Franco Baresi, one of the most celebrated defenders in football history and a World Cup winner with Italy, has died aged 66. His former club AC Milan announced the news on Friday.
Key facts
- Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, AC Milan announced.
- He was a World Cup winner with Italy and one of the golden era's most recognisable players.
- He had undergone surgery on a pulmonary nodule, according to the Guardian.
- AC Milan called his No 6 shirt 'iconic' in its tribute.
- He won his first scudetto with Milan in 1979 at the age of 19.
Franco Baresi, the former AC Milan and Italy defender widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his position, has died at the age of 66. The Italian club announced the news on Friday, the BBC reported.
Baresi was one of the most recognisable players of the golden era of Italian football in the 1980s and 1990s, according to the Guardian. He won the World Cup with Italy and, as Al Jazeera noted, was regarded as one of football’s finest defenders.
According to the Guardian, the former defender had undergone surgery on a pulmonary nodule. In a tribute, AC Milan said: “The entire history of AC Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi. His example and integrity will be forever etched into the club’s DNA, just as his iconic No 6 shirt is.”
The Guardian described Baresi as not only the captain but the moral heart of the great Milan team of the era. For anybody who watched football in the late 1980s or early 1990s, it wrote, Baresi was the central defender, unsurpassed and the definition of the art of defending.
Baresi had just turned 19 when he won his first scudetto at Milan under Nils Liedholm in 1979, according to the Guardian. At a time when Italian football was still dominated by the ideals of catenaccio, Liedholm was a pioneer of zonal marking in Serie A. Standing just 5ft 9in, Baresi was seen by Liedholm as an impeccable reader of the game even at a young age.
That first season, the Guardian noted, Baresi was an ever-present figure not only in the league but in the Coppa Italia and Uefa Cup as well, marking the beginning of a career that would define an era of Italian defending.
Why it matters
Franco Baresi was one of the defining figures of Italian and world football during a landmark period for the sport. His death marks the loss of a player whose influence on the art of defending and on AC Milan's identity endures decades after his playing days.
Frequently asked questions
How old was Franco Baresi when he died?
Franco Baresi died at the age of 66, according to AC Milan and multiple outlets.
What was the cause of Franco Baresi's death?
According to the Guardian, Baresi had undergone surgery on a pulmonary nodule. No further cause of death was specified in the available reporting.
What shirt number did Baresi wear at AC Milan?
Baresi wore the iconic No 6 shirt at AC Milan, which the club said will be forever etched into its DNA.