AC Milan and Italy great Franco Baresi has died aged 66, with Milan paying tribute to their former captain’s “example and integrity”. The developing report adds recent context on his health and final public appearance, underlining the loss of a figure whose career and leadership became central to the club’s identity.

Baresi spent all 20 years of his playing career at Milan, from 1977 to 1997, making 719 appearances, scoring 33 goals and winning six Serie A titles and three European Cups/Champions Leagues. He won the 1982 World Cup with Italy, earned 81 caps and played in the 1994 final; after surgery to remove a lung nodule in August 2025, he last appeared publicly at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in February.