AC Milan and Italian football legend Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66.

Franco Baresi, the very elegant Italian libero and embodiment of the great AC Milan of the late 1980s, has died at the age of 66, the Milan club announced on Friday.

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Italy mourns one of its greatest players. A renowned defender, a man of unparalleled class and a pioneer in his time, Franco Baresi died at the age of 66, AC Milan announced on Friday. A one-club man, AC Milan, where he was developed and with whom he amassed 716 appearances and 33 goals as a professional between 1977 and his retirement in 1997, the Travagliato native was also part of Italy's 1982 World Cup victory, though he did not play.

Runner-up in the Ballon d'Or in 1989, named to the FIFA 100 in 2004, and inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2013, Baresi also amassed numerous titles with Milan. Nicknamed "Il Capitano" for wearing the captain's armband for a large part of his career, he notably won the Italian league title six times (in 1979, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1996), as well as three European Cups (in 1989, 1990, and 1994).

A defender who also liked to attack

A runner-up in the 1994 World Cup despite his incredible comeback against Brazil (0-0, 2-3 on penalties), Baresi (81 caps, one goal) also helped redefine the role of the libero. "I've always had that aspiration. At the beginning of my career, when Italian football favored man-to-man defense, I felt a bit restricted," he told L'Équipe in 2022.

An elegant player, very comfortable on the ball, and a regular penalty taker, this player, shorter than most center-backs (1.76 m), had nevertheless been rejected at 14 by Inter Milan and Atalanta Bergamo, before finally convincing AC Milan. He chose never to leave the club, even after its relegation to Serie B in 1980 following the Totonero affair (*), and then after its further relegation in 1982, before achieving glory under the Berlusconi-Sacchi duo. His number 6 jersey has since been retired, while his playing style would go on to inspire a certain Paolo Maldini, a worthy successor in his position.

(*) Scandal in Italian football in the 70s and 80s, where many footballers were involved in betting concerning their clubs.

Having undergone surgery in August 2025 to remove a pulmonary nodule, Baresi underwent intensive immunotherapy treatment before making a public reappearance in the autumn. Warmly greeted during an appearance at San Siro, he consistently received support and words of encouragement from his lifelong club. Briefly Fulham's director of football from May to September 2002, he held numerous roles connected to AC Milan during the second half of his life, from coaching the Primavera (under-21) team to his role as honorary vice-president in 2020, including involvement in youth development.