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Originally Posted by Debs
You bring up a few good points, drucurl.
Back when Bierhoff was with us, people felt justified in being as boorish and rude as they could about him. At least about his playing b/c hardly anyone had ever met him. I had the chance to meet him twice and found him to be an incredibly kind and decent man. The second time we were at Milanello was during his last season with us, when people were on his every move and nothing was going right for him. He saw fans and started towards his car with his head down, till he saw that I was taking his picture and then he came over and shook my hand and said "I remember you from last year--I'm sorry DC United lost." Pure class, I don't care what anyone says. So sometimes we ARE too quick to judge players, thinking they are a certain way b/c of what we see on the field. That's one reason I'm so dead-set against anyone makign personal trheats to any player--you don't know them, and would you have the guts to say even have the stuff you post here to their faces??
As for Maldini retiring now or next year. Any year that he decides to retire will be too soon. Who has been trained by him to lead this team as magnificently as he does? I don't mean now so much by his speed and his skills, but by his ability to direct the play and the players from his vantage point. I've been watching alot of Maldini clips lately and once again I was hit hard by the command he has out there. You might as well call him our on-field coach!
None of us has a crystal ball we can use to forsee Paolo's future, ie how he'll play next season. I'm one of his biggest fans and even I can't decide if I want him to retire or continue on. I do know that when he does hang up the boots, the squad will miss the very essence of Paolo Maldini--the calmnees he displays in the storm of competition, while awaiting the hugest of games, while answering questions about the very existence of the team. No one else has that paricular quality yet, that I can see. Maybe there is someone, maybe Rino, maybe Nesta...
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I'm pretty sure that I'll tell Gila a thing or two if I ever meet him
Of course I won't be as animated as I am here but I think I at least need to know what is his problem if he does have one. I never had anbything against Bierhoff, although I thought he wasn't playing up to potential. At least I saw him working his ass off. I just don't see that in Gila. Maybe I'm wrong...I just don't see it.
About Maldini, I know his heart bleeds red and black but really his legs are being taxed to the limit. Knee injuries tend to decide the way you will play. As much as Maldini's mind is unquestioned, his physical abilities are. We should never downplay the importance of that. For instance, few minds are as brilliant as stephen hawkings but you woulnd't expect him to be able to direct any team on a pitch would you. I am not in any way trying to be insulting to San Paolo but there comes a time in every man's life when he is no longer physically able to do certain things. We have to care for him as a man too. Do we want to tax Maldini's body to the point where he can't be of proper use to his family? He has a wife and kids....surely they must come first.
It is true that Nesta doesn't exactly have his charisma/ intelligence/abilities and Gattuso surely doens't have his class or temparament. But Milan is a GRAND club and leaders always arise within our ranks. Personally I think Kaka would be a brilliant captain, although ideally it should be another Italian
Costacurta and Michael Jordan retired as legends of the game. But they each sullied their otherwise stellar career by trying to compete at a level their bodies simply did not allow for. Let this not happen with Paolo. If he decides to stay on I am glad. Maldini's decline is not as drastic as Costacurta's and he presently is better than almost anyone.