Italian great Cesare Maldini dies at 84

Former AC Milan defender and Italy manager Cesare Maldini has died at the age of 84.

The Trieste native progressed through the ranks at hometown club Triestina before emerging as a cultured defender for both Milan and Italy. He won four Serie A titles with the Rossoneri, and also hoisted their first European Cup as club captain in 1963.

After winding down his playing career with Torino in the late 1960s, Maldini moved his considerable talents into coaching, taking the helm of his beloved Milan in 1972 and claiming a European Cup Winners' Cup and Coppa Italia double in the 1972-73 campaign.

Further stints at Foggia, Ternana, and Parma earned recognition from the national team, where he assisted Enzo Bearzot for six years before overseeing the Under-21 side and then the first team, leading it to the 1998 World Cup in France.

By this time, his son Paolo Maldini was skippering both the Italian national team and Milan, and had become one of the most iconic figures in the country's game - fulfilling his father's old defensive role.

Maldini Sr. wound down his managerial days in charge of Paraguay, earning a commendable Round of 16 finish at the 2002 World Cup, eliminated from the tournament by eventual runner-up Germany.

Tributes have been pouring in for the former defensive stalwart and coach who spent 60 years in football. Franco Baresi, another legend of Milan and Italy, paid his respects to a former friend and colleague:

He was above all a really good person and he has left us. He was a legend and an incredible captain. As a coach he achieved so much and I had the good fortune of getting to know him really well. I was lucky enough to share with him the experience of the 1982 World Cup. I learnt so much from him. He was important and key in passing on the kind of values that we so often forget.

Milan also issued a statement:

The loss of such a key figure in Rossoneri history has left everyone at AC Milan moved and saddened. Cesare had recently turned 84 and he left his mark at the club not only as a player, but also as a coach and scout. The club president Silvio Berlusconi and the rest of the club will always remember fondly his charisma, kindness and warm smile.

The Milan side donned black armbands in Sunday's Serie A game at Atalanta, and minutes of silence will be observed at matches across the country on Sunday and Monday.