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Agence France-Presse

Franco Baresi, the iconic sweeper and captain who embodied AC Milan’s dominance in the 1980s and 1990s and was widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history, has died aged 66.
A one-club man throughout a 20-year career, Baresi made 719 appearances for Milan between 1977 and 1997, becoming synonymous with the club’s red-and-black colours and earning a place among the game’s all-time greats.
Baresi wore Milan’s No 6 shirt with such distinction that the club withdrew the number after his retirement.
Born in Travagliato, near Brescia, Baresi overcame personal tragedy at a young age after he and his brother Giuseppe were orphaned as teenagers.
“What I went through made me become a little withdrawn. When I was on the pitch, I gave everything and perhaps expressed all the things I couldn’t express away from football,” Baresi would later say.

While Inter Milan signed Giuseppe, Franco joined their local rivals, beginning a bond that would last a lifetime.
Former Milan coach Nils Liedholm handed him his Serie A debut as a teenager and Baresi quickly established himself as a first-team regular.
Despite a slight physique for a defender, he compensated with his exceptional technique, anticipation, tackling ability and leadership.
Those qualities earned him the captain’s armband at the age of 22, making him one of the youngest captains in Milan’s history.
His early years at the club included turbulent periods, with Milan relegated to Serie B twice in the early 1980s, first because of the Totonero betting scandal and later due to poor results.
Baresi remained loyal, helping guide the club back to the top flight each time.
In 1982, he became a World Cup winner with Italy, although he did not play during the tournament in Spain.
Milan entered a golden era after Silvio Berlusconi bought the club in 1986 and appointed Arrigo Sacchi as coach.
Alongside Dutch stars Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten, Baresi marshalled a formidable defence featuring Paolo Maldini, Mauro Tassotti and Alessandro Costacurta.
“The Johan Cruyff of defenders,” van Basten said of his former teammate. “He was calm and shy, but on the pitch he was a warrior and a winner. His hunger to win and quest for victory were unique.”
Under Sacchi and later Fabio Capello, Milan dominated Italian and European football. Baresi won three European Cups, in 1989, 1990 and 1994, and six Serie A titles.
Individually, he finished runner-up in the 1989 Ballon d’Or voting, to van Basten, but would go on to be named Milan’s player of the century.
Baresi earned 81 caps for Italy but suffered heartbreak in his pursuit of a world title as a key player.
He missed the 1986 World Cup and was part of the Italy sides beaten on penalties in the semi-finals in 1990 and in the final in 1994. The 1994 defeat to Brazil in Pasadena was particularly painful.
After undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus early in the tournament, Baresi made a remarkable recovery to return for the final.
Following a goalless draw, he was one of three Italians, along with Daniele Massaro and Roberto Baggio, to miss in the penalty shoot-out.
Reflecting on his World Cup career in an interview with Fifa on his 60th birthday in 2020, Baresi said: “Finishing first, second and third is not too bad at all. I can’t complain
After retiring in 1997, Baresi remained closely associated with Milan, serving as vice-president before working with the club’s youth teams and later in ambassadorial roles.
“My relationship with Milan started when I was 14,” he told the South China Morning Post in a 2024 interview ahead of a trip to Shanghai to celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary.
“The link has grown stronger over the years. I’ve always had great respect for the club and the club always gave me the opportunity to work within the club, to grow, even to teach me. I continued learning even after retiring.”
Just last year, he visited Hong Kong ahead of Milan’s clash with Liverpool at Kai Tak Stadium, a repeat of the Champions League finals in 2005 and 2007.
He opened the Italian club’s first academy in the city, saying at the time he hoped it would help develop the city’s youth beyond the confines of sport.
“It’s a very important project,” he said at the time. “Football can help children, not just from a sporting aspect, but also to grow as a person.
“It’s important, therefore, to have the right people running an academy to transmit these values.”


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Obituaries

Franco Baresi, the ‘Johan Cruyff of defenders’, dies aged 66

AC Milan’s Franco Baresi was in Hong Kong last year ahead of the city’s inaugural football festival, when Liverpool played the Italian club. Photo: AC Milan

Fiorentina’s Gabriel Batistuta (right) is tackled by AC Milan’s Franco Baresi during the 1996 Italian Super-Cup final. Photo: AP

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Myat Kaung Khant (20) celebrates scoring for Myanmar against Malaysia last Saturday. Photo: EPA

Ngan Cheuk-pan (left), in action against Cambodia last year, is in Hong Kong’s Asian Games squad. Photo: Edmond So

AC Milan legend Franco Baresi excited for ‘historic’ Liverpool rivalry in Hong Kong

Franco Baresi outside the Kai Tak Stadium during the Hong Kong Sevens. Photo: AC Milan

Franco Baresi poses for a photo outside the new Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. Photo: AC Milan

Italy legend Baresi hails ‘special relationship’ with China, as AC Milan mark 125th year

AC Milan legend Franco Baresi sports the club’s retro 125th anniversary jersey, which harks back to their 1899 origins. Photo: AC Milan

Franco Baresi hailed his ‘special relationship’ with China while at Milan’s kit launch in Shanghai. Photo: AC Milan

Baresi was in the Italy squad that won the 1982 World Cup, and was in the team that lost the 1994 final. Photo: AP

Franco Baresi at the launch of AC Milan Soccer Schools in Hong Kong in 2011. Photo: Dickson Lee

Sport

Football

Iconic captain spent entire 20-year career with AC Milan, and earned his place among the game’s all-time greats


Iconic captain spent entire 20-year career with AC Milan, and earned his place among the game’s all-time greats.


Italy

Silvio Berlusconi

Franco Baresi, the ‘Johan Cruyff of defenders’, dies aged 66

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Iconic captain spent entire 20-year career with AC Milan, and earned his place among the game’s all-time greats

Iconic captain spent entire 20-year career with AC Milan, and earned his place among the game’s all-time greats