AC Milan announced on Friday that Franco Baresi, the defensive linchpin of the club’s golden era and a World Cup winner with Italy, has died at the age of 66. No cause of death was given, but the club had disclosed in 2025 that Baresi, its honorary vice-president, had undergone an operation to remove a pulmonary nodule and subsequently began a course of immunotherapy.

Baresi’s playing career was a study in fidelity and tactical intelligence. He joined Milan’s youth ranks in 1974, made his first-team debut in 1978, and never wore another club’s shirt, remaining even after the side was relegated to Serie B in the early 1980s. Over 719 appearances he won six Italian league titles and three European Cups, captaining the team for 15 seasons. His number 6 shirt was retired upon his retirement in 1997, a first in the club’s history.

On the international stage, Baresi was part of the Italy squad that lifted the 1982 World Cup, though he did not feature in the tournament. He later captained the Azzurri to a third-place finish on home soil in 1990 and to the final in 1994, where defeat to Brazil on penalties denied him a second world title. In all, he earned 81 caps.

As recently as February, Baresi appeared in public as one of the torchbearers at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, alongside former Inter defender Giuseppe Bergomi. Tributes poured in from across Italian football and beyond, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and clubs including Inter, Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona expressing condolences. Milan’s statement said his “example and integrity will forever remain in the club’s DNA, just like his iconic number 6 shirt.”