There was a special reunion between former Milan figures Paolo Maldini and Theo Hernandez today, with Rafael Leao adding his envy of the get-together.
Some Rossoneri supporters will have seen the moment Maldini was sacked as technical director in June 2023 as a crossroads for the club, a moment when different paths were taken and it is a side still trying to rediscover that level.
Maldini’s departure was also viewed as a catalyst for players to walk away, as Theo Hernandez never disguised that he felt Milan fundamentally lost something when the legend left.
He followed suit to Al-Hilal in the summer of 2025 and continues to play for the Saudi club, but made a return to Italy during the break for international duty.
“Respect and admiration, always,” was the message Theo Hernandez wrote when posting an image of himself having a reunion with Maldini.
It wasn’t just the Rossoneri supporters who flooded the Instagram post with messages expressing love, regret and frustration.
A post shared by T H E O H E R N Á N D E Z (@theo3hernandez)
“I’m on my way,” replied Rafael Leao, who also left San Siro only a few months ago for a new adventure at Galatasaray.
Zona Milan summed it up for many of the supporters who still follow Theo Hernandez: “A knife in my heart would’ve hurt less than this image.”
