Aldo Maldera (1953-2012)



Position: defender (terzino)/midfielder

Actively played for Milan: 1971-72; 1973-82

Trophies with Milan: Coppa (71/72; 76/77), Scudetto (78/79), Mitropa Cup (81/82)

This August Milan legend Aldo Maldera (58) died. Maldera, also called Maldera III (to distinguish him from his two other brothers playing actively football). In Serie A Maldera played 228 matches and scored a total of 30 goals for Milan. He was selected for Italy's World Cup (1978) and Euro (1980) squad. After ending is playing career, he stayed in contact with Milan's board and acted from time to time as a consultant or middle man (especially for negotiations with Roma).

Carlo Petrini (1948-2012)



Position: attacker

Actively played for Milan: 1968-69

Trophies with Milan: European Cup (68/69)

Although he figured mostly as a bench player and only for one season at Milan, he still won the European Cup with Milan with overall 10 appearances and 2 goals made in Serie A and Europe. In a career full of controversies, scandals and tragedies, Petrini will mostly be remembered as a publicist, having written several books, including one on Berlusconi's Milan.


Bruno Mazza (1924-2012)

Position: midfielder

Actively played for Milan: 1942-43; 1944

Mazza started his career with Milan, making little impact (just 4 appearances) to become a starter with Inter in mid 1950's Scudetto-winning team.

2 of them nowhere near old enough to die. RIP.

Thanks for another caring thread, Fillipo. RIP to all.

Think we should keep this thread open in memory of any future Milan player(s) passing away.

Yeah, excellent idea. It truly will be a sad day when a Milan player I've personally seen play passes away. Regardless, I hope that day is far, far away. But it's good to have a place to pay respects to the legends and shirt-wearers of the years gone by.

Such a thoughtful idea .. Thanks Fillipo

RIP

Thanks

Maybe sticky it in the Past Players section?

Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder how they died...

How do you do that? I know, I'm pathetic not to know how, but..

Well, I'm a mod on some other none milan related forum and there usually an option to stick in the first post of the topic/when you go to edit the first post of the topic.

Pinned it for you Filippo.

Btw, great thread!

A few days ago, another old Milanista died.

Emiliano Farina (1928-2012)



Position: striker

Actively played for Milan: 1956-57

Trophies with Milan: Scudetto (56/57)

Made his debut for Milan in 1956 against Udinese. Farina was mostly a substitute player for Gastone Bean and Carlo Galli in the scudetto-winning squad of 1956/57. Yet he managed to make 7 appearances and score 4 goals Serie A, including a match-winner against Sampdoria.

RIP. He died a good age.

Luigi Bonizzoni (1919-2012)



Position: midfielder

Actively played for Milan: 1939-40 (youth team)

Coaching career with Milan: 1957-60 (partly with Giuseppe Viani)

Trophies with Milan: Scudetto (58/59)

Won matches with Milan as coach: 54.02% (87 played; 47W, 25D, 15L)

Played for the Milan primavera team in the late 1930'ies, but made his name in duo with Giuseppe Viani as Milan's coach. Bonizzoni spent the first season as coach (1957/58) of the Coppa Italia team (entered the quarter finals), while Viani managed to end up only 9th in Serie A and lose the Champions Cup final match. Next Bonizzoni took over as head coach and won the domestic league under the likes of Schiaffino, Cesare Maldini, Buffon, Radice, Altafini and the charismatic captain Niels Liedholm. The next and final season of Bonizzoni as head coach saw Milan ending up 3rd in Italy, while being eliminated to Barcelona in the Champions Cup round of 16.

RIP. Seems like a good coach.

Two days ago, Stefano Borgonovo passed away. For those who not know him, he played with Milan in the 1980's and 1990's. He became very ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosed. Recently Roberto Baggio and other Milanista players organized charity football matches. Carlo Ancelotti once appealed publicly in favor of helping Borogonovo: 'Stefano was my team-mate, and he has a problem. We need everyone to help him because maybe there is a solution for this illness, but we have to be fast because his condition is not good. He cannot move, he can just speak with his eyes. He scored in the semi-final of the European Cup in 1990 against Bayern, and was a good striker inside the box. He was not so quick but very clever. He is a good guy, very funny, likes to joke, even now, but he has a very dangerous illness.'


In 1989 Borgonovo made 3 caps for Italy. The Italian football federation asked FIFA for a minute of silence before the semifinal kick-off against Spain but the request ended up being denied.





Position: striker

Actively played for Milan: 1986-1990 (loan spells at Como and Fiorentina included)

Trophies with Milan: Champions cup (1989/1990)


Stefano Borgonovo actually played only 1 full season for Milan. It was however the Champions cup winning season. As a vice-van Basten, Borgonovo played on 13 occasions and scored 2 goals against HJK Helsinki and Bayern München - the winning away goal in the semis extra-time.

Bayern-Milan, Stefano Borgonovo match

RIP.

Shocking decision from FIFA though.

Remember that game for him with Fiorentina some years ago. RIP.

RIP. It had to happen one day. I recall seeing charity games for the guy, with Baggio and all by his side.

Saw this the other day. Very sad indeed!

RIP Borgonovo.

Agreed... Like wtf?!

Only a few days before Borgonovo's death, some Atlanta shock jocks were fired for an on-air skit that mocked former Saints player Steve Gleason's ALS.

When I read about that, I thought back to the charity game(s) in his name that Milan participated in, and now he's gone. And ALS just seems like one of the worst ways possible to go.

Last month a old Milanista left this world.

Luigi Balzarini (1935-2014)



Position: goalkeeper

Actively played for Milan: 1963-66

Trophies with Milan: -

Balzarini made a total of 26 Milan appearances. He usually sat on the bench as a substitution goalkeeper for Milan legend Giorgio Ghezzi and Dario Barluzzi. His official debut was in the 63/64 season against Mantova.

RIP.

Two months ago, another Milanista died.

Giancarlo Bacci (1931-2014)



Position: striker/midfielder

Actively played for Milan: 1958-60

Trophies with Milan: scudetto 1958-59

Balzarini made a total of 15 Milan appearances in Serie A and 5 Coppa Italia games. In the scudetto winning season he scored 5 goals in 11 appearances.

RIP. Thanks for following up on this Fillipo.

I hear don Cesare passed away. A true Milanista legend. I'll always cherish and remember him, especially for that legendary Inter-Milan match (0-6).

Link

RIP, Cesare. I'm devestated. Any news on what happened? He was healthy and appearing on Tv not so long ago.
My condolensces to the Maldini family.

The guy was 84. That's pretty old. Probably died of natural causes.

Natural causes? What are you living in the 19th Century? Man, almost no one dies of "natural causes" anymore.

Anyway, Italian medias first restrained from commenting the cause of death. Now I see some of them saying "mysterious" causes. Don't know if it's just bad journalism or if there's something to it. Anyway, even though he was old enough, the man was very vital and involved. It's a shock, and it's not expected.

Um, yeah. Someone who's 80+ can have a sudden heart attack or something else even though they're not ill. That's what natural causes means, i.e. old age. What's the 19th century got to do with anything?

In the 19th Century people used to say "he died of natural causes" when they couldn't find the real reason.

You're partially right, a heart failure would be death by natural causes, but the recent trend is to avoid such formulations. There's always a more exact cause. Take a look:

Link

I just want to carve up a hole in a calendar and **** 2016 every possible way!

So many good people gone already.

A bit late but, RIP

This is such a sock considering how active he still was.

Yeah like a stinky pair of 2 left socks with holes in them.

This again?