Daniel Maldini

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

Daniel Maldini
Personal information
Full name Daniel Maldini
Date of birth (2001-10-11) 11 October 2001
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Milan
Number 27
Youth career
2010–2020 Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Milan 7 (0)
National team‡
2019 Italy U18 2 (0)
2019– Italy U19 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:34, 9 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 September 2019

Early life

Maldini was born in Milan, the second son of then A.C. Milan captain Paolo Maldini and Adriana Fossa, a model from Venezuela.[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.

Daniel 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 Roma 5–2 in the final.[3]

Club career

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

On 21 March 2020, it was confirmed that both Maldini and his father Paolo tested positive for COVID-19, amid its pandemic in Italy;[5] by 8 April, they had recovered.[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] Subsequently, he won two further caps for the under-19 side in the same year.[8]

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.[9]

Career statistics
As of match played 9 January 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Milan 2019–20 Serie A 2000————20
2020–21 500040——90
Career total 70004000110

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. "NOTA UFFICIALE". AC Milan (in Italian). 21 March 2020.
  6. "Maldini 'recovers from coronavirus'". Football Italia. 8 April 2020.
  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. "Daniel Maldini". Football Talent Scout. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
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