Former AC Milan defender Filippo Galli has responded to criticism from his former teammate Paolo Maldini over the club’s youth academy.
Maldini recently argued that something was not working properly within Milan’s youth system, claiming that too much emphasis was being placed on tactics and that talented young players could be seen as a problem.
Galli, who served as AC Milan’s Youth Sector Manager from 2009 to 2018, said Maldini’s comments directly concerned the work carried out during his time in charge.
He defended the academy’s philosophy, explaining that the focus was on developing players rather than simply chasing results. According to Galli, the approach encouraged creativity, allowed young players to learn from mistakes and gave them responsibility for their own development.
Galli also rejected the suggestion that players were discouraged from taking on opponents, insisting that dribbling and individual creativity were encouraged rather than restricted.
The former defender also acknowledged that Maldini’s role with the first team meant he would not necessarily have been closely involved with the daily work of the academy.
Galli said that developing young players requires first-hand experience of the daily training environment and admitted that he made mistakes during his time at the academy. However, he felt he could not remain silent over what he described as an inaccurate portrayal of the work carried out under his leadership.
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