A former AC Milan captain Franco Baresi, who spent his entire playing career with the Serie A giants, has died nearly a year after undergoing surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule in August 2025.

He was 66.

AC Milan announced his passing in a statement on Friday, stating that it was in deep sorrow over the news. The club also sent condolence messages to the Baresi’s family and loved ones. 

“The entire history of AC Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi. His example and integrity will be forever etched into the Club’s DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is. 

“The condolences AC Milan extends to Franco Baresi’s family at such a difficult time are shared by every Rossonero, who feels this loss as their own,” the statement read. 

Baresi spent 20 seasons at AC Milan after making his professional debut in 1977 and went on to appear 719 times for the club, winning six Serie A, three UEFA Champions League titles among other silverware. 

For Italy, he won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with the Gli Azzurri. 

Meanwhile, tributes have begun to pour in from clubs and players, honouring the career of the deceased, who was described as one of the finest defenders to play football.

“Farewell to Franco Baresi, protagonist of the great clashes in the Milan Derby and one of the figures who most defined the history of the rivalry. 

“Captain, team man, and flag bearer of AC Milan, he lived every matchup with Inter between competition and respect, within a challenge that wrote unforgettable pages of Italian soccer,” AC Milan arch rivals Inter said in a statement. 

In their own tribute, Juventus stated, “There are people who, with their talent, enter history. And others who, with their humanity, remain there forever. Franco Baresi was both. Class, style, leadership, and respect on and off the field. 

“An example for generations of players and fans, loved and admired by all football enthusiasts. His memory will live on forever. Juventus Football Club stands in solidarity with the Baresi family and @acmilan in this moment of profound sorrow.”

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said, “On November 19, 1995, I made my Serie A debut against Milan. I was 17 years old, and on the other side was the captain of that team: Franco Baresi. For a boy my age, finding myself on the field against champions like him was something incredible. 

“From that day on, I had an even clearer understanding of what it meant to represent football with class, leadership, and respect. Hello Franco. Rest in peace,”