CHRIS SMALLING was once bought for a "bag of balls" but he is now being compared to Italian great Paolo Maldini.
The former England defender started his career at Maidstone United before being snapped up for peanuts by Fulham.
Then-manager Roy Hodgson revealed he signed the defender for nothing – only a bag of balls, in 2008, but the youngster would go on to bigger and better things.
Smalling, 33, made 19 appearances for Fulham but impressed enough to earn an £11million transfer to Manchester United.
He was bought by Sir Alex Ferguson and spent nine years at Old Trafford, winning the Premier League twice as well as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Smalling was also a member of the 2017 Europa League winning squad under Jose Mourinho, whom he now plays under at Roma.
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After initially joining the Serie A outfit on loan in 2019, Smalling made his stay in the Italian capital permanent a year later.
He has become a key player under Mourinho and played a pivotal role in the club's Europa Conference League success in 2022.
His performances have earned comparisons to AC Milan and Italy legend Maldini.
Another former Italian great, World Cup winner Giuseppe Bergomi, is a big fan of Smalling and was confident he would be a success in Serie A.
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He said of the defender: “I am not surprised about Smalling. I thought he was good at United.
“When English players leave their country to learn something else, I think it benefits them.
“He is physically very strong and when he faced Inter and Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian did not touch the ball.
“He and Roma team-mate Gianluca Mancini are the best couple of central defenders in Serie A.”
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