Daniel Maldini

Daniel Maldini (born 11 October 2001) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for club Cagliari, on loan from Atalanta, and the Italy national team.

Early life Maldini was born in Milan, the second son of Paolo Maldini, the captain of AC Milan, and Venezuelan model Adriana Fossa. His grandfather Cesare also captained Milan in the 1960s, making him the third generation to make appearances for the club. His paternal family was of mixed Italian-Slovenian descent. His elder brother Christian played for Milan's youth teams and went on to play professionally at a lower level.

Club career Youth career Maldini joined Milan's youth system in 2011, and over the following years he came through the various age-group teams, from the under-10 Pulcini to the under-19 Primavera. In the 2016–17 season, he was part of the squad that won the Under-16 National Championship (Campionato Nazionale Under-16), defeating Lazio 5–2 in the final.

AC Milan In July 2019, Maldini was called up for pre-season training with senior team by the newly appointed head coach Marco Giampaolo. On 23 July 2019, Maldini made his senior debut for AC Milan in the ICC friendly tournament, playing for nearly an hour in the starting line-up against Bayern Munich in Kansas City, Kansas.

On 2 February 2020, Maldini played his first competitive game with Milan in a 1–1 Serie A home draw against Hellas Verona, coming on as an added-time substitute for Samu Castillejo.

On 15 September 2021, Maldini came off the bench against Liverpool in a 3–2 defeat on his UEFA Champions League debut. On 25 September, Maldini started his first match for Milan in Serie A and scored the first goal in a 2–1 away win against Spezia.

On 22 May 2022, he won his first trophy, the Serie A championship, like his father, Paolo Maldini and grandfather, Cesare Maldini before him. Throughout the season, he did not break through into the starting lineup, playing only 239 minutes in 13 matches in the club's league-winning 2021–22 Serie A campaign.

Loan to Spezia On 29 July 2022, fellow Serie A side Spezia announced Maldini had joined the club on a one-year loan from AC Milan.

On 5 November 2022, on his league debut as a starter with Spezia, Maldini scored his first Serie A goal of the season against his parent team, AC Milan. On 10 March 2023, he scored a goal in a 2–1 victory over Inter Milan, to be Spezia's first ever win against the latter.

Loan to Empoli On 10 July 2023, fellow Serie A side Empoli announced the signing of Maldini on a one-year loan with an option to buy.

Monza On 10 January 2024, Milan sent Maldini on loan to fellow Serie A club Monza until the end of the 2023–24 season. He scored four goals in 11 league games. The deal was made permanent on 31 July 2024, with the player signing a two-year contract.

Atalanta On 1 February 2025, Maldini moved permanently to Atalanta from Monza, for a reported transfer fee of €13 million including performance-related bonuses.

Loan to Lazio On 27 January 2026, Maldini was loaned to Lazio for the remainder of the 2025–26 season, with an option to buy that would become an obligation under certain conditions. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory over Sassuolo on 9 March 2026.

Loan to Cagliari On 9 August 2026, Maldini joined Cagliari on loan for the 2026–27 season, with an option to buy that becomes mandatory if certain sporting conditions are met.

International career Maldini is eligible to represent either his native country Italy or Venezuela, the latter through his mother. He debuted for Italy national under-18 football team in a 2–0 victory against the Netherlands on 22 March 2019. Later that year, Maldini earned two caps for the under-19. In 2021, he played three times for Italy under-20 and scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against England on 7 October 2021.

Maldini received his first call-up with the Italy national team for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Belgium and Israel on 10 and 14 October 2024 respectively. He debuted against the latter opponent in a 4-1 victory, coming as a substitute at the 74th minute.

Style of play Although in his very early days Maldini played as a defender like both his father Paolo and grandfather Cesare, he soon started to be employed in offensive roles. Today he mainly plays as a free roaming attacking midfielder, a position that suits his playmaking ability, dribbling skills, ball control, and vision.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours AC Milan Serie A: 2021–22