Paolo Maldini proved he's in a class of his own when Roy Keane tried to take him out

Paolo Maldini is one of the greatest defenders to have graced the sport of football.

Throughout the course of his glittering professional career with AC Milan and the Italian national team, he barely put a foot wrong.

Whether playing at left-back or centre-back, Maldini was nearly always a class above the rest on the pitch.

The 53-year-old’s tackling ability is virtually unmatched and he was rarely ever caught out of position by an opposing attacker.

As well as possessing elite defensive skills, Maldini was exceptional when the ball was at his feet.

In his younger days as a left-back, ‘Il Capitano’ was a force to be reckoned with in attack.

He wasn’t too shabby with the ball in his twilight years either. At the age of 36, Maldini proved he belongs in a class of his own when Manchester United legend Roy Keane tried to snap him in half.

During a 2004/05 Champions League encounter at San Siro, the fiery Irishman flew into a tackle and could have seriously hurt Maldini.

But the Milan icon’s reactions were simply too quick. He evaded the tackle superbly, jumping over Keane like a professional hurdler, and then still managed to offload the ball to a teammate.

What. A. Player.

We should also mention that seconds before Keane targeted Maldini with a reducer, the Italian regained possession for his team with a trademark tackle.

They don’t make defenders like him anymore, do they?

The likes of Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk, John Terry and Nemanja Vidic are all greats of the game, but in our opinion, they’re not quite at Maldini’s level.

Milan’s favourite son called time on his 25-year playing career back in 2009. He bowed out of the game with seven Serie A titles and five Champions Leagues to his name, as well as a host of