Milan, April 3 (IANS): Former AC Milan defender and Italy coach Cesare Maldini has died at the age of 84.

Born in Trieste in 1932, Maldini won four Serie A titles with Milan, as well as their first European Cup in 1963, as a player. He then managed the club between 1972-1974.

He was capped 14 times by Italy.

In 1996, he became the coach of Italy - with son Paolo captaining the team - before going on to lead Paraguay in the 2002 World Cup.

AC Milan tweeted on Saturday: "Goodbye dear Cesare. Today the world loses a great man and we lose a page of our history."

Maldini was also the manager of Italy at Under-21 level, winning the European Championships a record three times in a row from 1992 to 1996.

He took the senior squad to the 1998 World Cup quarter-finals and lead Paraguay at the 2002 World Cup.

There is now a third generation of Maldini at Milan, as his grandson Christian plays for the youth team.

Born on February 5, 1932, Cesar was a beloved figure in Italian football for his sweet nature and ever-present smile, reports football-italia.net.

He played 347 games in the Milan jersey from 1954 to 1966, scoring three goals, while he was also captain in 1962-63.

His management career could not have started stronger, as he was assistant manager to Enzo Bearzot when Italy won the World Cup in 1982.