Milan director Paolo Maldini has reflected on the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals he was a part of.
On the Istanbul final: “It was the most difficult match of all the finals I played. I scored the fastest goal of the Champions League finals. Football is unpredictable, nothing is taken for granted.
“That game left an important mark, we were favorites and we played better. We always kept the game in our hands. They are painful things, but when you accept them then it’s easier to have another chance.”
On Athens 2007: “I remember a few things about that game: the start, Inzaghi’s goals, the end and a bit of the party. When I had surgery three days after the final, every time I woke up I wondered how the game went. After a few seconds of panic, I remembered that we had won, so I could go back to sleep peacefully.