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AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini ‘has been SACKED following a tense meeting with owner Gerry Cardinale’, after the Rossoneri only finished fourth in Serie A as defending champions
- Club icon Paolo Maldini met with AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale on Monday
- The meeting did not go well and Maldini has reportedly been sacked by the club
- His right-hand man Ricky Massara has also been fired from his position
AC Milan icon Paolo Maldini has reportedly been sacked from his position as the club’s technical director after a meeting with owner Gerry Cardinale on Monday.
Maldini and Milan’s director of football Ricky Massara met RedBird chief Cardinale to discuss plans for next term following the conclusion of the Serie A season on Sunday.
The meeting did not go well, with the two parties unable to agree on how to take the club forward during tense discussions, and Maldini and Massara have now been fired, according to Calciomercato.
Maldini’s departure will be a particularly bitter blow for Milan fans given his legendary status at the club.
The 54-year-old spent 25 years at Milan as a player between 1984 and 2009, winning Serie A seven times as well as five European Cups.
Paolo Maldini has reportedly been sacked from his position as AC Milan’s technical director
The decision came following a tense meeting with Milan owner Gerry Cardinale (above)
After his retirement, he returned to the club in 2018 initially as a development director before being promoted to technical director the following year.
During his time in the role, Maldini has brought in a number of players that have flourished at Milan including Rafael Leao and Fikayo Tomori.
The pair helped the Rossoneri end their 11-year wait for the Scudetto last year when Milan held off bitter rivals Inter Milan to clinch the title on the final day.
Maldini was widely praised after his recruitment led to Milan’s triumph, but the club’s business over the past 12 months has been disappointing.
High-profile signings such as Divock Origi and Charles De Ketelaere have failed to shine as Stefano Pioli’s men could only finish fourth in Serie A this season, 20 points behind champions Napoli.
They did make the semi-finals of the Champions League, but were comprehensively beaten by Inter across two legs.
The Italian giants were able to convince Leao to sign a new long-term contract last week, but it has since emerged that CEO Giorgio Furlani was at the forefront of negotiations rather than Maldini, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb.
Leao may dispute that, though, and the Portuguese star posted a thinking face emoji on Twitter on Monday night, suggesting that he may not be happy with the club’s decision to let Maldini go.
Whether Maldini’s exit could affect the futures of some of Milan’s star players, including Leao, remains to be seen, as the club look to start afresh with a new technical director ahead of their 2023-24 campaign.
Stefano Pioli’s men have had a disappointing campaign and Maldini has now paid the price
Rafael Leao posted a thinking face emoji to suggest he is unhappy with Maldini’s exit
