The Italian Football Federation has announced the appointment of Paolo Maldini, the AC Milan legend, as the new technical director.
Ever since missing out on the World Cup, for the third time in a row, a lot of time has been spent on identifying the next steps for the Italian Federation. Naming Giovanni Malagò as the new president was the first big step, and yesterday the second arrived.
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Indeed, the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) confirmed the appointment of Maldini as the new technical director. Three years after leaving Milan, as such, the club legend now has a new role and it feels like a perfect one for him.
Maldini to Italy: Official statement
The statement was published on the website in the evening yesterday, also confirming that another former Milan director, namely Leonardo, will act as an advisor to Maldini. You could thus say that the FIGC are starting anew with the Elliott Management era of the Rossoneri.
“FIGC President Giovanni Malagò is pleased to announce that Paolo Maldini has accepted the position of Technical Director of the Federation. Maldini will perform this role alongside Leonardo as an advisor.
“There’s a four-year commitment which will take us until 2030, to the next World Cup, via the Euros,” the statement read.
It remains to be seen how much power Maldini will have in the decision-making, but knowing him, it was probably a demand to accept the role in the first place.
THE GOAT
THE GDAT
THE GCAT
MALDINI ❤️❤️❤️
Now, will he be there as glorified cheerleader or not? Is his authority good enough to be implemented?
I’m really happy about Maldini’s appointment. He truly deserves the position. I believe the future of the Italian national team is bright under Maldini’s leadership.
Good luck Maldini.
Hopefully now the return of a good Italy side will start!
Wishing him all the best of luck.
I’m really rooting for Italy’s football to be reborn under these two guys. It’s a shame its football is in this current state.
Its football is in this current state because of this huge, massive and unnecessary influx of foreign players that have been accumulated over so many years and still continues to this day, like a fungus, simply brushing off and brushing aside any chance or opportunity for Italian players to develop, continue to develop and/or prove their talents. Anyone can with this all they want, that fact is simply undeniable. There’s that Bosman Ruling.
*anyone can disagree with this
Please stop this already Jimi.
Of course I do disagree.
The football is a reflection of Italy as a country and has no bearing on the foreigners, players have always played in foreign leagues since time immemorial.
Do you know how many players in Serie A lost out on their world cup squad because they play in a sorry league?
Players like Hojbjerg or Pavard will make thier squad had they played in better leagues.
Look at the world cup players stats, players from the EPL, LaLiga, and the Bundesliga have completely dominated the tournament, while Serie A players are practically invisible, you can barely find a Serie A player near the top of the goals or assists charts. Even in defensive phase, which used to be Serie A strength strength, you will hardly find Serie A defenders near the top of the chart.
This goes to tell you where Italy is in terms of it’s football. The best players don’t play in Italy.
Liverpool won the league last season with no single English player in the starting eleven. Arsenal just won the league with only White, Saka and Rice being English players. Now, that is a country that should complain about foreigners.
The EPL has the highest amount of foreign players, yet they are doing excellently well.
So the argument that foreign talent acts “like a fungus” destroying the Serie A is baseless when you compare it to the EPL.
If foreign players ruined a league, then the England’s national team would be in ruins. Instead, they are thriving at the very top of world football already in the semi finals.
I have some Italian friends and they seem really different from the ones I find in this blog and some Italian sports people (well, maybe because they grew up in Sacramento). I began to see some xenophobic traits in so many Italian comments here, and it’s quite worrying. I do hope you guys aren’t like that.
The problem with Italy in within and it affects even the foreigners there. It was never caused by them neither does it have a bearing on them.
True. But you’ve only identified a symptom of something deeper. If the players are identified inward, then there won’t be need to look outward so much. Just read the interview of Oddo and you see that the problem is deeper
Sounds a lot like a certain German in the 1930’s-40’s who scapegoated the Jews. Nevermind that most clubs make little effort to integrate the youth players into their first teams or that the federation has made little effort to try and force those integrations, or that the politics won’t force financial incentives for those clubs to use those youth players more… Let’s blame the foreigners.
Italian football is now back to it’s glory days… welcome Paolo, in the Euros and World Cup, your work will be evaluated.
And somehow, I actually feel that Roberto Baggio should have been right there, alongside our great Paolo Maldini!
Wishing Maldini always and only good luck and that he hopefully won’t have to face and deal with another charlatan and a****** like Gerry Cardinale!
Baggio should definitely be there as well.
In other news: Inter are having another transfer fall apart. Where are all the articles about the incompetence of Marotta and Oaktree…
This is an AC Milan fan site.. not Inter. Who gives a rat’s SSA what they do over there, their transfers falling apart might be superior to ours,.who knows. At the end of the end they’re the champs and had their club running effectively in the 2020s. Can’t say the same under Gerry. Apples and oranges. If you care so much about what they do over there, go join them. I would welcome the incompetence of Marotta any day if it means 3 league titles and two UCL final appearances in 6 years.
Chúc mừng anh bạn Paolo Maldini. Chúc bóng đâ Ý trở lại cuộc đua luôn dẫn đầu.
Best of luck Paolo! Hope you do well in your role as TD for the Azzurri! Italy needs a pillar like you