Leonardo: No algorithm can replace Maldini at Milan: ‘It hurts’ | OneFootball

Leonardo is ‘hurt’ that Paolo Maldini is no longer at Milan, insisting that the Rossoneri legend ‘can’t be replaced’ by an algorithm.

Milan find themselves fighting for a Champions League spot despite a brilliant start to the season.

Back-to-back defeats against Sassuolo and Atalanta have left the Rossoneri level on 67 points with Roma in the fourth spot with just two games remaining.

Fans are furious with CEO Giorgio Furlani, who was urged to leave the club before last night’s 3-2 loss against Atalanta at San Siro.

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 03: Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara of AC Milan look on before the Serie A match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 03, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Maldini contributed to Milan’s title win in the 2021-22 campaign as one of the prominent directors, but was sacked one year later and hasn’t yet taken on a new role at another club.

Leonardo: It hurts everyone not to see Maldini at Milan

“If you have Paolo Maldini at Milan, I don’t know what kind of algorithm could tell me it’s better not to have him,” Leonardo told Cronache di Spogliatoio via Calciomercato.com.

“It doesn’t just hurt me not to see him there; it hurts everyone. Paolo belongs in the world of football. I think there are no figures in today’s game as complete as he is. He developed himself over time, becoming a top-level executive, successful at the club where he spent 30 years.”

Leonardo was a Milan director when he appointed Maldini in the summer of 2018.

“I’m sure Paolo still has a lot to offer. Today, there is a very political, very complex and archaic structure that sometimes even prevents this from happening,” Leonardo said.

“What is needed, beyond ideas, expertise, and desire, is someone who can inspire people and make them believe there is something beautiful worth chasing. It’s difficult to find a figure capable of conveying that idea unanimously. I see very few people with those qualities, and Paolo, perhaps, is the only one.”

Milan’s final two Serie A games of the season are away at Genoa and at home to Cagliari.

The Rossoneri have only earned 25 points in the second half of the campaign, the fewest in the last nine years.

“Too many clubs no longer rely on the option of a sporting director with real authority,” Leonardo continued.

“He makes certain decisions within a broader working structure, but there is something very influential nowadays: algorithms. I have nothing against them, but I have always seen them as support for human decision-making, not something meant to replace it.”