Franchino Baresi · Italy
Photo : Public domain — unknown author (Wikimedia Commons)
Baresi spent twenty seasons at Milan and played for nobody else. He arrived in 1977, captained the side from 1982 until his retirement in 1997, and when he left the club retired the number 6 — the first time an Italian club had done that for a player.
He anchored the Milan defence that lost a single league match in the 1991–92 season and conceded twelve goals in all of 1993–94. Alongside Maldini, Costacurta and Tassotti, he made a back four playing a high offside line look like a settled fact rather than a risk, and it took European football most of a decade to work out an answer.
He won the World Cup in 1982 without leaving the bench and lost the 1994 final on penalties, missing his own kick twenty-five days after knee surgery. He died on 31 July 2026 at sixty-six, having spent his years since retirement working for the club he never left.
Club career
| Years | Club | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–1997 | AC Milan | 532 | 16 |
| Total | 532 | 16 |
International career
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1994 | Italy | 81 | 1 |
Honours
Dashed = runner-up.
Related legends
Career figures compiled from public records. Competitive senior appearances only.