AC Milan technical director, Paolo Maldini, spoke to the microphones of Milan TV. Here are his words about his experiences in the Champions League competition:
"The Champions League for me is perhaps the highest moment of my experience with Milan, what was once the Champions Cup and the one which my father raised for the first time in 1963 for an Italian team. It also brings some very strong emotions... The most intense moments of all were the six days of the two derbies in the 2003 semifinals, in the final against Juventus and also the last against Liverpool."
On Silvio Berlusconi, former owner and president of AC Milan:
"Once Berlusconi arrived, his idea was that Milan could play away from home as if they were playing at home. Bad pitch, rain, snow ... don't worry, we go and play our game. This got us there. at such a high level that when we got to a final, we didn't feel this pressure."
On the victory of the Champions League:
"These are fantastic situations, but the fact of raising you as captain is the achievement of a goal, which remains common since we are talking about a team sport. The great strength of this club is that it has included more than 100 people : it is not only the people who work in the field, but also those who accompanied us on this incredible journey."
On the victory in the final against Juventus:
"When we won the Champions League in 2003 when we had not reached the final for nine years... I took everything as a great lesson."
On the fans:
"One of my best memories are linked to the emotion that people transmit, and when they ask me what I miss most, in addition to the daily routine of training and living in the locker room, it is precisely that adrenaline that I would feel when I arrive to the stadium. When we played our first final against Steaua in Barcelona, that tide of Rossoneri fans will remain unforgettable within those who lived it. As well as arriving at the Manchester stadium and seeing our fans there."
