Italian legend Paolo Maldini sat down with Jamie Carragher per The Daily Mail to discuss the events of ‘that night in Istanbul’. During the conversation Paolo opened up about something which could have changed English football completely. Regarded as one of the best defenders to ever grace a football pitch, Paolo spent his whole career playing in Italy for A.C Milan. However the chance of him joining the Premier League was a lot closer than people may have thought.
When asked if he ever had the opportunity to join the Premier league and whether he regrets never doing so, Paolo said “I had an offer from Manchester United, but I didn’t speak directly to them. Luca Vialli, when he was Chelsea manager, called me. That was in 1996. We’d had a very bad season. There was also something from Arsenal, but I never spoke to them directly. I would have said no anyway. Vialli was a friend of mine and he was the only one who made me think. I had some problems with my team and the supporters at that time. I thought, just for one day, ‘What if?’ But then, no.”
Imagine Paolo Maldini having been a Chelsea player, just the mere thought gives me Goosebumps. He was versatile and solid, just what Chelsea could have done with in those days. Who knows, Maybe a title could have came sooner with him leading the defence.
Carragher went on to ask if it was true that the Italian icon had received an offer to join the Chelsea staff in a coaching role upon his retirement from the game in 2009.
“The offer came only one week after my last game for Milan. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to move my family to London. I went there. I spoke to Mr Abramovich. I spoke to Ray Wilkins, who I had played with at Milan. I don’t know. I decided not to do it.”
The effect in while Maldini could have had on Chelsea is still unknown, whether it would have been as a player or as a coach. The phrase ‘The one that got away’ springs to mind, a natural born leader and hero to Italian football, though Chelsea have their own Maldini going by the name of John Terry.
