Franco Baresi, the AC Milan captain widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his era, has died aged 66. Milan announced his death on Friday, without giving a cause.
"The entire history of AC Milan is in tears," the club said. "His example and integrity will be forever etched into the Club's DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is."
Baresi had been unwell for the past year. In August 2025 he had surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule and later began immunotherapy. His last public appearance came in February, when he carried the Olympic torch into San Siro alongside former Inter Milan defender Giuseppe Bergomi at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
He was a true one-club player. Baresi joined Milan's youth ranks as a boy and made his senior debut in April 1978 aged 17, staying through the club's Serie B relegation in 1982 and taking the captaincy at just 22. He made more than 700 appearances in 20 years at the club, leading a Milan side that dominated Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and won three European Cups, six Serie A titles, two Intercontinental Cups, three European Super Cups and four Italian Super Cups.
At international level Baresi helped Italy win the 1982 World Cup and reach the 1994 final, where he was one of three Azzurri players to miss in the penalty shootout defeat to Brazil. He finished runner-up to Milan team-mate Marco van Basten in the 1989 Ballon d'Or.
On his retirement in 1997, Milan retired his No. 6 shirt, a first in Italian football, and staged a testimonial match in his honour. He was made honorary president of the club in 2020.
Tributes flooded in from across Italian sport. "Italy loses not only one of the greatest champions in its sports history, but also an example of loyalty, professionalism and dedication," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X. Italian federation president Giovanni Malagò called him "an extraordinary champion who wore only two shirts for his entire career: those of Milan and Italy", while Gianluigi Buffon recalled facing him on his Serie A debut in 1995: "For a boy my age, finding myself on the field against champions like him was something incredible."
It could have been so different: Inter rejected Baresi as a boy and signed his older brother Giuseppe instead. Franco joined their city rivals' youth team, and the brothers' pre-match pennant exchange became a symbol of the Milan derby throughout the late 1980s.
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