Franco Baresi, AC Milan and Italy legend, dies aged 66
The rumours were, alas, true. A true giant of the game has gone, only 66 years old.
asnaturalasrain.bsky.social10Did you ever see this magnificent prose poem by Pàdraig MacAoidh?
Joe McDwyer2A hero. I painted my Subbuteo version of him so that the shirt was outside the shorts just like he wore it (I was a kid)
Jess9Sad news to wake up to. What a giant of a defender. The partnership of Baresi and Maldini is the greatest CB pairing of all time. For those too young to understand, I encourage you to deep dive YouTube. Truly iconic. 66 is no age at all. RIP Legend. 🕊🔴⚫️
Joe Scaramanga9As someone who always ended up playing CB, Baresi was the player that made me realise it wasn't a thankless job. He made me realise what a skill it was to be a good defender. What a player.
Forza Bahab7What a player. Astonishing defender and leader.
James Aithie 🏴6Greatest centreback of all time. #RIP
Soren Lorensen4Pois é, 66 anos apenas. Um ícone do Milan, da seleção italiana e do 7a0 bsky.app/profile/phil...
Mark S2I remember Franco Baresi being in conversation with Joe Jordan about their time playing together for the Rossoneri on a feature on Channel 4's Gazzetta back in the day. For such a giant of the game, he came across as a really articulate & softly spoken man. What a player. It's so sad that he's died.
Sad news about Franco Baresi. Football isn't just about freescoring games it's also about defending. Baresi was one of the very best.
Canaries Caption It8Him and Maldini were the apex of the art.
Andy Beck3A measure of how good someone is at something is how easy they make something look, Baresi made defending look very easy.
Den of Scholes3He had that rare thing in football, he saw things two steps ahead. So he'd tackle a player and instead of just punting it, in his head he'd planned where he was passing the ball to after winning the challenge and where to be on the next phase. Only the best play with time AND vision.
Håkon Gleditsch1My dad still mows his lawn in his Baresi ST2 boots, after all these years. Hvil i fred Baresi 💙
One of the greats has died. AC Milan and Italian Legend Franco Baresi. Grew up watching him on Football Italia on C4.
Joebloggscity7Baresi defined what captaincy and central defending was meant to be like. Kids nowadays will never understand what an impact Serie A football from back then had on everyone (except my Scottish football youth coaches!) #CelticFC
Al.2Same Andy. I've often said to mates he was the best sweeper ever.
Farewell to the finest central defender to ever grace a football pitch. I'd always assumed he was immortal and that one day, long after we were gone, he'd be duking it out with Maldini somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. Rest in peace Franco Baresi.
Dave Almighty2A players player. His performance in the 94 World Cup when he was injured was amazing.
Ivor Curtis1Absolutely loved watching him play. Not sure I've ever seen a better central defender.
Darren Bojangles (Chopsy)1He was a magnificent footballer. Was lucky enough to see him play against the only centre back I’d put ahead of him, Paul McGrath, in New York, 1994.
Whenever the greatest players are discussed, it’s always attackers and midfielders. Defending is its own art form and Baresi was one of the very best. Captain of the best club side I’ve seen - 90’s Milan - Rest in peace Franco.
Martin3Loved that team. Pure 90’s James Richardson Gazetto delo Sport Espresso nostalgia.
nicksplodge2He mentored Maldini to become almost as good. Right up there as one of, if not *the*, all-time best centre-backs
Jess2We are in a period in football where defending is a dying art. The partnership of Baresi and Maldini was the peak for defending in the game. The greatest CB partnership of all time. Without Baresi, AC Milan would not have dominated like they did. A true icon.
Kid Charlemagne1Beckenbauer Moore Baresi Maldini Cafu Lahm Vogts Hansen Desailly Passarella Pique Ramos Scirea #Icons
Very sad news... whenever I get into debates about "old" football vs modern football, Baresi's name is the first I pull out. Made his debut in the late-70s and, other than teammate Paolo Maldini, has there been a better defender in world football? Not for me.
Bob S.2As they say, he was a Proper defender. Great anticipation and could tackle. Rarely saw an attacker get the better of him.
ClinicalSnifferClarke1Inspiration for the Baresi of Beeston (Paul Beesley). Truly sad. A defender’s defender.
This is a dead platform1Wasn’t the quickest but never out of position always walked off the pitch spotless smelling of Armani (we used to say)
tricky1273.bsky.social1Agreed. Baresi was pure class. I would maybe include Cannavaro?
