Paolo Maldini and Jannik Sinner met as guests at a Nike store in Turin ahead of the ATP Finals in the Piedmontese capital. The former Milan legendary captain and director made a few statements to encourage young people to continue pursuing sport.
"I used to play football in the gardens and at the oratory. I played for Milan, the same team as my father, but I did not feel like someone destined for greatness. It was only on the day of my debut, when Liedholm asked me whether I preferred to play on the right or on the left, that I realised I was a professional. As a child, I was a goalkeeper, but on the day of my first trial, my father asked me: ‘Wouldn't you rather play in midfield?’. Fortunately, I gave him the right answer."
Paolo Maldini added:
"I will repeat to you what my father and Mister Liedholm, who gave me my debut at the age of 16, always taught me: enjoy yourselves. If someone sees sport only as a job, they lose its magic. Fear of losing? It exists, but it must be managed. I remember the first derbies, the matches against Maradona's Napoli. You lose a final, it happened to me, but you have to think about how to play better in the next one. After leaving football, I realised how difficult it is to lose on your own when playing tennis. The first time, you ask yourself whether it will happen again."
"Italia 90? A wonderful World Cup. On the bus heading towards the stadium, escorted by two lines of crowds, those were forty-five minutes of pure joy… matched only by the disappointment of losing in front of an entire country. Social media? They didn't exist in my time."
