Maldini feels Maradona is the ?greatest?

Rome: In these days of football mercenaries, when a player will kiss his club badge as a sign of loyalty one week then leave the next when a better offer comes along, Paolo Maldini is a rarity.

Ever since becoming AC Milan?s youngest debutant 20 years ago on January 20, 1985 at the age of 16, the classy defender regarded as the best of his generation has stayed loyal to his hometown club.

His extraordinary commitment to the team his father Cesare played for has been rewarded with a sackful of silverware, including seven league championships, four European Cup/Champions League titles, two Intercontinental Cups, four European Supercups and the Italian Cup.

Maldini is also Italy?s most capped player, having made 126 appearances for the Azzurri before retiring from the international scene following the disastrous 2002 World Cup campaign in Japan and South Korea.

He was on the losing side in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil and the European championship final against France six years later.

Cynics could argue that Maldini might have left AC Milan had the club not enjoyed so much success. But he has been the perfect role model for any aspiring young footballer.

Still happily married to Venezuelan model Adriana Fossa after more than 10 years and a father of two sons, he has steered clear of the pitfalls that so many players fall into.

On Sunday, Milan fans acknowledged Maldini?s two decades of service by giving him a standing ovation and unfurling a massive banner which read: ?20 years at Milan, 20 years of history ? thank you Paolo!?

The legs may not be as fast as they were when legendary sweeper Franco Baresi took the young Maldini under his wing, but the sprightly 36-year-old is showing no sign of calling it a day.

?I have been thinking about what to do once I retire and I haven?t come to a decision yet,? he told the Gazzetta Dello Sport, Italy?s best-selling newspaper.

?The best thing would be to find myself some kind of job within the world of football, but I have no desire to become a coach. I have always said I won?t do it ? you suffer too much.

?If I decide to play on (after my contract ends in 2006), it will not be for financial reasons or because I have set myself a target of a certain number of victories.

?It will be because of the desire to train hard and enjoy myself. This is the sport I love, a sport that has given me so much.

?My objective is not to play on until I?m 40, but to be playing at a certain level. If I can still keep up with the youngsters, why should I set myself limits??

Maldini may have won everything on offer at club level, but as an individual he has been overlooked. He has never been voted Italian Footballer of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, or the World Player of the Year.

Despite this lack of personal recognition, there has been no shortage of tributes from those who know ?Il Capitano? best.

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti underlined Maldini?s importance to his team and to the image of Italian football, which often makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

?He?s the best ? many players are remembered for their demonstrations of skill, while Paolo has been and continues to be a true example of professionalism and reliability,? he said.

AC Milan?s vice-president Adriano Galliani said Maldini was much more than a footballer and has become an ambassador for the city.

Maldini has been the scourge of Serie A?s finest strikers, but of all those he has faced ? Diego Maradona, who led Napoli to two league titles ? stands out as his most respected adversary.

?He was the greatest and the most sincere ? a model of behaviour on the pitch,? said the Milan captain, an eye-opener given Maradona?s bad boy reputation.