Speaking to Sky Sport, Costacurta welcomed Giovanni Malago's decision to hand Maldini and Leonardo control of the national team's future.
"It's good news for Italian football, we've brought back one of the most enlightened and sincere people there can be," he said. "Malago made the best possible choice. In fact, Maldini's appointment is perhaps even more important than the choice of head coach."
Costacurta also touched on how the Maldini-Leonardo partnership might function given their contrasting personalities.
"They have different characteristics: Leo is more of a dreamer and a visionary, Paolo relies on his practicality, his knowledge and his instinct," he said.
"The best thing is that they listen to each other, and even starting from different ideas, they always manage to find a shared solution."
Rivera, speaking to Radio Sportiva during Livorno's "Notte Bianca dello Sport," offered a more qualified assessment. The former Ballon d'Or winner had no doubts about Maldini's footballing credentials, but voiced concern about the environment he will be working in.
"Paolo is someone who understands football, there's no doubt about that," Rivera said. "My worry is that he could come under pressure from people whose real knowledge of football isn't clear" — a pointed hope that Maldini will be given full autonomy over sporting decisions.
Rivera was more direct still on the subject of Italy's next head coach, ruling out both of the names most frequently linked with the role.
"Neither of them. They made a mistake: at the moment when there was a need to stand firm, they went to Saudi Arabia. When there are difficulties, you need to contribute to improving things, and it doesn't seem to me that they did that," he said of Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini. He reserved further criticism for Italian football's governance more broadly, questioning whether Malago was the right figure to be overseeing the new era at all.
"The national team should have started afresh with a new president. Giovanni Malago doesn't seem like the right person to me," he said.
The contrasting reactions reflect the scale of the appointment itself.
AC Milan icon Maldini takes on the role of technical director with responsibility for the entire pipeline of national teams, working alongside Leonardo as advisor, with Conte and Mancini still considered the frontrunners for the vacant head coach position despite Rivera's misgivings — though reports elsewhere suggest Maldini and Malago are also weighing more unconventional options as they look to chart a fresh course for Italian football after a difficult tournament cycle.