Alexandre Pato Fans

As the end draws near, reality strikes every single Milan fan out there. Yes, possibly the best defender to have ever stepped a foot on the green pitch will retire and leave this beautiful game, but he will not leave alone as million hearts will accompany him even after he ends his career; the watery eyes, the goose-bumps, and the Maldini chants will see him off the San Siro pitch on Sunday, in his last official game on the Milan Home-Ground.

Memory brings us back to Baresi’s last game, and how can one forget the thousands fans applauding for Franco as he took the pitch for that last time, and then as Baresi left the field practically in tears as he got possibly one of the most outstanding standing ovations one would ever witness. Memory also brings us to another legend, Marco Van Basten, the most memorable seen at “his night” was the emotional few moments that Capello went through as he saw himself cry as the Van Basten was preparing himself to close the curtains on his career. Then memory brings us to Billy, who retired just a couple of years ago, and took a part of the Milan Soul with him; a legend who can easily categorize into a “Milan Symbol”.

The common thing about all those players retirement is that there was always someone who came from that generation that was able to keep that torch high and lit; a player that witnessed all those moments, and will soon follow their lead. Only problem is that now one asks himself who will take the torch from here? Maldini is the last fruit of the most fruitful football tree one has ever witnessed. The likes of Rino, Ambro, and Kaka’ will most probably hold the torch together to continue Milan’s Journey, but there will always be a part of Milan that will remain missing as long as Maldini isn’t there; at least that will remain the case until Christian, Maldini’s eldest son, steps on the San Siro pitch as only then will the gap be filled and Paolo will again be present on the field.

Much has been said about Maldini’s defensive abilities, leadership qualities, and his amazing presence on the field that basically it has been carved in the heart of every Milanista out there; so I decided to narrate it in somehow a different way. As I watched those millions compilations that were dedicated to those defensive abilities and amazing offensive runs, I didn’t see the Maldini that I still see week in –week out in the Milan shirt. There was something different, despite all the music, despite all those amazing shots, those videos were just below quality; something no one would even imagine as those videos would make a player like Darmian look as good as someone in the caliber of Billy Costacurta. Those videos just couldn’t show his presence on the field, couldn’t show the atmosphere he created, couldn’t record him cheering up his team mates and trying his all to keep Milan as a unit on the field; those videos were just never good enough; as Maldini’s qualities were never only those a very talented player possesses. Maldini was just much better to be shown in a video, his career was far more impressive to be “summarize” in a clip.

Now we come to what has Maldini achieved, I was reading the other day the number of trophies he had won, and quite frankly I laughed my way through them. How can a player have more Champions League (Champions Cup as well) trophies than teams in the caliber of Barcelona, Manchester United, and say Inter Milan. Then, I remembered it was Maldini I was reading about, not just any normal player, he was just a gift from God.

Then when we come to the number of games he has played in the Milan shirt, yeah the number 900 for some might not seem all that, but I ask those people to close their eyes for a second and just imagine being in the dressing room for 900 times, wearing the same jersey, seeing people come and go, being there through the bad and the good, those numbers would seem like the months a married couple would stay in love with each other; yeah at times one would think that Maldini is married to Milan.

There’s even more to this story, Maldini was able to play with and against the best players of the past 25 years or so. Maldini played along side Van Basten, Baresi, Billy, Sheva, Weah, Cafu, and many other players who have achieved stuff one would only dream about. There’s also the players Maldini has faced, names that were capable of doing the impossible. Maradona, Ronaldo, and Zidane are among the whole lot of great players Maldini has played against.

What can more one say about a player who was praised by someone like Ronaldo who said that Maldini is the greatest defender he has ever played against? What can a person say about a player that terrified the best strikers to have ever played football?

Waiting for next Sunday, as hard as it is, one would think of what the Milan fans have prepared for that night? What might those fans do to honor such a player? Well, one thing for sure is that no matter how creative they are, the eyes will only be set on Paolo from the start of the match till Maldini leaves the stadium.

To think of someone who has served a team for 24 years, and has ever since been a Milan favorite, is something beyond one’s ability to understand.

As the curtains prepare to close on one of the most glorious football careers ever, every fan out there prepares a box of tissue next to him, knowing that the next time they watch Milan in the San Siro it’ll be without Paolo Maldini.

Bye Bye Il Capitano!

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