At the moment, there seems to be a whole host of young players making waves the beautiful who are the sons of former Premier League players. The most obvious and high-profile such footballer is Erling Haaland, whose dad played for Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City. But there are far more at lower levels, or not as far along their journey.
Fans of Welcome to Wrexham will have seen Elliot Lee, son of former England and Newcastle man Rob, in action. Those who support Liverpool will be aware that the club has, or had until recently, the sons of Lee Clark (Bobby), Jason Koumas (Lewis), Neil Danns (Jayden), Phil Jagielka (Zac), and Djibril Cisse (Prince Kobe) involved at some level.
Elsewhere, Andy Cole’s son Devante plays for West Brom, Charlie Savage, son of Robbie, plays for Reading, and, going a little further back, the sons of both Paul Ince (Tom) and Peter Schmeichel (Kaspar) have both enjoyed solid careers. However, with the exception of the Haalands and the Schmeichels, where both father and son played many times for their country, none can, yet at least, come close to the achievements of the Maldini family. And for all the brilliance of Erling Haaland, plus the fact that both Peter and Kaspar have Premier League crowns to their name, even they have to defer to the Maldinis.
Daniel Makes it Three Generations of Italian Caps
On the 14th of October 20024, Monza midfielder Daniel Maldini, who plays as a number 10, made history by coming off the bench to play for Italy. In the 73rd minute, he entered the fray in the Nations League against Israel in a game his side won 4-1. He didn’t do all that much on the pitch, in truth, but simply by stepping onto it, he made history, becoming the third generation of the Maldini family to play for Italy.
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Daniel Maldini became the third generation of the Maldini family to make his Italy debut this evening, after his father Paolo (1986) and grandfather Cesare (1960). pic.twitter.com/EVUBaHxeFj
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 14, 2024
His father is the legendary Italian defender Paulo, generally considered to be among the greatest defenders of all time. In turn, Paulo is the son of Cesare, who played for Gli Azzurri 14 times between 1960 and 1963 and went on to manage the national team as well. This is the first time ever that three generations of Italians have played for the national side in this way – grandfather, father and son.
Daniel has his work cut out to match the incredible playing feats of his father. Even to reach the 14 caps of his grandfather would be some achievement for the 23-year-old, whilst it is too early to assess his potential as a future manager.
Daniel Maldini’s Career So Far

It is not just the senior national team the three Maldinis (which sounds a bit like a touring clown troupe) have played for – all three have also spent the majority of their careers with Milan. Daniel seems likely to differ from his two relatives though, having left I Rossoneri in the summer of 2024 to join Monza permanently after an initial loan. It was just a two-year deal, however, so who knows, perhaps the attacking midfielder will return and like Cesare and Paulo write his (first) name into the club’s folklore.
He came through the AC Milan youth system and was initially a defender. However, over time it became apparent his dribbling ability and creativity meant he should be deployed further forward. He made his debut for Milan in the 2019/20 season but over the next few years he played just 24 times in all competitions, scoring once.
He then had a series of loans, first to Spezi, then Emploi and then finally to Monza for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign. He enjoyed the most productive spell of his career, netting four times in 11 games and in the summer Milan and Monza agreed to make the deal permanent.
Daniel had represented Italy at various youth levels, making his debut for the U18 team in 2019 and also playing for the U19s that year. In 2021 he represented the U20s, scoring his first goal for his nation that year against England. Fast forward to the current Nations League campaign and he was called up to the squad for the two October fixtures, making his bow in the second, a hugely proud moment for the whole Maldini clan.
Paulo Maldini
Daniel already has a Serie A title to his name for his limited involvement during the 2021/22 season with Milan but his father Paulo won the lot with the club. Then won it again. Paulo was a one-club man who earned 126 senior Italy caps but played a scarcely believable 902 times for Milan.
He played once way back in 1984/85 and from the following season, until 2008/09, was pretty much a regular in the famous red and black kit. He played 30 league games for the club in his final season, a quarter of century after making his debut. Including youth football, he played for Milan from 1978 to 2009, an astonishing stint.
He won seven Scudetti across three different decades, as well as the Italian Cup and an incredible five Champions League titles (including in its former guise as the European Cup). Truly one of the very best defenders ever, he read the game superbly and, though primarily a left-sided defender, could play on the right or in the middle. Strong, fast, excellent in the tackle and elegant on the ball, he twice made the podium of the Ballon d’Or.
Cesare Maldini

The oldest of the footballing dynasty, Cesare made his name with Triestina, his local top-flight team, making his Serie A debut in 1952. After couple of seasons playing in Trieste, Cesare caught the attention of giants AC Milan, transferring to the Rossoneri in 1954.
Like his son, Paulo, he was a superb defender, and won four league titles with Milan, as well as the European Cup in 1962/63. Between 1954/55 and 1965/66 he appeared over 400 times for the club, before ending his playing career with one final season at Torino.
Cesare went on to manage the club to which he is most closely linked, doing so as an assistant before getting the main job and then returning briefly years later as interim boss.
In between he managed other clubs, including Italy between 1996 and 1998. It is safe to say that football is in the Maldini blood!