AC Milan and Italy legend Franco Baresi dies aged 66

[p]"The entire history of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-milan/8Sa8HInO/"]AC Milan[/a] is in tears following the passing ‌of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/baresi-franco/zoCmAtul/"]Franco Baresi[/a]. His example and integrity will be forever etched ‌into the Club's DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is," the club ‌said on social media website X.[/p][p]Last year Baresi's former club, where ‌he served as honorary vice president, said he had undergone surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule, and had been prescribed recovery treatment by a cancer specialist.[/p][p]In February, Baresi was one ‌of the torchbearers for the Olympic flame at ⁠the opening ceremony for the Milano ‌Cortina Winter Games, appearing alongside former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter Milan[/a] and Italy defender Giuseppe Bergomi, his ​longtime rival on the pitch.[/p][embed guid="ad3b3c6c-be60-42ab-99b7-5bb28e5c04fc" url="https://x.com/acmilan/status/2083062918099173495" social-type="twitter" /][p]Baresi is regarded as an AC Milan icon, having spent his entire 20-year career with the club, winning ​six Serie A titles and three top European trophies, and captaining the team for 15 seasons before retiring in 1997.[/p][p]At the end of his playing ⁠career, Milan retired his number ​six shirt, making him the first player in the club's history to receive that honour.[/p][h2]'The Invincibles'[/h2][p]Baresi was part of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] squad that won the 1982 World Cup and captained the team to the 1994 final, which ended ‌in a narrow penalty shootout loss to Brazil, with Baresi among the players who failed to score.[/p][p]He famously played the full 120 minutes just 25 days after knee surgery.[/p][p]His loyalty to Milan was established early in his career, as he stayed with the club through two relegations to Serie B in the early 1980s and helped guide them back to the top flight on both occasions.[/p][p]Baresi was the cornerstone of the Milan and Italy defences for nearly two decades, captaining the Serie A club during the most ‌successful period in their history and earning 81 caps for the national team.[/p][p]In ​an era dominated by physical defenders, Baresi distinguished himself through his ‌reading of the game, redefining the sweeper role by combining defensive authority with the ability to launch attacks from deep.[/p][p]He marshalled a celebrated Milan backline featuring Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti, helping perfect the high defensive line and offside trap that underpinned the club's 58-match ⁠unbeaten run in Serie A and ⁠earned Fabio Capello's side the ‌nickname "Gli Invincibili" (The Invincibles).[/p]