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AC Milan's captain wants his fifth Cup title
Paolo Maldini won four European Cup titles, but that has not quelled his burning desire to claim a fifth. He has that opportunity on Wednesday when AC Milan faces Liverpool in the Champions League final.
A few days shy of his 37th birthday, Maldini is regarded as the greatest defender of his generation. He has reached the final of the continent's premier club competition six times and should Milan overcome the Merseysiders, Maldini would become one of just four players to have claimed a winners' medal on five occasions. He would join Real Madrid legends Jose Maria Zarraga and Alfredo Di Stefano in the exclusive club. Paco Gento, another former Madrid star, heads the all-time list with six titles. "It's an honor to have met Gento," Maldini said. "He has given me a Real Madrid shirt as a symbolic gesture and it was very touching. He told me that if there's a player that can break his record, he hopes it's me and that makes me very happy." The Maldini name is firmly embedded in Milan's history — Paolo's father Cesare lifted the trophy when the club won its first European Cup against Benfica at Wembley in 1963. Paolo Maldini's experience could be a key factor Wednesday, but he admits it is a far cry from his first European Cup final in 1989 when Milan overcame Steaua Bucharest in Barcelona. "Certainly the approach and the pressure was more difficult back then in comparison to now," Maldini said. "But we are more confident and used to playing at this level than we were two years ago (when Milan beat Juventus on penalties)." "But I don't consider Liverpool to be an inexperienced side because of their past history. I certainly don't feel as though I am facing a team that hasn't gone through this type of atmosphere before." Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard insists he has been dreaming non-stop about lifting the Champions League trophy and has vowed to bring European glory back to Anfield.
Gerrard went so far as to call it a "disaster" if Liverpool fails to beat AC Milan Wednesday at Ataturk Stadium. "I have been dreaming of lifting the trophy. I haven't stopped thinking about it and it has been in my head 24-7," Gerrard said. "But if I come back empty-handed now it will be a disaster. We haven't done it in the league, but in Europe everybody has been dying for the shirt and the badge and we need to do that again." Gerrard is even planning a celebration back in Huyton, similar to the style of former Liverpool skipper Phil Thompson, who once took the Cup to his local pub. "I have heard all the stories about Thommo, and I will be taking the trophy to my local for one hell of a party," Gerrard said. "This final will be the club's best because it will be me holding the trophy. That's selfish, I know, but it will be dedicated to the fans because they have waited a long time for such success. "This club is about winning and we have the chance now to bring the biggest trophy possible back to this club. There is a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility on us but we are enjoying it."
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