Paolo C. Maldini

Paolo Cesare Maldini (paːolo malˈdiːni]; born June 26, 1968 in Milan) is a seven time Italian Serie A, five time Champions League, five time UEFA Super Cup and one time FIFA World Club Cup winning Italian footballer who is often considered to be one of the greatest defenders to have ever played the game. Having spent his entire club career at Milan, Maldini still to play at the very highest levels of international club football at the age of 40, an extremely rare feat in football. He is well known for his electric pace, the ability to execute precision tackles and his leadership influence on and off the pitch. The son of Cesare Maldini, he is the most-selected player in the history of the Milan Club, the Italian Serie A league and the Italian national team. He is the most capped player for the Italian national team with 126 caps.
In 1986, Maldini was called up by his father, Cesare, to the Italian U-21 side, where he earned twelve caps and scored five goals in two years. He made his Azzurri debut at the age of nineteen on March 31, 1988, in a 1-1 friendly draw against Yugoslavia, and made one appearance for Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Maldini featured in all four of Italy's games at Euro 1988, and participated in his first World Cup in 1990, where Italy lost to Argentina in the semifinals on penalties.

Maldini's first international goal came in his 44th career match, in a 2-0 friendly win over Mexico on January 20, 1993. He captained Italy at the start of the 1994 World Cup, losing to Brazil in the final on penalties. He was named in the Team of the Tournament, 32 years after his father received the same honor at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Euro 1996 would see Italy eliminated in the group stage, and the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup. Italy did reach the final of Euro 2000, but lost to France by a whisker; it would be closest that Maldini would come to winning a major tournament.
After Italy were eliminated in the 2002 World Cup round of sixteen, Maldini retired trophyless from international competition as Italy's most capped player. He scored seven international goals, all coming in home games. He spent over half of his sixteen years as an international as team captain, wearing the armband a record seventy-four times.
In February 2009, Italian head coach Marcello Lippi declared his support for a testimonial match for Maldini, stating that it would give him a chance to play for the azzurri for a final time. Italian Football Federation offered him a place in the line-up in a friendly match against Northern Ireland. However, Maldini rejected the offer, saying that he wanted to part with football in an "official" match. (wikipedia - en.ce.cn - img.letssingit.com)