An entire city and an entire sport stopped for an entire morning to celebrate one of their beloved sons who is no longer with us. Milan and football paid their final farewell to Franco Baresi, who passed away on July 31st at the age of 66. His touching funeral, held at the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, united all those who respected and loved him, far beyond the iconic red and black colors he wore between 1978 and 1997, becoming AC Milan's flagship.
Franco Baresi, free to act as a true deep-lying playmaker in a football that was changing around him (transitioning from the classic Italian-style catenaccio to the zonal formation desired by Arrigo Sacchi), played 531 league games for AC Milan, including two seasons in Serie B, reaching a total of 719 appearances, including cup competitions. Along the way, he collected six league titles, the one with the Star and the five under Sacchi and Capello, as well as three European Cups (the last of which was already called the Champions League), two Intercontinental Cups, and much more. But he also entered the history of Italian football in another way: never before had a club retired a number, assigning it forever to one of its stars after his retirement. For him, it happened on October 28, 1997, further proof of the charisma he displayed on the pitch and the affection he had garnered over a twenty-year career. That night, at San Siro, the slogan "6 forever" was launched, which almost twenty years later was also the underlying theme of the city's heartfelt farewell to its champion.
A champion simultaneously deeply attached to the only club of his career, yet also universal. Many representatives of rival teams, who always viewed him as an adversary but not an enemy, showed up to bid him farewell at Sant'Ambrogio: Frederic Massara and Gianluca Pessotto for Juventus, Giancarlo Antognoni for Fiorentina, Urbano Cairo for Torino. And Inter, represented by president Beppe Marotta and Beppe Bergomi, with whom the parallels with Baresi were numerous and at times heartbreaking throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Pillars, icons, and eternal captains of the two Milanese teams, the two defenders lost their fathers at a young age and then bonded forever with the colors supported by the other, developing a bond that has endured forever. It is no coincidence that the last time they were seen together was as torchbearers for Milan Cortina 2026. The last act of an entire life spent battling without ever making war.
Inevitably, the most well-known faces represented at Sant'Ambrogio were those of AC Milan. Accompanying the great champion on his final journey to Milan were former teammates Alberico Evani, Pietro Paolo Virdis, Alessandro Costacurta, Marco Simone, Demetrio Albertini, and Massimo Ambrosini, all charged with carrying his coffin. Also present at the Basilica were Paolo Maldini, Marco van Basten, Nevio Scala, Mauro Tassotti, Giovanni Galli, and Angelo Colombo. "The Gospels clearly show Jesus' predilection for the little ones, for those who are Piscinin, as Franco Baresi was affectionately called," stated Monsignor Carlo Faccendini, Abbot of Sant'Ambrogio, in his homily, recalling a nickname dating back to 1978. "Franco was a champion, we all recognize his class, tenacity, and strength: the Maradona of defense, the best defender ever, as we have read in recent days. We recognize his leadership, his captain par excellence. The champion and his trophies, so many, but also his defeats and bitter tears. The good remains of him, the love with which we live remains," he added.
The past, the history, the legacy. Strong feelings for the AC Milan community, which instead seethes over a present that many are struggling to cope with. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic absent, as announced days ago, owner Gerry Cardinale and president Paolo Scaroni showed up at the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio: there were numerous howls, whistles, and chants of protest directed at both. And who knows, perhaps the memory of a great champion and symbol of the past, Franco Baresi, might contribute to a mission that currently appears complicated: rebuilding and re-integrating the Rossoneri soul.
