Franco Baresi
Italian defensive legend and Milan icon
Franco Baresi (born Franchino Baresi; 8 May 1960 – 31 July 2026) was an Italian football player and manager. He mainly played as a central defender, and spent his entire 20-year career with Serie A club AC Milan, captaining the club for 15 seasons. Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, he was ranked 19th in World Soccer magazine's list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century. With Milan, he won three European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, six Serie A trophies, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, two European Super Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Franchino Baresi
- Born
- 8 May 1960
- Birthplace
- Travagliato, Brescia, Italy
- Died
- 31 July 2026
- Place of death
- Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Height
- 1.76 m / 5 ft 9 in
- Position
- Centre-back
Lore & Background
With the Italy national team, he was a member of the squad that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup, the first in 44 years. He also played in the 1990 World Cup held on home soil, where he was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team, while leading them to a third place in the tournament. At the 1994 World Cup, he was named Italy's captain and was part of the squad that reached the final, although he would miss a penalty in the resulting shoot-out as Brazil lifted the trophy. Baresi also represented Italy at two UEFA European Championships, in 1980 and 1988, and at the 1984 Olympics, reaching the semi-finals on each occasion.
Reader's Guide
The younger brother of former footballer Giuseppe Baresi, after joining the Milan senior team as a youngster, Franco was initially nicknamed 'Piscinin', Milanese for 'little one'. Due to his skill and success, he was later known as 'Kaiser Franz', a reference to fellow sweeper Franz Beckenbauer. In 1999, he was voted Milan's Player of the Century. After his final season at Milan in 1997, the club retired Baresi's shirt number 6. He was named by Pelé one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at the FIFA centenary awards ceremony in 2004. Baresi was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Did You Know?
- Baresi was born on a farm in Travagliato, near Brescia, and did not watch football on television until he was 10.
- He legally changed his name from Franchino to Franco in 1999.
- Baresi was initially rejected by Inter Milan's youth team, who chose his brother Giuseppe instead.
- He scored 31 goals for Milan, 21 of which were on penalties, and was the top scorer of the Coppa Italia in 1989–90.
- Baresi helped Milan go unbeaten for an Italian record of 58 matches during the 1991–92 season.
More in Legendary Players & Coaches
Elsewhere in Italy National Team
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced