Paolo Maldini

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TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY

Speaking at the pre-game press conference, Carlo Ancelotti has put Istanbul behind him. Paolo Maldini is proud to be captain for such a side and Ricky Kakà hope to write another page in the history books

ATHENS - CARLO ANCELOTTI - It will not be easy, but I have no doubts we will give everything. All my decisions have been made. On a purely technical level perhaps Milan were stronger two years ago and for that side it was almost ‘normal’ to reach the Final. For today’s team it is extraordinary and we want to end this year on a high. We deserved this final more than any other side because we suffered like nobody else. We had points penalties and had to rush our pre-season training to prepare for the preliminary round. If we have the fortune to lift the trophy, then it will be absolutely and totally deserved. This has been the most difficult season in my time at Milan. We ran into problems we had never encountered before, but the great unity between myself, the team and club proved decisive. Steven Gerrard is charismatic, but you cannot base your match on one player. Liverpool, like Milan, have many other qualities. Our opponents are Liverpool, not Gerrard. I don’t see myself as the leader of the group, but rather a part of the group. We all come together to answer questions and solve problems. We have worked well and I hope it will be considered even better tomorrow. We never sought alibis or scapegoats, we just tried to resolve our problems together, so what we have been through makes us stronger for this final. We feel very strong in these days leading up to the match. It was here in Athens against AEK that we suffered three injuries, it was the most delicate moment. Being compared to Sacchi and Capello by Doctor Galliani is pleasing. We have all done well. Milan’s presence in this final shows the strength of Italian football and we do feel ourselves a very Italian side.

PAOLO MALDINI - I have never been crazy about looking at history, it difficult to find the comparison with Athens now and in 1994, there are great players, Kakà today, Savicevic then. The Golden Ball is not as important as the final in general. If I can say, no one deserves the Golden Ball more than Kakà. It will be an emotional final even if you manage it differently from when you were 18 or 19. The best image is fitting the cup in Manchester with the whole team behind me. The important thing to get there rather than not. Crouch can be difficult in the air but I want to get out there once again and experience the shiver of excitement you only get in games like this. To be doing this again at this level is something fantastic and I am proud to be captain of a team that is always at these levels.

RICARDO KAKA' - No team plays man-marking at this level. I think that it will be like this tomorrow. I had the chance to win the Champions League two years ago, hopefully I have a great game tomorrow and write my name in the history books. If we can repeat what we did in the first half against Manchester United then it will be difficult to face Milan. Thanks to the example of Maldini and Costacurta, there is always the desire to win. I requested not to play in the Copa America in the interests of the Brazilian national team as I have played every summer for the last three years.

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Maldini senior backs AC Milan

Cesare Maldini is confident that the strength of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad will make the difference in tonight’s Champions League Final against Liverpool.

Maldini, father of Rossoneri legend Paolo, captained Milan in their 2-1 victory over Benfica at Wembley in 1963 and he believes that his son will do the same this evening.

“I am optimistic, as always,” said the former Italy Coach. “It doesn’t really matter who will score or who will be the Man of the Match. The only thing that counts is to win.

“I hope that a host of Rossoneri players will shine. Milan reached the Final thanks to the quality and strength of their squad, not only because of a few individuals, and that can make the difference.”

The match at the Spyro Louis Stadium will also see Coaches Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez meet again after the 2005 Final saw the English giants triumph on penalties.

“They are two very different tacticians,” continued Maldini senior.

“Benitez is pragmatic and his methods are effective. Ancelotti has been decisive in the side’s fortunes, he is loyal and gives serenity to the entire dressing room.

“Was there a key match for Milan in the run towards the Final? They have all been important,” noted Cesare.

“However, I think that the games against Bayern Munich and Manchester United showed how strong the Rossoneri are.”

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AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool

Milan: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski (Kaladze 79); Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf (Favalli 91); Kaka; Inzaghi (Gilardino 87)

Liverpool: Reina; Finnan (Arbeloa 87), Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano (Crouch 78), Zenden (Kewell 59); Gerrard; Kuyt

Goals:

1-0, Inzaghi, 45'

2-0, Inzaghi, 82'

2-1, Kuyt, 88'

Ref: Fandel (Ger)

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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!: CL Final: AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool - match report

Scorers: Inzaghi 45, 80 (M), Kuyt 88 (L)

Pippo Inzaghi's brace has given Milan revenge over Liverpool with a 2-1 Champions League triumph in Athens!

These teams clashed in Istanbul in the 2005 Final with the Rossoneri throwing away a 3-0 lead to lose on penalties. Two years later they were back fighting for the trophy and Paolo Maldini recovered from a knee injury to play his eighth Final. Pippo Inzaghi was picked ahead of Alberto Gilardino to start upfront, while Liverpool opted for Dirk Kuyt with support from Steven Gerrard and Bolo Zenden.

Both sides qualified for the tournament via the preliminary round, as Milan were originally excluded due to the Calciopoli trial, but battled their way to their third Final in five years.

Jamie Carragher charged down an Inzaghi volley after five minutes, then Clarence Seedorf's first touch let him down from an overhit Marek Jankulovski cross. A terrible Jankulovski error on the edge of his own area gave Jermaine Pennant the ball, but Nelson Dida was at full stretch for a fingertip save.

Pennant found more space down the right and luckily for Milan Gerrard scuffed his shot. At the other end Inzaghi sprung the offside trap on Andrea Pirlo's chipped pass over the defence, but couldn't get the ball under control with only Pepe Reina to beat.

Reina got down well to smother a Kaka strike from distance and Daniel Agger escaped without a card for his cynical shoulder-charge on Kaka. Gerrard had too much space to drill over the bar on the counter and Kaka flicked the ball round two Liverpool players on the sole of his boot before he was eventually stopped by Javier Mascherano.

Pennant again was allowed to push forward and the ball eventually fell to Xabi Alonso's shot that whistled just wide of the far post. John Arne Riise blasted well over, but another Jankulovski error handed Liverpool a great chance with Kuyt's finish deflected off target.

Gennaro Gattuso was the first player in the Final to enter the book for a sliding tackle on Alonso on 40 minutes.

Alonso pushed Kaka on the edge of the area and from the resulting Pirlo free kick on the edge of the D took a crucial deflection off Inzaghi to beat Reina. Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was furious, as he felt it was a handling offence, but the ball struck him between his shoulder and his chest.

There was a pitch invasion from a local Greek supporter straight after the restart, who was dragged off the field by stewards. Kuyt and Kaka were both halted for incorrect offside positions and Jankulovski was shown the yellow card for a futile foul on Pennant.

Inzaghi pounced on an Agger error inside the area, but hesitated and allowed the Liverpool man to recover. Mascherano was booked for going through the back of Pirlo and the first substitution saw Harry Kewell replace Zenden. Kaka sprinted past Carragher and the England international could do nothing but drag him back for a yellow card. Pirlo curled the free kick over the bar.

Gattuso handed the ball straight to Gerrard and the captain ran towards the area, but the tame right-foot shot was into the arms of Dida. It was arguably Liverpool's best opportunity of the game so far.

There was bad news for Carlo Ancelotti on 70 minutes when Alessandro Nesta pulled up with breathing difficulties, saying he felt sick, but the defender recovered and was able to carry on.

Pirlo's pass struck the referee and fell kindly for Gerrard, but the shot was off target from 20 metres, then Gattuso won the ball back only for Kaka to be charged down. A corner came out for Clarence Seedorf and was deflected off Riise before Mascherano closed down Inzaghi with a crucial tackle.

Liverpool's top scorer with six goals, Peter Crouch came on for Mascherano in the final 12 minutes, so Kakha Kaladze replaced the disappointing Jankulovski.

There was a fantastic opportunity for Milan, but Inzaghi was surprised that Gerrard failed to get a touch on Kaka's cross, so it slipped past him. Carragher did very well to stop Kaka's run through the middle.

However, Milan doubled their lead with eight minutes to go. Kaka threaded a perfect pass through for Inzaghi. He went round Reina and placed a delicate but remarkably precise angled drive under the goalkeeper from the tightest of angles. SuperPippo was in the stands in Istanbul due to injury, so this was a particularly special chance to avenge that day.

Riise battled to hold off another Kaka run, but Dida did brilliantly to fingertip a Crouch long-range drive over the bar. Alberto Gilardino replaced brace hero Inzaghi and Arbeloa came on for Steve Finnan.

Milan can never relax when it's a Champions League Final against Liverpool, as they got one back with less than two minutes left on the clock. A corner kick took several touches on the way to Kuyt's header at the back post for his first Champions League goal for the club.

The referee added three minutes of stoppages and Giuseppe Favalli came on for Seedorf. The Dutchman joined Inzaghi in stalking up and down the sidelines shouting at his teammates. Gerrard's shot was charged down and Milan lifted the Champions League trophy!

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[sandy]

[Aga]

[sandy]

Thank u Aga

[LuNo]

Thanks footballfan#7, Sandy & Aga

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PAOLO MALDINI: 'It is always wonderful'

ATHENS - Milan captain Paolo Maldini spoke after lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy: 'It is the fifth time, but it is always wonderful. I have the fortune to play in a great team that has given me the opportunity to make up for the disappointments that are nevertheless outnumbered by the good times. I want to play another Champions League, another league season and the World Club Championship that escaped me the last three times. Ending like that would be fantastic.'

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Maldini shirt waits for 3G

Paolo Maldini’s Number 3 jersey will be retired with him, but only until another member of the family plays for Milan.

It is customary in Italy to ‘retire’ the shirt when a legendary player hangs up his boots and, like Franco Baresi before him, Maldini will see the Number 3 put into storage when he decides to quit.

“There is a novelty here though,” pointed out Vice-President Adriano Galliani. “The shirt will be reserved until his son Cristian or any other children of Paolo’s manage to play in Serie A with Milan.”

This is not just an amusing bet, for Cristian is already a starlet in the Rossoneri’s youth system at the age of nine.

He would become the third generation of the Maldini family to play for the club after Cesare won the Champions League in 1963 and son Paolo lifted the same trophy most recently this week.

“The shirt is retired temporarily,” added Galliani. “This is a family story and that jersey belongs only to the Maldinis.”

There is a family atmosphere at Milan at the moment, as this morning Clarence Seedorf’s partner Luviana gave birth to a baby boy. Little Denzel Seedorf weighs 3.2kg and is 49cm long.

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CESARE MALDINI: 'Paolo makes his own decisions'

MILAN - Captain Paolo Maldini's father, Cesare Maldini, had this to say about his son: 'He always makes his own decisions. However, I can confirm that he is flying to Belgium on Tuesday to get an operation so that he can return to being stronger than ever!'

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Christian

[sandy]

Thank u LuNo have more Cristians's Pics?

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You're welcome Sandy

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