Football legend Franco Baresi dies at 66

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Football legend Franco Baresi dies at 66

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Franco Baresi, the iconic Italian defender, died on Friday, July 31, 2026, at the age of 66. His death occurred at the Humanitas di Rozzano clinic near Milan, following an illness that began approximately a year prior with surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule.

Baresi was a one-club man, dedicating his entire 20-year professional playing career to AC Milan. He made his Serie A debut at 17 in April 1978 and went on to make 719 official appearances for the club. As captain for 15 seasons, he led Milan to an era of dominance, securing six Serie A titles, three European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, two Intercontinental Cups, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, and two European Super Cups. In recognition of his immense contributions, AC Milan retired his number 6 jersey, making him the first player in the club’s history to receive such an honor.

Internationally, Baresi was a member of Italy’s 1982 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, though he did not play in the tournament. He later played in the 1990 World Cup, where Italy finished third, and captained the Italian team to the 1994 World Cup final. In the 1994 final against Brazil, he famously played all 120 minutes just 25 days after knee surgery, delivering a remarkable performance despite Italy ultimately losing in a penalty shootout where he missed his spot-kick. Baresi earned 81 caps for Italy between 1982 and 1994. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time and was ranked 9th in World Soccer magazine’s list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century. His final public appearance was in February 2026, when he carried the Olympic torch into San Siro stadium for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

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