Daniel Maldini

Daniel Maldini (born 11 October 2001) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan.

Daniel Maldini
Personal information
Full name Daniel Maldini
Date of birth (2001-10-11) 11 October 2001
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 AC Milan
Number 27
Youth career
2010–2020 AC Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– AC Milan 15 (1)
National team‡
2019 Italy U18 2 (0)
2019 Italy U19 2 (0)
2021– Italy U20 3 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:46, 25 February 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 October 2021

Early life

Maldini was born in Milan, the second son of Paolo Maldini, then captain of AC Milan, and Venezuelan model Adriana Fossa.[1] His grandfather Cesare also captained Milan in the 1960s, making him the third generation to make appearances for the club. His elder brother Christian played for Milan's youth teams and went on to play professionally at a lower level.

Club career

Youth career

Maldini joined Milan's youth system in 2010,[2] and over the following years he came through the various age-group teams, from the under-10 Pulcini to the under-19 Primavera. In the 2016–17 season, he was part of the squad that won the Under-16 National Championship (Campionato Nazionale Under-16), defeating Lazio 5–2 in the final.[3]

Senior career

On 2 February 2020, Maldini made his senior debut with Milan in a 1–1 Serie A home draw against Hellas Verona, coming on as an added-time substitute for Samu Castillejo.[4]

On 15 September 2021, Maldini came off the bench against Liverpool in a 3–2 defeat on his UEFA Champions League debut.[5] On 25 September, Maldini started his first match for Milan in Serie A and scored the first goal in a 2–1 away win against Spezia.[6]

International career

Maldini won his first international cap for Italy at the under-18 level, in a 2–0 win against the Netherlands on 22 March 2019.[7] Later that year, he won two caps for the under-19.[8]

In 2021, he was capped three times for Italy under-20 and he scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against England on 7 October 2021.[9]

Style of play

Although in his very early days Maldini played as a defender like both his father Paolo and grandfather Cesare, he soon started to be employed in offensive roles. Today he mainly plays as a free roaming attacking midfielder, a position that suits his playmaking ability, dribbling skills, ball control, and vision.[10]

Personal life

On 21 March 2020, it was confirmed that both Maldini and his father Paolo tested positive for COVID-19, amid its pandemic in Italy;[11] by 8 April, they had recovered.[12]

Career statistics
As of match played 25 February 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
AC Milan 2019–20 Serie A 2000——20
2020–21 500040—90
2021–22 812030—131
Career total 151207000241

References
  1. Speroni, Enrica (14 October 2005). ""Vi racconto i miei Maldini"" [«I will tell you about my Maldinis»]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  2. "A.C. Milan - Pulcini 2001". Associazione Calcio Milan (in Italian). Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  3. "Under 16, il Milan è campione d'Italia: Roma ko 5-2" [Under-16, Milan are the Champions of Italy: Roma KO'd 5–2]. Sky Sport (in Italian). Sky Italia. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  4. "AC Milan 1–1 Hellas Verona". BBC Sport. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  5. "Liverpool comeback sinks Milan in epic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  6. "Maldini on target in AC Milan win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  7. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo – Daniel Maldini" [Call-ups and appearances – Daniel Maldini]. FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  8. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo – Daniel Maldini" [Call-ups and appearances – Daniel Maldini]. FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  9. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo – Daniel Maldini" [Call-ups and appearances – Daniel Maldini]. FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  10. "Daniel Maldini". Football Talent Scout. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  11. "NOTA UFFICIALE". AC Milan (in Italian). 21 March 2020.
  12. "Maldini 'recovers from coronavirus'". Football Italia. 8 April 2020.
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