Maldini's words echo Sequoia Capital's philosophy

Paolo Maldini

He was a central figure during AC Milan’s golden era in the 1990s, and as a member of the Italian national team he experienced one World Cup title and one runner-up finish — a legendary player who needs no introduction. He debuted for the storied Milan club at 16, was quickly called up to the national team, and after leaving behind a string of brilliant achievements, he kept playing for Milan without interruption right up to age 38, the twilight of his career. He retired from active play in 2012.

He has countless memorable quotes, but there is one line from a certain interview that has stuck with me.

“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, I was enrolled in Milan’s football academy as if it were the most natural thing in the world. This isn’t anything special at all — every boy born in Milan grows up admiring AC Milan’s players and joins that way. The academy has categories, and the gate narrows gradually as you move up through the age groups. Since 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. Judging by talent alone, I was never an especially outstanding player. But I hated losing. So I practiced so that no one would beat me. Being able to play for Milan’s top team at 16 was incredibly lucky. The top team at the time, centered around Boban, undoubtedly had some of the best players in the world. The level was naturally high. There too, I practiced so I wouldn’t lose to anyone. And before I knew it, I’d been called up to the Italian national team. Baresi was also on the national team at the time. He was the best defender in the world. I worked hard next to him so I wouldn’t lose to him either. Eventually, I was entrusted with the captaincy of the national team as well. I was fortunate enough to win a number of titles both with Milan and with the national team. But all I ever did was find myself surrounded by high-level players in whatever environment I was in, and practice so I wouldn’t lose to them.”

The environment makes the person.

That’s the point.

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

“What if Maldini had been born in southern Italy (a region weak in football)?” A hypothetical like this is entirely meaningless, but it’s fun to run through anyway.

Wherever a talented player is born, that talent will show itself somewhere. Probably by the time he reaches the youth categories, within some mediocre local team, someone notices, “Wait, there’s one kid here who’s actually good,” and a scout’s eye catches him, and he gets pulled away to some team and moves to the city. At this point, to borrow Maldini’s words, he’d still be a “player without outstanding talent.” From here, he gradually grows through a series of competitive experiences. After playing a bit in Serie B or C, he’ll eventually catch the eye of a big club. By around age twenty, he’ll be pulled into some large team, though going straight to Milan might be a stretch. After a year or two of results at a mid-tier Serie A club, talk turns to whether he might make the national team. Only now does a big club finally pull him in.

Well, even just thinking this far through, a “delay” clearly stands out. It’s hard to trace how far he would ultimately get to in his career, but there’s no question that his starting point would be delayed.

What’s more, in this scenario he’s 22 by the time he joins a big club. The growth years of his teens are over, and now he’s expected to contribute immediately and deliver results immediately. Even if he acts up, the team won’t look at him in terms of “potential.” It’s an age carrying the pressure of needing 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’s no shortage of examples of people falling into decline even within a perfectly arranged environment, and there’s also a hunger that can only be cultivated within a harsh environment.

Still, it’s undeniable that environment is a factor sitting fairly high in priority.

Maldini even suggests it may matter more than “talent.”

Here’s a personal aside: the other day I was driving toward Cupertino on Highway 280. Since I don’t use 280 much, I kept an eye on the exit signs so I wouldn’t miss my destination. Then, right around where I passed Stanford, the words “Sand Hill” jumped into view. I’ve been there a few times before — it’s the place with a huge concentration of so-called VCs, venture capital firms.

Of course, my errand today wasn’t on Sand Hill, so as I passed by, I saw on my left a single area with a distinctive, uniform roofline.

Sequoia Capital.

Sequoia is one of the largest VCs in Silicon Valley, and you could call it one of the “hidden symbols” of Silicon Valley’s development and growth.

It gets talked about in terms like,

“If Sequoia has invested, it’s the real deal.”

The investment amounts are large, and naturally the bar to get in is high too.

Gripping the wheel as I glanced sideways at Sequoia,

I found myself thinking, “Hmm, someday I’d like to walk into Sequoia with my own business and sit down for a deal.”

A thought with 100% pure, no deeper meaning behind it.

I don’t know what the future holds, and of course I’m no serial entrepreneur, and even though I currently belong to a startup, I’m neither a founder nor an executive there — I’m just an engineer.

And yet, I find myself thinking 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 and founder of a company called moduleQ, and he told me, “There were a lot of business owners and people running some kind of enterprise among my family and relatives, so I just took it for granted that I’d run a company myself someday too.”

Not everyone turns out that way, of course.

But out of the many children raised in that kind of environment, a handful of standout entrepreneurs emerge. That’s how Silicon Valley keeps turning, and environment really does matter.

As a father of one, I often find myself thinking about what I can give my child going forward. And when I do, one clear answer keeps coming back: environment.

The environment makes the person.

Everyone, looking back on their own life, must have at least one or two memories that confirm this, for better or worse.

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