Franco Baresi is remembered as the captain and moral centre of Arrigo Sacchi’s great Milan side, whose defensive approach transformed Italian football in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The article argues that his intelligence, composure and leadership made him the defining centre-back of his era, rather than simply a product of Italy’s traditional defensive style.

Baresi won his first Serie A title aged 19 in 1979 and stayed loyal to Milan through the Totonero scandal, relegations and financial turmoil, eventually making 719 appearances over 20 years without playing for another club. Under Sacchi, he embraced and helped embed Milan’s radical zonal-marking, pressing system, even urging the coach to intensify training when he feared players might lose its principles; Baresi died aged 66.