Other than Milan, I would have played for Real Madrid, says Maldini

Legendary Italian defender and former AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini has said that if there was any other football club he wanted to play for, it was Real Madrid.

Maldini made over 900 appearances for Milan during a chequered career spanning 24 years, before the centre-back called it a day in 2009, winning a staggering seven Serie A titles and five European Cup/Champions League titles.

"If I'd had to play for another club, it would have been Real Madrid. It always seemed to me that Real were the club most like Milan," he was quoted as saying by RMC Sport on Thursday.

Asked about AC Milan's future and if the team can challenge for honours again, with the club not winning a league title since the 2010-2011 season, the 48-year-old said: "These days the more time passes the more difficult it is to rebuild something that is strong enough to win.

"I believe that now we are starting from a base with a few young players but it will take a lot of investment because they waited way too long before strengthening this team.

"Since there is no longer the (Silvio) Berlusconi family behind this club, I am curious to see what the investments of the future will be. It will take a huge investment to return to the level we have known and to reform the perfect club type that Milan was in the 1990-2000 years."

--IANS

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