Maldini on Donarumma: If the motivation of man is money, it can also be understood and respected

Milan director Maldini recently gave an exclusive interview to The Corriere della Sera, in which he talked about his personal experiences and donarumma's free departure from Milan last summer.

When was the worst moment of your playing career? Blackout against Marseille or Night in Istanbul?

First of all, the final against Liverpool was unbelievable and bitter, we had the initiative and if we played again, there was a good chance that we would win. But on that night at Marseille, we were affected by something that shouldn't have happened, we weren't used to losing, so we couldn't accept it, and that was the first thing we should have taught to young players.

I heard that your father once asked you to choose between Milan and Inter?

Now that I close my eyes, I still remember the scene when I was 10 years old, we were chatting in the kitchen, on the side of the balcony, it was the old house in Cità Studi, maybe my father knew exactly how I would answer... Later he also asked me, do you want to play as a goalkeeper in the future? I love the goalkeeper, or play anywhere else.

Since then, my father has never asked me to "be" who I am, he always says a word to me, which I often repeat to the Milan players today: "Do you want to do this job?" Then do your best, respect the group and all of us, as long as you treat each other with sincerity, you will not regret it. ”

How does it feel to return to Milan after many years?

In the beginning, I would come home every night and tell my wife: It was a disaster. I kept repeating to Leonardo: Although you want to work with me, I don't feel like it's useful. Because I didn't understand the administrative work, I didn't know what I was supposed to do, and I had to feel like a protagonist.

When did Leonardo tell you he was going back to Paris?

I exploded, "What are you talking about at XXX, Leo," and I stared at him disappointed, but to be honest, I've been really at ease since then, because no one is protecting me, and I'm back in that environment, which is what I've always wanted. I am very grateful to Leonardo, I have learned a lot from him and we communicate a lot.

Yet Leonardo stole the best player of the 21-year-old European Cup from you...

Sometimes I feel almost like a fatalist, and Janluigi Donnarumma is a great guy with a lot of feelings. I believe that in an ideal world, the only source of motivation for a footballer should be passion, but if your goal is to get social recognition, it is to provide money for your family, because you have tightened their belts to support you since childhood, and if these are your motivations, it can also be understood and respected.

So are these the problems of money?

If a player wants to achieve a specific goal and achieve a specific achievement, the most fundamental must be the motivation of the sports level, sometimes the player pursues something that may not be consistent with what the club pursues, some people will choose to wait, some people will rush to achieve, and these choices are not what I can judge.

How would Maldini feel about himself ten years from now?

Ten years from now I'll be gray-haired and I want to be happy, and as for the work level, whether I still work for Milan or not (maybe I'll go overseas, to be honest I should think about it), I'm glad I've got the chance to work for Milan because I know very well that if I hadn't made that choice at the time, I would have regretted myself for the rest of my life that I didn't dare to try, so it's for this reason that the future won't scare me.