Del Piero Is A True Champion – Maldini

Juventus and Milan square off this weekend, and in the lead up to the match, Paolo Maldini has praised his opposing captain Alessandro Del Piero.

The Bianconeri and Rossoneri do battle this weekend in a match that could potentially end one of the side’s dreams of winning this season’s Scudetto.

Both sides are currently on 30 points after 15 rounds of football, however they are six off the pace set by the league leaders and reigning Italian champions Inter Milan.

With the Nerazzurri facing a struggling Chievo this weekend, a win for Juve and Milan is imperative, as defeat could possibly widen the gap to nine points with themselves and the leaders of the competition.

There has been a lot said, by various members of the respective line-ups in the lead up to this contest; however Paolo Maldini of Milan has been the first to come out and actually have something nice to say about the opposition.

The captain of Milan is preparing to face Juventus for the 40th time in his career, and in a recent interview with Sky, he had some kind words of praise for his opposing skipper this weekend Alessandro Del Piero.

“He [Del Piero] is a great guy who deserves everything he has achieved thus far.

“He is a player who puts in a lot of time and effort off the field into making sure he is at his best, and because of that, I believe Alex is a true champion.

“This is the secret to his success, as such passion is required to last so long in a sport,” he added.

The 40-year-old central defender concluded by saying that he is extremely sorry to see Gennaro Gattuso suffer a serious injury, which will obviously keep him out of the crucial clash with the Bianconeri.

Maldini is a true icon of the game, and hopefully for the sake of Italian football, he gets a chance to take part in the contest this weekend.

Goal.com