[Aladino]

he keeps on amazing me every time. He is so special...

CONFIDENT CAPTAIN EYES ATHENS
5/15/2007 1:54:00 PM
The countdown to Athens has begun and the Rossoneri captain has his eighth Champions League final in his sights


You can see that Paolo Maldini has the same winning air of confidence that he has always had as he talked about how he is feeling and what he is certain of just eight days before the final in Athens. During a telephone interview with Milan Channel, the captain relived all the details of a Rossoneri life amongst the victories, defeats and the good friends who have or will walk away from the game for the last time.

FINAL IN ATHENS: ‘I always believed in it, so did the coach and if we have made it so evidently someone else believed in it as well. We have overcome the critical moments of a difficult season. We reached optimal form in the Malta training retreat. Above all, we recovered all of our excellent players from injury. So here we are at Athens with the opportunity to write a new page in our history, with the possibility of reaching new heights. This is the joy and honour of playing for Milan, to always be able to compete at the highest level and to always have the possibility to win something. My balance of finals played says that I have won four and lost three, and there's no way I want to even things out!’

EVERYTHING TO BE THERE: ‘The question is will Paolo Maldini play against Liverpool? The answer is simple: I will do everything to be there. My knee swelled up after the game against Catania at the weekend, but that was expected. It will be treated with specialised work over the next days. The problem is just something that occurs, but I know that I can get fit in time for the match against Liverpool. The pain and swelling can also be eliminated with injections. I am certain of one thing though and that’s that I will only play if I am one hundred percent. Otherwise, neither myself nor the coach will have any problem in playing someone who is in better shape than me.’

THOUGHTS ON ISTANBUL: 'Istanbul is a defeat that still hurts, but if analysed it can be seen in a different light. Liverpool know very well how it went, they always had the feeling that certain incidents influenced the outcome. I bet that today the English are thinking more or less like this: we won’t win a game like that again, facing a strong side that scores three goals in the first half. We are more or less the same side that played in the final in Manchester and Istanbul, but as a team we are without a shadow of a doubt going to Athens in the best possible shape.’

SHEVA’S POSSIBLE RETURN: ‘Every player that leaves Milan regrets that decision, but at the same time the club never forgets who gave a lot to this jersey. Milan never has bad blood with anyone and I think that this is the secret and the philosophy that has made the difference over these years. From this base, it is easy to say that Sheva would always be welcomed with open arms.’

COSTACURTA’S GOOD-BYE: ‘Every time that one of my team-mates that made this same journey with me leaves, a part of me dies. This is tough, but it is part of the sport. Milan will be here forever but the people playing the roles will change. Like I have always said, this side will never abandon you and I think that a new and exciting experience is about to start for Billy. He has tried to understand how he can be useful to the side this season and I think that starting a coaching career beside one of your former team-mates is positive and fundamental.’

Such beautiful words by Maldini especially on Billy. Milan have such great legends