Paolo Maldini is still hurting: The Americans don't understand football but want to own it

Paolo Maldini wore the famous AC Milan shirt for 31 years, from childhood until the end of his career. He epitomised loyalty and dedication to the club. In Milan, he arguably became the greatest defender of all time, winning almost everything that could be won several times over. He never even considered offers from other clubs and became a symbol of the famous San Siro club.

He returned in tough times when the Rossoneri stumbled and were out of the top tier of Italian and European football. As an executive, he guided Milan back to the path of success, into the Champions League, secured a Scudetto, made numerous successful signings, developed players like Hernandez, Bennacer, Leao, Tonali, Tomori, increased the squad's value, reduced the wage budget, and curbed the excessive influence of agents like the late Mino Raiola.

After accomplishing great work, one morning, he was called into the office of Milan's owner, Gary Cardinale, and fired. The American, who had no prior connection to football and spent less than a year in Milan, cracked a joke while dismissing him.

For the first time since being sacked from the club where he spent 36 years as a player and executive, Maldini revealed what it's like to work with American owners and their henchmen in such a big club like Milan.

"I waited for things to settle down because I would have spoken in anger if I had reacted earlier. Now is the right time to analyse what happened honestly. I want to be honest and take responsibility, but I would also like my words to be valued properly. My words were dictated more by emotion than reason. You can't fully understand them until you're on the other side. I spent the first year listening and learning. It was an apprenticeship."

Initially, he recalled how he accepted becoming an executive at Milan.

"I will forever be grateful to Leonardo, who called me in 2018, to Elliott, who compelled me to sign the first contract, and to Redbird, who renewed it. Even with difficulties."

Former teammate Leonardo called him to help when the club fell into the hands of the American investment fund Elliott, which had little experience in football until then.

"I felt useless in the first six months, but Leonardo told me: 'Just learn.' It wasn't easy having an American fund or a South African CEO as superiors. My vision of football turned upside down compared to 2018. But I repeat, I have never, nor will I ever, be afraid of confrontation."

When Leonardo departed, Maldini took over the sports sector in tandem with Zvonimir Boban.

"After just three months of work in 2019, Boban and I were called by the owners and directors to a meeting in London, and practically we were dismissed. They wanted to take away all our powers and perform our roles themselves, as they didn't like young players Rafael Leao, Ismael Bennacer, and Theo Hernandez. We knew that Leao from Lille could become a star but would need time. The same applied to Theo, Ismael, and all those who arrived later. Talent is not always recognised. When you bet on the potential of young people, the risk of failure is high."

Things worsened a year and a half ago when Elliott sold the club to another American company, Redbird, led by Gary Cardinale. Redbird and Cardinale also had no prior experience with top-tier football in Europe. Their model was for Milan to function as clubs in American professional sports, prioritising financial goals over sporting ones. At the beginning of their collaboration, it was evident that the new American owners didn't like Maldini but didn't dare to fire him immediately after winning the title. Maldini's contract was renewed two hours before the old one expired. They kept him in suspense for months, and he missed half of the transfer window.

"I believe it would have been an unpopular move at that time to dismiss us from the club just after winning the Scudetto. Cardinale wanted to win the Champions League. We told him that we needed a three-year plan to think about that goal, and he proposed two years and an additional one. I asked for two years at that time, believing there would be time for further discussions about plans. If he had been satisfied then, he would have offered me a contract renewal immediately."

He set about preparing a plan to win the Champions League and reached the semi-finals in the first season.

"In three to six months, from October to February, I prepared a plan with Massara and one of my friends, a consultant. It was 35 pages long, discussing the previous four years, goals, and economically sustainable strategies, but also the need for a leap in quality. The plan was sent to Cardinale and two of his very close associates, but there was no response. I had regular discussions with one of them every week, and the other was the current director, Furlani. I also didn't get a response. Maybe Massara and I didn't hear the alarm because we focused on many things related to our roles."

They waited a year and were removed.

"Gary Cardinale invited me to breakfast, and after comments about Zlatan's farewell to football, he told me he wanted a change and that Riki Massara and I had been fired. I asked him why, and he spoke about bad relations with Furlani. I told him, 'Did I ever call you to complain about Furlani? I never did.' Then he joked about the defeat in the Champions League semi-final against Inter. Let's say the reasons seemed quite thin to me. If the owners want to change the organisational structure, they have the right to do so. In this case, details matter, and many things didn't go as they should have."

Even though the title wasn't defended, Milan played in the Champions League semi-finals that season and secured participation in the elite competition through Serie A.

"The sporting and financial goals at the start of the season were greatly exceeded. Before the season, elimination from the Champions League, advancing to the knockout phase of the Europa League, and qualification for the next Champions League were planned."

The man who, for the past year, worked on removing Maldini was economist Giorgio Furlani (44), a longtime member of the board and 12 years employed in Elliott's companies. Today, he is the most important operative and general manager of the club. Cardinale mostly acted upon his advice to dismiss Maldini, a club legend who could demand compensation.

"I had to engage in tough negotiations to find an agreement and not give up on my rights, but I immediately told Furlani that the last thing I wanted was a legal battle with the club. I explained to him that it would be the club legend's second lawsuit against Milan's ownership group in two years, following the lost one with Boban. One thing is certain; my love for Milan will always be unconditional."