AC Milan have confirmed that Paolo Maldini has concluded his role as technical director of the club, effective as of 5 June 2023.
Through a statement on their official website Milan announced Maldini’s departure, adding: “We thank him for his years of service in the role, contributing to the return to the Champions League and to winning the Scudetto in 2021/22.
“His day-to-day duties will be performed by a team working in close integration with the first team manager, ultimately reporting to the CEO.”
It has been a whirlwind 48 hours for Milan fans to digest. The 2022-23 season came to a close on Sunday night with a 3-1 win over Hellas Verona that was followed by the emotional farewell of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Less than 24 hours later, reports surfaced suggesting that a meeting was held between Gerry Cardinale and Maldini in which the owner of the club informed the ex-captain that his services would no longer be required.
The statement does not mention Ricky Massara, but the sporting director and right-hand man of Maldini is expected to follow him out of the club.
What about Massara?
Without Maldini he’s useless. He doesn’t have the money to buy anyway nor the charm to lure them in otherwise.
The problem with sacking Maldini, is that you’re telling all the players that you’re starting from zero again.
Maldini was representative of a continuity. Everyone knew that Maldini wasn’t a director that would make promises one day and the next would jump club and move to a different one. There’s no other club for Maldini.
If management thought that Maldini had potential, they would treat him as any new player with potential, by protecting and helping him become better. That he has shown promise, it’s out of the question (last year’s scudetto). Can he do better? Absolutely, but tell me one director that has done great and I can tell you one flop (Giuntoli bought Lozano for 40+ million).
The only explanation is that this management either thinks they can do much better right away, or that they want a ‘yes’ man that won’t flinch if told to sell this or that player that has good market ( Leao, Theo, Maignan, etc).
For the sake of Milan, I hope it’s the first one and not the second.
Probably the 2nd. Our only hope is that a billionaire pops up out of nowhere and buys the club before it’s too late. Highly unlikely though…
Let me just remind you what the Chelsea’s new Amercian owner did to Chelsea: finish EPL at 12.
Well, let’s stay positive… He had a very opposite approach: spent 600M€ on new players. That’s not Cardinale’s way of getting the results. 😀 😀 😀
Lol, I didn’t want to put that in my comment below but I was also going to point out that Guintoli didn’t just buy Kvara and Kim alone for cheap he also bought Lozano for 45m, And Manolas for 36mil. But all we hear is Kvara and Kim. Oshimen is a pretty penny too at 75mil. There’s no way Cardinale is paying that sum
Well said
Sad days. I hope lord Gary has decent plans. Considering they invested a shït load this can’t be just some ego trip decision
As much as I love Maldini, he has cost us Enzo Hernandez, Kava, Mauni and Dybala
We ended up with Adli, Wrankx, Origi and Florenzi!!!
It is sad he has left but I think it was necessary!!!
No the talkeover last year kept dragging out which made it impossibleb to act swiftly in the market and whos thats fault, yup, cardinale.
Agreed Martin. It’s not excuses but ppl really need to learn context and learn that not everything pans out great in the end.
it deffently played a great part in it and yes people should be better informed on the matter.
Agreed Martin. It’s also Cardinale who continued to stick with Renato Sanches. Right?
Of course maldini did make mistakes but all clubs have hits and misses its a natural part of dealing with people so im not saying he was perfect but he got the job done nevertheless and should have been kept.
What makes you think any of those players would have come? Fernandez was a 120m transfer and makes a lot in wages. As if milan owners would have let that happen. Our owners do not want to spend money, does anyone not understand that? Their main purpose is to find a prospect for cheap and to sell him in a few years for a profit. We’re going to become the new arsenal because nobody is safe in this team. Any suitable offer that comes their way and your gone. I already know how this is going to work out
Enzo never got the offer because by the time Gerry renewed Maldini’s contract, he already joined Benfica.
either way, Maldini did not make an offer to Enzo because he kept having a crush on Renato.
No his hands was tied as both his renewal and the clubs takeover was dragging out so he couldnt act in the market and that is simple facts that was caused by cardinale.
It sounds more like you have a crush on enzo if anything.
But still we are in position of top.2
He will be sorely missed as he gave us hope and joy for the first time in a long in a lomg long while when we had none previously. , cardinale on the other hand is ruining my hopes by sacking maldini and most likely will mess up the mercato once again as the takeover caused last year as it was badly timed. The same can be said about sacking maldini at this moment of time.
Ill be looking forward with great anticipation to hear and see the fan base react on this matter. Same goes for comments from ibra, boban, shevchenko and the man himself as i expect some loud critique of this management is about to arrive.
It really is an utter disgrace Martin!
Maldini has never been fired in his life.
He has had opportunity to play or work as a director for many clubs, but he is Milan.
He won 5 of our European cups, his father was present for the others.
His class, charisma and sheer standing in the game impresses everyone. Including when you see Henry drewling over him on cbs.
Hes the reason many players came and indeed renewed (Leao must be raging, as he has been lied to).
At the very least they could have negotiated what role he was responsible for.
Its just a disgusting, classless act by someone who knows nothing of football or Milan.
I expect players and fans to revolt!
Absolutely, in my 30+ years as a fan this one are amongst those that hurt and saddened me the most, We bounced back from 05 in 07 and there has been the defeats to marseille and the one to ajax and there has been the actual goal disallowed against juve even when it was in but yeah this is a disgrace and i have a hard tim seeing ill forgive cardinale even if he were to splash 100 mil this year. Im left with contempt for the man.
There a revery few people in the sport that is as highly respected as maldini thats for sure, Both his qualities as a playe, ther executive and as a man of honor.
I feel sorry for leao even though im foremost a fan of the club than of the player he must sit with a bitter taste in his mouth and i wouldnt blame him or for that matter other players requesting a transfer.
I dont think maldini would accept a lesser role if that is what you meant but it doesnt change the fact that cardinale has shown huge disrespect of the clubs greates legend ever and one we coonsider as one of us.
yeah i think it can turn out ugly and i wont blame the local fans either if they revolt not that i will sit here and say they should but its a huge disapointment for true fans of the club and cardinale has no idea what he started here as i doubt he will have an easy way gaining the majority of fans respect and it might even heavily affect the ammount of sold season tickets.
A truly dark day in milans history as i percieve it and generally i tend to respect the owners, players and coaches of our club and im extremely angry at this point.
“A truly dark day in milans history as i percieve it and generally i tend to respect the owners, players and coaches of our club and im extremely angry at this point.”
Ditto. But who knows, MAYBE this was a good thing. Time will tell. Just wished that there were a more fitting role for Maldini in the club. Sad to see him gone entirely. As all the players seem to be too. Which may lead into a catastrophy. Keyword here: MAY. Hopefully none will leave because of this.
He already had the most fiitting role unless he actually was the club president so my hopes are slim and the management can make all the moves they want in the mercato but i dont see a way for them to bridge this relationship with either maldini or for that matter a great part of the fan base, me included,
As much as I love Maldini, he has cost us Enzo Fernandez, Kava, Mauni and Dybala
We ended up with Adli, Wrankx, Origi and Florenzi!!!
It is sad he has left but I think it was necessary!!!
Cost you what you never had the money to buy.
You never had the resources of the personality to get the best players on the market until Maldini came.
The club was amongst the lowest of the low.
This. Thank you for saying that!
When Enzo signed for Benfica, Maldini had not received transfer budget.
This is interesting because Massara is not included. If he follows fine but this is a statement in and of itself. It’s basically saying don’t speak up on anything (sort of like Boban) or you’d be sack. Because let’s see: we’ve fulfilled the objective of getting into UCL, we went further than the L16 of the UCL which was the target. So it’s not the objective that’s the reason. It has to be other with the transfer market a smoke screen because we’ve recruited well and not so well. It’s really a power issue. Maldini was becoming too powerful or he said too much. Can’t go against the top brass like that
We’re just lucky to be in the CL next season tbh
@fins
1. How are we lucky to be in champions league qualification spot?
2. Was Milan lucky to be excluded from Europe few seasons
The points we got from the games are actually 5th this season.
The truth is that Maldini probably had too much power. And with great power comes great responsibility. The CDK over Dybala deal was a big mistake. As well as losing key players like Kessie and Calhanoglu and not replacing them. As much as I like Maldini club legend.. he deserves to go.
More like Massara only follow Maldini’s transfer decision so Maldini shoulder the blame from Gerry alone.
#CardinaleOut
If you think we are going to be better without Maldini ur delusional because Maldini was the only person that cares about the footballing success of the club and Cardinale only care about money.
Losing 2 legends in a few days was quite painful. With all the advantages and disadvantages of Ibra or Maldini, I will remember that Milan had the scudetto in their era after an 11 year drought. Love them and Milan per sempre
A great team must have its own identity. And Maldini is the identity of Milan. Sir Cardina… what will you do with Milan? This question was asked from the moment he arrived in Milan.
PROFIT OVER TITLES – that is the REDBIRD/ELLIOT way
Not Elliot just redbird
I’m seriously angry right now.
Can’t believe that yankee did something foolish like this 😡
#CARDINALEOUT
#REDBIRDOUT
I can’t read the nonsense that we missed Enzo, Dybala, and others. that he didn’t renew the contracts of Dollaruma, Kesie, and Hakan … that he spent 35mil on 1 player. Now we will spend that amount on 10 players and they will be world-class players. Great joke. No one can guarantee that the players he didn’t sign would be great at Milan, and how is that that they were going to join us but was it his fault they didn’t? with a salary cap you can buy no one, the players he didn’t renew is because they didn’t want and waited for their contracts to expire so managers can get provisions and much bigger salaries. He brings some great players but no one is talking about them. There is no person who didn’t make mistakes, but it looks like haters are only counting them. And not selling players, besides the ones mentioned above that wanted to go, who was there to sell? Teo, Leao, Tonali, Benacer… he build the core, and the other tims don’t want the rest of the players because yes they were cheap options recruited with very little money, that didn’t got in Piolis rotation and playing time so who will want them? With 50 mil on this market how many quality players can you buy that will instantly give quality to the team? None…
I think I’ll spend at least a MONTH without accessing this site… because the already usual rosary of cries, complaints and wails from the Doom & Gloom Crew will reach simply ALARMING levels, joined now by the whining chorus of the inconsolable Maldini widows – whom obviously I will always respect and honor, but never the entourage of his little noisy internet widows.
Anyway…
Maldini was the only one representing the true rossoneri fans in the club, all the others are profit oriented, even moncada is not a milanista, but an expert in finding hidden gems that will explode and later on be sold for crazy figures, tare was a yes man to lotito, lotito runs lazio, ac milan is being turned into a club that finds hidden gems and sale them for profit, if any of our star players hand in a transfer request, they will sell him with a big smile, for big money, and use moncada to get another kid from ligue 1 who will need 4years to be a star, cardinale knows now that there is no money in seria a unless you are selling your star players, thats the difference in strategy he had with maldini, the stadium will never come any time soon, the tv rights proposal which is suggested by the americans, italian guys like ADL are not interested, we are now a dortmund, an ajax, a benfica, a sporting cp, what he doesnt realise is that if you build a very strong team, than win important things, you can make money from fans and better sponsorship deals, and prize money, that was our only hope
After the way Maldini has been treated, you tell me which one Milan player right now, that will be thinking about loyalty and legacy over top offers from other clubs especially the English clubs. Beside they can also win trophies at those other clubs quicker than Milan. Maldini stood for something bigger than money and players worth. He epitomises Milan, and if anyone here thinks the speculative names in the media that are going to replace him are capable of that(Whatvhe represents and the pedigree he has)…you have something else coming. Inaddition, do we think that the names that are currently linked with Maldini’s position would have delivered the scuddeto..semi final place and Top 4 and champions league qualifications in two years with the players and budget we have at Milan?
People here saying Maldini deserve the sack and in this manner have no understanding of gratitude and how progress should be measured in football( not to mentioned a laughable budget).
We all support our clubs for success and some emotional ties…and for some of us Maldini might be one of those emotional ties … his successes as a player and his family toes with the Milan club…if that stands for nothing then.. I give up on football.
The best post I’ve read on this website. People here seem to be too young to understand how football works and how life works.
Just hope the Yank has got a very good plan B…… Sadly, with American owners in football, I have very little faith!
I think Moncada and Pioli had this all planned out because Pioli knew Maldini was fed up with lack of imagination with tactics and developing players. I’m sorry Maldini as an Exec gets an A+ , everyone complained about keeping players forgetting with Gazidis we had a salary cap and where trying to balance the books so we can get back in Europe. I’m afraid we will be in decline after this back to Banter days… how many top clubs rely on young undeveloped players and analytics? we arent Tolouse we are milan. Lets be honest our academy players aren’t getting a look or even the best . lets just hope for the best at this point…i’m not buying anymore jerseys till REdbird apologize to the fans.
When you hire club legends you know there is always going to come that day when you will eventually have to fired them.
Happened with Gattuso as a coach and now Maldini as a director.
It never easy to accept it.
Wish he could stay in a different role and be a part of Milan management like Baresi and Massaro.
Some of his work was great, some good, some bad and some was flat out ugly imo.
Either way, thanks to Paolo, this doesn’t change the fact that he is Milan greatest legend, and good luck in his future endeavors.
Good luck to the new management as well. Time to get to work and prove you made the right decision today.
Time will tell
Yeah, given that Theo may be leaving, it’s a shame about management’s decision not to trust the kerkez that Moncada found and purchased Ballo-Toure.
Football as we know it is over. It’s the same all over the world starting with the Bosman law in 1995. There is no loyalty, there is no honor, only soulless profiteering. Business men will never understand what someone like Maldini means to the club. His value is above any dollars and cents.
I still cheer for the success of Milan, but we aren’t the same club without Maldini.