Monza attacker Maldini will become the third generation of his family to represent Italy if he is picked to play by coach Luciano Spalletti, after father Paolo and grandfather Cesare.

The 22-year-old has been rewarded for impressive performances since being loaned in January and then sold this past summer to Monza by seven-time European champions Milan, whom Paolo and Cesare both captained.

One of Italy's greatest-ever footballers, Paolo Maldini played 126 times for his country between 1984 and 2009, an appearance record which was subsequently overtaken by Fabio Cannavaro and then Gianluigi Buffon.

Cesare Maldini had a more modest international career, playing 14 times for Italy in the 1960s. Spalletti has picked three more new faces in the squad, Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, Roma midfielder Niccolo Pisilli and Matteo Gabbia, who scored the winner for AC Milan in their recent derby against Inter.

Pisilli gets a call-up with star Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella out of action with a thigh strain. Italy, who are top of Group A2 with a perfect six points, face Belgium in Rome on Thursday before hosting Israel in Udine on October 14.

Last month Italy beat Israel 2-1 in a fixture played in Budapest due to the security situation in the Middle East. Israel were also beaten 3-1 by Belgium in a match played behind closed doors in the Hungarian city of Debrecen.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Michele Di Gregorio (Juventus), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG)

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal/ENG), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Matteo Gabbia (AC Milan), Caleb Okoli (Leicester City/ENG), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG)

Midfielders: Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Niccolo Pisilli (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United/ENG)

Forwards: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta)

October 4, 2024

Daniel Maldini

Achievements