Paolo Maldini confirmed that he is in discussions about helping Fenerbahce, while mentioning his attachment to AC Milan.
Maldini had over two decades as a player for Milan, winning virtually every major honour that there was to win. He then worked in the management for five years from 2018 to 2023, being part of the group that brought a Scudetto in 2021-22 and a return to the Champions League semis the year after.
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There have been a lot of calls for his return, which have intensified Gerry Cardinale has done a clean sweep of the current management. However, based on reports it seems like a distant possibility for a number of reasons, while he remains free to take other calls.
‘My connection to Milan’
Maldini gave an interview to Turkish newspaper Sabah Spor after his meeting with Hakan Safi, one of the candidates for the new president of Fenerbahce. Calciomercato.com relayed his words.
“Hakan Safi, Fenerbahçe’s presidential candidate, and I are great friends. We often talk and discuss football. Everyone in the football world knows my connection to AC Milan and that of my entire family, spanning three generations,” he said.
“Mr. Hakan is impressed by the role I’ve played in AC Milan’s history and by what I’ve done recently at the club. As he does with other football experts, he’s discussing his ideas with me regarding Fenerbahçe’s football structure.
“During my time as a player, we faced Fenerbahçe. It’s a club I’ve known ever since. It’s a deeply rooted community. It has many things in common with Milan. I know it’s a community with very passionate fans. Hakan also told me about Fenerbahçe fans’ expectations regarding football.
“I know they want to see a dominant, attack-oriented style of football. After the chat with Hakan, I followed Fenerbahçe even more closely to be able to provide the most relevant guidance in order to build the right projects.
“I had a very pleasant time in Istanbul. It’s a beautiful city. During this time, I chatted extensively with Mr. Hakan, and we discussed the situation. We exchanged ideas about football, the spirit of victory, and the future of Fenerbahçe.
“In the future, we will meet again and continue to share our opinions on football. Fenerbahçe is a very strong club, and for a long time, they’ve been longing for a league title. We at Milan have also experienced this situation. First and foremost, we need to take the squad to another level.
“I explained this to Hakan. When building a team that will win the title in a year, you also need to build a solid backbone and move towards stable, consistent success. From what I’ve seen, Hakan is ready to take very determined steps for Fenerbahçe. This is very valuable for Fenerbahçe.”
