Daniel Maldini's Car Crash After Match-Winning Performance

Daniel Maldini walked off the pitch in Bergamo on Saturday night as Cagliari’s matchwinner. By dawn on Sunday, he was at the centre of a car crash in Milan.

The incident unfolded at around 5:15 a.m. at the junction of Via Tolentino and Via Francesco Caracciolo, just hours after the forward had coolly converted the decisive penalty in Cagliari’s victory over Atalanta on September 12.

From penalty hero to dawn chaos

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the collision initially involved two cars before spiralling into a three-vehicle incident when a parked Mercedes SUV was struck. The impact turned a quiet early-morning crossroads into a scene of flashing lights and twisted metal.

Emergency services arrived in force. Three ambulances and a medical car were dispatched, with six people reported to have suffered minor injuries. Five of them were taken to hospital for checks.

Maldini was transported to Fatebenefratelli Hospital as a precaution. The scare was real, but the stay was brief.

“After a brief checkup with a code blue at the emergency room, Daniel was immediately released and returned home. He is in good health,” his lawyer, Danilo Buongiorno, said. “Daniel is fine and has not suffered any injuries, let alone serious ones.”

Investigators reconstruct the crash

Police are now working to piece together exactly how the collision unfolded. Early indications suggest a car travelling along Via Caracciolo struck Maldini’s vehicle as it emerged from Piazza Caneva.

Investigators believe the Cagliari striker’s car failed to yield the right of way, leading to contact between the front left of Maldini’s vehicle and the front right of the oncoming car. The force of that first impact then sent the other vehicle careering into the parked Mercedes SUV, which was in a residents’ bay.

No serious injuries, no long hospital stays, but plenty of questions for the authorities to answer as they reconstruct those moments before sunrise.

Back to Cagliari, back to football

With the medical checks completed and his legal team offering reassurance over his condition, Maldini can now turn his attention back to the pitch. The fright was significant, the physical damage mercifully non-existent.

Cagliari expect him back at training as they prepare for their next Serie A fixtures, counting on the same composure he showed from the spot in Bergamo — and grateful that, this time, the most dramatic moment of his weekend remained on the field.