Daniel Maldini says he felt a ‘strong sensation’ after his record-breaking Italy debut in the 4-1 win over Israel in the UEFA Nations League on Monday, Afrosport reports.
The Monza midfielder made history when he came on for Napoli in the 74th minute, becoming the first time three generations of a family played for the Azzurri after his father Paolo Maldini and grandfather Cesare.
Daniel like his father and grandfather also played for AC Milan, though he had a short stint with the Rossoneri, spending four years as senior years in between loan spells at Spezia, Empoli and Monza, joining the latter this summer.
“It was a strong sensation, positive, I’m very happy to have come on and that the game went well,” Maldini said per Football Italia.
“The match was always in control until their goal, but then we did well to take it back and we saw our football in action.”
3 – With Cesare, Paolo and Daniel, Maldini is the first family with three generations of players (grandfather, father and son) in the history of Italy. 22 years and 118 days have passed since Paolo Maldini’s last match with Italy and 61y 1d since Cesare Maldini’s last. Dynasty. pic.twitter.com/UgUyqxeZes
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) October 14, 2024
Daniel’s parents were also in the stands at Stadio Friuli with his mother Adriana Fossa filming the moment on her phone. The 23-year-old further reacting to his historic moment stated: “I am glad that my parents were here, I’ll talk to them after I get home. I dedicate this debut to my family and my friends, those who love me.”
Paolo Maldini is one Italy’s most capped players, featuring 126 times between 1988 and 2002 while Cesare was capped 14 times between 1960 and 1963. He managed Italy between 1996 and 1998 with Paolo captaining the Azzurri at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
