The sadness over Daniel Maldini’s situation grows: they had tried
Daniel Maldini has gotten off to a fantastic start to the season with Cagliari, earning another call-up to the national team—although Roberto Mancini’s decision to select him has sparked a series of controversies. In Venezuela, where they follow Italian soccer very closely, there’s growing disappointment over the failure to convince him to wear the Vinotinto jersey, capitalizing on the heritage of his mother, Adriana Fossa, a former model born in Caracas.
He politely but firmly turned down the offer: the young player is too eager to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Cesare and his father Paolo. Venezuela is the only South American national team to have never played in the World Cup, and it is also the only one—along with Ecuador—to have never won the Copa América: there’s been a lot of talk about this on social media lately, highlighting the great difficulty in keeping pace with other continental teams due to the challenge of finding talent, even beyond its own borders.
Maldini’s connection with Cagliari has also solidified on the field: the forward scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 away victory over Udinese on Matchday 5 of Serie A, bringing the Sardinians right up close to the top of the table alongside Roma and Inter. It was a crucial goal, resulting from his recovery of the ball following a mistake by the Friuli defense, with a right-footed shot that beat Okoye. With this win, Cagliari secured its fourth victory of the season, confirming its status as one of the league’s surprise teams.
The week leading up to the away match in Udine, however, had been anything but peaceful for Maldini. The player had been involved in a car accident in Milan during the night between Saturday and Sunday and was taken to Fatebenefratelli Hospital for tests before being discharged. The toxicology tests came back negative, but rumors circulating in the hours that followed had sparked a media storm. Cagliari president Tommaso Giulini vehemently came to his player’s defense: “I don’t understand how certain stories can get out. It’s certain newspapers that are on drugs. We’re stunned and surprised; we believe in the young man’s good faith—he told us he’d had a couple of cocktails. All the tests came back negative.”
Despite the whirlwind of controversy, Cagliari coach Fabio Pisacane never stopped believing in his player; in fact, he publicly spoke out in support of his call-up to the national team: “I expect Maldini to be among those called up to the national team. I have to admit I didn’t think he was this good, but he deserves it. People had told me he was a very talented young man, but he’s more than that—he’s something extraordinary: I expect to see him on the list.” Prophetic words, given that Mancini did indeed include Maldini among the 34 players called up for the Nations League matches against Belgium, Turkey, and France.
The coach’s decision, however, raised eyebrows among many fans and industry insiders. Among the most critical voices was Luca Mastrangelo, an Inter-supporting influencer with nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, who spoke bluntly to Sportitalia: “Explain to me why Maldini is on the national team, especially after this week. Back in the day, players like Protti and Hübner would score 20 goals a season and still not get called up. Maldini has played for seven different teams in seven years, scored 17 goals in seven years, and after a week like this, he’s rewarded with a call-up to the national team?” Discontent was also widespread on social media, with hundreds of critical comments on X regarding Mancini’s decision.
