Daniel Maldini: From Heroic Penalty to Traffic Scandal
Daniel Maldini’s weekend swung from glory to scandal in the space of a few hours.
On the pitch, the 24-year-old forward was the hero. His coolly taken penalty in Bergamo sealed a 2-1 win for Cagliari over Atalanta, a precious result in their fight for safety and a statement performance from a player carrying one of the heaviest surnames in Italian football.
By dawn the next day, he was at the centre of a police investigation.
From decisive penalty to car crash
At around 5:15 a.m. on Sunday in Milan, Maldini’s Porsche Carrera collided with another vehicle in what local reports described as a serious traffic accident. Six people suffered minor injuries, among them Maldini himself. All were taken for checks, and the Cagliari player was later discharged from hospital the same day.
The real damage emerged in the test results.
Local police sources quoted by Reuters said Maldini underwent two alcohol tests at the scene. The first recorded 0.91 grams of alcohol per litre of blood, the second 0.89. Italy’s legal limit is 0.5. He was, by those figures, close to twice the permitted level.
His driving licence was suspended on the spot.
Negative drug test, licence gone
Alongside the alcohol checks, Maldini was also tested for drugs. Cagliari confirmed on Monday that the drug test carried out at the hospital came back completely negative and stated that the player would return to training as normal as the team prepares for its upcoming fixtures.
An Italian security source cited by Reuters underlined that the official toxicology results from the police process would take three to four days to be finalised, keeping the case open and firmly in the public eye.
A rising name under a famous shadow
Daniel Maldini’s surname guarantees attention in Italy. Son of Paolo Maldini, one of the greatest defenders the game has seen and a symbol of Milan’s golden eras, Daniel has been attempting to carve out his own path higher up the pitch.
He has already worn the shirts of Milan, Atalanta and Lazio before settling at Cagliari, and has six caps for Italy. Until this weekend, the conversation around him had centred on his development, his talent, and the weight of legacy.
Now, it has turned sharply towards responsibility and consequence.
A decisive penalty, a suspended licence, and a career that suddenly finds itself under a very different kind of scrutiny.
