Paolo Maldini

Sejenak, mari kita lupakan Euro 2008 yang berjalan sangat kacau bagi fans Italia. Biarlah mereka berjuang untuk mendapatkan angka dari Perancis, sembari berharap ada keajaiban yang mengantar mereka melihat cahaya di ujung terowongan. Mari kita putar sejenak mesin waktu untuk mengenang salah satu pemain terhebat yang pernah dihasilkan Italia, dan ironisnya sekarang masih aktif.

Paolo Maldini, kapten Milan dan mantan kapten Italia, adalah sosok pemain dengan karir idaman semua pemain bola. Dia bertahan sebagai pemain profesional dari tahun 1986, atau lebih dari 22 tahun (mungkin 23 tahun jika tahun depan dirinya benar-benar pensiun)! Maldini mengkoleksi caps tim nasional Italia paling banyak, dan di bawahnya adalah Fabio Cannavaro, kapten Italia saat ini. Bahkan alam seakan tidak rela jika caps Maldini diserobot Cannavaro, sehingga jelang helatan euro 2008, Cannavaro dipastikan absen dan berhenti di angka 116. Masih tertinggal 10 game dari Maldini. Meski tampaknya Canna akan sanggup memecahkan rekor Paolo, namun hati semua penggemar sepakbola Italia akan sulit memisahkan diri dari nama Maldini.

Menarik untuk mengamati apa pendapat orang lain di luar Italia tentang Maldini. Apalagi jika itu adalah pendapat dari sesama pemain atau mantan pemain sepakbola. Kebetulan, di salah satu majalah yang berbasis di Inggris, FourFourTwo, ada rubrikasi rutin yang berjudul "My Perfect XI". Isinya adalah tim berisi pilihan 11 pemain idaman dari masing-masing pemain atau mantan pemain di tiap edisi. Dan dari 14 arsip yang tersimpan di website FFT, ini adalah tujuh quote tentang Maldini dari 7 pemain yang berbeda:

"You have to be a special player to perform so consistently for such a long time. There aren’t many players who have done this for such a big club. He’s also a great looking guy. He’s got everything going for him. Unlike Roberto Carlos, he could defend as well as attack. That’s way he’s in." - Ian Wright (Arsenal FC 1991 -1998/England/Forward)

"It’s easy to take him for granted but he’s a legend in his own lifetime. Obviously Roberto Carlos is also a top player but Maldini is much better defensively – and, like Carlos, he can also get forward and provide an extra attacking option – like he did in the Champions League final." - Jamie Carragher (Liverpool FC 1996 - present/England/Centre Back)

"Position for position one of the greatest players ever, and he’s still playing which shows what a great athlete he is. But unlike certain other great full-backs, he wasn’t world class when just defending or just attacking – he could do both better than most and is an excellent centre-back too." - Ruud Gullit (AC Milan 1987 - 1993/Netherlands/Forward)

"Paolo is another sensational player from the Italian school of defence. He is always very elegant on the pitch, often going forward to support attack and he has scored some important goals in big games for AC Milan as well as for Italy. He’s a real role model for defenders coming through today." - Gheorghe Hagi (SK Galatasaray 1996 - 2001/Rumania/Midfielder)

"There’s never been a better left-back in the game’s history. Two-footed, and at his peak, brilliant going forward. The night Milan annihilated Barcelona in the 1994 Champions League Final, he played centre-half, as Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta were both suspended, and looked like he’d played there all his life." - Ronald Koeman (FC Barcelona 1985 - 1995/Netherlands/Centre Back)

"Another legend, and still going strong, he simply never has a bad match. Very difficult to play against, a sublime passer and he’s scored a lot of goals too. Has an incredible physique and is the ultimate role-model. He’ll go down in the history books as perhaps the best left-back ever." - Brian Laudrup (Glasgow Rangers 1994 - 1998/Denmark/Forward)

"Maldini is not only a terrific defender, but he can play and he can get forward and he can cross balls – he can do everything." - Peter Shilton (Leicester City 1966 - 1974/England/Goalkeeper)