Franco Baresi, AC Milan legend and Italian football icon, dies at 66

Milan: Franco Baresi, the legendary former AC Milan defender and World Cup champion with Italy, has passed away at the age of 66.

His death was confirmed on Friday by AC Milan, the football club where he dedicated his entire 20-year professional career. Officials did not disclose the cause of death.

"The entire history of AC Milan is in tears," the club stated.

Baresi underwent an operation in August 2025 to extract a pulmonary nodule, subsequently undertaking a regimen of immunotherapy.

His final public engagement occurred during the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, when he joined former Inter Milan defender Giuseppe Bergomi to carry the Olympic flame into the San Siro—the stadium that served as the stage for the majority of his career.

“Announcing the loss of someone who embodied the heart and soul of AC Milan, is incredibly difficult,” the club said. "But everyone at the club and all the Milanisti must live up to Franco Baresi's memory. We must be strong and gather every bit of energy, even at this saddest of times.

“His example and integrity will be forever etched into the Club's DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is,” Milan added. “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.”

A True One-Club Man

Widely acknowledged as one of the finest defenders in the history of the sport, Baresi spent his entire career with the Rossoneri. Having risen through the youth ranks, he made his senior debut at just 17 years of age in April 1978.

He famously opted to remain with Milan following their relegation to Serie B in 1982—the club's second drop in three seasons—shortly before helping Italy capture the World Cup that summer, earning the captain's armband at the tender age of 22.

Baresi amassed over 700 competitive outings for the club, leading the side to domestic and international supremacy during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

During his tenure at Milan, he secured three European Cup/Champions League titles, six Serie A championships, two Intercontinental Cups, three European Super Cups, and four Italian Super Cups.

Pioneering Jersey Retirement

Beyond his 1982 World Cup triumph, Baresi helped guide Italy to the final of the 1994 tournament, though he was among three Italian players to fail from the penalty spot during the shootout defeat to Brazil.

In 1989, Baresi finished as runner-up to club colleague Marco van Basten in the voting for the Ballon d'Or.

Upon his retirement in 1997, AC Milan retired his number 6 shirt—marking a historic first within Italian football. The club additionally staged a testimonial match in his honour, attended by numerous football luminaries with and against whom he had competed.

Baresi was subsequently appointed honorary president of AC Milan in 2020.

The Inter Milan Rejection

Baresi's trajectory could easily have taken a different path. In his youth, he underwent trials with Inter Milan, but was turned down by the Nerazzurri, who chose instead to sign his older brother, Giuseppe Baresi. Franco subsequently crossed the city to join the youth setup of their fierce rivals.

Giuseppe also went on to captain his side, and the enduring image of the Baresi brothers exchanging club pennants prior to kick-off became the definitive emblem of the Milan derby throughout the late 1980s.

PTI