Franco Baresi (8 May 1960, Travagliato – 31 July 2026) was an Italian former professional footballer and sports administrator who played as a libero and central defender. Baresi spent his entire twenty-year professional career at AC Milan, where he played a decisive role in the club’s defensive organization and build-up play, serving as team captain for fifteen consecutive seasons. With AC Milan, he won numerous titles including six Serie A championships and three European Cups/Champions League titles. With the Italy national team, he won the 1982 FIFA World Cup, finished third in 1990, and came second in 1994. Renowned for his ability to read the game, position himself effectively, direct the defense, and initiate attacks from the back, Baresi took on technical and administrative roles within AC Milan after retiring as a player and was appointed honorary vice president of the club in 2020.

Born on 8 May 1960 in the town of Travagliato in the Lombardy region of Italy, the footballer’s full name as recorded in official documents was Franchino Baresi. He spent his childhood in the rural outskirts of Travagliato, living in a farmhouse shaped like a horseshoe with six other family members. During this time he worked on daily agricultural tasks such as milking cows and tending livestock. The household had no television, and Baresi did not watch a football match on TV until he was ten years old. The family followed football matches only by listening to the radio. Franco Baresi grew up alongside his older brother Giuseppe Baresi, who was approximately two years his senior, and lost both parents by the age of sixteen.

Baresi began playing football with the amateur team Unione Sportiva Oratorio (USO), founded by Father Don Piero and local businessman Mario Verzeletti. He later participated in trials for Inter Milan’s youth academy, where his brother Giuseppe was already part of the system, but was rejected due to his small physical stature. He also failed to make the cut during his first trial with AC Milan in Linate. His performance in a preparatory match organized at the Milanello facility through USO’s initiative led to his acceptance into AC Milan’s youth academy in 1974 at the age of fourteen. Due to his slight build, he was given the nickname “Piscinin,” meaning “little man” in the Milanese dialect. During the early years of his career, he was also referred to as “Baresi 2” in reference to his brother.

The sudden death of talent scout Dr. Garoia, who had been overseeing Baresi’s potential transfer to Inter Milan, proved decisive in steering his career toward AC Milan. A goal he scored from his own penalty area during a trial match at Milanello was among the key factors that secured his permanent acceptance into the club. Promoted to the first team for the 1977–78 season, Baresi made his official debut on 23 April 1978 at the age of seventeen, replacing the suspended Maurizio Turone in an away match against Hellas Verona. He made his first appearance for an international youth team on 29 March 1979, wearing the number four jersey for the Italy U21 side.

Franco Baresi spent his entire twenty-year professional football career exclusively at AC Milan. He appeared in a total of 719 official matches for the club, scoring 33 goals. In Serie A alone, he played 532 matches and scored 16 goals. Following the Totonero scandal of 1980 and poor sporting results in the 1981–82 season, the club was relegated to Serie B on two occasions. Despite the team’s relegation, Baresi remained loyal and stayed with the club. In 1982, at the age of twenty-two, while AC Milan competed in Serie B, he was appointed team captain. He wore the captain’s armband without interruption for fifteen consecutive seasons. Throughout his career, he played under head coaches such as Nils Liedholm, Arrigo Sacchi, and Fabio Capello. During Liedholm’s tenure, the team transitioned to a zonal defensive system.

^{Franco Baresi (AA)}

Silvio Berlusconi acquired AC Milan in 1986. This change in ownership led to significant restructuring of the squad and technical staff. Baresi played alongside Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti in defense. During the Sacchi and Capello eras, he shared the pitch with stars such as Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Marcel Desailly, Zvonimir Boban, and Dejan Savićević. He orchestrated the team’s defensive organization and build-up play from the back. He finished second in the 1989 Ballon d’Or voting, behind his teammate Marco van Basten. He continued his professional club career with the same team until his retirement in 1997. Shortly after retiring, AC Milan retired his number six jersey in his honor. This was the first time in the club’s history that a player’s jersey number was officially retired.

Franco Baresi made 81 official appearances for the Italy senior national team, scoring one goal. He netted his only international goal in 1988 against the Soviet Union in Bari. He made his debut for the national team under head coach Enzo Bearzot on 4 December 1982. He was part of the Italy squad at the 1980 European Football Championship, in which Italy reached the semifinals. He was also selected for the Italy squad that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and earned the gold medal, although he did not play a single minute during the tournament. He played for Italy at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where the team reached the semifinals. He was not included in the 1986 World Cup squad due to a disagreement with the national team coach. He played in the 1988 European Championship, in which Italy reached the semifinals. He won the bronze medal at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where Italy finished third, and was named to the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team after the tournament. He captained the Italy national team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States.

^{Franco Baresi İnfografiği (Yapay Zekâ ile Oluşturulmuştur)}

During the second group match against Norway, he suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and was substituted off, undergoing surgery. Just twenty-four days after the operation, he started in the final match against Brazil. In the penalty shootout of the final, which ended 0–0 after normal and extra time, Baresi missed Italy’s first penalty. Brazil won the shootout and claimed the title, leaving Italy with the silver medal. Baresi became one of the few footballers to win gold, silver, and bronze medals at World Cup tournaments. He ended his international career after a 1–1 draw against Slovenia in September 1994.

Throughout his career, Franco Baresi primarily played as a libero and central defender. In adulthood, his physical measurements were 1.76 meters in height and 70 kilograms in weight. He compensated for his physical disadvantages in defense through his exceptional ability to read the game, high-level organizational skills, and rapid positional adjustments. Early in his career, he played in the traditional libero role, positioned behind the defensive line, but later evolved into a central defender who operated on the same line as his teammates. Thanks to ball control skills comparable to those of midfielders, he initiated the team’s offensive plays by carrying the ball forward from the back. Rather than using loud verbal communication, he set an example through his disciplined on-field conduct and consistent performance.

During his career, Baresi won six Serie A titles, three European Cups/Champions Leagues, two Intercontinental Cups, four Italian Super Cups, and two UEFA Super Cups. His first league title was the club’s tenth overall, which qualified AC Milan to add a star to its crest. The only domestic competition he did not win was the Coppa Italia; he played 97 matches in the tournament and scored 15 goals.

^{Franco Baresi (AA)}

Among his individual honors, he was ranked nineteenth in World Soccer magazine’s list of the 100 greatest footballers of the twentieth century. In 1999, he was named AC Milan’s Player of the Century. In 2004, he was included in Pelé’s list of the 125 greatest living footballers. In 2013, he was inducted into the Museum of Italian Football Fame.

After retiring from professional football, Franco Baresi held various positions within football organizations. At one point, he served as a youth academy coach and technical director, taking on multiple administrative and technical roles. In addition, he worked as a staff member in AC Milan’s marketing department. Continuing his administrative career, the former footballer was appointed honorary vice president of AC Milan in 2020. By 2024, he had completed fifty years with the club.

In the 1981–82 season, Franco Baresi was examined for suspected hernia due to abdominal pain. After becoming temporarily wheelchair-bound, he was diagnosed with a blood infection and recovered following antibiotic treatment. During routine health checks in August 2025, a nodule was detected in his lung. It was removed via minimally invasive surgery, and following the advice of oncology specialists, he began chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments. Baresi made his final public appearance in February 2026 at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics held at San Siro Stadium, where he carried the Olympic torch alongside former footballer Giuseppe Bergomi.

On 29 and 30 July 2026, unfounded reports of his death circulated in the media, prompting a condolence message from Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister. AC Milan publicly denied these claims and confirmed that Baresi was continuing his cancer treatment. On 31 July 2026, the club officially announced his death at the age of sixty-six. Following his passing, official condolences were issued by AC Milan and Real Madrid.