Maldini's Words Echo Sequoia Capital's Philosophy

Paolo Maldini

He was a central figure in AC Milan’s golden era of the 90s, and as a member of the Italian national team he experienced one World Cup win and one runner-up finish — a needless-to-say great player. He debuted for the prestigious Milan at 16 and was called up to the national team in no time, and after leaving behind a string of brilliant achievements, he kept playing for Milan without change right up to age 38 in the twilight of his career. He retired in 2012.

He has countless famous quotes, but there’s one line from a certain interview that left a deep impression.

“Why do you think you were able to become such a great player?”

Below is Maldini’s answer.

“I was born in Milan, and before I knew it, as a matter of course, I was enrolled in Milan’s soccer school. This isn’t anything special at all — boys born in Milan all grow up admiring AC Milan players and join the club that way. The academy has categories, and as you move up year by year, the gate narrows little by little. Because Milan is something everyone admires, new players come in from other cities, and sometimes from abroad too. The level was extremely high. Looking back, there were players all over the place who were far more talented than me. Judged on talent alone, I was never an outstanding player. But I hated losing. So I practiced so that I wouldn’t lose to anyone. Being able to play for Milan’s top team at 16 was extremely fortunate. At the time, the top team was undoubtedly stacked with some of the best players in the world, centered on Boban. The level was naturally high. There too, I practiced so I wouldn’t lose to anyone. And before I knew it, I’d been selected for the Italian national team. Baresi was also on the Italian national team at the time. He was the best defender in the world. I worked hard next to him so I wouldn’t lose either. Eventually, I ended up being entrusted with the captaincy of the Italian national team as well. Fortunately, I was able to win a number of titles both at Milan and with the Italian national team. But all I ever did was be surrounded by high-level players in that environment, and practice so I wouldn’t lose to them.”

The environment makes the person.

That’s what this means.

Of course, I don’t think Maldini was really as untalented a player as he humbly claims, but this can be interpreted as: the level around him was high and full of stimulation enough that he himself could say such a thing.

“What if Maldini had been born in southern Italy (a region weak in football)?” That kind of hypothesis is completely meaningless, but it’s fun to think through anyway.

No matter what region a talented player is born in, they will surface somewhere. Surely, by around the time they move up to the youth category, within some mediocre local team, someone notices — “huh, there’s one kid here who’s actually good” — catches a scout’s eye, and gets pulled away to some team, moving to the city. At this point, to borrow Maldini’s words, they’re still probably “a player without outstanding talent.” From here, they gradually grow by going through a series of competitions. After playing a bit in Serie B or C, they start catching the eye of big clubs. By around age 20, they get pulled to some big team, but going straight to Milan might be tough. After building a track record for a year or two at a mid-tier Serie A club, there start to be whispers about the national team. Only then do they finally get pulled up to a big club.

Now, just thinking this far, a “delay” stands out. It’s hard to trace how far he’d be able to reach at the endpoint of his career under this scenario, but it’s certain that the starting point would be delayed.

Moreover, in this hypothetical, he’d be 22 by the time he joined a big club. The growth period of the teens is over, and immediate contribution, immediate results are demanded. Even if he acts up, the team won’t look kindly on “potential.” It’s an age with pressure to produce solid results.

Just from this alone, I can’t help but feel that some important opportunity necessary for growth has been lost.

Environment isn’t everything.

Of course, there are countless examples of people degenerating even in a perfectly arranged environment, and there’s also a hungry spirit that only grows out of a harsh environment.

But it’s undeniable that environment is a factor that sits fairly high in priority.

Maldini even suggests that it matters more than “talent.”

From here it’s a personal story, but the other day I was driving on Highway 280 toward Cupertino. I don’t use 280 much, so I was watching the exit signs carefully so as not to miss my destination. Then, around after passing Stanford, the words “Sand Hill” jumped into view. I’ve been there a few times before — it’s the place with a lot of so-called VCs, venture capital firms.

Of course my errand that day wasn’t Sand Hill, so I drove past, and on the left I saw “one area” with a distinctive, uniform roofline.

Sequoia Capital.

Sequoia is one of the largest VCs in Silicon Valley, and might be called one of the “hidden symbols” of Silicon Valley’s development and growth.

It’s treated the way people say,

“If Sequoia is invested, it’s the real thing.”

The investment amounts are large, but naturally the barrier to entry is high too.

While glancing at Sequoia as I gripped the wheel,

I found myself thinking, “Hmm, someday I’d like to bring my own business and sit down for talks at Sequoia.”

With 100% pure “no deep meaning” behind it.

I don’t know about the future, but of course I’m not a serial entrepreneur, and even though I currently belong to a startup, I’m neither a Founder nor an Executive — just a regular engineer.

But I still think things like that.

Isn’t this, in other words, “the effect of environment”?

Silicon Valley is that kind of environment.

The other day I met Dave, who’s from Silicon Valley. He’s the CEO & Founder of a company called moduleQ, and he said, “There were a lot of people among my family and relatives who ran companies or were doing some kind of business, so I just thought of it as ‘a given’ that I too would run a company someday.”

Not everyone turns out that way.

But out of the many children like that, a few outstanding entrepreneurs emerge. That’s how Silicon Valley keeps turning, and environment really does matter.

As a father of one, I often think about what I can give my child going forward, and when I do, one clear answer is, after all, “environment.”

Environment makes the person.

Looking back on their lives, everyone must have at least one or two things that come to mind, whether for good or for ill.

Originally published in Japanese at https://clazytech.com/2014/02/89/. Translated with LLM assistance and reviewed before publication.