Giuseppe Baresi

The other Baresi: Inter captain and defensive stalwart

Giuseppe Baresi (born 7 February 1958) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender or as a defensive midfielder. Baresi spent the majority of his 18-year career with Inter, before retiring in 1994 after two seasons with Modena. With Inter, he won two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup, among other trophies, and also served as the team's captain. At international level, he represented the Italy national team on 18 occasions between 1979 and 1986, taking part at UEFA Euro 1980, where they finished in fourth place, and at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. His younger brother, Franco Baresi, also a defender, served as captain for city rivals A.C. Milan and the Italy national side.

Quick Facts

Born: 7 February 1958
Birthplace: Travagliato, Brescia, Italy
Height: 1.77 m / 5 ft 10 in
Position: Defensive midfielder; Defender
Total caps: 465

Lore & Background

Born in Travagliato, a province of Brescia, Baresi was acquired by Inter as a youngster, and became a member of the team's youth system. He made his professional debut with the senior side in the Coppa Italia on 8 June 1977, in a 1–0 win over Juventus during the 1976–77 season, and made his Serie A debut the following season. He later went on to captain the club from 1988 to 1992, and he spent a total of 16 seasons with Inter Milan, playing a total of 559 matches (including 392 Serie A matches, 73 European matches and 94 Coppa Italia matches), and scoring 13 goals (ten in Serie A, one in European matches, and two in the Coppa Italia). With Inter, he won two Serie A titles, two Italian Cups, an UEFA Cup, and the Supercoppa Italiana. After leaving Inter at the end of the 1991–92 season, Baresi also played for Modena in the Serie B for a couple of seasons, before retiring in 1994 at the age of 36.

Reader's Guide

A long-standing nerazzurro, he also served as Inter's captain for four seasons, winning several trophies both domestically and internationally. Despite his club success, Baresi achieved little success at the national team level, unlike his younger brother, only playing 18 matches with the Azzurri shirt between 1979 and 1986, being also surpassed in notoriety by his more famous brother Franco, who played for crosstown city rivals A.C. Milan. After representing the under-20 side in the 1977 Under-20 World Cup, and the under-21 side in the 1978 and 1980 European championships, Baresi was a member of Italy's senior squad at the UEFA 1980 European Championship, on home soil, alongside his brother. This was the only time that the two brothers were both selected for a major tournament with Italy, although only Giuseppe would make appearances in the competition, as Italy managed to reach the semi-finals, finishing in fourth place. Despite being called up for the 1982 World Cup qualifiers by manager Enzo Bearzot, Baresi was left out of the final squad for his brother Franco; although the team went on to win the trophy, Franco did not make a single appearance throughout the tournament. Baresi was also a starting member of Italy's 1986 World Cup squad, which was eliminated in the round of 16.