Paolo Maldini was forced to watch on as Milan ultras confronted the squad following their 2-0 defeat to Spezia, tensions he remembers all too well from his playing days.
The Rossoneri’s hopes of a top four finish took a serious blow after they fell in a 2-0 loss away to the Aquilotti on Saturday, a result that leaves them four points behind fourth place Lazio with three games left to play.
After the final whistle at the Stadio Alberto Picco, Stefano Pioli and his players went over to talk to the travelling Milan ultras, where they were confronted by the unhappy fans. Whilst the ultras themselves claim they were ‘encouraging’, it’s still unclear exactly what was said, and the reactions of the players did not shed any light on this.
One man who knows this feeling all too well is Maldini. The Rossoneri director could only watch on in horror as the team missed a vital opportunity to keep up the pressure in the top four race, and will have not been happy to see the confrontation with the ultras after the final whistle.
The former defender clashed with the Milan ultras on a number of occasions during his storied career. In the 1997-98 season, a match against Parma had to be temporarily stopped after objects were thrown on the pitch by the fans, something Maldini criticised publicly, being the only player to do so.
Another moment of tension came after the infamous 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, which Milan lost on penalties after initially being 3-0 up. When the players landed back in Italy, they were confronted by angry supporters, and Maldini did not back down from the challenge, allegedly calling them ‘mercenaries’.
Talking to Sky Sports Italia years later, Maldini reflected on the incident: “I give my soul, I can even die on the pitch, but once I do, you can’t tell me ‘to commit’ or ‘you’re a no good…’. A Milan fan told me, ‘Shame on you, you must apologise’. I went in front of this fan.
“As captain I couldn’t accept that. I couldn’t accept that a 22-year-old boy – I’d been playing for 20 years at Milan – after a game like that, would say something to me. Only I went to ‘talk’, so to speak. I wasn’t alone, but I went alone. I felt touched. I had those seven seconds where I reacted instinctively.”
Things truly came to a head in Maldini’s last game at San Siro for the Rossoneri. On May 24 2009, Milan hosted Roma in their final home game of the campaign, and it was a special day for the defender, being his last on the turf of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
The players were happy to celebrate the legend, wearing shirts saying ‘Grazie Paolo, grande capitano’ but this sentiment was not shared in the stands, spoiling Maldini’s last ever game in his home stadium.
Banners appeared in the Curva Sud, questioning the defender, saying things like “For your 25 years of glorious service you have the thanks of those who you called mercenaries and misers” and “Thanks captain. On the pitch you were an undying champion, but you had no respect for those who made you rich.”
Songs and chants were also heard in the stadium praising Franco Baresi, calling him the true captain of Milan, just to further rub salt in the wounds. After the full-time whistle, boos rung around the Giuseppe Meazza and an emotional Maldini did not hold back when speaking to the media after the match, saying: “I am proud to be nothing like them.”
It took years following his retirement before Maldini eventually returned to Milan, and this recent confrontation with the ultras will only be a reminder of why the break was so long.
Words: Apollo Heyes