FIGC President Giovanni Malagò, Technical Director and Club Italia President Claudio Ranieri, and Italy head coach Roberto Mancini mourn the passing of Franco Baresi, one of the greatest Italian footballers of all time, who passed away today at the age of 66. A seven-time Ballon d’Or nominee and runner-up in 1989 behind Marco van Basten, the former Milan and Italy defender ranks 33rd in the IFFHS list of the best footballers of the 20th century. Since 2013, he has also been part of the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

A symbol of Milan, he spent 20 seasons with the club, winning six Scudetti, three European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and four Italian Super Cups. He wore the Italy shirt for 13 years, also serving as captain and becoming a World Cup winner in 1982 in Spain. With the Azzurri, he featured at three World Cups (1982, 1990 and 1994) and two European Championships (1980 and 1988), making 81 appearances and scoring one goal.

"Italian football has lost one of its legends," said FIGC President Giovanni Malagò. "An extraordinary legend who, throughout his entire career, wore just two shirts: Milan and the Azzurri. A romantic choice that saw him rightly capture the hearts of fans and millions of Italians. We will honour his memory as he deserves during Italy’s upcoming matches, for a national team to which he always showed exceptional dedication, becoming one of its most glorious symbols."