BACK in July Daniel Maldini became the third generation of the Maldini family to pull on the famous red and black jersey of AC Milan.
The 17-year-old wunderkind made his debut in a preseason friendly against Bayern Munich, starting for the Milanese giants in Kansas City as both teams toured the US.
Daniel, who played behind Polish striker Krzysztof Piątek and Spanish forward Samu Castillejo against the Bavarians, is a different specimen all-together.
"I want to honor the Azzurri jersey and my dream is to reach the senior team one day, like my grandfather and father," he told Sky Sports Italia after he was called up to their under-18 squad back in March.
"I always received help and advice from my father. He always tells me to keep my feet on the ground and remain humble on and off the field.
"My position? I play an attacking game, as a midfielder or a No.10 who thinks about scoring goals.
"My strengths are playing with only a few touches, set-pieces and seeing things before others."
PLENTY IN RESERVE
Maldini earned his call-up after starring for AC Milan Primavera, the famous club's youth team.
Although they were relegated from Campionato Primavera 1, Maldini's ability stood out from the crowd in what could have been a tough season for him.
He finished the campaign with an impressive nine goals in 22 games for the struggling side and was singled out by coaches as their best performer.
Back in February, Daniel made headlines when he produced an emphatic finish against Genoa with his dad, a director at the club, watching from the sidelines.
After Daniel scored, the camera panned to Paolo who gave a wry smile before folding his arms, satisfied with what he'd just seen.
Following legends like Cesare and Paolo will only make the younger Maldini's task harder.
But with such footballing pedigree in his blood, he certainly stands a chance of Illuminating the San Siro just like his predecessors.
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