Pirlo, Pep and Paolo: How a summer of self-inflicted controversy left new Italy feeling like the old Italy
It was supposed to be the dream team. The politician who helped deliver the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina and the former player considered by many to be the face of Italian football. When, in early July, the new president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Giovanni Malago, announced he had secured Paolo Maldini as…