AC Milan legend Franco Baresi dies aged 66

AC Milan and Italian football are mourning the death of club legend Franco Baresi, who has died at the age of 66.

The Serie A giants confirmed the passing of one of the greatest defenders in football history on Friday.

“The entire history of AC Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi,” the club said in a statement.

“His example and integrity will be forever etched into the club’s DNA, just as his iconic number six shirt is. The condolences AC Milan extends to Franco Baresi’s family at such a difficult time are shared by every Rossonero, who feels this loss as their own.”

Baresi had been battling health complications after undergoing surgery in 2025 to remove a lung nodule.

His death closes the chapter on one of the most remarkable careers ever witnessed in Italian football.

Born in Travagliato, Brescia, on May 8, 1960, Baresi joined AC Milan’s youth academy at the age of 14 and made his senior debut in 1977.

He would spend his entire 20-year playing career with the Rossoneri, becoming one of the rare one-club men in modern football.

His loyalty was tested when Milan suffered relegation to Serie B on two occasions in the early stages of his career, but Baresi refused to leave.

Instead, he helped restore the club to the top of Italian football before captaining one of the greatest teams in European football history under Arrigo Sacchi and later Fabio Capello.

Over 719 appearances for Milan, Baresi won six Serie A titles, three European Cups – including two UEFA Champions League triumphs under the competition’s modern format – four Italian Super Cups, two European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups.

Following his retirement in 1997, Milan retired the iconic number six shirt in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the club.

Internationally, Baresi earned 81 caps for Italy across a career spanning more than a decade.

He was part of the Azzurri squad that lifted the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and later captained his country to the 1994 World Cup final in the United States.

His appearance in that final remains one of football’s most memorable stories.

After undergoing knee surgery just weeks earlier, Baresi made a remarkable recovery to lead Italy against Brazil.

Although the match ended in heartbreak after a penalty shootout defeat, his courageous display earned widespread admiration.

He also helped Italy finish third at the 1990 FIFA World Cup on home soil and represented his country at UEFA Euro 1980 and Euro 1988, establishing himself as one of the finest defenders of his generation.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest sweepers the game has ever produced, Baresi was admired for his exceptional reading of the game, anticipation, positioning and composure in possession rather than physical power.

His leadership formed the foundation of Milan’s famous defensive line alongside Mauro Tassotti, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini, a back four that dominated European football during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

His individual honours reflected his immense influence on the sport.

Baresi was named AC Milan’s Player of the Century, included in Pelé’s FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living footballers, inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame and selected in numerous all-time greatest XIs by FIFA, UEFA and the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

Although he never pursued a full-time senior managerial career, Baresi remained closely connected to the club after retirement.

He worked in Milan’s youth development system before becoming a club ambassador and was appointed Honorary Vice-President in 2020, continuing to represent the Rossoneri around the world.