Franco Baresi
The legendary sweeper who spent his entire career at AC Milan, captaining the club for 15 seasons and winning three European Cups.
via Wikipedia: Franco Baresi · see source
Franco Baresi (born Franchino Baresi; 8 May 1960) is 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
Franco Baresi was born Franchino Baresi on 8 May 1960 on a farm in Travagliato, near Brescia. He did not watch football on television until he was 10. In 1999, Baresi legally changed his name to Franco. He was initially an AC Milan youth product, making his Serie A debut at age 17 on 23 April 1978. He had initially been rejected by the Inter Milan youth team, who chose his brother Giuseppe instead, hence the Milan youth team signed Franco Baresi. The two brothers ended up captaining their respective teams shortly after.
Reader's Guide
Baresi spent his entire 20-year professional career with AC Milan. He won six Serie A titles, three European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, two Intercontinental Cups, three European Supercups, four Supercoppa Italiana, two Serie B titles, and a Mitropa Cup. He scored 31 goals for Milan, 21 of which were on penalties, and was the top scorer of the Coppa Italia during the 1989–90 season. His final goal for Milan was scored on 27 August 1995. After his final season in 1997, Milan retired his number 6 shirt. He was named by Pelé one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers in 2004 and inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Did You Know?
- Baresi was nicknamed 'Piscinin' (Milanese for 'little one') early in his career, and later 'Kaiser Franz' after Franz Beckenbauer.
- He was voted Milan's Player of the Century in 1999.
- Baresi was runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 1989, finishing behind teammate Marco van Basten.
- He helped Milan go unbeaten for an Italian record of 58 matches during the 1991–92 season.
More in Football (Soccer) Greats
Elsewhere in Sports Legends
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced