Paolo Maldini
ROME (AFP) - When veteran defender Paolo Maldini
replaced Marek Jankulovski after 68 minutes of AC Milan's 0-0 draw
at Parma on Saturday he surpassed 1,000 games for club and
country.
It was the latest feat in a remarkable career for the veteran
pin-up of Italian football.
Maldini has now played 861 club matches for AC Milan, earned a
record 126 Italy caps, made one appearance for the Italian Olympic
team and played 12 matches in the Italian under-21 team.
Incredibly, of those 1,000 games, he started 981 of them and
completed 916 from start to finish - but not against Parma.
If anything it was an inglorious way for such a model professional
to reach that milestone but Maldini wasn't going to let that
deflect from his achievement.
And he isn't about to let his last few months in football slip by
without making the most of it either.
Asked what he will do next he said: "Everyone asks me this question
but I don't know how to answer it.
"That means that I still have a few more months to enjoy this great
adventure which begun so many years ago.
"I would like to enjoy it right to the end and I hope to finish at
the end of May (with the Champions League final)."
The 39-year-old Maldini revealed what keeps him going after all
these years.
"You have to be strong, if you don't train well you won't be ready
to play against guys many years younger than you," he added.
During Maldini's incredible career he won the Serie A title seven
times, the Champions League five times, the Italian Cup once, the
Club World Cup and its predecessor the Intercontinental Cup three
times, five European Super Cups and five Italian Super Cups.
Incredibly, though, he never won any international honours with
Italy having retired from playing for his country before their 2006
World Cup victory.
He twice played in major finals but lost out on penalties to Brazil
in the 1994 World Cup final and suffered an extra-time defeat at
the hands of France in the 2000 European Championships final.
But there have been many more good days than bad in the more than
8,400 days since he made his first-team debut for Milan on January
20, 1985 at Udinese.
He certainly won't be adding another Serie A title to his
collection this season, not with Milan 21 points behind leaders and
bitter city rivals Inter, but he can still dream about lifting an
unprecedented sixth Champions League crown in May.
