 Baresi in 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franchino Baresi[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1960-05-08)8 May 1960 (age 65) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Travagliato, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1977 | AC Milan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1997 | AC Milan | 532 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1994 | Italy | 81 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | AC Milan Primavera | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Milan Primavera (Berretti) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Franchino BaresiUfficiale OMRI (Italian pronunciation:[ˈfraŋkobaˈreːzi;-eːsi]; born 8 May 1960) is an Italianfootball youth team coach and a formerplayer and manager. He mainly played as asweeper or as acentral defender, andspent his entire 20-year career withSerie A clubAC Milan, captaining the club for 15 seasons. Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, he was ranked 19th inWorld Soccer magazine's list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century.[2] With Milan, he won threeUEFA Champions League titles, sixSerie A titles, fourSupercoppa Italiana titles, twoEuropean Super Cups and twoIntercontinental Cups, as well as aWorld Cup withItaly.
With theItaly national team, he was a member of the Italian squad that won the1982 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the1990 World Cup, where he was named in theFIFA World Cup All-Star Team, finishing third in the competition. At the1994 World Cup, he was named Italy's captain and was part of the squad that reached thefinal, although he would miss a penalty in the resulting shoot-out asBrazil lifted the trophy. Baresi also represented Italy at twoUEFA European Championships, in1980 and1988, and at the1984 Olympics, reaching the semi-finals on each occasion.
The younger brother of former footballerGiuseppe Baresi, after joining the Milan senior team as a youngster, Franco Baresi 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 sweeperFranz Beckenbauer.[3] 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.[4] He was named byPelé one of the125 Greatest Living Footballers at theFIFA centenary awards ceremony in 2004.[5] Baresi was inducted into theItalian Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Baresi grew up in a farmstead on the outskirts of a small north Italian town, Travagliato. He did not watch football on television until he was 10.[6]
Originally anAC Milan youth product, Baresi went on to spend his entire 20-year professional career with AC Milan, making hisSerie A debut at age 17 during the1977–78 season on 23 April 1978.[7][8] He had initially been rejected by theInter 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'sderby della Madonnina throughout the 80s.[9]
The following season, he was made a member of the starting 11, playing as asweeper or as a centreback, winning the 1978–79 Serie A title, Milan's tenth overall, playing alongsideFabio Capello andGianni Rivera.[7]
This success was soon followed by a dark period in the club's history, when Milan was relegated toSerie B twice during the early 1980s. Milan were relegated in1980 for being involved in thematch fixing scandal of 1980, and once again after finishing third-last in the1981–82 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. AfterAldo Maldera andFulvio Collovati left the club in 1982, Baresi was appointed Milan's captain, at age 22, and would hold this position for much of his time at the club, becoming a symbol and a leader for the team. During this bleak period for Milan, Baresi did manage to win a Mitropa Cup in 1982 and reached theCoppa Italia final during 1984–85 season, although the team failed to dominate in Serie A.[3][4]During the end of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, Baresi was at the heart of a notable all-Italian defence alongsidePaolo Maldini,Alessandro Costacurta,Mauro Tassotti and laterChristian Panucci, under managersArrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, a defence which is regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time.[a] When the attacking Dutch trio ofMarco van Basten,Ruud Gullit andFrank Rijkaard arrived at the club in the late 1980s, Milan began a period of domestic and international triumphs, and between 1987 and 1996, at the height of the club's success, the Milan squad contained many Italian and international stars, such asRoberto Donadoni,Carlo Ancelotti, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and laterDemetrio Albertini,Dejan Savićević,Zvonimir Boban,Marcel Desailly,George Weah,Jean-Pierre Papin,Brian Laudrup andRoberto Baggio. Under Sacchi, Milan won the Serie A title in1987–88, with Baresi helping Milan to concede only 14 goals. This title was immediately followed by aSupercoppa Italiana in1988 the next season, and back-to-backEuropean Cups in1988–89 and1989–90;[7] In the1990 European Cup Final, Baresi turned in a dominant performance as the team's captain, helping Milan to defend the European Cup title and keep a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory overBenfica.[18] Baresi was also runner-up to teammate Van Basten for theBallon d'Or in 1989, finishing ahead of his other teammate Frank Rijkaard, and was namedSerie A Footballer of the Year in 1989–90. Milan also reached the Coppa Italia final during the 1989–90 season.[3][4]
Baresi went on to win four more Serie A titles with Milan under Fabio Capello, including three consecutive titles in1991–92,1992–93 and the1993–94 seasons. Baresi helped Milan win the 1991–92 title undefeated, helping Milan to go unbeaten for an Italian record of 58 matches. Milan also scored a record 74 goals that season. During the 1993–94 season, Baresi helped Milan concede a mere 15 goals in Serie A, helping the club to finish the season with the best defence. Baresi also won three consecutive Supercoppa Italiana under Capello, in1992,1993 and1994. Milan also reached three consecutive UEFA Champions League finals during the1992–93,1993–94 and1994–95 seasons, losing toMarseille in 1992–93 andAjax in 1994–95. Baresi won the third European Cup/UEFA Champions League of his career in 1993–94 when Milan defeatedJohan Cruyff'sBarcelona "Dream Team" 4–0 inthe final. Baresi also managed to win the1994 European Super Cup, although Milan were defeated in the 1994 Intercontinental Cup, the1993 European Super Cup and the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. Under Capello, Milan and Baresi were able to capture another Serie A title during1995–96 season, Baresi's sixth.[3][4]
Baresi retired at the end of the1996–97 Serie A season, at age 37. In his 20 seasons with Milan, he won six Serie A titles, three European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles (reaching five finals in total), two Intercontinental Cups (four finals in total), three European Supercups (four finals in total), four Supercoppa Italiana (five finals in total), two Serie B titles and a Mitropa Cup.[7] He scored 31 goals for Milan, 21 of which were on penalties, and, despite being a defender, he was the top scorer of the Coppa Italia during the 1989–90 season, the only trophy which he failed to win with Milan, reaching the final twice during his career. His final goal for Milan was scored in a 2–1 win againstPadova on 27 August 1995. In his honour, Milan retired his number 6 shirt, which he had worn throughout his career.[7] The captain's armband, which he had worn for 15 seasons, was handed over to Paolo Maldini. Milan organised a celebration match in his honour, which was played on 28 October 1997 at theSan Siro, featuring many footballing stars.[3][4]
At age 20, while still playing in theItaly under-21 side, Baresi was named inItaly's 22-man squad for the1980 European Championship (along with his older brother Giuseppe) by managerEnzo 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 the1982 FIFA World Cup.[19] TheAzzurri won their thirdWorld Cup, defeatingWest Germany inthe final, but Baresi, once again, was not selected to play a match throughout the tournament.[20] Baresi was also a member of the Italy squad that took part in the 1984 Olympics. Italy finished in fourth place after a semi-final defeat toBrazil, and losing the bronze medal match toYugoslavia. Baresi scored a goal against theUnited States during the group stage.
Baresi won his first senior internationalcap in a1984 UEFA Championshipqualifying match againstRomania inFlorence, on 14 December 1982, a 0–0 draw.[19] Italy, however, ultimately failed to qualify for the final tournament.[3][21]
Baresi was not included in Italy's squad for the1986 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 asRoberto Tricella).[19] He returned to the team for the1988 European Championship, playing as a sweeper, where Italy reached the semi-finals underAzeglio Vicini, becoming an undisputed first team member and playing in every match. He made his first appearance in a World Cup finals match in the 1990 tournament, which was held on home soil, and he played in every match as one of the starting centre-backs, as Italy finished in third-place, after being eliminated by defending championsArgentina in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals.[20] Baresi helped the Italian defence to keep five consecutive clean sheets, only conceding two goals, and going unbeaten for aWorld Cup record of 518 minutes, until they were beaten by an Argentinian equaliser in the semi-final. His performances earned him a spot on the1990 World Cup Team of the tournament.[3]
After replacingGiuseppe Bergomi ascaptain for the1994 World Cup under his former manager at Milan, Arrigo Sacchi, Baresi sustained an injury to his meniscus in Italy's second group match, a 1–0 win againstNorway, and missed most of the tournament.[20] He returned to the squad 25 days later, in time forthe final, with a dominant defensive performance, helping Italy to keep a clean sheet againstBrazil, despite the key defensive absences of his Milan teammates Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti. After a 0–0 deadlock following extra time, the match went to a penalty shootout, and Baresi subsequently missed his penalty, suffering from severe cramps and fatigue. Following misses byDaniele Massaro and Roberto Baggio, Italy were defeated by Brazil in thepenalty shootout.[19]
Following the World Cup defeat, Baresi made one more appearance for Italy, in an awayUEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match againstSlovenia on 7 September 1994, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Baresi subsequently retired from the national side at age 34, passing the captain's armband to his Milan teammate Paolo Maldini. Baresi amassed 81 caps for Italy, scoring one goal in a friendly win against theSoviet Union, and he is one of seven players to have achieved the rare feat of winning Gold, Silver and Bronze FIFA World Cup medals during his international career.[19][21]
Baresi is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time.[22] He played his entire 20-year career with Milan, becoming a club legend.[23] At Milan, he formed one of the most formidable defensive units of all time, alongsidePaolo Maldini,Alessandro Costacurta,Mauro Tassotti,Filippo Galli and laterChristian Panucci.[22][23] He was a complete and consistent defender who combined power with elegance and was gifted with outstanding physical and mental attributes, such as pace, strength, tenacity, concentration and stamina, which made him effective in the air, despite his lack of notable height for acentre-back.[24][25][26]
Although Baresi was capable of playing anywhere along the backline, he primarily excelled as a centreback and assweeper, where he combined his defensive attributes, and his ability to read the game, with his excellent vision, technique, distribution and ball skills.[27] These qualities also enabled him to excel in azonal marking system, maintain a high defensive line, and play the offside trap, in particular during his time at Milan underSacchi;[28] indeed, Baresi came to be known for often raising his arm towards the linesman whenever his team attempted to play the offside trap.[29] Baresi's passing range, technical ability and ball control allowed him to advance forward into the midfield to start attacking plays from the back, enabling him to function as a secondaryplaymaker for his team, and also play as adefensive orcentral midfielder when necessary.[23][24] Despite being a defender, he was also an accuratepenalty kick taker. Baresi was known for being a strong and accurate tackler, who was very good at winning back possession, and at anticipating and intercepting plays, due to his acute tactical intelligence, speed of thought, marking ability and positional sense.[23][26][27] A precocious talent in his youth,[30] throughout the course of his career, he also stood out for his professionalism, athleticism, longevity, and discipline in training, as well as his outstanding leadership, commanding presence on the pitch and his organisational skills; indeed, he captained both Milan and the Italy national team.[23][31]
Baresi also shares the record of mostown goals scored inSerie A history (eight, along withRiccardo Ferri).[32]
On 1 June 2002, Baresi was officially appointed as director of football atFulham, but tensions between Baresi and then Fulham managerJean Tigana led to resignation from the club in August.[33]
He was appointed head coach of Milan'sPrimavera Under-20 squad. In 2006, he was moved by the club to coach theBerretti Under-19 squad, with his former teammate Filippo Galli replacing him at the helm of the Primavera squad. He retired from coaching and was replaced by Roberto Bertuzzo.
Franco Baresi is the younger brother of Inter Milan legendary defenderGiuseppe Baresi. As youngsters, both players had tryouts for Inter, but Franco was rejected, and purchased by local rivals Milan. As he was the younger player, Franco was initially known as "Baresi 2".[4] 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.[34]
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 awheelchair. While in treatment, he participated in a medical research for the disease.[35]
In August 2025, Baresi had alung surgery, with a pulmonary nodule removed from his body. Then, he began a course ofimmunotherapy as a means ofcancer prevention.[36]
Baresi is featured in theEA Sports football video game seriesFIFA 14's Classic XI – a multi-national all-star team, along with compatriotsBruno Conti, Gianni Rivera andGiacinto Facchetti.[37] He was also named in the Ultimate Team Legends inFIFA 15.[38]
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AC Milan | 1977–78 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 40 | 0 | ||
| 1979–80 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 35 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Serie B | 31 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 | 1 | ||
| 1981–82 | Serie A | 18 | 2 | 4 | 0 | – | 3 | 2 | 25 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | Serie B | 30 | 4 | 9 | 2 | – | – | 39 | 6 | |||
| 1983–84 | Serie A | 21 | 3 | 9 | 2 | – | – | 30 | 5 | |||
| 1984–85 | Serie A | 26 | 0 | 10 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 0 | |||
| 1985–86 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 1986–87 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 6 | 3 | – | – | 35 | 5 | |||
| 1987–88 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 36 | 1 | ||
| 1988–89 | Serie A | 33 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 4 | |
| 1989–90 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 5 | |
| 1990–91 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 1991–92 | Serie A | 33 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | – | 39 | 1 | |||
| 1992–93 | Serie A | 29 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| 1993–94 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| 1994–95 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 40 | 1 | ||
| 1996–97 | Serie A | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Career total | 532 | 16 | 97 | 15 | 75 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 719 | 33 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1982 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1985 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 11 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1990 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 February 1988 | Stadio della Vittoria,Bari, Italy |  Soviet Union | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
Individual
Orders
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