jasno rekao: ‘Dajte mi jedan evro manje nego što je zarađivao prethodni selektor i meni odgovara.’“
Gvardiola je na kraju odustao iz sasvim drugih razloga.
“Rekao je ne zato što je umoran. Iza njega je deset iscrpljujućih godina u Premijer ligi. Operisao je leđa. Želi da se odmori. Ali razgovor je bio veoma ozbiljan. Analizirali smo selekcije počev od reprezentacije do 17 godina pa naviše… Zato smo krenuli sa Andreom. Malago je sve znao, obaveštavali smo ga o svakom koraku”.
Najviše sumnji izazvao je upravo Pirlo. Zamerka je bila očigledna, jer njegova trenerska biografija nije nudila rezultate koji bi ga na prvi pogled preporučili za jedno od najvećih mesta u italijanskom fudbalu. Maldini, međutim, tvrdi da je kriterijum bio drugačiji.
“To je lična procena. Želeli smo mladog trenera koji će prihvatiti projekat i koji iza sebe ima vrhunsku igračku karijeru. Kada sa Pirlom razgovaram o fudbalu i tehničkim stvarima, vidim da je izuzetno pripremljen. Uz tehničkog direktora i savetnika koji bi ga pratili i podržavali, bio bi idealan selektor. Uostalom, kakve su biografije imali poslednji selektori koji su osvajali velika takmičenja, Skaloni i De la Fuente? Ako sve vezujete samo za čoveka na klupi, gledate isključivo današnji dan, nikada sutrašnji. A iza nas su tri neuspeha u kvalifikacijama”.
Mnogo veći deo Maldinijevog plana odnosio se upravo na ono “sutra”. Njegova procena bila je da se problemi italijanskog fudbala ne mogu rešiti za jednu ili dve godine, već da je za ozbiljnu obnovu potrebno osam do deset godina.
“To je jedina stvar kod koje sam naišao na određeni skepticizam u Ligi. Ali to je period koji smo procenili na osnovu iskustava ne samo velikih fudbalskih sila, Engleske, Francuske i Španije, već i drugih zemalja koje su obnovile svoj fudbal, poput Švajcarske. Restrukturiranje je zahtevalo uključivanje svih relevantnih strana, koje moraju da komuniciraju i sarađuju. Sledeće Svetsko prvenstvo je za četiri godine, a Evropsko za dve. Savršeno dobro znam da bi se, da se nismo kvalifikovali, to smatralo neuspehom. Možda nije pravedno, ali tako stvari funkcionišu. Moramo da pobeđujemo sada. Ali moramo i da pripremimo budućnost”.
A onda se u priču o Pirlu umešala i njegova saradnja sa ruskom kladioničarskom kompanijom. Maldini priznaje da za nju u početku nisu znali i da je reakcija javnosti uticala na dalji razvoj događaja, ali insistira da pravna prepreka za njegovo imenovanje nije postojala.
“To je sigurno imalo uticaja. Nismo znali za to. Javnost je uradila svoje. Ali sa pravne strane nije postojalo ništa što bi sprečavalo Andreu da bude selektor reprezentacije”.
Na pitanje da li je čitava stvar iskorišćena kao povod da se od Pirla odustane, Maldini nema mnogo dileme.
“Rekao bih da jeste. Sve je sigurno iskorišćeno na potpuno preteran način. Pirlo je bio spreman da prekine saradnju sa ruskom kladioničarskom kompanijom. On je veoma pošten čovek i nije zaslužio takvu hajku. Pominjani su etički kodeks, Dekret o dostojanstvu… Ali da je postojala stvarna želja da on potpiše ugovor kao selektor, nikakve pravne prepreke ne bi postojale”.
U javnosti se pojavilo još jedno pitanje potencijalnog sukoba interesa – činjenica da su Maldinijev sin Kristijan i Pirlov sin Nikolo bili povezani sa agentskim poslovima. Maldini kaže da ni tu nije postojala pravna prepreka.
“Hajde da razgovaramo i o tome. Niko to nije rekao, ali taj propis je ukinut još 2019. godine. Pravno gledano, nije postojalo ništa što bi našim sinovima branilo da budu agenti. Kristijan se danas vodi kao skaut. Ništa nije sprečavalo mene da budem tehnički direktor reprezentacije, a Pirla da bude selektor. A da se ispostavilo da je moja funkcija zaista nespojiva sa profesijom mog sina, odmah bih podneo ostavku. Sve je bilo veoma tendenciozno i nikada nije objašnjeno od strane čelnika federacije. Ali jeste imalo uticaja”.
OD DANAS SE PRAVILA MENJAJU, JA BIRAM SELEKTORA, A VI GA POTVRĐUJETE
Paolo Maldini (©AFP)Paolo Maldini (©AFP)
Prelomni trenutak, prema njegovoj verziji događaja, bio je razgovor u kojem mu je Malago saopštio da se prvobitno dogovorena podela odgovornosti menja.
“Malago je pozvao mene i Leonarda i rekao: ‘Po mom mišljenju, Pirlo više ne može da bude angažovan. Od danas ću ja odlučivati ko će biti selektor. Od danas se pravila menjaju, ja biram selektora, a vi ga potvrđujete.’”
Za Maldinija je time nestao osnovni preduslov za nastavak saradnje.
“Ako imam posao, ako imam odgovornost i ako nameravam da ih obavljam, onda je tako nešto neprihvatljivo. Uzeli smo 24 sata i podneli ostavke na ugovore koji još nisu ni počeli da važe. Ne znam da li je to nepopustljivost ili nadmenost. Ja sam navikao da radim drugačije. Više nisu postojali uslovi poverenja neophodni za obavljanje posla koji je ogroman, ali istovremeno i uzbudljiv. Već smo počeli da radimo. Bili smo u Koverćanu. To je mašina koja stoji. Ima mnogo ljudi koji žele nešto da urade, ali ne znaju šta treba da rade. Čekaju cilj, čekaju smernice. Susreti sa njima davali su nam mnogo energije u poslu koji je istovremeno i zastrašujući”.
Jedno od pitanja bilo je i zašto se, pored dostupnih i daleko iskusnijih trenera, toliko insistiralo na mlađem rešenju. Maldini kaže da poenta nije bila u odbacivanju Roberta Manćinija ili Antonija Kontea, već u traženju profila koji najbolje odgovara zamišljenom projektu.
“Cenim Roberta Manćinija. Ali mi smo imali drugačiji projekat. Želeli smo novog, mladog selektora. Manćini i Konte su dvojica velikih trenera. I nije stvar prijateljstva. Prijatelj sam sa Pirlom, to je tačno. Prijatelj sam sa Anćelotijem. Ali prijatelj sam i sa Manćinijem i Konteom, iako su ti odnosi drugačiji. Poznajemo se decenijama, igrali smo jedni protiv drugih, a igrali smo zajedno i za reprezentaciju. Sa Manćinijem sam stigao do polufinala Evropskog prvenstva 1988. godine, onog Van Bastenovog, kao i do Svetskog prvenstva 1990. u Italiji. Sa Konteom sam stigao do finala Svetskog prvenstva 1994. i Evropskog prvenstva 2000. Ali ne biram ljude zato što su mi prijatelji. Biram one za koje smatram da najbolje odgovaraju projektu koji je pred nama”.
Raskid saradnje sa Malagom zato za Maldinija nije samo pitanje izbora jednog selektora, već je osnovi svega bilo, kako kaže, poverenje koje je postojalo na početku, a zatim nestalo.
“Postojalo je poverenje. Ako donesete neku odluku, onda morate i da je branite. Ako objasnite šta ste pokušavali da napravite, onda i taj izbor postaje nešto razumljiviji”.
U njegovoj dijagnozi problem italijanskog fudbala mnogo je dublji od rezultata seniorske reprezentacije. Maldini pravi poređenje sa periodom u kojem je Serija A bila tehnički standard svetskog fudbala.
“Uporedite današnju italijansku ligu sa onom od pre 20 ili 30 godina. Sa tehničke strane, postali smo zemlja koja više ne stvara talentovane igrače. Nešto na nivou sistema ne funkcioniše. Moja deca su to videla u mlađim kategorijama Milana, gde se govori samo o taktici. Ako je dete talentovano, to postaje problem. Ali to je protivno pravilima modernog fudbala”.
MI VIŠE NE ZNAMO NI DA SE BRANIMO NI DA NAPADAMO
Paolo Maldini (©Reuters)Paolo Maldini (©Reuters)
Uz razvoj igrača, Maldini kao problem vidi i infrastrukturu, ali i propise koji ne podstiču dovoljno razvoj domaćih fudbalera.
“Imamo dotrajale stadione i neadekvatne trening centre. Želeli smo da uključimo sve kako bismo što pre menjali pravila i propise, da napravimo pakt za reprezentacije, pravila koja bi podsticala klubove iz Serije A, B i C da daju šansu italijanskim igračima. Obavezna ulaganja u omladinski sektor. Mi ovde više ne znamo ni da se branimo ni da napadamo. Spori smo, a sudije previše često prekidaju igru”.
Maldini je želeo i više italijanskih fudbalera na terenu, iako priznaje da evropski propisi o slobodi kretanja ograničavaju mogućnosti za uvođenje jednostavnih kvota.
“Pokušali bismo da omogućimo većem broju Italijana da igraju. Evropski propisi o slobodi kretanja to ne dozvoljavaju, ali pronašli bismo neko rešenje. Moramo da školujemo trenere na moderniji način. Danas trener koji radi sa decom između deset i 14 godina zarađuje hiljadu evra mesečno i mora da ima još jedan posao. Moramo da im pomognemo, jer je to presudan uzrast”.
U tom kontekstu dolazi i do Klaudija Ranijerija, koji je zamenio Maldinija na mestu tehničkog direktora. Nekadašnji as ne dovodi u pitanje vrednost i iskustvo čoveka takvog renomea, ali ga više zanima kakav će mu zadatak biti poveren i da li će fokus ponovo ostati samo na rezultatu A reprezentacije.
“Njegova istorija govori sama za sebe. Ne mogu da sudim. Imati nekoga poput Ranijerija predstavlja dodatnu vrednost, nešto izuzetno”.
Njegova bojazan je da bi italijanski fudbal još jednom mogao da se bavi posledicama, umesto sistemskim problemima koje je projekat trebalo da napadne.
“Samo kažem da je posao koji predstoji ogroman. Ne znam šta se od njega tražilo. Plašim se da će prevelika važnost biti posvećena reprezentaciji, a mnogo manja obnovi italijanskog fudbala”.
Zbog toga Maldini na kraju ne govori toliko o funkciji koju je izgubio, koliko o prilici da utiče na ono što će italijanski fudbal biti za deset ili dvadeset godina.
“Postoji nešto zbog čega ću uvek žaliti. Prihvatio sam veoma zahtevnu obavezu koja je, kako su dani prolazili, gotovo postala san: da uradimo nešto za naredne generacije, da izgradimo konkurentnu Italiju”, kaže Maldini za Korijere dela Sera i završava:
“San je prekinut, ali je bio lep. I zbog mnogih ljudi koje sam upoznao i koji su bili spremni da rade”.
You’re special.
Sempre Milan please start deleting spam like that. The guy is translating articles and pasting it here.
Sempre Milan, I agree, delete this. I was actually doing quite the opposite because I’ve copied this text here so I could translate it (which is exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 45 minutes) because this SM article is too short, you now have the full translation of this interview. It’s always good to know there are such good friends like you that are not going to sta* you in the back, thanks for that.
You do know most browsers have a translate feature on them for people who need it, right?
Yes, it was evident that they left after someone changed the rules. They have presented a 10 year plan to return Italy to the top, and the manager was the choice of Maldini and Leonardo. For young teams as well, they were given the trust to get Italian football up again. And then politics involved itself in sport and someone decided otherwise. Wow Pirlo had a deal with some Russian betting website. Putin was in USA pretty recently? Why don’t we ban the owner of Milan and all Americans from coming into EU? Why is there a double standard?
together with someone, you spend days and nights together, have fun together, suffer together, win together and a bond is created between you that is almost impossible to break,” began Maldini’s big interview for Corriere della Sera.
For Maldini, Baresi was also one of the first examples of how authority does not have to be built with big words.
“For me, Franco Baresi was an example of leadership that perfectly suited my character, which was then, even more than today, introverted and closed. He showed me what I wanted to be: few words, many actions.”
Maldini’s career was one of those – to be remembered and retold. As many as 902 appearances for Milan, seven Italian championship titles, five Champions Leagues, 126 appearances in the national team, of which 74 as captain… But, what is Paolo’s character?
“Others can judge that. You can’t please everyone. It’s important for me to do things right. And it’s important for me to say them clearly. The people who worked with me, my teammates, colleagues during the five years I was the director of Milan, know me well. If a man who tries to protect his role and his competences is uncompromising, then I am uncompromising. If a person who takes responsibility, who tries to win and knows how to accept defeat is uncompromising, then I am uncompromising. But I have the privilege of a 25-year career.”
THE AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED, THE ONLY THING I COULD DO WAS TO QUIT
And here we come to the main topic, the one that marked the hot football summer in Italy – the position of technical director of the national team, which Maldini first accepted, and then gave it up after a little more than two weeks.
“I am not tied to my job. I feel very free when I make decisions. Thank God, I have no financial needs. What leads me to accept a position is the possibility to really do that job and make my contribution. I am sorry if it is perceived as arrogance or intransigence. But if I am asked to take responsibility, I feel obliged to be so.”
He then presents his version of events and explains how the story of his entry into the structures of the Italian national team began.
“Malago called me for Easter and said: ‘There is a possibility for me to become the president of the Association. You are the person I would like to be with me.’ I made myself available to him. For me, there are only two things in football, Milan and the national team.
After that, Malago did not contact him for a while, only to re-establish contact just before the elections.
“The day before the election, he called me again: ‘The vote is tomorrow, there are good chances, I would like you to be with us.’ I answered: ‘Let’s talk.'”
Maldini’s role, according to the original idea, was not to be limited to the first team.
“He asked me to become the president of Club Italy (the body that unites all sections and all sports within the Federation and coordinates the activities of the PR). It was not just about raising the national team again. Italian football had to be built anew.”
The problem, the famous defender claims, arose when the terms under which he accepted the job began to change. Especially important was the question of who has the last word when choosing a coach.
“The contracts were changed. Therefore, the only thing I could do was to resign. Or, more precisely, to refuse to sign a four-year contract that was supposed to start on August 1. After all, the first thing I asked him was: ‘Who chooses the coach?’ Malago answered me: ‘You choose the coach, and I confirm your choice.’ That was the deal. Then the events led to things changing”.
Leonardo, his longtime friend and former collaborator in Milan, was supposed to be in the project alongside Maldini. The idea was to practically create a function in the structure of the representation that did not exist before.
“I share friendship, values and principles with him. Leo has great organizational skills, and we understand each other very well. That’s how we started. We also thought about a new function: the technical directorate. The technical directorate never existed in the organizational structure of the national team. The selector answered directly to the president. But that was not good. The national coach needs to consult with other people.”
However, Maldini and Leonardo were not only thinking about who would lead the senior national team. The project was supposed to have two parallel directions – one long-term, intended to change the entire system, and the other, which would have to bring results immediately.
“I presented our project to the League. It was based on two different tracks. It takes time to rebuild Italian football. The development of new talents and a new mentality is a long-term process. It was necessary to create a new movement that would include all parts of the federation: Serie A, Serie B, Serie C, amateurs, associations of coaches, players and referees. And then there was another track or, if you prefer, another train, which had to move much faster. In less than two months we play against Belgium, Turkey and France in the League of Nations. We had to prepare for tomorrow and be good today. And start winning again”.
PEP WAS VERY CLOSE TO ACCEPTING IT, DE ROSSI AND GROSSO FOLLOWED
It was from this broader idea that the choice of a potential national team coach arose. Maldini says that they were not only looking for a big coaching name, but a man who would fit the imagined football direction.
“Our idea was related to technique, to attacking play and change. In Italy, we were lagging behind in many things. We wanted the development of young players not to be based on exaggeration with tactics, but on technique, one-on-one play and an attacking mentality. We also wanted a young coach who has experience playing for the national team.”
At that moment there were three names.
“Andrea, Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso. Three world champions. But the president told us that, based on the agreement that allowed him to be selected with the support of all clubs except Lazio, we cannot touch the coaches of Serie A clubs. So De Rossi and Grosso dropped out. But I understand that. At the end of July, the teams are already in preparation and it is difficult to make changes in the middle of the process. Malago told us: ‘This cannot be done.’ And we continued with Pirlo”.
Pirlo wasn’t the only big name they talked to, though. Maldini reveals that the first call was made to a coach whose expertise would be hard to question.
“We called the best Italian coach of all time, my close friend Carlo Ancelotti. He replied that Brazil had reconfirmed his complete trust, greeted us and wished us luck. It was a call we had to make.”
Even more interesting was the conversation with Pep Guardiola. Maldini and his colleagues saw him as the embodiment of the kind of football they wanted to establish as the basis of the future Italian national team.
“As a coach, he is the epitome of technical and attacking football. Through some friends, he previously mentioned the possibility of leading the national team one day. We went to his place in Barcelona, had lunch together and talked all day. He was very interested. He was very close to accepting. He even started to write down the squads on paper… But the money, the 20,000,000 euros that were talked about, was never a problem. Pep told us clearly: ‘Give me one euro less than earned by the previous selector and it suits me.”
Guardiola eventually gave up for completely different reasons.
“He said no because he is tired. Ten exhausting years in the Premier League are behind him. He operated on his back. He wants to rest. But the conversation was very serious. We analyzed selections starting from the national team up to the age of 17 and up… That’s why we started with Andrea. Malago knew everything, we informed him about every step”.
It was Pirlo who caused the most doubts. The objection was obvious, because his coaching biography did not offer results that would at first glance recommend him for one of the biggest places in Italian football. Maldini, however, claims that the criterion was different.
“It is a personal assessment. We wanted a young coach who would accept the project and who has a top playing career behind him. When I talk to Pirlo about football and technical matters, I see that he is extremely prepared. With a technical director and advisors who would follow and support him, he would be an ideal coach. After all, what kind of biographies did the last coaches who won major competitions, Scalloni and De la Fuente, have? If you tie everything only to the man on the bench, you are only looking at today, never tomorrow. And behind us are three failures in the qualifications”.
A much larger part of Maldini’s plan was related to “tomorrow”. His assessment was that the problems of Italian football cannot be solved in one or two years, but that a serious renewal requires eight to ten years.
“That is the only thing where I encountered a certain skepticism in the League. But it is a period that we have evaluated based on the experiences of not only the great football powers, England, France and Spain, but also other countries that have renewed their football, such as Switzerland.
Restructuring required the involvement of all relevant parties, who must communicate and cooperate. The next World Cup is in four years, and the European Championship in two. I know perfectly well that if we hadn’t qualified it would have been considered a failure. It may not be fair, but that’s how things work. We have to win now. But we also have to prepare the future”.
And then his cooperation with a Russian betting company got involved in the story of Pirlo. Maldini admits that they did not know about her at first and that the public’s reaction influenced the further development of events, but he insists that there was no legal obstacle to his appointment.
“It certainly had an impact. We didn’t know about it. The public did its part. But from the legal side, there was nothing that would prevent Andrea from being the selector of the national team.”
When asked if the whole thing was used as an excuse to give up on Pirlo, Maldini doesn’t have much of a dilemma.
“I would say yes. Everything was certainly used in a completely excessive way. Pirlo was ready to end cooperation with the Russian betting company. He is a very honest man and did not deserve such a chase. The code of ethics, the Decree on Dignity were mentioned… But if there was a real desire for him to sign a contract as a selector, there would be no legal obstacles”.
Another issue of potential conflict of interest has emerged in the public eye – the fact that Maldini’s son Cristian and Pirlo’s son Niccolo were linked to agent affairs. Maldini says that there was no legal obstacle there either.
“Let’s talk about that too. No one said it, but that regulation was repealed in 2019. Legally speaking, there was nothing to prevent our sons from being agents. Today, Christian is a scout. Nothing prevented me from being the technical director of the national team, and Pirlo from being the selector. And if it turned out that my position was really incompatible with my son’s profession, I would have immediately resigned. Everything was very tendentious and was never explained by the head of the federation. But it had an impact.”
FROM TODAY THE RULES ARE CHANGING, I CHOOSE THE NATIONAL TEAM COACH AND YOU APPROVE HIM
The turning point, according to his version of events, was a conversation in which Malago informed him that the initially agreed division of responsibilities was changing.
“Malago called me and Leonardo and said: ‘In my opinion, Pirlo can no longer be hired. From today I will decide who will be the coach. From today the rules change, I choose the coach and you confirm him.'”
For Maldini, the basic prerequisite for continued cooperation has thus disappeared.
“If I have a job, if I have responsibilities and if I intend to carry them out, then something like that is unacceptable. We took 24 hours and resigned from contracts that have not even started to be valid yet. I don’t know if it’s intransigence or arrogance. I’m used to working differently. There were no longer the conditions of trust necessary to carry out work that is huge, but at the same time exciting. We have already started working. We were in Coverciano. It is a machine that is standing still. There are many people who want something to do, but they don’t know what to do. They are waiting for the goal, they are waiting for guidelines. Meetings with them gave us a lot of energy in a job that is also scary”.
One of the questions was why, in addition to available and far more experienced coaches, there was so much insistence on a younger solution. Maldini says that the point was not to reject Roberto Mancini or Antonio Conte, but to look for the profile that best suits the envisaged project.
“I appreciate Roberto Mancini. But we had a different project. We wanted a new, young coach. Mancini and Conte are two great coaches. And it’s not a matter of friendship. I’m friends with Pirlo, that’s true. I’m friends with Ancelotti. But I’m also friends with Mancini and Conte, although those relationships are different. We’ve known each other for decades, we played against each other, and we played together for the national team. I reached the semi-finals with Mancini The European Championship in 1988, that of Van Basten, as well as the World Cup in 1990 in Italy. With Conte, I reached the final of the World Cup in 1994 and the European Championship in 2000. But I don’t choose people because they are my friends. I choose those that I think best suit the project in front of us.”
For Maldini, the termination of cooperation with Málaga is therefore not only a matter of choosing one coach, but the basis of everything was, as he says, the trust that existed at the beginning and then disappeared.
“There was trust. If you make a decision, then you have to defend it. If you explain what you were trying to do, then that choice becomes a bit more understandable.”
In his diagnosis, the problem of Italian football is much deeper than the results of the senior national team. Maldini draws a comparison with the period when Serie A was the technical standard of world football.
“Compare today’s Italian league with that of 20 or 30 years ago. From the technical side, we have become a country that no longer produces talented players. Something at the level of the system is not working. My children saw it in the younger categories of Milan, where they only talk about tactics. If a child is talented, it becomes a problem. But that is against the rules of modern football.”
WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DEFEND OR ATTACK ANYMORE
In addition to player development, Maldini also sees the infrastructure as a problem, as well as regulations that do not encourage the development of local footballers enough.
“We have dilapidated stadiums and inadequate training centers. We wanted to involve everyone in order to change the rules and regulations as soon as possible, to create a pact for the national teams, rules that would encourage clubs from Serie A, B and C to give Italian players a chance. Obligatory investments in the youth sector. We no longer know how to defend or attack here. We are slow, and the referees stop the game too often”.
Maldini also wanted more Italian footballers on the field, although he admits that European regulations on freedom of movement limit the possibilities of introducing simple quotas.
“We would try to enable more Italians to play. European regulations on freedom of movement do not allow it, but we would find a solution. We have to train coaches in a more modern way. Today, a coach who works with children between ten and 14 years old earns a thousand euros a month and has to have another job. We have to help them, because this is a crucial age.”
It is in this context that Claudio Ranieri, who replaced Maldini as technical director, comes to mind. The former ace does not question the value and experience of a man of such renown, but he is more interested in what task will be entrusted to him and whether the focus will remain only on the result of the A national team.
“His history speaks for itself. I can’t judge. Having someone like Ranieri is an added value, something exceptional.”
His fear is that Italian football could once again deal with the consequences, instead of the systemic problems that the project was supposed to attack.
“I’m just saying that the work ahead is huge. I don’t know what was asked of him. I’m afraid that too much importance will be given to the national team, and much less to the renewal of Italian football.”
That’s why Maldini ends up talking not so much about the position he lost, but about the opportunity to influence what Italian football will be in ten or twenty years.
“There is something I will always regret. I accepted a very demanding commitment that, as the days went by, almost became a dream: to do something for the next generations, to build a competitive Italy,” Maldini tells Corriere della Sera and concludes:
“The dream was interrupted, but it was beautiful. And because of the many people I met who were ready to work”.
yeah doing Nepo hires like Pirlo Grosso and De Rossi after Gattuso would’ve instilled so much confidence and people want to type crap like “Trust the process” because its Maldini
hilarious stuff, what next, he’ll ask for a cap for his son?
Did you even manage to read this with understanding? Don’t lie, you didn’t even read it. 😀
They spoke with Guardiola and Ancelotti first. These 3 were their 3rd choice and Malago said no to Serie A managers. Which part is nepotism? Is Gross Maldinis brother?
blah blah blah Maldini blah blah blah if he produced sh*t you’ll convince yourself that its actually gold because his name is Maldini
good job, no one with half a brain wants Pirlo, manages in UAE SECOND DIVISION
So you didn’t. All clear clown. Guardiola was their 1st choice because he is Maldinis cousin. 😀
Man, you could read that article 20 times and wouldn’t be able to understand it 2 times. But, bla bla bla is exactly what suits you and defines you, truly encapsulates you, so, keep bleating for it truly suits you.
Oh, and “words beginning with a capital letter indicate the start of a new sentence, a proper noun (a specific name of a person, place, or thing), or the first-person pronoun “I”.” So the word is ‘nepotism’ and not “Nepo”.
The guy is a clown, doesn’t even read or understand the point. It is like arguing with the local stray dog. Why would you?
Stop calling him a nepo, you scu*bag.
He could make Pioli looked like a genius. I’m sure it’ll be easier to task to make Pirlo one lol.
Maldini opened his soul: Pep was already thinking up the lineups; I called Ancelotti, nothing stopped Pirlo
“The first thing I asked him was: ‘Who chooses the coach?’ Malago replied to me: ‘You choose the coach and I confirm your choice.’
It’s a strange and difficult period behind Paolo Maldini… From his arrival as the technical director of the national team, then his departure after only 16 days due to serious turbulence within the Association and at the national level, to the loss of his long-time friend and teammate Franco Baresi, one of the longest-serving footballers in history decided to openly discuss everything in public, while it’s still hot.
The famous captain of Milan and the Italian national team opened his soul to Corriere della Sera like never before and spoke without twists about the recent upheavals on the business front, the big loss, and he also revealed all the behind-the-scenes information about the negotiations with Pep Guardiola, Andrea Pirlo, the conversation with Carlo Ancelotti, why he didn’t want Antonio Conte, about Roberto Mancini and the agreements he made together with his close associate Leonardo, before the newly elected president interfered in everything Football Association of Italy Giovanni Malago.
First, about the legendary captain of the Rossoneri, a friend and teammate who, by his own admission, was shaped by his view on football, responsibility and leadership. Their relationship, he says, has long gone beyond the limits of friendship.
“I spent twenty-five years with him. It wasn’t just friendship. When you play together with someone, you spend days and nights together, have fun together, suffer together, win together and a bond is created between you that is almost impossible to break,” began Maldini’s big interview for Corriere della Sera.
For Maldini, Baresi was also one of the first examples of how authority does not have to be built with big words.
“For me, Franco Baresi was an example of leadership that perfectly suited my character, which was then, even more than today, introverted and closed. He showed me what I wanted to be: few words, many actions.”
Maldini’s career was one of those – to be remembered and retold. As many as 902 appearances for Milan, seven Italian championship titles, five Champions Leagues, 126 appearances in the national team, of which 74 as captain… But, what is Paolo’s character?
“Others can judge that. You can’t please everyone. It’s important for me to do things right. And it’s important for me to say them clearly. The people who worked with me, my teammates, colleagues during the five years I was the director of Milan, know me well. If a man who tries to protect his role and his competences is uncompromising, then I am uncompromising. If a person who takes responsibility, who tries to win and knows how to accept defeat is uncompromising, then I am uncompromising. But I have the privilege of a 25-year career.”
THE AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED, THE ONLY THING I COULD DO WAS TO QUIT
And here we come to the main topic, the one that marked the hot football summer in Italy – the position of technical director of the national team, which Maldini first accepted, and then gave it up after a little more than two weeks.
“I am not tied to my job. I feel very free when I make decisions. Thank God, I have no financial needs. What leads me to accept a position is the possibility to really do that job and make my contribution. I am sorry if it is perceived as arrogance or intransigence. But if I am asked to take responsibility, I feel obliged to be so.”
He then presents his version of events and explains how the story of his entry into the structures of the Italian national team began.
“Malago called me for Easter and said: ‘There is a possibility for me to become the president of the Association. You are the person I would like to be with me.’ I made myself available to him. For me, there are only two things in football, Milan and the national team.
After that, Malago did not contact him for a while, only to re-establish contact just before the elections.
“The day before the election, he called me again: ‘The vote is tomorrow, there are good chances, I would like you to be with us.’ I answered: ‘Let’s talk.’”
Maldini’s role, according to the original idea, was not to be limited to the first team.
“He asked me to become the president of Club Italy (the body that unites all sections and all sports within the Federation and coordinates the activities of the PR). It was not just about raising the national team again. Italian football had to be built anew.”
The problem, the famous defender claims, arose when the terms under which he accepted the job began to change. Especially important was the question of who has the last word when choosing a coach.
“The contracts were changed. Therefore, the only thing I could do was to resign. Or, more precisely, to refuse to sign a four-year contract that was supposed to start on August 1. After all, the first thing I asked him was: ‘Who chooses the coach?’ Malago answered me: ‘You choose the coach, and I confirm your choice.’ That was the deal. Then the events led to things changing”.
Leonardo, his longtime friend and former collaborator in Milan, was supposed to be in the project alongside Maldini. The idea was to practically create a function in the structure of the representation that did not exist before.
“I share friendship, values and principles with him. Leo has great organizational skills, and we understand each other very well. That’s how we started. We also thought about a new function: the technical directorate. The technical directorate never existed in the organizational structure of the national team. The selector answered directly to the president. But that was not good. The national coach needs to consult with other people.”
However, Maldini and Leonardo were not only thinking about who would lead the senior national team. The project was supposed to have two parallel directions – one long-term, intended to change the entire system, and the other, which would have to bring results immediately.
“I presented our project to the League. It was based on two different tracks. It takes time to rebuild Italian football. The development of new talents and a new mentality is a long-term process. It was necessary to create a new movement that would include all parts of the federation: Serie A, Serie B, Serie C, amateurs, associations of coaches, players and referees. And then there was another track or, if you prefer, another train, which had to move much faster. In less than two months we play against Belgium, Turkey and France in the League of Nations. We had to prepare for tomorrow and be good today. And start winning again”.
PEP WAS VERY CLOSE TO ACCEPTING IT, DE ROSSI AND GROSSO FOLLOWED
It was from this broader idea that the choice of a potential national team coach arose. Maldini says that they were not only looking for a big coaching name, but a man who would fit the imagined football direction.
“Our idea was related to technique, to attacking play and change. In Italy, we were lagging behind in many things. We wanted the development of young players not to be based on exaggeration with tactics, but on technique, one-on-one play and an attacking mentality. We also wanted a young coach who has experience playing for the national team.”
At that moment there were three names.
“Andrea, Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso. Three world champions. But the president told us that, based on the agreement that allowed him to be selected with the support of all clubs except Lazio, we cannot touch the coaches of Serie A clubs. So De Rossi and Grosso dropped out. But I understand that. At the end of July, the teams are already in preparation and it is difficult to make changes in the middle of the process. Malago told us: ‘This cannot be done.’ And we continued with Pirlo”.
Pirlo wasn’t the only big name they talked to, though. Maldini reveals that the first call was made to a coach whose expertise would be hard to question.
“We called the best Italian coach of all time, my close friend Carlo Ancelotti. He replied that Brazil had reconfirmed his complete trust, greeted us and wished us luck. It was a call we had to make.”
Even more interesting was the conversation with Pep Guardiola. Maldini and his colleagues saw him as the embodiment of the kind of football they wanted to establish as the basis of the future Italian national team.
“As a coach, he is the epitome of technical and attacking football. Through some friends, he previously mentioned the possibility of leading the national team one day. We went to his place in Barcelona, had lunch together and talked all day. He was very interested. He was very close to accepting. He even started to write down the squads on paper… But the money, the 20,000,000 euros that were talked about, was never a problem. Pep told us clearly: ‘Give me one euro less than earned by the previous selector and it suits me.”
Guardiola eventually gave up for completely different reasons.
“He said no because he is tired. Ten exhausting years in the Premier League are behind him. He operated on his back. He wants to rest. But the conversation was very serious. We analyzed selections starting from the national team up to the age of 17 and up… That’s why we started with Andrea. Malago knew everything, we informed him about every step”.
It was Pirlo who caused the most doubts. The objection was obvious, because his coaching biography did not offer results that would at first glance recommend him for one of the biggest places in Italian football. Maldini, however, claims that the criterion was different.
“It is a personal assessment. We wanted a young coach who would accept the project and who has a top playing career behind him. When I talk to Pirlo about football and technical matters, I see that he is extremely prepared. With a technical director and advisors who would follow and support him, he would be an ideal coach. After all, what kind of biographies did the last coaches who won major competitions, Scalloni and De la Fuente, have? If you tie everything only to the man on the bench, you are only looking at today, never tomorrow. And behind us are three failures in the qualifications”.
A much larger part of Maldini’s plan was related to “tomorrow”. His assessment was that the problems of Italian football cannot be solved in one or two years, but that a serious renewal requires eight to ten years.
“That is the only thing where I encountered a certain skepticism in the League. But it is a period that we have evaluated based on the experiences of not only the great football powers, England, France and Spain, but also other countries that have renewed their football, such as Switzerland.
Restructuring required the involvement of all relevant parties, who must communicate and cooperate. The next World Cup is in four years, and the European Championship in two. I know perfectly well that if we hadn’t qualified it would have been considered a failure. It may not be fair, but that’s how things work. We have to win now. But we also have to prepare the future”.
And then his cooperation with a Russian betting company got involved in the story of Pirlo. Maldini admits that they did not know about her at first and that the public’s reaction influenced the further development of events, but he insists that there was no legal obstacle to his appointment.
“It certainly had an impact. We didn’t know about it. The public did its part. But from the legal side, there was nothing that would prevent Andrea from being the selector of the national team.”
When asked if the whole thing was used as an excuse to give up on Pirlo, Maldini doesn’t have much of a dilemma.
“I would say yes. Everything was certainly used in a completely excessive way. Pirlo was ready to end cooperation with the Russian betting company. He is a very honest man and did not deserve such a chase. The code of ethics, the Decree on Dignity were mentioned… But if there was a real desire for him to sign a contract as a selector, there would be no legal obstacles”.
Another issue of potential conflict of interest has emerged in the public eye – the fact that Maldini’s son Cristian and Pirlo’s son Niccolo were linked to agent affairs. Maldini says that there was no legal obstacle there either.
“Let’s talk about that too. No one said it, but that regulation was repealed in 2019. Legally speaking, there was nothing to prevent our sons from being agents. Today, Christian is a scout. Nothing prevented me from being the technical director of the national team, and Pirlo from being the selector. And if it turned out that my position was really incompatible with my son’s profession, I would have immediately resigned. Everything was very tendentious and was never explained by the head of the federation. But it had an impact.”
FROM TODAY THE RULES ARE CHANGING, I CHOOSE THE NATIONAL TEAM COACH AND YOU APPROVE HIM
The turning point, according to his version of events, was a conversation in which Malago informed him that the initially agreed division of responsibilities was changing.
“Malago called me and Leonardo and said: ‘In my opinion, Pirlo can no longer be hired. From today I will decide who will be the coach. From today the rules change, I choose the coach and you confirm him.’”
For Maldini, the basic prerequisite for continued cooperation has thus disappeared.
“If I have a job, if I have responsibilities and if I intend to carry them out, then something like that is unacceptable. We took 24 hours and resigned from contracts that have not even started to be valid yet. I don’t know if it’s intransigence or arrogance. I’m used to working differently. There were no longer the conditions of trust necessary to carry out work that is huge, but at the same time exciting. We have already started working. We were in Coverciano. It is a machine that is standing still. There are many people who want something to do, but they don’t know what to do. They are waiting for the goal, they are waiting for guidelines. Meetings with them gave us a lot of energy in a job that is also scary”.
One of the questions was why, in addition to available and far more experienced coaches, there was so much insistence on a younger solution. Maldini says that the point was not to reject Roberto Mancini or Antonio Conte, but to look for the profile that best suits the envisaged project.
“I appreciate Roberto Mancini. But we had a different project. We wanted a new, young coach. Mancini and Conte are two great coaches. And it’s not a matter of friendship. I’m friends with Pirlo, that’s true. I’m friends with Ancelotti. But I’m also friends with Mancini and Conte, although those relationships are different. We’ve known each other for decades, we played against each other, and we played together for the national team. I reached the semi-finals with Mancini The European Championship in 1988, that of Van Basten, as well as the World Cup in 1990 in Italy. With Conte, I reached the final of the World Cup in 1994 and the European Championship in 2000. But I don’t choose people because they are my friends. I choose those that I think best suit the project in front of us.”
For Maldini, the termination of cooperation with Málaga is therefore not only a matter of choosing one coach, but the basis of everything was, as he says, the trust that existed at the beginning and then disappeared.
“There was trust. If you make a decision, then you have to defend it. If you explain what you were trying to do, then that choice becomes a bit more understandable.”
In his diagnosis, the problem of Italian football is much deeper than the results of the senior national team. Maldini draws a comparison with the period when Serie A was the technical standard of world football.
“Compare today’s Italian league with that of 20 or 30 years ago. From the technical side, we have become a country that no longer produces talented players. Something at the level of the system is not working. My children saw it in the younger categories of Milan, where they only talk about tactics. If a child is talented, it becomes a problem. But that is against the rules of modern football.”
WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DEFEND OR ATTACK ANYMORE
In addition to player development, Maldini also sees the infrastructure as a problem, as well as regulations that do not encourage the development of local footballers enough.
“We have dilapidated stadiums and inadequate training centers. We wanted to involve everyone in order to change the rules and regulations as soon as possible, to create a pact for the national teams, rules that would encourage clubs from Serie A, B and C to give Italian players a chance. Obligatory investments in the youth sector. We no longer know how to defend or attack here. We are slow, and the referees stop the game too often”.
Maldini also wanted more Italian footballers on the field, although he admits that European regulations on freedom of movement limit the possibilities of introducing simple quotas.
“We would try to enable more Italians to play. European regulations on freedom of movement do not allow it, but we would find a solution. We have to train coaches in a more modern way. Today, a coach who works with children between ten and 14 years old earns a thousand euros a month and has to have another job. We have to help them, because this is a crucial age.”
It is in this context that Claudio Ranieri, who replaced Maldini as technical director, comes to mind. The former ace does not question the value and experience of a man of such renown, but he is more interested in what task will be entrusted to him and whether the focus will remain only on the result of the A national team.
“His history speaks for itself. I can’t judge. Having someone like Ranieri is an added value, something exceptional.”
His fear is that Italian football could once again deal with the consequences, instead of the systemic problems that the project was supposed to attack.
“I’m just saying that the work ahead is huge. I don’t know what was asked of him. I’m afraid that too much importance will be given to the national team, and much less to the renewal of Italian football.”
That’s why Maldini ends up talking not so much about the position he lost, but about the opportunity to influence what Italian football will be in ten or twenty years.
“There is something I will always regret. I accepted a very demanding commitment that, as the days went by, almost became a dream: to do something for the next generations, to build a competitive Italy,” Maldini tells Corriere della Sera and concludes:
“The dream was interrupted, but it was beautiful. And because of the many people I met who were ready to work”.
Malago isn’t interested in wholesale change, and likely wasn’t elected to do so. He just wanted the position and to clean up the NT. If Azzurri improve, no one will huff and puff about development that much. This has only been an issue with 3 missed WC’s, once the tea pot started boiling.
Malago: OK Paolo you want Ancelotti and Pep, go get it done! You choose and I will approve.
Also Malago: OK Paolo, you want who?! Nope you’re done. I choose and you approve.
The status quo in Italy will never change because Italy is the wall that progress brakes against …