Franco Baresi dead at 66: AC Milan legend passes away with club sharing heartbreaking tribute to one of football's best ever defenders

AC Milan and Italy legend Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, his former club confirmed on Friday.

The one-club man was synonymous with the red-and-black side of the San Siro, playing every minute of his 20-year career for il Rossoneri.

As such, there was no shortage of emotion in the club's statement shared in the early hours of Friday morning, as AC Milan extended support not just to Baresi's family, but to their entire community.

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

'The condolences AC Milan extends to Franco Baresi's family at such a difficult time are shared by every Rossonero, who feels this loss as their own.'

The defender, long considered one of the best of all time, served as captain for 14 years, and helped Milan claim six Serie A titles and three European Cups among numerous other honours.

Italian football legend Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, his former club confirmed

The heavily decorated defender dedicated the duration of his career to his boyhood club

In 1999, Baresi's feats in club colours won him AC Milan's Player of the Century award.

The player known as 'Piscinin' also won the World Cup with Italy in 1982, later coming heartbreakingly close to claiming a second when the Azzurri reached the final in 1994 before defeat to Brazil on penalties.

Just hours before sharing the tragic news, AC Milan were forced to deny rumours on Wednesday that Baresi had died, after the player was admitted to hospital in Milan.

Italian outlet Tuttosport had broken the 'news', which prompted tributes from football fans including Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini.

Baresi had previously undergone lung surgery in August 2025 to remove a pulmonary nodule, and later was treated with cancer-prevention immunotherapy.

His last public appearance came touchingly at the San Siro, as he and his great friend - and former Inter Milan rival - Beppe Bergomi walked into the iconic stadium bearing the Olympic flame during the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony earlier this year.

Baresi had initially been rejected by Inter Milan's academy as a junior player, after being deemed too small and frail for the rigorous demands of 1970s football, with his eventual rivals instead taking on his elder brother Giuseppe.

That twist of fate brought Baresi to Milan's academy, and he would go on to make his debut for the senior team at the age of 17 - after being given his nickname by the club's masseur at the time, Paolo Mariconti, which means 'little one' in Milanese dialect.

Baresi donned the captain's armband for Italy's second tilt at the World Cup in 1994, after winning the trophy in 1982

His trophy haul with il Rossoneri contains three European Cups, six Serie A titles, and countless other honours

His last public appearance came poignantly at the San Siro where he acted as a torchbearer in the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

Beppe Baresi was later made Inter captain, with the pair regularly exchanging pennants during the Milan derbies of the 1980s.

Inter shared their own touching statement to one of their bitterest competitive rivals, writing: 'Farewell to Franco Baresi, protagonist of the great clashes in the Milan Derby and one of the figures who most defined the history of the rivalry.

'Captain, team man, and flag bearer of AC Milan, he lived every matchup with Inter between competition and respect, within a challenge that wrote unforgettable pages of Italian soccer.

'President Giuseppe Marotta and all of FC Internazionale Milano stand in solidarity with the Baresi family, brother Beppe, and AC Milan in this moment of grief.'

Baresi stuck with AC Milan throughout the match-fixing Totonero scandal which saw the club relegated in 1980, and a second relegation in 1982, before going on to see Milan through their heavily decorated glory years under legendary managers Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.

His role as the bedrock in Milan's all-Italian defence saw him written into the club's legend, and in 1989, named Ballon d'Or runner-up.

His defensive partner Paolo Maldini shared his grief in a touching statement on Friday, calling Baresi 'the strongest player' he had ever 'had the honour' to play alongside.

'Ciao Franco,' his statement began. 'Today I feel the same feeling when, for whatever reason, you couldn't go on the field next to us: "what will we do without our Captain?"

'You taught me to fight until my last breath, what does sticking to the shirt mean and the value of being a true leader. You did it by example, every day: few words, but lots of facts.

'You protected me as a child, guided me as a boy and inspired me as a man. You were the strongest football player I have ever had the honor to play with.

'A loving hug to your whole family, especially to your wife and your children. We'll miss you, Captain. But the light of your star will continue to shine on us forever.'

Italy's greatest ever defender Paolo Maldini shared a heartbreaking tribute to his former team-mate (pictured at a Legends match in 2012)

In 2020, Baresi was named as the club's honorary vice-president, and he continued to be enmeshed in Milan's culture, attending matches at the San Siro when possible.

Baresi is also thought to have even hoped to visit Milan's pre-season training camp at Milanello earlier this month, but was unable to due to his ill health.

After retiring from football in 1997, Milan retired his No 6 shirt, and after a brief stint as director of Fulham, Baresi returned to the club to coach their youth ranks until 2006.

Tributes from other Serie A sides began to pour in shortly after the news broke, with Juventus honouring his 'class and leadership'.

'There are people who, with their talent, enter history. And others who, with their humanity, remain there forever. Franco Baresi was both,' the statement read. 'Class, style, leadership, and respect on and off the field.

'An example for generations of players and fans, loved and admired by all football enthusiasts. His memory will live on forever. Juventus Football Club stands in solidarity with the Baresi family and AC Milan in this moment of profound sorrow.'

The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Giovanni Malago added: 'Italian football has lost one of its legends, an extraordinary champion who wore only two jerseys throughout his career: AC Milan and the Azzurri.

'A romantic choice, which has rightfully won him a place in the hearts of fans and millions of Italians. We will remember him as he deserves during the national team's upcoming matches, the national team for which he has always demonstrated exceptional dedication, becoming one of its most glorious symbols.'

Jamie Carragher shared his own tribute, with the Liverpool defender singling out Baresi as one of the 'all time greats'.

'It’s always a sad day for football when one of the all time greats pass away, and that’s exactly what Franco Baresi was,' Carragher shared on X. 'I’ve always seen him as the greatest centre back I ever saw & the ultimate one club man. RIP Capitano'.