Veteran defender Paolo Maldini is set to play his 24th Serie A season with AC Milan after the signing of his last one-year contract was announced Friday on the club's website. // dpa
Maldini, who turns 40 on June 26, thus postponed his much rumoured farewell to football and reportedly signed a deal worth 1.5 million euros (2.36 million dollars).
He debuted with Milan in January 1985. His last appearance in a Serie A game, on April 12, allowed him to beef up his all-time record of 617 games in the Italian top flight.
Maldini also boasts the record of games played with Italy's national team, 126, and a world record of 173 international club games. In total, he played 1009 games with Milan's red-black jersey.
Among his titles won with Milan are seven Serie A scudetti, five European club trophies, two Intercontinental Cups and, in 2007, the Club World Cup.