Paolo Maldini vs Teddy Sheringham: Stats Compared
Centre-Back / Left-Back, Italy (born 1968, retired 2009) · Striker, England (born 1966, retired 2008)
When Paolo Maldini and Teddy Sheringham are mentioned in the same breath, opinions rarely stay quiet. They belonged to different eras, which makes any direct comparison a test of imagination as much as statistics. Paolo Maldini finishes with 40 career goals from 1028 games — a 0.04 strike rate — against Teddy Sheringham's 320 from 900 at 0.36 per match. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Paolo Maldini is credited with 0 and Teddy Sheringham with 130. The honours ledger favours Paolo Maldini with 19 major trophies (5× UEFA Champions League (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007)) against Teddy Sheringham's 4 (1× UEFA Champions League (1999)). Paolo Maldini belonged to the turn of the millennium, dominating with a resolute quality; Teddy Sheringham rose in the 1990s with a predatory edge. Club journeys add another layer, with Paolo Maldini reaching his representative peak around 2003 across AC Milan and Teddy Sheringham doing so around 1999 with Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, West Ham United, Colchester United. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
197 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
AC Milan's most decorated player, spending his entire 25-year career at the club; five-time Champions League winner.
“A composed, intelligent defender who read the game with immaculate timing across 25 seasons at Milan.”
A cerebral, late-developing striker, Sheringham scored the injury-time equaliser in Manchester United's 1999 Champions League final and remains the Premier League's oldest ever goalscorer.
“An intelligent, deep-dropping forward whose clever hold-up play and vision created space for quicker strike partners.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 5× UEFA Champions League (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007)
- 7× Serie A (1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004)
- 1× Coppa Italia (2003)
- 5× UEFA Super Cup
- 1× FIFA Club World Cup (2007)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (1999)
- 2× Premier League (1999, 2000)
- 1× FA Cup (1999)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1985 AC Milan debut aged 16
- 1988 First Scudetto with Milan
- 1989 First European Cup with Milan
- 1994 Named man of the match in the Champions League final
- 2003 Won the Champions League final at Old Trafford
- 2007 Won his fifth Champions League trophy
- 2009 Retired aged 41 after 25 seasons at Milan
- 1984 Professional debut for Millwall
- 1999 Won UEFA Champions League with Manchester United
- 1999 Won FA Cup with Manchester United
- 1999 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester United
- 2008 Retired after a final spell at Colchester United
- Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Paolo Maldini wins out by a decisive margin on the weight of a weightier trophy cabinet.
Paolo Maldini edges it (a decisive margin)
