Franco Baresi

When the attacking Dutch trio of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard arrived at the club in the late 1980s, Milan began a period of domestic and international triumphs, and between 1987 and 1996, at the height of the club's success, the Milan squad contained many Italian and international stars, such as Roberto Donadoni, Carlo Ancelotti, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and later Demetrio Albertini, Dejan Savićević, Zvonimir Boban, Marcel Desailly, George Weah, Jean-Pierre Papin, Brian Laudrup and Roberto Baggio. Under Sacchi, Milan won the Serie A title in 1987–88, with Baresi helping Milan to concede only 14 goals in 30 games. This title was immediately followed by a Supercoppa Italiana in 1988 the next season, and back-to-back European Cups in 1988–89 and 1989–90; Baresi was also runner-up to teammate Van Basten for the Ballon d'Or in 1989, finishing ahead of his other teammate Frank Rijkaard, and was named Serie A Footballer of the Year in 1989–90. Milan also reached the Coppa Italia final during the 1989–90 season, with Baresi finishing as tournament top scorer, including a hat trick of penalties against Messina. During the 1993–94 season, Baresi helped Milan concede a mere 15 goals in Serie A in 34 games, a Serie A record, helping the club to finish the season with the best defence, and also helping the team achieve a 929-minute unbeaten streak, a Serie A record at the time. Baresi also won three consecutive Supercoppa Italiana under Capello, in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Milan also reached three consecutive UEFA Champions League finals during the 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, losing to Marseille in 1992–93 and Ajax in 1994–95. Baresi also managed to win the 1994 European Super Cup, although Milan were defeated in the 1994 Intercontinental Cup, the 1993 European Super Cup and the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. Under Capello, Milan and Baresi were able to capture another Serie A title during 1995–96 season, Baresi's sixth. The tournament was held on home soil and Italy finished fourth. However, unlike his brother, Franco Baresi did not play a single match in the tournament. Euro 1980 would be the only time the two brothers were on the Italy squad together at a major tournament. At age 22, Baresi was named in Italy's squad for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. The Azzurri won their third World Cup, defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final, but Baresi, once again, was not selected to play a match throughout the tournament. Baresi was also a member of the Italy squad that took part in the 1984 Olympics. Italy finished in fourth place after a 2–1 semi-final defeat to Brazil, and after losing the bronze medal match 2–1 to Yugoslavia.

Baresi won his first senior international cap in a 1984 UEFA Championship qualifying match against Romania in Florence, on 14 December 1982, a 0–0 draw.

Baresi was not included in Italy's squad for the 1986 World Cup by coach Enzo Bearzot, who saw him as being more of a midfielder than a defender (although his brother Giuseppe was selected as a defender for the World Cup, as well as Roberto Tricella). Prior to the tournament, he scored his only international goal from a penalty in a 4–1 friendly home win against the same opponent on 20 February 1988. He made his first appearance in a World Cup finals match in the 1990 tournament, which was held on home soil, and he played in every match as one of the starting centre-backs, as Italy finished in third-place, defeating England 2–1 in the third-place play-off, after being eliminated by defending champions Argentina in a penalty shootout following a 1–1 draw in the semi-finals. His performances earned him a spot on the 1990 World Cup Team of the tournament. Baresi subsequently retired from the national side at age 34, passing the captain's armband to his Milan teammate Paolo Maldini. Baresi amassed 81 caps for Italy, and he is one of seven players to have achieved the rare feat of winning Gold, Silver, and Bronze FIFA World Cup medals during his international career.

Although Baresi was capable of playing anywhere along the backline, he mostly played in the four-man defense, usually positioned as a left centre back (although his stronger foot was right, he was good on the ball with both of his feet), and was often assigned the role of libero, where he combined his defensive attributes and his ability to read the game with his excellent vision, technique, distribution and ball skills. These qualities also enabled him to excel in a zonal marking system, maintain a high defensive line, and play the offside trap, in particular during his time at Milan under Sacchi; indeed, Baresi came to be known for often raising his arm towards the linesman whenever his team attempted to play the offside trap. Baresi's passing range, technical ability and ball control allowed him to advance forward into the midfield to start attacking plays from the back, enabling him to function as a secondary playmaker for his team, and also play as a defensive or central midfielder when necessary. throughout the course of his career, he also stood out for his professionalism, athleticism, longevity, and discipline in training, as well as his outstanding leadership, commanding presence on the pitch and his organisational skills; indeed, he captained both Milan and the Italy national team.

Legacy and records Baresi played his entire 20-year career with Milan, becoming a central figure and a legend in the club's history. He captained the team for a record 15 seasons. At the 1990 World Cup, Baresi helped the Italy national team defence keep five consecutive clean sheets, only conceding two goals, and going unbeaten for a World Cup record of 518 minutes. he was ranked 19th in World Soccer magazine's list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century. He was then appointed head coach of Milan's Primavera Under-20 squad until 2004. In 2006, he was moved by the club to coach the Berretti Under-19 squad, with his former teammate Filippo Galli replacing him at the helm of the Primavera squad.

Milan corporate roles On 4 August 2008, Baresi joined Milan's marketing team as one of the directors. Following the conclusion of Silvio Berlusconi's presidency with the club, he became a brand ambassador for the club on 18 May 2017. On 28 October 2020, Baresi was named an honorary vice-president of the club.

Personal life

Franco Baresi was the younger brother of Inter Milan defender Giuseppe Baresi. As youngsters, both players had trials for Inter, but Franco was rejected and signed by local rivals Milan. As he was the younger player, Franco was initially known as "Baresi 2".

In 2004, Baresi was investigated for usury and money laundering related to fraud involving the sale of paintings. In October 2005, he accepted a plea bargain in which he received a five-month sentence reduced to a €5,900 fine.

In February 2026, Baresi and Giuseppe Bergomi were the two surprise torchbearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan; the two carried the Olympic torch through the San Siro stadium. It was his last public appearance.

Health and death In 1981, Baresi suffered from a blood infection that forced him out of play for nearly four months and worsened his health to the point of him needing a wheelchair. While in treatment, he participated in medical research for the disease.

In August 2025, Baresi had lung surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule. He then began a course of immunotherapy as a means of cancer prevention.

On 29 July 2026, Baresi was prematurely reported to have died by Tuttosport, with the unconfirmed information quickly spreading through Italian media and prompting tributes from fans and celebrities, including the country's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, a well-known Milan fan. In response, AC Milan urgently issued the official statement refuting the false claim that Baresi had died, yet hinting at him experiencing a major setback with his health. Baresi died two days later in hospital in Rozzano, Milan, at the age of 66. A day of city-wide mourning was declared on 4 August in Milan, and his funeral was held at the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio with huge crowd of fans, former teammates, and opponents gathered to pay their respects.

Media Baresi is featured in the EA Sports football video game series FIFA 14s Classic XI – a multi-national all-star team, along with compatriots Bruno Conti, Gianni Rivera and Giacinto Facchetti. He was also named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 15.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Baresi goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Franco BaresiNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 20 February 1988 Stadio della Vittoria, Bari, Italy 1–0 4–1 Friendly

Honours AC Milan FIFA World Cup: 1982; runner-up: 1994; third place: 1990 Scania 100 Tournament: 1991 Individual Serie A Team of The Year: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 Ballon d'Or Runner-up: 1989 Guerin d'Oro: 1989–90 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990 Onze de Onze: 1990, 1991, 1992 Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 1994 World Soccer The Greatest Players of the 20th Century No. 19 AC Milan Player of the Century: 1999 AIC Serie A Player of the Century: 2000 FIFA 100: 2004 UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: #17th AC Milan Hall of Fame Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2013 Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020 IFFHS All-Time Men's Dream Team: 2021 IFFHS Legends Orders'''