Maldini rejected Milan invitation to attend 125th anniversary celebrations | OneFootball

Milan legend Paolo Maldini reportedly turned down an invitation to attend the club’s upcoming 125th anniversary celebrations ahead of Sunday’s Serie A match against Genoa.

The Rossoneri are celebrating their 125th anniversary this week. The club was officially founded on December 13, 1899.

Milan have several events and tributes planned, including a special one-off retro shirt that the players will wear on Sunday. The game will also be attended by a long list of former greats, including Alessandro Costacurta, Roberto Donadoni, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf and several others.

Maldini, however, will not be one of them.

LECCE, ITALY – JUNE 22: Paolo Maldini during the Serie A match between US Lecce and AC Milan at Stadio Via del Mare on June 22, 2020 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

Maldini rejects Milan invitation to celebrate 125th anniversary

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, Maldini rejected an invitation to attend the Milan-Genoa match.

Though he made a club-record 901 appearances for the Rossoneri in a career that spanned three different decades, it appears that his relationship with Milan is still rather fragile.

Eight years after hanging up his boots, Maldini returned to San Siro as sporting director, and would later go on to serve as technical director. His crowning moment as an executive came when the team won the Scudetto under Stefano Pioli in 2021-22.

Just over a year later, on June 6, 2023, Maldini and Massara were dismissed from their positions as club directors, which was met with fierce criticism from the fans and press alike.