AC Milan legend reveals exactly what he had to say to convince Paolo Maldini to extend his career

EXCLUSIVE: When Paolo Maldini was ready to retire, an AC Milan icon wasn’t quite ready to let him go.

Knowing the superstar played a massive part in the team’s success, this gifted sportsman went above and beyond to convince his captain that he still had a lot more left to give.

Massimo Ambrosini begged Paolo Maldini not to retire

Massimo Ambrosini was a core part of the AC Milan squad. Renowned for his ability to pick out the perfect pass, thrive in the air and deliver in high-pressure situations, it’s no surprise the Italian eventually became the club’s captain. However, prior to his time wearing the armband, it was Paolo Maldini who guided ‘I Rossoneri’ into battle.

When the popular defender started contemplating the idea of hanging up the boots, Ambrosini wasn’t having any of it, joining forces with two fellow legends to convince the all-time great to carry on playing.

WOW: Paolo Maldini told England international ‘you’ll be succesfull in Serie A’ following brutal clash

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, via BetVictor Online Casino, the former midfielder said: “I remember one day, he was a little bit nervous because he had pain in his knee and he was thinking of retiring. Then, we talked to him—it was me, Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Nesta, and we said, ‘Captain, we need you, you can not leave us alone, so please go on’. So, he renewed his contract. The last year of his career, Paolo was amazing. He was much better than the two or three years before, so he decided to quit when he was fit. So, we tried again, we started to say, ‘Paolo, you can not leave us’, he said, ‘No guys, this time it’s finished, it’s done’.”

Massimo Ambrosini on his greatest Milan derby moments

Alongside Maldini, Ambrosini featured in many a derby against Inter Milan, with two in particular standing out from the pack.

He reminisced: “I remember the first one I played, it was 1995. I came off the bench at the beginning of the second half, and we lost. Marco Branca scored. But even though we lost, the feeling of playing the derby at 18 in the stadium was really something unbelievable.

“Of course, the most important one I played was the Champions League semi-final in 2003. The happiness when the referee blew the whistle, and we started running, was amazing.”

Featured Image Credit: Getty