Search icon

Sport

03rd Apr 2016

The football world pays tribute as former Italy coach Cesare Maldini dies aged 84

JOE

Cesare Maldini, a former player and manager with AC Milan and Italy and father of legendary defender Paolo Maldini, has died at the age of 84.

The Maldini family announced this morning that Cesare died “the night between Saturday and Sunday”.

Renowned as a classy defender, Cesare won four Serie A titles and a European Cup as a player with AC Milan and made 25 appearances for the Italian national side during his career.

He later went on the manage AC Milan and also served as assistant manager and manager of the Italian national team, guiding them to a quarter-final in the 1998 World Cup, where they lost on penalties to eventual champions France.

He also managed Paraguay at the World Cup in Japan and South Korea four years later.

His son Paolo, widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, made 126 appearances for Italy and played over 600 games for Milan in a glittering career in which he won seven Serie A titles and five European Cups amongst a host of other trophies.

Tributes have begun pouring in from across the footballing world.