Paolo Maldini

[Iana]

If a John Terry hussle and bustle, last ditch tackle type is your ideal defender, then Maldini is not your man.

If you want a defender that reads the game like no other, identifies the space like no other, prevents the forward getting the ball like no other, all without breaking a sweat because he has already snuffed out the chance before the forward even realises that there was a chance in the first place, then Maldini most definitely is your man.

"If I have to make a tackle, I have already made a mistake"
Have a think about that quote

There’s a generation of Evertonians,including my late father, who would say TG Jones was in that mould and never got his shorts dirty because he read the game so well and did not have to make last ditch tackles.
I consider Maldini to be the finest defender I’ve ever seen and any comparisons with Stevens,VDH and Ratcliffe are doing him a disservice(and they were all good players but he was miles above them).

 

[FTY]

Was absolutely baffled when I heard he wasn't left footed

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Good player, he also played with some very good defenders as well that helped him, Baresi, Costacurta, Panucci, Costacurta, Tassotti, Rijkarrd, Nesta and Desailly of the top of my head.

So good they named him twice.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

I've come out with more sense at the Paradox on a Saturday night after 10 bottles of becks and 5 mitzi's.

I can only assume this is parody.

The worst thing is, I know you're not even exaggerating

 

[Rita_Poon]

'Maradona - what's the BFD?'

 

[Zatara]

The Nathan Patterson thread is being derailed by @Charlie Sweet poor take on the great Paolo Maldini

Please link your findings in here Charlie. I want to see all these managers who didn’t rate Mr Maldini, including, IIRC, Alex Ferguson who you said laughed at the prospect of signing him

Hi Charlie, still awaiting any evidence on your claim below:


So, after not so much digging this is what Alex Ferguson wrote about Paolo Maldini:

“Maldini was an outstanding player. I loved him. I approached his father once, and the look he gave me I knew never to go back to him," said Ferguson.

“I watched Milan in their quarter-final, second leg against Bayern Munich and Maldini went through the entire 90 minutes without tackling. That is an art and he is the master of it. He is a great player. You can’t dismiss the sort of experience he has.“

Other qoutes

Ronald Koeman​

“There’s never been a better left-back in the game’s history. Two-footed, and at his peak, brilliant going forward.

“The night Milan annihilated Barcelona in the 1994 Champions League Final, he played centre-half, as Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta were both suspended, and looked like he’d played there all his life.”

Ronaldo​

“Paolo Maldini is the best I’ve played against.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic​

“Maldini was the best and toughest defender I ever faced. He had everything: he was a complete defender, who was strong, intelligent, and an excellent man-marker.”

But @Charlie Sweet watched Channel 4 once in the 90’s and declared him crap

Roberto Carlos
Bixante Lizarazu
Jordi Alba
Ashley Cole
Philip Lahm
Marcelo

All very good players and at the top level.

But Maldini...is the left back you would want to clone.

 

[Goat]

Who is gonna start the "Zidane, just a bald Leon Osman mate" thread?

 

[nsno-chris]

Who is gonna start the "Zidane, just a bald Leon Osman mate" thread?

Tune in next week when @Charlie Sweet discusses this topic

 

[magicjuan]

Some great songs

 

[gonetomorrow]

Maldini was a bit slow I reckon.
I think a lot of folk were distracted by his good looks. Same with Gomes whose shining hair and dashing ways had many a hard-bitten Toffee swooning back in the day.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Pele - what's all the hoohaah ?

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

Messi, just a flukey Scott Gemmil

 

[Hinchcliffe's Corner]

Pele - what's all the hoohaah ?

Scored against farmers for 30 years.

 

[PeregrineT]

I mean hes no Leighton Baines but hes alright

 

[Charlie Sweet]

Who is gonna start the "Zidane, just a bald Leon Osman mate" thread?

Nobody cos it ain't true. Silly suggestion