AC Milan and Italy legend Paolo Maldini has remarked on how he’s been unable to leave the 2005 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.
The Rossoneri had one hand on ol’ big ears after storming into a 3-0 lead before half-time, but the Reds came out and dramatically levelled the score-line before winning via a penalty shoot out.
The former Italian centre half gave his side the lead in 2005 – which is remarkable when you consider he played in a Champions League final in the 1980s.
And Maldini admits that he can’t move on from the historical night. “It makes me laugh that I played eight European Cup finals and won five of them, but people only seem to remember that one. It left an important mark,” he told UEFA (via Milan News).
“My goal in the 2005 final? It was the fastest scored in a Champions League final, the most dramatic to prove that things cannot be taken for granted and it’s that unpredictability which makes the sport marvellous.
“We were the favourites, we played much better than Liverpool and the momentum of the game never really shifted apart from those six minutes.
“We were consistently threatening going forward. But when you accept these painful situations, it becomes easier for you to have other chances to make up for them.”
The final in Istanbul will live long in the memory of Liverpool fans, and it seems the same can be said for Maldini – but for very different reasons.
It must have been incredibly frustrating for Milan seeing the final play out the way it did. As the centre half pointed out, the Italian were the superior side, but the Reds pulled off a miracle.
At least it seems like Maldini can now laugh about it.