Following a meeting with club owner Gerry Cardinale on Monday, AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini got relieved from his duties as the team’s technical director.
Following the conclusion of the Serie A season on Sunday, Maldini and Milan’s director of football Ricky Massara met with RedBird CEO Cardinale to discuss plans for the following season. The meeting did not go well because the two parties could not come to an understanding on how to move the club forward after difficult negotiations.
Given his iconic standing at the club, Maldini’s exit will be a particularly cruel blow for Milan supporters. Between 1984 and 2009, the 54-year-old spent 25 years as a player for Milan, earning seven Serie A championships, as well as five European Cups.
He returned to the club in 2018 following his retirement, at first serving as the development director before being elevated to the position of technical director the following year. Rafael Leao and Fikayo Tomori are just two of the players Maldini has brought to Milan during his tenure in the position and they have flourished so far.
The pair helped the Rossoneri end their 11-year wait for the Scudetto last year when Milan held off bitter rivals Inter Milan to clinch the title on the final day.
AC Milan this season
Maldini received high accolades after his hiring contributed to Milan’s victory in the Serie A last season, but the team’s performance over the last 12 months has been poor. Stefano Pioli’s team could only finish fourth, 20 points behind champions Napoli, despite the high-profile signings of Divock Origi and Charles De Ketelaere.
Even though they made the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League this season, it was not something to cherish for Milan. They were comprehensively defeated by Inter Milan over both legs and were knocked out.
Rafael Leao unhappy with Maldini exit?
Leao may already be having second thoughts about his future despite the fact that the Italian powerhouses were able to persuade him to sign a new long-term contract last week. On Monday night, he indicated on Twitter that he was not pleased with the club’s decision to let Maldini leave by posting an emoji of a perplexed expression.
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