Defender voted club's 'player of the century'
Franco Baresi made 719 appearances for AC Milan |
Baresi, a central defender who was at his most effective
playing in the libero – sweeper – role, made 719 competitive appearances for
the rossoneri, with whom he spent his entire playing career, spanning 20 years.
During that time he won the Italian championship – the
Scudetto – six times and the European Cup three times, as well as many other
trophies. He was made captain of the team at just 22 years old.
At Milan he was part of one of the most formidable defences
of all time, alongside Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Mauro Tassotti,
and later Christian Panucci, with Giovanni Galli in goal. He and Maldini shared the extraordinary
record that in 196 matches they played together, AC Milan conceded only 23
goals.
Baresi also won 81 caps for the Azzurri in an international
career in which he went to three World Cups.
Although he did not make an appearance, he was part of the Azzurri squad that
won the competition in Spain in 1982, was an integral member of the team that finished third on
home soil in Italia ’90 and captained the side in the United States in
1994. There he heroically battled back from a meniscus injury to lead the team
in the final in Pasadena, where he suffered the cruel misfortune, in common
with another Azzurri legend, Roberto Baggio, of missing a penalty in a
shoot-out won by Brazil.
Franco Baresi with his brother Giuseppe (left), who played for Milan's city rivals Internazionale |
Baresi lost both his parents by the age of 16, which meant
that he and his older brother, Giuseppe, had to grow up quickly. Both were
determined to make their careers in football. Giuseppe was taken on by AC
Milan’s rivals, Internazionale, at the age of 14. Franco tried to follow the
same path but was rejected as too small.
Undaunted, he went for trials with the rossoneri and won a contract,
claiming that he was “always a Milanista” as a fan and was therefore fulfilling
his dream.
His potential was recognised almost immediately and Nils
Liedholm, Milan’s legendary Swedish player and then coach, gave him his debut
towards the end of the 1977-78 season, in the same team as Fabio Capello and
Gianni Rivera. His nickname in the Milan
dressing room was Piscinin, a Milanese dialect word meaning ‘the little one’,
yet he quickly established himself as one of the key members of the team,
winning the Scudetto in his first full season.
Franco Baresi as he is today |
In 1999, he was voted Milan's Player of the Century. He was
named by Pelé one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at the FIFA centenary
awards ceremony in 2004, and inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in
2013. After his final season at Milan in
1997, the club retired Baresi's number six shirt in his honour.
His coaching career included a short spell working in England
as director of football at Fulham and he has worked for AC Milan in various
capacities, as executive, youth team coach and in the club’s marketing
department.. The father of a 16-year-old son, Eduardo, and the uncle of Inter
women’s star Regina Baresi, his opinion nowadays is regularly sort by the
Italian media as he remains a high-profile figure.
Baresi’s hometown, Travagliato, just outside Brescia, is
sometimes called the Citadel of Horses on account of the equestrian festivals
hosted there every April and May, which feature polo matches, harness racing
and show jumping events among other things. The town also has a number of fine
churches, including the church of Our Lady of Lourdes and the church of Santa
Maria dei Campi.
Travel tip:
Brescia is a rich industrial city not on the main tourist
track but has numerous things to see, including the old and new Duomos, one
built in the 12th century, one in the 19th century, which
are next door to one another. It is also
famous for its museums, one of which is dedicated to the Mille Miglia, the
former car race from Brescia to Rome and back.
More reading:
Why Roberto Baggio is seen as Italy's greatest player
The record-breaking career of Paolo Maldini
How Arrigo Sacchi revolutionised football in Italy
Also on this day:
1898: Italy's first football championship takes place in one day
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