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#1 Paolo Maldini (AC Milan, 1985 to 2009)
The great AC Milan legend and Italian national, Franco Baresi mentored Maldini from a very young age, and it’s debatable that he surpassed Baresi in his illustrious career. 904 games for the San Siro side, 128 appearances for the Italian national team and 26 titles in his career, Maldini is a warranted legend of world football.
The titles the Capitano won only tell half the story, because to genuinely believe how good he was, you will have to watch him and understand how he works. How he timed his tackles to flawless perfection, he knew when to support the attack as a left-back and knew how to hold a defensive line when playing in the heart of the Milan defence.
Watching Paolo Maldini in action even in videos is a lesson for footballers aspiring for greatness, something that everyone who wants to be a defender should look at.
To put it in simple words, Maldini is the greatest defender of all time without an iota of doubt. Very few can compare to what he has accomplished, and even fewer are able to even comprehend that they can match his quality as a defender.
