AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini has ruled out a return to the Italian national team for the European Championships in Portugal next year.

Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni said earlier this week that he hoped Maldini could be persuaded to come back to the Azzurri.

But the 35-year-old, who won 126 caps before retiring from international football at the end of the 2002 World Cup, said they he had not discussed a possible return.

"I haven't spoken to Trapattoni for almost six months. And, as far as I'm concerned, absolutely nothing has changed," Maldini was quoted as saying in Corriere dello Sport on Thursday.

Despite captaining his club to the Champions League title last season, Maldini has never wavered in his decision to withdraw from international competition.

"It doesn't seem fair to me to take space from players who have fought to gain qualification (to the European championships)," he commented earlier this year.