MILAN, ITALY – MAY 21: Andrea Pirlo and Paolo Maldini attend the Special Teams Legends Onrus press conference on May 21, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Andrea Pirlo and Paolo Maldini forged a strong bond during their time at Milan, but the former midfielder made his debut just a few months after Maldini retired from international football, and they never played together for the national team.
Pirlo is now the front-runner to coach Italy after Guardiola rejected the FIGC’s offer, according to multiple sources.
Will Pirlo become Italy’s new manager?
Maldini was recently appointed technical director of the Azzurri and is responsible for selecting the next head coach, although the final approval rests with FIGC president Giovanni Malago.
Gazzetta reports that Maldini had already wanted to hire Pirlo as Milan manager in 2023 before he was sacked by the Rossoneri.
If Maldini were to stay, he would likely call up his former teammate to replace Stefano Pioli and ultimately stay at San Siro for another season.
“That’s true, we talked about it, but it was just a chat between friends,” Pirlo said in October 2023.
Maldini and Pirlo played together at Milan, winning the Champions League twice, as well as two Serie A, one Coppa Italia, two European Super Cups and one Club World Cup.
However, Pirlo made his debut only a few months after Maldini retired from international football, so they never played together in the Italian national team.
In fact, Maldini played his last game for the Azzurri in the 2002 World Cup round of 16 against South Korea, with La Nazionale being eliminated.
Pirlo made his debut a few months later against Azerbaijan in September 2002, leaving the pitch in the 77th minute to be replaced by another Milan legend, Filippo Inzaghi. At the time, Pirlo was just starting his second season with the Rossoneri.
Thanks to their time at Milan, Pirlo, one of the greatest players of all time, and Maldini have forged a strong relationship on and off the pitch, something that both have reiterated in recent years.
Maldini was also one of the first to learn of Pirlo’s appointment as Juventus’ new manager in the summer of 2020, just weeks after taking over as Bianconeri Under-23 manager.
“I called him to congratulate him on becoming head coach of the U23s,” Maldini once said.
“I jokingly said: ‘You’re not going to Turin to coach the first team, are you?’ And he said: ‘How did you know?’ I was one of the first to know. What started as a joke turned out to be true. ”
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