Daniel Maldini becomes third generation of his family to receive Italy call-up

Maldini will hope to start for the national team in upcoming UEFA Nations League games.

For the first time, Daniel Maldini has received a call-up to join the squad of the Italy national football team. After his father, Paolo Maldini, and grandpa, Cesare Maldini, he is the third member of his family to be included.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder Maldini, who rose through the ranks at AC Milan, now plays for Monza.

Luciano Spalletti, who is renowned for making intriguing decisions while leading the Gli Azzurri, gave the former Milan player a call-up to the Italian national team. This is after he made an impression at Monza in recent weeks.

The Monza player spoke to the media about his feelings after getting a chance to represent Italy and his journey to this point. He is expected to play in the upcoming games against Belgium and Israel.

Daniel Maldini has linked up with the Italy national team for the first time 🇮🇹He becomes the third generation of his family to receive a call-up, following his grandfather Cesare Maldini and father Paolo Maldini 🙌#NationsLeague | @Azzurri pic.twitter.com/HdPubQx43O

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) October 9, 2024

He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “It’s a source of pride to be here. Now I hope to show good things to the coach. My family has always been close to me, but, I assure you, with dad we haven’t spoken about the call-up. Venezuela had also contacted me in the past but I always preferred to wait and make the right choice, I think it was worth it.”

Following poor loan stints with Spezia and Empoli, Daniel Maldini later joined Monza on loan. He took time to settle at the club and undoubtedly owes Monza and their CEO Adriano Galliani some gratitude for allowing him to showcase his talent. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his family and etch his name in the history books of Italian football.

The playmaker also turned down a few approaches from European clubs in the recently concluded transfer window. He was determined to play for Monza in order to finally secure starts in Serie A and possibly earn a call-up to the national squad. All things considered, it turned out to be a successful choice.

After winning the World Cup in 2002, Paolo Maldini announced his retirement from international football. He made 126 appearances for Italy. Meanwhile, Cesare Maldini played his final match for the national team in Italy in 1963 before coaching them from 1996 to 1998.

Italy will first face Belgium in Rome on October 10 and four days later they will face Israel. The Azzurri lead their group after defeating France and Israel in their first two Nations League games.

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