Franco Baresi

Originally an AC Milan youth product, Baresi went on to spend his entire 20-year professional career with AC Milan, making his Serie A debut at age 17 during the 1977–78 season 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, with their image while exchanging pennants became the trademark of Milan's derby della Madonnina throughout the 80s. The following season, he was made a member of the starting 11, playing as a sweeper or as a centreback, winning the 1978–79 Serie A title, Milan's tenth overall, playing alongside Fabio Capello and Gianni Rivera.

This success was soon followed by a dark period in the club's history, when Milan was relegated to Serie B twice during the early 1980s. Milan were relegated in 1980 for being involved in the match fixing scandal of 1980, and once again after finishing third-last in the 1981–82 season, after having just returned to Serie A the previous season, after winning the 1980–81 Serie B title. Despite being a member of the Euro 1980 Italy squad that had finished fourth, and the 1982 World Cup-winning team, Baresi elected to stay with Milan, winning the Serie B title for the second time during the 1982–83 season and bringing Milan back to Serie A. After Aldo Maldera and Fulvio Collovati left the club in 1982, Baresi was appointed Milan's captain,…

At age 20, while still playing in the Italy under-21 side, Baresi was named in Italy's 22-man squad for the 1980 European Championship (along with his older brother Giuseppe) by manager Enzo Bearzot. The tournament was held on home soil and Italy finished fourth. However, unlike his brother, Franco Baresi did not play a single match in the tournament. Euro 1980 would be the only time the two brothers were on the Italy squad together at a major tournament. At age 22, Baresi was named in Italy's squad for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. The Azzurri won their third World Cup, defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final, but Baresi, once again, was not selected to play a match throughout the tournament. Baresi was also a member of the Italy squad that took part in the 1984 Olympics. Italy finished in fourth place after a 2–1 semi-final defeat to Brazil, and after losing the bronze medal match 2–1 to Yugoslavia. Baresi won his first senior international cap in a 1984 UEFA Championship qualifying match against Romania in Florence, on 14 December 1982, a 0–0 draw. Italy, however, ultimately failed to qualify for the final tournament. Baresi was not included in Italy's squad for the 1986 World Cup by coach Enzo Bearzot, who saw him as being more of a midfielder than a defender (although his brother Giuseppe was selected as a defender for the World Cup, as well as Roberto Tricella). He returned to the team for the 1988 European Championship, playing as a sweeper and becoming an undisputed first…

Franco Baresi was born Franchino Baresi on 8 May 1960 on a farm in the small north Italian town of Travagliato, near Brescia. He did not watch football on television until he was 10. In 1999, Baresi legally changed his name to Franco.

Franco Baresi was the younger brother of Inter Milan defender Giuseppe Baresi. As youngsters, both players had trials for Inter, but Franco was rejected and signed by local rivals Milan. As he was the younger player, Franco was initially known as "Baresi 2". However, due to Franco's eventual great success and popularity throughout his career, which surpassed even that of his older brother's, Giuseppe later became known as "the other Baresi", despite also achieving notable success. In 2004, Baresi was investigated for usury and money laundering related to fraud involving the sale of paintings. In October 2005, he accepted a plea bargain in which he received a five-month sentence reduced to a €5,900 fine. In February 2026, Baresi and Giuseppe Bergomi were the two surprise torchbearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan; the two carried the Olympic torch through the San Siro stadium. It was his last public appearance.

Health and death

In 1981, Baresi suffered from a blood infection that forced him out of play for nearly four months and worsened his health to the point of him needing a wheelchair. While in treatment, he participated in medical research for the disease. In August 2025, Baresi had lung surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule. He then began a course of immunotherapy as a means of cancer prevention. On 29 July 2026, Baresi was prematurely reported to have died by Tuttosport, with the unconfirmed information quickly spreading through…