Welcome back (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/king.gif)
And yes, Maldini's signing of a new contract is a very good thing indeed (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

i agree with you.  He is needed in the dressing room.  Even if he doesnt play, his precense still does alot. 
Like i said before with mourinho, his being there just changes the entire outcome.  I think the same with maldini.  Maldini is one of the reasons why our club doesnt look like a circus show like barca/real.

+40 (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

+40 (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

One more season for the best player ever! (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thank God!

Totally against this.

Maldini is a legend of the game but he's not top anymore to be in the first XI. He should have retired. [And it hurts me to see Maldini benched]

Yet again, we're not going anywhere with this kind of spending.

Next: renewall with Digão and Emerson. "A posto così!" and the entire Europe laughin' at us.

Sacchi: "When the discussion is between Milan and Maldini, money is never a factor!"


A couple of days back, Paolo Maldini almost hanged up his boots, to end one the most glorious career in the world of football, a historical journey which took over twenty years with the Milan faithfuls. But all of this ended, when he signed the extension to his contract last Saturday for one more push to relive the magic and ecstasy that Milan and Paolo have always brought with them to the San Siro.


Arrigo Sacchi had a little discussion about this: "If Paolo decides to end his career, it wont ever be for money. Paolo doesn't need the money. Paolo's decision was based on the contract, for his history with Milan, or else he would have just retired .. Look, the relationship between Maldini and Milan was based of giving and sacrifice and it was a so well balanced relationship. Maldini gave a lot to Milan and Milan as with it's prestige gave a lot back to him. They together have built a team, in my opinion that has outshone any others throughout history. The flags of history bow down to that team, and and in that era where it was the best in history. When Maldini's history comes to a close, it has to be a happy and beautiful ending. It shouldn't be in the middle of a loop hole, which Milan have rarely ever been in."

But maybe Sacchi is talking about an era, which Maldini considers finished and done with. Sacchi comments: "But when an era ends a new one comes out. Milan, at least in Berlusconi's reign is a warrior. The club won a lot with different men. Maldini won with me, won with Capello who was someone totally different than me, then with Zacceroni and finally with Ancelotti. And he still continues, what you call an era depends firstly on what the club considers an era. I always repeat this: without a big club there are no big results that come by themselves. A big club is more important than big players and is more important than big coaches. Then of course comes the value of the man, and his value in particular from a professional point of view. Maldini from this perspective is a shinning star, none shall outshine him and none have. Maldini didn't reach this status just by chance, the whole story goes back to his family who had taught him professionalism at its highest order and also the raw talent that he has in him, with time and professionalism Paolo was able to fill his career with success proceeding success."

But Maldini needs to be treated in a special way, when considering all that Sacchi talked about, so why does these complications happen before he signed the contract extension ? Sacchi replies: "Look at Berlusconi he is the most romantic when coming into such issues, I can pinpoint this with such clarity. He is like this, he treats people with his affection and also with his relationship during work, all that remains in our minds is Silvio's affection. Once he asked me if I was a friend to my players and I told him that a coach should not be a friend with his players, for that is not his role. He has to be there for his men whenever they needed him but his role in the team is completely different, and the relationship between the coach and players is a mirror image to that which is between Milan and Maldini."

Sacchi also talked about his relationship with Van Bastem when he was his player: "What is said and written about my relationship with Van Basten is exaggerated a bit. We used to argue and there is no question about that, but Marco was the best player I had ever coached in my lifetime and with him my relationship was a good one. And when I came back to Milan again, I asked him to repeat what he did with me again and I told him that a player should accept adjusting to different tactics, he then told me that he will need time to think. After that he called me up and said, 'now I understand what your saying, I might have created a problem. I replied that I had fixed some of the problem and the whole situation ended right there."

Once he asked me if I was a friend to my players and I told him that a coach should not be a friend with his players, for that is not his role. He has to be there for his men whenever they needed him but his role in the team is completely different, and the relationship between the coach and players is a mirror image to that which is between Milan and Maldini.

I hope Carlo read this