Daniel Maldini described his “emotional” full Serie A debut on Saturday as “hard” after scoring his first AC Milan goal and helping his boyhood team go to the top of Serie A.
Maldini — son and grandson of club legends Paolo and Cesare — opened the scoring with a bullet header in Milan’s 2-1 win at Spezia and earned plaudits from coach Stefano Pioli for an encouraging performance.
The 19-year-old was thrown into the fray in a difficult clash, as Pioli made six changes from the side that beat Venezia 2-0 on Thursday, with the UEFA Champions League visit of Atletico Madrid coming tomorrow.
Photo: AFP
“The coach told me yesterday [Friday] that I was starting. He showed me what we were doing at set-pieces, so I realized that I would be in the starting XI,” Daniel Maldini told broadcaster DAZN. “Once on the field, it was hard. It was hard finding space. Moving around and creating chances seemed very hard. Luckily, in the second half, some space opened up and it became easier.”
Daniel Maldini opened the scoring two minutes after the break, when he aggressively attacked Pierre Kalulu’s swinging cross from the right and met the ball with a power that could not be stopped by Spezia goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet.
His debut looked to have been spoiled when Daniele Verde’s deflected goal leveled the scores with 10 minutes remaining, but Brahim Diaz saved the day with his second goal in as many matches six minutes later.
“I’m pretty calm, even though it’s been emotional. My teammates help me loads. The coach gives me advice... Thankfully, we came through the match, which was very hard,” Daniel Maldini added.
In the stands was his father, Paolo Maldini — one of the greatest defenders in soccer history and a lynchpin of one of Milan’s best-ever teams — who celebrated loudly when his son’s header hit the net.
Daniel Maldini joined Milan’s youth setup after his dad retired, and has him at his side as the club’s technical director, watching his every move on the field.
“He’s demanding — rightly so — but he helps me out,” Daniel Maldini said. “He’s my dad.”
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