The world of football has lost one of its greatest pillars. Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66 after battling an illness in complete silence for several months.

Born in Travagliato, in the province of Brescia, Baresi faced adversity far too early in life when he lost his mother at the age of just 12. By the age of 17, however, he was already training with AC Milan’s first team.

His teammates began calling him ‘Piscinin’ (meaning ‘the little one’ in Milanese) as he was the youngest in the dressing room.

No one could have imagined back then that this young boy would go on to become the best defender in the club’s history and one of the greatest to ever grace a football pitch.

A life with Milan

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Baresi wore the AC Milan shirt in 716 matches. He never took it off. Indeed, his greatness was evident long before he began lifting his biggest trophies with the club.

In 1980, when Milan were relegated to the Second Division following a match-fixing scandal, he decided to stay. He could have left for any of Europe’s top clubs. He didn’t.

That unwavering loyalty defined who Franco Baresi was and why he became an absolute legend.

A career brimming with titles

From then on, his story became the stuff of legend. His elegance and leadership saw him dominate the world both with his club and his country.

With the ‘Azzurri’, he reached the pinnacle at the age of 22 by winning the World Cup in Spain in 1982, a triumph that cemented his place among the international elite.

His talent was such that he racked up seven nominations for the ‘Ballon d'Or’, finishing second in 1989 on a historic podium alongside his team-mates Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard.

Throughout his career, Franco Baresi built up a legendary list of honours. These were the major titles that crowned his career:

  • 6 Serie A titles

  • 3 Champions League/European Cups

  • 3 European Super Cups

  • 2 Intercontinental Cups

  • 4 Italian Super Cups

  • 2 Serie B titles

  • 1 World Cup

An 'Azzurro' Heart

Towards the end of his career, Baresi cemented his legend at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

After undergoing knee surgery just three weeks earlier, Baresi pushed his body to the limit to captain Italy to the final against Brazil.

In that match, he missed the decisive penalty, and Italy had to settle for the runner-up spot.

The image of Baresi staring at the ground after that miss is one of the most heart-wrenching photographs in football history.

A man who literally gave everything he had for his nation and came agonizingly close to achieving glory once more.

Loyalty is repaid with loyalty

Three years later, when Baresi decided to hang up his boots in 1997, Milan retired his iconic number 6 jersey forever.

That shows just how much he meant to the club. Loyalty is repaid with loyalty.

Rest in peace.