Milan, Italy — Thousands of mourners packed the streets of Italy’s fashion and football capital this Tuesday to bid a final farewell to one of the game’s most iconic defenders, Franco Baresi, who passed away last week at the age of 66 following a prolonged battle with ill health.
Widely celebrated as one of the greatest centre-backs in the history of association football, Baresi built an unprecedented legacy that was inextricably tied to one club: AC Milan. Over an extraordinary 20-year professional career, he never left the Rossoneri, going on to make 719 first-team appearances for the club, score 33 goals, and wear the captain’s armband for 15 consecutive seasons. That tenure places Baresi second on AC Milan’s all-time list for senior appearances, and as the club captain with the most trophy haul in its history: he led AC Milan to 18 major honors, including six Serie A titles, three UEFA Champions League crowns, four Italian Super Cups, three UEFA Super Cups and two Intercontinental Club World Cups. In recognition of his unparalleled service, AC Milan retired his iconic number 6 shirt upon his retirement in 1997, and named him the club’s honorary president in 2020. To this day, Baresi’s number 6 remains only one of just two shirt numbers permanently retired by the club, alongside Paolo Maldini’s number 3.
Beyond his club success, Baresi also left an indelible mark on international football. He earned 81 senior caps for the Italian national team, was a member of the 1982 FIFA World Cup-winning Azzurri squad, and captained Italy to the 1994 World Cup final, where the side fell to Brazil in a penalty shootout.
The funeral mass was held inside Milan’s historic Sant’Ambrogio Basilica, drawing a who’s who of football greats who shared pitches and dressing rooms with Baresi across his career. Attendees included fellow AC Milan legends Paolo Maldini, Marco van Basten, Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Costacurta, Mauro Tassotti, Dida, Daniele Massaro and Dejan Savicevic, as well as Italian football icon Roberto Baggio. Though the majority of the current AC Milan first team is currently in Australia for a pre-season tour, several senior squad members who did not travel made a point to attend, including United States forward Christian Pulisic.
AC Milan has confirmed that the club will hold a formal public tribute to its former captain ahead of a pre-season friendly against derby rivals Inter Milan scheduled for this Wednesday, allowing fans and the current squad to honor Baresi’s decades of contribution to the club he loved.