Paolo Maldini

[#07]

I remember tuning into Football Italia on Channel 4 and being blown away by the legendary Milan defence, especially by the performances of Paolo Maldini.

For me he's the greatest left back of all time. However, other comments on the CAF I've seen today made me realise not everyone regards him so highly.

So my question to the CAF is 'if Maldini's not the best left back ever who is?'

 

[svn]

Of course he is. I can only imagine it's younger posters that perhaps only saw his later years as a centre back that disagree.

 

[OutlawGER]

Well for me Roberto Carlos was the most profilic left back ever.

As for Maldini, i have him as one of the best CBs, not FBs, in mind. I started to follow in late 90s though.

 

[Murray3007]

Definatly the best at defending i have ever seen, depends what kind of full back you like, Carlos and Marcelo dont get near him defensively but attacking wise would take carlos and marcelo.

 

[Marcus]

A prime Evra.

 

[#07]

@OutlawGER @Murray3007 I appreciate what you say about Roberto Carlos, and to a lesser extent Marcelo, in an attacking sense. However, Maldini was equally as good at left back or wing back (a position he played many times for Italy).

Maldini was not adventurous as some other left backs, however when he did get forward he showed great composure on the ball, very good judgement and an underrated eye for goal. Maldini's decision making was mostly faultless. He could play but he knew when to go forward and when to hold his position. I think he can count the bad games he had on a single hand, which is remarkable for such a long and decorated career.

@Marcus Evra was great but I actually think Irwin was better. Irwin was also a superb set piece taker. Irwin is in my top 5 left backs to ever play the game.

 

[Fingeredmouse]

He was excellent on the ball and close to perfect defensively. Best leftback I've ever seen and it's not even close...and Baresi is the best centre half I've ever seen. What a defense that Milan team had.

 

[roonster09]

Maldini didn't have weaker foot either. He was ambidextrous.

 

[#07]

He was excellent on the ball and close to perfect defensively. Best leftback I've ever seen and it's not even close...and Baresi is the best centre half I've ever seen. What a defense that Milan team had.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/foot...23-goals-at-heart-of-ac-milan-in-196-matches/

 

[Coxy]

As close to the perfect defender that's ever been - I'm with you OP.

 

[roonster09]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/foot...23-goals-at-heart-of-ac-milan-in-196-matches/

That's insane. That's 5 season worth of games and on an average conceded 4.5 goals per season.

 

[Ekkie Thump]

He's definitely the best left back I've ever seen play.

 

[McGrathsipan]

Find him. Sign him.

 

[Brwned]

When you talk about greatest you get into all sorts of nuances about legacy and influence and all that jazz, which opens up the discussion for Nilson Santos to be put ahead of Maldini.

Nilton Santos, nominated by his incomparable compatriot Pele as one of the 125 greatest living footballers in 2004 and named in the world team of the 20th century by journalists in 1998, complemented his muscular, more down-to-earth full-back partner perfectly. Endowed with magnificent all-round technique, he was a composed and complete performer who could have excelled in any area of the pitch. Tall and powerful but never a thunderous tackler in the manner of his namesake, he was expert in nicking the ball away from opponents with crisp, beautifully timed challenges and intelligent interceptions, born of his acute positional sense. As a result, he tended to remain injury-free, unusual for a defender of his vintage.

Santos was also a pioneer of the exhilarating overlap in an era when most full-backs ventured forward only rarely. Never were his attacking instincts illustrated more vividly than at Uddevalla in Sweden in the Brazilians’ opening game of the 1958 World Cup, which ended in a 3-0 win over Austria. After winning the ball deep in his own territory, he carried it to the halfway line, where he passed to Jose Altafini. Then, instead of retreating to his defensive slot as was expected of full-backs at the time, he continued surging forward, accepted a return pass and scored with a powerful shot.

As Santos dribbled, his coach Vicente Feola had been close to apoplexy, fearful of the gap being left at the back, and he was heard to shout: “Crazy, crazy... Oh, well done!” That spectacular manoeuvre fired the imagination of full-backs the world over, and the game became all the more entertaining as a result.

It is probably an exagerration to credit Nilton Santos with the development of the "modern" attacking fullback, but he at the very least popularised it as part of one the greatest teams in the history of the game. The vast majority of fullbacks at that time were more like his (unrelated) fullback partner Djalma Santos - reliable, diligent, measured and defensive-minded. Many of the best left backs since then had a lot of similarities - Facchetti, Krol, Breitner etc. very direct, attack-minded left backs who were natural right footers and remarkably natural on the ball.

Maldini hasn't actually left much of a legacy. But for me Maldini is the perfect full back - the best fullback period.

 

[IRELANDUNITED]

Yeah more of a centre back for me, and definitely one of the greatest ever defenders ever yes. I still can't forgive him and that Milan side for the collapse in 2005 tho

 

[balaks]

A true legend of the game and an absolutely magnificent defender.

 

[ravi2]

He and baresi made up the best defense I've seen in my lifetime.
That Milan team with the Italian backline and the dutch trio were unstoppable

 

[harms]

As for Maldini, i have him as one of the best CBs, not FBs, in mind. I started to follow in late 90s though.

He was definitely a top left back first. In case of the center backs he does not belong in the elite group (Baresi, Figueroa, Moore etc.) — I'd probably pick Nesta over him too; but he is the most obvious choice for the GOAT left back; it all depends on the tactics — there were Facchetti, Brehme, Nilton Santos, Roberto Carlos and probably even Marcelo close to his level but Maldini is the most balanced of them all.

 

[quethenoo]

The best all round defender I have ever seen, perhaps not the best fullback in an attacking sense. I thought he was a better CB but perhaps time is clouding my assessment.

 

[devilish]

A prime Evra.

Evra was nowhere near to Maldini. Maldini was as good as moving forward but he was 10 times the defender Evra was.

 

[devilish]

He was definitely a top left back first. In case of the center backs he does not belong in the elite group (Baresi, Figueroa, Moore etc.) — I'd probably pick Nesta over him too; but he is the most obvious choice for the GOAT left back; it all depends on the tactics — there were Facchetti, Brehme, Nilton Santos, Roberto Carlos and probably even Marcelo close to his level but Maldini is the most balanced of them all.

Maldini played mostly as left back because AC Milan had a stellar defence back then. Tassotti was an excellent RB, Baresi was Baresi, Costacurta was a bit like our Vidic and Maldini complimented the defence on the left. He was the perfect defender. He was tall, smart, technically gifted and an absolute monster both in defending and moving forward with the ball.

The only player I can think off that gave Maldini some concern was Kanchelskis. Andrei's pace caused him issues throughout 20-30 minutes in an international game. That was until Maldini re-organised the defence to counter for the Russian's pace.

 

[devilish]

The best all round defender I have ever seen, perhaps not the best fullback in an attacking sense. I thought he was a better CB but perhaps time is clouding my assessment.

It was all down to tactics really. The conservative nature of Italian coaches meant that the full backs of the time were barely ever given the opportunity to move forward with the ball. It took time for the likes of Cafu and Roberto Carlos to be fully appreciated in the Serie A (the latter was sold off by Inter because he was considered a defensive liability). Maldini was extremely elegant when he moved forward with the ball. I once remember seeing him dribbling past 3 players until he delivered a magnificent cross which lead to a goal.

Here is a video which shows what Maldini could do.

 

[quethenoo]

It was all down to tactics really. The conservative nature of Italian coaches meant that the full backs of the time were barely ever given the opportunity to move forward with the ball. It took time for the likes of Cafu and Roberto Carlos to be fully appreciated in the Serie A (the latter was sold off by Inter because he was considered a defensive liability). Maldini was extremely elegant when he moved forward with the ball. I once remember seeing him dribbling past 3 players until he delivered a magnificent cross which lead to a goal.

Here is a video which shows what Maldini could do.

Yeah fair enough, can't disagree too much. I guess I just remember him more for his defensive prowess more than attacking, classy player on the ball though no doubt.

Edit : Great vid BTW, that man could sliding tackle!

 

[adexkola]

Ah. A full back who could actually defend. Rare sight.

 

[Thisistheone]

Fergie's favourite non-Utd player, I believe.

 

[Fingeredmouse]

Yeah fair enough, can't disagree too much. I guess I just remember him more for his defensive prowess more than attacking, classy player on the ball though no doubt.

Edit : Great vid BTW, that man could sliding tackle!

He was very good going forward with high technical skills for dribbling and passing and good decision making...as was Baresi too.
I think there's a tendency, especially with the way many modern fullbacks now play (which is due to tactics as much as player skillset), to assume that defensive solidity precludes attacking ability in a fullback. You can have both, although it is a rarity in modern football (maybe it always was and my memory is tricked by nostalgia). Marcelo is obviously a great player however he plays a position that is very different to the one Maldini did, although ostensibly they are both leftbacks, but he's not even close to Paolo in my opinion. It'd be akin to suggesting Luka Modric is the best centre mid ever to my mind.
If I was selecting an all time 11 (of players I'd seen), he would the leftback and it'd be the easiest selection in the whole team.

 

[harms]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/foot...23-goals-at-heart-of-ac-milan-in-196-matches/

Pretty sure that this stat have been proven wrong many times over.

edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/com...i_played_196_matches/?st=jggn28k2&sh=97125698

 

[harms]

Maldini played mostly as left back because AC Milan had a stellar defence back then. Tassotti was an excellent RB, Baresi was Baresi, Costacurta was a bit like our Vidic and Maldini complimented the defence on the left. He was the perfect defender. He was tall, smart, technically gifted and an absolute monster both in defending and moving forward with the ball.

The only player I can think off that gave Maldini some concern was Kanchelskis. Andrei's pace caused him issues throughout 20-30 minutes in an international game. That was until Maldini re-organised the defence to counter for the Russian's pace.

Brian Laudrup and Marc Overmars as well. Don't think that anyone "destroyed" him, but few prevailed in their respective duels — but it's bound to happen some times, especially to a player who played something close to 1000 games.

 

[Charles Miller]

He was very good going forward with high technical skills for dribbling and passing and good decision making...as was Baresi too.
I think there's a tendency, especially with the way many modern fullbacks now play (which is due to tactics as much as player skillset), to assume that defensive solidity precludes attacking ability in a fullback. You can have both, although it is a rarity in modern football (maybe it always was and my memory is tricked by nostalgia). Marcelo is obviously a great player however he plays a position that is very different to the one Maldini did, although ostensibly they are both leftbacks, but he's not even close to Paolo in my opinion. It'd be akin to suggesting Luka Modric is the best centre mid ever to my mind.
If I was selecting an all time 11 (of players I'd seen), he would the leftback and it'd be the easiest selection in the whole team.

Marcelo scored more goals in half number of games. Roberto Carlos scored 5x more goals. Youtube highlights can make Maldini look great in the attack but he was not even close to Marcelo and Roberto Carlos in that aspect.

Marcelo scored more goals in knockout stages of the Champions League than strikers like Milito, Higuain and Tevez. Maldini was a great defensive Italian full back.

Two things are very common in the Caf:
1 - When an attacking team is defeated all the Caf is happy for some reason, but negative/defensive football have a free pass to win nothing.

2 - Attacking full backs are trashed all the time when they are not strong in defense; but defensive full backs can get away with far inferior offensive results.

 

[2mufc0]

He get's into my all time 11 as LB.

Though case can be made for others like Carlos, Facchetti, Krol, Cabrini and there's probably a few more i forgot.

 

[SadlerMUFC]

A prime Evra.

Evra was great but the one person who loved him more than anyone here was Aaron Lennon. Always made him look foolish. If I'm picking our best LB it would be Irwin. Best LB of all time would be a toss up between Maldini (defensively) and Carlos (offensively)...

 

[Invictus]

@Brwned makes an interesting point about legacy, and Nílton certainly helped add another dimension to the position for an iconic national team, however, he does kinda fall in the Sindelaar/Hidegkuti category for me - a revolutionary and “ahead of his time” in a sense, yes, most certainly - but others took the core principle, as it were, and perfected it - like Cruyff in his day and Messi under Guardiola.

Anyway, wrt. Paolo, I'd probably rate him as the greatest fullback overall, even though he didn't have the avant-garde quality of a Nílton or the attacking prowess of a Cafú/Brehme - mostly because he had the most diverse set of defensive and (to a slightly lesser degree) offensive skills as a combination, and was one of the most perceptive as regards his Scirea-esque reading of the game - which is why he he didn't usually lunge into tackles and nonchalantly stonewalled or intercepted opposition attackers. I reckon he is one of the 15-ish greatest players of all time in a broad tier with the likes of Xavi and Matthäus as well (and the greatest pure defender with Baresi), and arguably the greatest player of the '90s decade (or certainly in the mix with Laudrup, Ronaldo, Baggio and the likes) - on top of being one of a select few to excel in three different decades - like Buffon and Giggs.

And while it's not entirely out of order that he's valued for his stint as a centerback on the Caf, most likely because of pristine performances like say this one:


Maldini was definitely a leftback first and foremost, and that's where he reached the zenith of his individual and collective game - starting with the great Sacchi team for Milan, then performances for Italy in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups in particular (even though he did deputize at centerback even back then - like when Baresi was injured), and so forth. Maybe he's underrated by some because the meta-game has increasingly shifted in the favor Alves/Marcelo caliber of marauding wingbacks over the years - with proper fullbacks like Filipe Luís being few and far between, and to be fair, while Maldini was very good in attack - he wasn't remotely as extravagant or expansive or influential as either - so his highlight reels aren't as as mesmerizing at face value. On a related note, he's at the forefront of three fullbacks that reached close to textbook perfection in overall terms through the last ~25 years, IMO - with Zanetti and Lahm (also a wee bit underrated with a segment of the younger demographics).

 

[bebeanderson]

Maldini wouldn’t get a game today as a LB. Too slow and tall, cannot build up under pressure etc. Game changed

 

[B20]

Maldini was not a defensive left back. He was simply complete. You can bet averted more goals than the likes of marcelo and Carlos did to more than make up the difference in goalscoring.

When you talk about players who had everything, Maldini is one of them.

 

[B20]

Maldini wouldn’t get a game today as a LB. Too slow and tall, cannot build up under pressure etc. Game changed

Poor fishing attempt, given he was not slow and excellent in the buildup.

 

[Fingeredmouse]

Marcelo scored more goals in half number of games. Roberto Carlos scored 5x more goals. Youtube highlights can make Maldini look great in the attack but he was not even close to Marcelo and Roberto Carlos in that aspect.

Marcelo scored more goals in knockout stages of the Champions League than strikers like Milito, Higuain and Tevez. Maldini was a great defensive Italian full back.

Two things are very common in the Caf:
1 - When an attacking team is defeated all the Caf is happy for some reason, but negative/defensive football have a free pass to win nothing.

2 - Attacking full backs are trashed all the time when they are not strong in defense; but defensive full backs can get away with far inferior offensive results.

That's because Marcelo plays virtually like a winger, hence my point regarding tactics currently played - Marcelo plays a position so dis-similar to a traditional fullback position that a direct comparison is hard to make. That a case can be made to judge Marcelo on goal scoring when he is a fullback merely underlines that point. We'll never know, but I'm pretty confident that were Marcelo part of the great Milan teams of the 80s and 90s, he probably wouldn't have been playing left back as his skillset would not have matched what was required in that teams tactical formation. I'm not sure comparing the most extreme example
of an attacking fullback in the modern game, who plays for a dominant attacking side in an era where football in general is far more attacking than in the 80s and 90s and focusing on his goals scored to compare to Maldini is over useful.

Chilavert was a great attacking goalkeeper, but I'm not sure I'd use his goal scoring record as a key measurement of his abilities in the position in comparison to other great keepers.

I also don't base my opinion of Maldini on You Tube clips, having watched him on many occasions. I assume you are suggesting that, having judged how Maldini played based merely on watching a highlight video, that I was somehow labouring under the impression that he was a swashbuckling assists machine. I know he was not - he was, however technically excellent, more than capable of beating a man and had very good passing ability. In short, it is not to the denigration of Maldini that he has less goals than Marcelo, no more than it would be to do compare his goals scored in relation to Donadoni, who played a position (when he wasn't on the right) that was as close to Marcelo's as Maldini's was.

I have no idea what your points are regarding the Caf generally having a preference for defensive football, which I have never found to be the case, although I fear I've made the foolish mistake of entering the football forum and assuming that a thread about Paolo Maldini might be free from the hyperbolic Mourinho war that now consumes the forum. Nonetheless:

1. I have never observed this phenomenon
2. It is understandable that people are concerned with an ostensibly defensive position being good at defense and less concerned about the offensive output. However, this forum is filled with enough words to fill several books with people bemoaning the attacking ability of our fullbacks which would suggest that people are pretty concerned about the attacking aspect of the position too.

 

[elnorte]

Poor fishing attempt, given he was not slow and excellent in the buildup.

And an even better username...

 

[Lord SInister]

The best fullback ever.
lol at people saying he offered nothing going forward, watch the 5-0 game AC Milan had vs Real Madrid in 80s.

 

[simplyared]

The man is from another planet. He defies the laws of nature to have played at such a level for 25 seasons. He retired at 41 and still had a fitness level of someone 10 yrs his junior. Yes difficult to find someone better than him. However if I were to mention someone who comes close then imo Paul Breitner was outstanding both defensively and as out and out attacking full back down the left flank.

 

[AndyJ1985]

The word legend is thrown about far too casually these days for players who really aren't deserving of the title. However Maldini is what I consider to be a proper legendary player. One of the greatest not only of his era but of all time, and he had the longevity to go with it. Defenders of this generation aren't fit to lace his boots.