Bye Paolo!!

Bye Paolo, Bye Our Legend..

Last Saturday, May 16 2009, Paolo Maldini, indicated by many as one of the best Milan players of this final part of the season, played at Udine his 900th official game with the Rossoneri’s shirt.

The other important dates of Paolo are many. November 12, 1986, made his debut with the Italian Under 21 national team, whereas on May 15 1988 he won at Como (the same stadium of his first goal in Serie A, a year and a half earlier) his first Scudetto with Milan. 1989 is the special year of the Finals, both for Paolo Maldini and Milan: on May 24 of that year, the Rossoneri’s team, after 20 years, returns European Champions as they beat Steaua Bucharest 4-0: on December 7 arrives the European Super Cup at San Siro with a goal of Evani against Barcelona; on December 17 it is Evani again who scores the winner in the World Club Cup at Tokyo against Nacional Medellini. 1990 is sweet and sour: on May 23 Milan win the Champions Cup again in Vienna against Benfica thanks to a goal by Frank Rijkaard; on July 3 Italy is defeated in the semi-final of the world cup by Argentina; on December 17 Milan returns world champion in Tokyo against Olimpia Asuncion, but Paolo hurts himself to a shoulder.

After two other Scudetti won and also Italian Super Cups, there is France on the horizon. It’s a France who gives and takes. On May 26 1993 in Munich, Olympique Marseille beats Milan in the Champions Cup final, but on December 28 of the same year, the first great recognition for Paolo. In Paris, precisely from the great newspaper L’Equipe, arrives the title of Player of the Year.

On April 17 1994 Milan won its 14th Scudetto, despite equalizing 2-2 at San Siro against Udinese. But it’s not over: on May 18 1994 with Paolo vice-captain, due to the absence of Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta, Milan won the Champions Cup beating the favourites Barcelona, coached by Johan Cruyff. Almost two months later, on July 17, there is another final but less enthusiastic. It’s the Pasadena-Los Angeles, where the Azzurri coached by Arrigo Sacchi lose the World Cup final of USA 94 from the penalty shoot-out against Brazil.

1995 sees Paolo winning the European Super Cup at San Siro against Arsenal on February 8, losing the Champions Cup final in Vienna 1-0 against Ajax of Rijkaard, Seedorf and Kluivert, and reach 500 official games in career with Milan and the national team. This happens in the Uefa Cup, in a game between Milan and Sparta Prague at San Siro, but Paolo still finds the way to celebrate in the league three days later, on November 26, scoring a goal at San Siro in Milan-Piacenza 3-0.

Paolo’s story in the European scene started in the Uefa Cup in 1985, at Auxerre in France. Then on September 7 1988, the debut in the Champions Cup in Bulgaria: Vitocha Sofia-Milan 0-2. The 50th game arrived on February 2 1994: Milan-Parma 0-2 and European Super Cup won by the Emiliani, a healthy defeat which then stirs Milan and a few months later they win the Scudetto-Champions Cup double. From these first 100 games, the most fun win arrived in Denmark (6-0 for Milan) on October 20 1993 at the Parken stadium against Copenhagen.

On March 15 2003, Paolo Maldini plays his 500th match in Serie A. For such an important recurrence, Milan is expected on Saturday evening at Reggio Calabria. The Amaranti’s public, warm and enthusiastic like few others, at the moment of his warming up, chant his name and applaud Paolo Maldini.

On May 28 2003, Paolo raises to the sky of Manchester in England, like his father did exactly 40 years before, the Champions Cup. The wins do not stop: on May 31 Paolo is happy to have won his first Coppa Italia of his career, whereas on August 29 2003, against Porto of Jose Mourinho, a goal by Andriy Shevchenko allows Milan to triumph in the European Super Cup in Montecarlo. On December 14 2003, Boca Juniors beat Milan in the Club World Cup in Yokohama, but in the final Milan will make up for this defeat on December 16 2007, beating 4-2 and without the penalties the first Fifa Club World Cup won by a European club. In between many other things: May 2 2004, Milan-Roma 1-0, 17th Scudetto; August 21 2004, Milan–Lazio 3-0, Italian Super Cup won; May 25, Milan-Liverpool 5-6 from the penalty shoot-outs, Istanbul; May 23 2007, Milan-Liverpool 2-1, Athens; August 31 2007, Milan-Sevilla 3-1, Europeane Super Cup won.

Here are other important numbers of the Captain:

THE 33 GOALS SCORED BY MALDINI
• SERIE A: 29
• CHAMPIONS CUP/CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 3
• COPPA ITALIA: 1

THE 56 DERBY GAMES OF MALDINI
. SERIE A: 42
• CHAMPIONS CUP/CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 4
• COPPA ITALIA: 7
• TROFEO BERLUSCONI: 1
. FRIENDLIES: 2

Profile : Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti

Born: June 10, 1959
Archive:
Birthplace: Reggiolo, Italy
Previous Clubs: Reggiana; Parma; Juventus; Milan
Honours: Intertoto Cup: 1999; Coppa Italia: 2003; Serie A: 2004; Italian Supercup: 2004; UEFA Champions League: 2003, 2007; UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007; FIFA Club World Cup: 2007


Spending his entire coaching career in Italy, Ancelotti is one of the most successful and well-respected in the business.

Carlo Ancelotti: The Milan coach is a stalwart of Serie A.

Ancelott, who made over 100 appearance for the Rossoneri as a player, has guided AC Milan to numerous titles, including two Champions League trophies and the prestigious Scudetto establishing himself as a hugely popular figure at the San Siro.

He began his club career with Parma in 1976, but spent just three years there before Roma snapped him up. A tough midfielder, Ancelotti captained Roma to the title in 1983 and also helped the side win the Italian Cup on four occasions.

In 1987, he joined Milan, where he became part of the legendary squad that won consecutive European Cups in 1989 and 1990.

Alongside the likes of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta in defence, Frank Rijkaard and Roberto Donadoni in midfield and Marco van Basten in attack, Ancelotti finished his career on a high and won the Scudetto in 1991-92.

His first coaching job came in 1995 with Serie B squad A.C. Reggiana. He spent just a year with the club, and won them promotion, before moving back to Parma, this time as boss.

Cutting his teeth with the likes of a young Gianluigi Buffon under his care, the Italian did well and proved himself worthy of managing one of the larger Italian sides. Juventus came calling in 1999 and he became the successor of Marcello Lippi at the Old Lady.

Although he did not win a trophy during his two-year stint, twice finishing as runner-up in Serie A, he continued to show his credentials and was hired as a replacement for the sacked Fatih Terim at AC Milan in 2001.

The Rossoneri had been on a trophy-less run themselves, but Ancelotti set them on the right track in his first season leading them to the semi-finals of the 2001-02 UEFA Cup.

His defensive style had drawn criticism from club president Silvio Berlusconi, but he soon changed that and turned Andrea Pirlo into a playmaker, while also reigniting the partnership of Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko.

2003 saw the side travel all the way to the Champions League final in Manchester and beat Juventus on penalties to claim the trophy. They had also picked up the Coppa Italia prize, but the masterstroke of signing Brazilian midfielder Kaka from Sao Paulo the following summer ensured it wouldn't be the end of the success.

In 2003-04, Milan won their first league title since 1999 and finished runners-up behind Juventus in 2004-05 and 2005-06 (although both Scudetti were later wiped from the record books due to Juventus' involvement in the Calciopoli scandal) for the next seasons.

The signing of Kaka for just €8.5m proved to be one of the best ever, but Ancelotti's greatest achievement, however, was picking the club up from their disappointment in the 2005 Champions League final. Leading 3-0 at half time, Milan crumbled and lost on penalties to Liverpool; but returned to face the English side two years later in Athens, winning 2-1.

It was Ancelotti's second Champions League trophy as Milan coach and his fourth title overall, having also won it twice as a player in 1989 and 1990 and he became only the fifth coach in history to achieve this feat.

Continuing to impress with his strong style of man-management, Ancelotti struggled to recreate his success in the subsequent years, but still signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at Milan until 2010.

Chelsea have been constantly linked with a move for the Italian, but with the manager having expressed an interest in coaching the Italian national team, Serie A's longest serving manager (and Milan's second) will certainly not be short of offers when he does decide to leave the San Siro.