Paolo Maldini and the art of the sliding tackle
Defending has always been a thankless job. If the team wins, then the Superstar forwards and midfielders up the field take all the credit. and if the match is lost, the defenders take the flak.
The fan base expects clean sheets every time their team plays, and the poor backline collectively holds its head in despair every time the net bulges behind them. They are expected to push the opposition, kick them, and even take them down if they initiate a breakaway, but are censured and taunted if they pick up a card, no matter what colour.
But then someone has to do the dirty job, and some valiant, foolhardy men are ready to do it day in and day out. These guys are generally tough nuts to crack. They are well-endowed in the muscle department, and with a look and outlook that are scruffy at best, they would hardly stand a chance in a popularity contest. There have been a few exceptions at the international level, and one of them is often regarded as the best defender to have played football.
The Italian legend, the best defender ever?
Paolo Maldini, nicknamed Capitano, was the godfather of all defenders. Maldini was not just technically gifted; he was good with both his feet and had an unerring eye for the threat of the moment. It was not about whacking the ball out of his half with Maldini; he would dispossess a roving forward neatly with one of his trademark sliding tackles, rising as he slides, and start a move that would set his midfield and attack line away. And when you play with your attacking teammates like Roberto Baggio and George Weah, then it is not a wonder that your team is regarded as the best of the era. These legends graced the AC Milan teams of the 80s and 90s, considered to be among the strongest teams ever.
Maldini is also among the few players who never left the club they joined. Starting in 1984, Maldini spent his entire career with AC Milan. It was 25 glorious years before he retired in 2009. In a career spent doing this unglamorous role, he played 942 matches for Milan and 126 for Italy. 7 League titles and 5 Champions League titles are not easy to match as silverware. An interesting fact that probably speaks volumes is that he was shown the red card just three times in the more than 1000 games he played.
While all the titles and accolades he won are a testimony to his success, the joy he gave to his fans would probably be priceless. To those who watched him live, it was just the joy of watching a master at work; for those who couldn’t, the archives would tell you why he was different.
One match that remains etched in memory is the World Cup final, where despite having his usual backline mates missing due to injury or suspension, Maldini marshaled the defense against an incessant wave of attacks from Romario, Bebeto, and others to hold Brazil to a goalless draw. In the shootouts, three of his mates botched it up and as the pony-tailed Baggio sent his kick ballooning over the post , Maldini missed the one trophy his career deserved.
Paolo Maldini , the greatest defender football has seen.
Football has seen many defenders, and if there is one thing that makes Maldini the greatest that he is, it is the sheer beauty of his sliding tackle. The sliding tackle is one weapon in a defender’s arsenal that can go wrong most of the time. When done right, it usually ends in a pile-up of bodies and the ball spinning out of control. Maldini is the only defender who made this a form of art. Almost every time, he would slide into a tackle, time it perfectly, and nick the ball from the feet of the opponent. He would pick himself up as he slid, emerging with the ball at his feet, ready to push it forward. In most of these, the opponent is still standing, though a bit baffled. It was almost like a loving gardener picking a rose, daintily as if to avoid hurting the plant.
No tribute can be complete and do more justice than this: watching the art of sliding tackle that Paolo Maldini perfected.
Watch this and doff your hat to the one and only Il Capitano
