AC Milan Legend Franco Baresi Dies at 66

Former AC Milan and Italy defender Franco Baresi, one of the most recognizable players of Italian football’s golden era in the 1980s and 1990s, has died at the age of 66, his former club said on Friday.

“The entire history of AC Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi. His example and integrity will be forever etched into the Club's DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is”, the club wrote on X.

Baresi spent his entire 20-year playing career with AC Milan, winning six Serie A titles and three major European trophies. He captained the team for 15 seasons before retiring in 1997.

Milan then retired his number six shirt, making him the first player in the club’s history to receive that honor.

Baresi was part of Italy’s 1982 World Cup-winning squad and captained the national team to the 1994 final, where it lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout. He played the full 120 minutes just 25 days after knee surgery.

He was a cornerstone of the Milan side known as Gli Invincibili, or The Invincibles, which went 58 Serie A matches unbeaten.

Last year, Baresi underwent surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule and was prescribed recovery treatment by a cancer specialist.

(Reuters, lud)