Daniel Maldini: From Match-Winner to Car Crash
Daniel Maldini’s weekend swung from heroics to havoc in the space of a few hours.
On Saturday in Bergamo, the Cagliari forward coolly buried the decisive penalty in a win over Atalanta, the kind of moment that can tilt a season. By dawn on Sunday, he was at the centre of a serious-looking car crash on the streets of Milan.
From match-winner to crash victim
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the incident unfolded at around 5:15 a.m. at the intersection of Via Tolentino and Via Francesco Caracciolo, after a night out in the city. What began as a collision between two vehicles quickly turned into a three-car mess when a parked Mercedes SUV was also hit.
The impact jolted the quiet early-morning streets. Emergency services rushed to the scene, sending three ambulances and a medical car. Six people suffered minor injuries; five of them were taken to hospital for checks.
Maldini was transported to Fatebenefratelli Hospital as a precaution. The alarm sounded serious at first — he was admitted with a code blue for an urgent assessment — but the tension eased quickly.
“After a brief checkup with a code blue at the emergency room, Daniel was immediately released and returned home. He is in good health,” his lawyer, Danilo Buongiorno, said. “Daniel is fine and has not suffered any injuries, let alone serious ones.”
Police reconstruct the impact
While Maldini walked away unhurt, the authorities are still piecing together exactly how the crash unfolded.
Initial findings suggest a car travelling along Via Caracciolo struck Maldini’s vehicle as it emerged from Piazza Caneva. Investigators believe the Cagliari striker’s car failed to give way, leading to contact between the front left of Maldini’s vehicle and the front right of the oncoming car.
The force of that first collision then sent the other vehicle careering into the stationary Mercedes SUV, which was parked in a residents’ bay.
No serious injuries, no dramatic hospital stay — but enough of a scare to underline how quickly a night can turn.
Back to Cagliari and back to work
With the medical checks completed and his legal team offering reassurance, Maldini has been cleared to return home and resume normal life. The fright is over; the file now passes to the investigators and insurers.
For Cagliari, the relief is obvious. Their match-winner from Bergamo has escaped without physical damage and is expected to rejoin his team-mates as they prepare for their next Serie A assignments.
He ended Saturday deciding a game from the penalty spot. The question now is how he responds after a night that could have ended very differently.
