The Perfect Defence. The great AC Milan defence of Baraesi, Maldivian, Costacurta and Tassotti

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The Perfect Defence.

This AC Milan defence has been mentioned a few times as a great defence. Decent article on it.

 

 Goals are beautiful and necessary to win a match, but the perfect tackle, block, or clearance gets my heart racing in the same way as a beautiful goal. In fact, it was four legendary defenders that helped me to fall in love with football, the Italian national team, and Milan in the first place. Four of the best defenders that ever played the game. Most consider them to be the perfect defense.

 

This 1994 Milan side contains the perfect defense

 

It was the 1994 World Cup, my very first time ever watching football, and I kept being drawn to this Italian team. There was this guy Roberto Baggio, who kept scoring a goal just in time to drag the team through to the next game and then eventually, the final.
 

But in spite of his heroics, I was mesmerized by four defenders, all wearing azzurri blue: Tassotti, Baresi, Costacurta, and Maldini. They absolutely stood out amongst the defenders from the other countries. They read the game so much better than the other defenders, and they had amazing tackles and clearances.

 

The essential right back

Mauro Tassotti

Tassotti came to Milan in 1980, the first of only two seasons that the club played in Serie B. Despite Milan having their worst few seasons in the early 1980’s, Tassotti was a starter right away and quickly became one of the best players of that team. Playing at right back, he was strong, tactically intelligent, and could mark opposition players well. But he was also fast, athletic, and great at making attacking runs, as well as putting in great crosses. He developed technically on the ball, with an elegance about his play that was similar to his fellow defenders. His tactical proficiency and ability to read the game so well contributed to the coaching career he has maintained since hanging up his boots. As an added bonus, he was also known for just the one haircut throughout his career and well into his coaching career. Seriously, though, a hard-working, humble, and brilliant right back.

 

The eternal captain

 

Franco Baresi

After a trial with Inter, Baresi was turned down by the Nerazzurri, while his brother was accepted. The wiser of the two clubs, Milan, snatched up Franco Baresi, and after a spell in the youth sector, he would become a bandiera and eternal captain for the Rossoneri, with 20 years in the senior team. He became one of the greatest of all times, one of the last great sweepers in defense. His strength, pace, stamina, and power made him an intimidating opponent. But he was also masterful at reading the game and distributing the ball, which made him a complete threat. The combination of both power and elegance was amazing to watch, and a common theme in this entire defense. His leadership, calmness, and wisdom were essential on and off the pitch, but his defensive abilities on the pitch made him second to none.

 

The versatile center back

 

Alessandro “Billy” Costacurta

Perhaps the most versatile defender of this back four, Costacurta played primarily at center back, but was capable of playing any position in defense. He was tactically very smart and quick, very good at reading the game and responding. His specialty was man-marking, although he was equally good at zonal marking. He was also great in the air and a great penalty taker, which only added to his versatility. Perhaps sometimes hidden in the shadows of two captains, his qualities of pace, elegance, and positioning cannot be overlooked or forgotten. He, too, is largely considered one of the best center backs of all time by both peers and fans alike.

 

A second generation captain

 

Paolo Maldini

Not only was Maldini a second-generation Milan player, first capped at age 16, his Milan story continues today as technical director. He lifted the Champions League trophy for the first time as captain exactly 40 years later than his father had lifted the European Cup trophy. In addition to being a fan favorite, he was known for being one of the most elegant defenders ever to play. Starting at right back, switching to left back for much of his career, then becoming an excellent center back in his own right, he was known for his seemingly effortless, breathtaking and perfectly timed tackles, which he actually played to avoid. His ability to read his opponents and position himself well is what made him able to avoid challenges rather than always have to tackle. His ability to get forward and put in amazing crosses made him an attacking threat as well. Like Baresi, he would captain both Milan and the Italy national team.

 

Individually, they were brilliant, the best of the best. Together, these four defenders were formidable. In the 1993-94 season alone, not only did Milan win the Scudetto, they did it conceding only 15 goals. Milan also won the Champions League that year, infamously beating Barcelona 4-0 in the final. That’s right, a clean sheet. Against Cruyff’s Barcelona. In the Champions League final. And then Milan’s starting back four went to the World Cup, helping Italy to reach the final. That was only one year. Together, their team and individual accolades require a list that seems almost infinite, trophies and titles that most teams could only dream of.

 

Numbers six and three retired, because it doesn't get any better than this

 

People will debate about which players were the best of all time at various positions, but for anyone that knows football, there is probably the least debate about which four defenders were the best of all time. They were all four in Milan’s legendary defense. Athletic and elegant, classy and tactically intelligent, they are the opposite of the stereotypical crunching tacklers and bruisers that the word “defender’ usually brings to mind. They were all legends in their own right. In fact, two of those four players are the only two players to have their numbers retired at Milan, both legendary captains as well. Together, the four of them made up the perfect defense.

 

 

 

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Of course that should read in the heading Maldini😀.
 

The spell checker is already having a shocker…😀😀

Edited April 14, 2022 by erskblue

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FRANCO BARESI AND PAOLO MALDINI: THE GREATEST DEFENDERS IN CALCIO HISTORY

31/08/2018 by GARY THACKER. www.thesefootballtimes.com  

 

This feature is part of Duology

At the heart of almost every successful team is a solid back line, usually built around the central defensive partnership. They are the bedrock of the team. They provide the foundation upon which a team is built and can grow and flourish. If the value of such partnerships is gauged by the success enjoyed by the team then the trophies garnered by AC Milan, when they dominated European football in the 1980s and 90s, suggest that the partnership provided by Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini was nothing but pure gold.

Both players were one-club professionals and only ever wore Milan’s change kit if it wasn’t the famous red and black stripes on their backs. Between them, they turned out no less than 1,621 times for the Rossoneri, in careers utterly laden with trophies and awards. Whilst both were diligently professional and complemented each other with a symbiotic perfection on the pitch, the perception of them, in their physical appearance at least, was very different.

Maldini had the playboy looks. Tall, dark and tanned, with a brooding smile, he was the epitome of Italian style. On the field, although he was combative, he also had a natural elegance about him that spoke of abilities far exceeding those of even most outstanding full-backs. His ability was also backed up by an exemplary dedication to fitness; prolonging his career with the club.

The son of a former manager and player, Paolo Maldini oozed Rossoneri passion and the Milanista tifosi that massed in the Curva Sud very much took to him as one of their own. So, if Paolo Maldini was the beauty, then was Franco Baresi the beast? 

The legendary defender was shorter, skinnier, and nobody’s idea of an Adonis. Certainly no beauty, was Baresi, but probably the most outstanding central defender of his generation. In an interview with Jamie Carracher published in the Daily Mail in 2015, Maldini himself waxed lyrical about his teammate. “He was a short, skinny guy but so strong. He could jump so high. The way he played on the field was an example for everybody. He wasn’t a big speaker, no, no, no. The way he played, the way he trained was an example,” he enthused. 

Maldini went on to explain that very little of Baresi’s success was born of natural physical attributes but instead of a professional attitude and dedication. “He wasn’t like Stam, a big guy who was strong and fast. He had pace, but he was only 70kg. But let me tell you – when he hit you with a tackle, he was so strong.” 

It’s a ringing endorsement of Baresi and playing alongside him clearly left a lasting impression on Maldini. Carragher enquired as to how big an influence was Baresi on him? The answer was both clear and full of respect. “For me, he was the role model,” he confirmed. “He was a reference. He was also very good with the ball. Very, very good. It is very hard to find a good defender who is strong and good with the ball. Very hard.”

Maldini was also happy to confirm that, without doubt, Baresi was the best defender he had ever played with or against, at club or international level, though there was more to it than that. Clearly the player who featured alongside Baresi considered him the very best of all, and this partnership would produce some outstanding performances for their club, driving it forward to undreamt glory. 

Baresi joined Milan in 1977, beginning a career that spanned two decades. Appointed captain of the team at just 22, his leadership qualities were recognised early. As Maldini eluded to, though, this was no shouting, gesticulating captain, with arms flailing around to be the centre of attention, Baresi’s leadership was all about example. Disciplined attention to the game and ferocious in the tackle, Baresi was the ideal defender, but his talents extended beyond merely a destructive excellence.

An outstanding range of passing, superb technical ability with the ball at his feet, and an uncanny ability to read the game and see opportunities to move forward from his sentinel position made him the ideal libero. Players further forward would come alive when Baresi was in possession, striding forwards out of defence, as so many attacks began from such situations. The quiet professionalism and application that turned the five foot nine inch defender into a giant on the pitch was the guiding light for his team.

Such ability should surely guarantee a rich harvest of silverware, and Baresi accumulated trophies with zeal. His would be rewarded with three European Cup triumphs, four Scudetti, two Intercontinental Cups and four Italian Super Cups. He was also a member of the Azzurri’s World Cup winning squad in 1982. His contribution to Milan’s cause would be underscored by the awards of AC Milan Player of the Century and Serie A Player of the Century. Such was the respect he engendered. 

Paolo Maldini’s achievements hardly suffer by comparison. Seven Scudetti and five European Cup/Champions League triumphs – three of which were achieved alongside Baresi – is the stuff of dreams for most. Take into account that he won his first in 1989 and his fifth no less than 18 years later and the player’s remarkable longevity is well illustrated. Throw in a Coppa Italia success, two Intercontinental Cups, a Club World Cup and five Italian Super Cups and it fast becomes a list of embarrassingly grandiose proportions. 

Maldini’s career with the club began some eight years after Baresi had made his debut, but the length of his paying time with Milan, an incredible 24 years, meant that there were a dozen years when both served in the club’s colours. It’s surely no coincidence that this period contained some of the club’s most glorious seasons of all.

In the late-80s and early-90s, AC Milan were the premier club in Europe. First under Arrigo Sacchi and later when Fabio Capello took over the reins, Milan had a team that swept all before them, collecting silverware with the enthusiasm of a magpie on speed. Silvio Berlusconi had brought three Dutchmen to the club to bolster the team’s power going forwards. Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard delivered on that, and Milan had a potent strike force. It was, however, at the back of the team that the pulse of the team was beaten out, and it had an all-Italian heart.

Originally, Maldini was deployed as a left-back, with Alessandro Costacurta playing alongside the skipper in the heart of the defence; Mauro Tassotti guarding the other flank. It was the stingiest of defences. Despite Serie A’s reputation for producing outstanding defenders, some of the statistics of the era are still eye-wateringly good. In a run stretching between 1991 and 1993, Milan went an incredible 58 league games without defeat – a run that comprised the entire title-winning 1992/93 season – during which time they conceded just 21 goals. That may seem outstanding in itself but, in 1987/88, the total was 14 and only one more than that in 1993/94.

In fact, the early years of the 90s were barren in the extreme for any team coming up against the Milan defence. Across the first four years of the decade, with that backline consistently in place, Milan lost less than a dozen games in total. It’s a figure that bears repetition.

A total of just 11 defeats in one of the most competitive leagues in Europe across four complete seasons of 34 games. Extrapolate it across the entire period and you get 11 losses in 136 games. Only losing one game in every 12 speaks of consistency and truly the highest quality of defending. 

Although beginning as a left-back, Maldini exhibited the game intelligence and defensive attributes to serve equally well, or perhaps even better, as a centre-back and, when he moved there to partner the captain, the pair formed an indomitable partnership. There’s little doubt that having Baresi alongside him, eight years his senior, was a massive help in developing Maldini’s play at the heart of the defence.

Having a mentor of that stature alongside him meant it was inevitable that all of the skipper’s good habits would be picked up and built on his already outstanding abilities. It’s a little akin to having Albert Einstein as your physics teacher at school.

It’s true to say that the number of games they played together as a central defensive pair was less than those when Maldini played on the flank and Costacurta partnered Baresi in the middle. What they lacked in quantity, though, was more than made up for in quality.

Those games not only produced outstanding performances but, for the younger man, also provided something of a finishing school; par excellence in the art of the central defensive role.   

When paired in the centre, in both domestic and across European competition, the partnership comprised 196 games and delivered performances of the highest order. It’s little wonder that the Rossoneri were so successful and the partnership received such adulation.

It was to no-one’s great surprise that when the great man drew down the curtain on his career the armband he had worn with such distinction was passed on to Maldini. They had shared in so many domestic, European and indeed global triumphs, passing on the captaincy therefore seemed entirely appropriate. 

When Baresi’s career was finally brought to a halt, having appeared in more than 500 Serie A games for Milan, the club granted him the honour of retiring his number six shirt as a mark of respect.

Later, when the Maldini retired from playing, well past his 40th birthday, the same fate awaited the number three shirt.

By this time, Maldini had played 647 times in Serie A games. It was, and remains, a record. The same goes for the number of appearances for Milan in all competitions. Maldini’s total of 902 is unlikely to ever be breached at the highest level of the game. He had also played a staggering 126 times for his country.

For a club to have been blessed with one such outstanding defender is something to celebrate. To have two such players wearing your colours is to be more than favoured by the gods of football. To have both playing together can only be the guarantee of success and the promise to deliver your club to the heights of glory.

In having Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini not only present in the same back line but also have them paired at the heart of the defence, and then have one mentor the other so that the flame was kept ablaze beyond their own mortal contribution, is surely unfair to any and all opposition.

The beauty and the best were truly an outstanding duo and set the standards so many other defenders have sought to emulate.

So far, no-one has done so. They just might never.

By Gary Thacker @All_Blue_Daze

Edited by Will Sharp @shillwarp

Edited April 14, 2022 by erskblue

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A reminder in case anyone is interested in this article.

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Features, The Long Read

FRANCO BARESI: THE MAN WHOSE EFFORTLESS DEFENDING REMAINS THE BENCHMARK ALMOST THREE DECADES ON

24/07/2019 by GARY THACKER

www.thesefootballtimes.com

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Describing the defender that he had played alongside for so many glorious years in the Rossoneri backline Paolo Maldini, in an interview with Jamie Carragher, said: “He was special.” In that simple phrase, he encapsulated the aura and majesty of a player who graced the famous red and black as a one-club man. He is a hero of the tifosi on the Curva Sud, and the man for whom AC Milan retired the number 6 shirt. He is the incomparable Franco Baresi.

Baresi was born in Travaglito, Lombardy, about an hour’s distance from Milan, but it was his performances in the Lombardian capital’s famous football stadium that brought him such renown and glory. If the San Siro can be rightly described as a theatre of sporting drama, the city also boasts another world-famous venue in La Scala opera house.

It was in this famous steeply-tiered arena that Guiseppe Verdi – who also travelled to Milan to make his name – premiered his first opera, ‘Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio’.

It’s a story of family loyalty and honour, where the eponymous hero eventually dies in a duel rather than compromise his fidelity. Although Baresi didn’t quite go that far in the interest of his club he certainly devoted his entire career to the Rossoneri, many times eschewing options of a move to another of Europe’s behemoth clubs when Milan endured dark periods.

Not only for the achievements, trophies and glory, it is loyalty in times of such adversity that firmly attach a player in fans’ affections. It’s a place that Baresi clearly occupies for the Milan faithful.

In a land famous for producing players with an outstanding ability to defend, it’s perhaps not surprising that a figure such a Baresi would have been born Italian.
 

Even among the peers of his nationality, however, there’s ample evidence to suggest that he was a player that, despite his relatively diminutive stature of five foot ten inches, stood figuratively head and shoulders above other defenders of his, or any other, era.

Ferocious in the tackle and yet undemonstrative verbally, Baresi was very much a leader by example, seldom expressing himself to his teammates other than to maintain the defensive discipline and organisation that was the hallmark of any team led by him. He was, however, no mere ‘hatchet-man’ backline defender.

He was blessed with an ability to read the game defensively, and when seized of the opportunity to carry the ball out of defence for club and country he was a gifted playmaker, with an acute sense of game-craft.

It was a style that led many to compare him to the legendary Franz Beckenbauer,who had defined the libero role a generation earlier. Whilst many would say that the Bayern Munich player had been superior moving forward with the ball into midfield, few would dispute that Baresi was far and away the more accomplished defender. Each had their own style.

In 20 years under the red and black banner, he not only had a glorious and trophy-laden career, but also displayed outstanding loyalty by standing by his club when twice relegated to Serie B.
 

Strange to say, then, that if a slightly different scenario had applied in his early life, his colours may have been blue and black, and the fans that lauded him could have been placed at the opposite end of the San Siro, on the Curva Nord.

 

Franco Baresi was born on 8 May 1960, the younger brother of Giuseppe, who was just over two years his senior. The brothers lost both of their parents when Franco had reached the age of 16, but by this time both had decided that they wanted to become footballers, enjoying trials with Internazionale.

The Nerazzurritook on the elder brother, but Franco was rejected as the club considered him too slight at the time, perhaps not up to the rigours of Serie A football.

Franco later said: “My brother was already with Inter, he’s older than me. I wanted to follow him so I had a trial first with Inter, and they said, ‘Well, come back next year’. But my coach took me to Milan, and there I was accepted, although it took a couple of trials.”

He was a mere 14 years of age at the time but the fact that Milan rather than Internazionale had taken him on board was something that he had secretly hoped for anyway. “I was always a Milanista. And it was my great fortune to always play for Milan.”

The two brothers moved to the city of Milan, and Franco was given a sport-study programme at Milan’s famous Milanello training complex. Thrust into the world of high achieving players, the reticent and reserved Baresi could easily have been missed. “I was shy … at the start when I was just 14, and I saw all the big Milan stars, they seemed like they were from another planet.

But I didn’t hide. I did try and avoid crossing their paths, just because they seemed untouchable, unapproachable.” As he grew, however, so his talent was increasingly obvious and he became known among the club’s coaching staff for his dedication and focus.

At the time, Giuseppe was already an accomplished player and prospering for the Nerazzurri. It was no surprise then that the younger brother quickly became labelled as ‘the other Baresi’. As their careers progressed, increasingly it was an epithet that was transferred to the elder brother.

Former manager, the late Nils Liedholm, remarked at the time: “At 18, he already had the knowledge of a veteran.” The Swede was to give Baresi his Serie A debut away to Verona in April 1978 and the youngster took his chance to impress. As the following season dawned, Baresi was now an established member of the first team.

During the summer, Liedholm had decided to pin his colours on the ability of his young defender. After taking him to one side following a training session, he informed the young Baresi that in his manager’s eyes, he was now the first choice libero at the club. It was a position he was to hold for the next two decades.

Although an established member of the team, Baresi was still very much the junior by age and his teammates labelled him as Piscinin – ‘Little One’.

Although in his normal reticent way, he made little of the name; it wasn’t something that he particularly enjoyed at the time. He certainly never thought that it was something that held back his career. “I think my strong point was never my physique. I was a pretty fast player, but above all I was fast up here, in the head. That’s what helped me a lot. It’s a natural thing.

Of course you can improve it, you can grow with experience, but it’s one of those natural gifts.”

His long-time defensive partner, Paolo Maldini, certainly didn’t disagree with that assessment: “He wasn’t like Stam, a big guy who was strong and fast. He had pace, but he was only 70kg. But let me tell you – when he hit you with a tackle, he was so strong.”

 

Later in life, he felt more comfortable about how people perceived him at the time and could laugh at the nickname. “I got it when I was about 17 or 18, because I was the smallest in the group,” he later commented. “the masseur gave it to me, a man who saw me grow and get my first big break in the team.” As his career blossomed, the nickname diminished and was replaced with ‘Kaiser Franz’ – in reference to the similarity some felt with the play of the famous West Germany international.

That first season with Baresi as a member of the regular starting line up saw Milan dominate the league and end up as Serie A champions.

It was the club’s tenth Scudetto and allowed the young defender to gain experience playing alongside such luminaries as Fabio Capello and the legendary Ballon d’Or winner and former golden boy of Italian football, Gianni Rivera, who was in the final year of his career.

The libero position was ideal for Baresi. His ability to read the game allowed him to eliminate many attacking threats before they had an opportunity to develop. Prodding his backline into position, tackling and intercepting, before taking the ball forward, he became the leading light of the Rossoneri defence. It was often as much for his dedication to the game, as his lauded skills, that Baresi earned his teammates’ respect.

He was acutely aware of the standards he needed to maintain to earn such acclaim: “For people to look up to you, your behaviour needs to be beyond reproach. Training, hard work and an excellent relationship with supporters are guiding principles that should never be taken lightly.”

When asked about the sort of defenders he admired, Baresi’s answer perhaps reveals much about how he perceives the game: “I liked people like Ruud Krol, that kind of elegant, considered defender who liked to play football as well as defend.”

Such an approach also meant that the issue of his stature was negated somewhat. Maldini remarked: “He was a short, skinny guy but so strong. He could jump so high.

The way he played on the field was an example for everybody. He wasn’t a big speaker, no, no, no. The way he played, the way he trained was an example. He was also very good with the ball. It is very hard to find a good defender who is strong and good with the ball.”

Despite having the skills of a midfielder, as Maldini remarks, it shouldn’t be taken that this meant Baresi was anything but a determined defender with a hard-man resilience to both the deployment of his game, and to drive himself through pain and discomfort.

During the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Italy were drawn in a group with Ireland, Norway and Mexico. After losing their initial game to Jack Charlton’s men, they faced Norway in their second game. A further defeat was unthinkable.

After a particularly robust challenge, Baresi quickly realised that something was seriously wrong with his right knee. Already down to ten men after goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca was dismissed for handling the ball outside of his area, the Azzurri were in serious trouble.

Losing their skipper to injury was unthinkable. Despite gallant efforts to carry on, Baresi was forced to leave the pitch and a torn meniscus was diagnosed. In his absence, Italy rallied and Dino Baggio scored a second-half winner. At 34, it seemed that the international stage, let alone this World Cup, had seen the last of Baresi. His determination came to the fore, however. “I wanted to be with the team,” he declared. So instead of being whisked back to Italy for surgery and recuperation to be ready for the new domestic season, the decision was made to have the operation to repair the injury straight away. “Frankly, I didn’t believe I would make it back,” he later said.

 

Italy, however, were growing into the tournament. They won their final group game against Mexico and qualified for the knockout stages. They defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the last-16 before disposing of Spain in the quarter-finals and Bulgaria in the semi-finals by the same score. The Azzurri were in the final, and their run had given time for Baresi to recover.

A mere 25 days after the injury, he returned to the team for the final against Brazil in Pasadena. Months of recuperation were squeezed into a few weeks, but as Baresi said: “The more Italy progressed the more I intensified the work. It came to me automatically.

There was no timetable, nor were there any expectations on anyone’s part.” It was simply a matter of determination, and therefore Franco Baresi was unlikely to come up short.

As if to exact perverse revenge, the fates took a hand in the final where, although Baresi and his teammates held Brazil to a goalless 90 minutes and extra-time, the Azzurri were to lose out in a penalty shootout. Never one to hide, Baresi was to be one of the Italians brave enough to step up, but unfortunate enough to miss.

As he trudged back to the centre-circle, blue shirt untucked as usual, there were tears running down his rugged features. The weeks of work had got him there, only to be denied at the last. Despite the many glories, adversity was no stranger to Franco Baresi.

After the success of his debut season in the first team and the Scudetto, Milan were to experience the embarrassment of relegation in 1980 after being implicated in what appears to be a semi-regular appearance of match-fixing scandals in Italian football.
 

Baresi stayed loyal to the club and was rewarded as Milan bounced straight back as Serie B champions. Their return to the top flight proved arduous, however, and a second relegation followed as they finished in the bottom three of the table.

For a player who had been a member of the 1982 World Cup-winning squad – although he didn’t play in the tournament – Baresi would have had an opportunity to move on in order to retain his status, but it never became an option he seriously considered.

In 1982 the decision was made that, at just 22, it was time for AC Milan to recognise not only the talents but also the leadership qualities of Baresi: he was made captain of the club. “I didn’t have problems,” he later said. “It was unusual to become captain so early, but it was an unusual situation; Milan in 1982 got sent down to Serie B so they made me captain straight away. They wanted to rebuild the side and base it around me.” There’s no hint of bravado in his statement, merely a simple laying out of the facts.

Promotion quickly followed in 1983 but, as the club stuttered along, it would be a further three years before AC Milan was purchased by Silvio Berlusconi, under whose ownership the club enjoyed unparalleled success. The controversial entrepreneur took Arrigo Sacchi to San Siro as the new manager, and with the signings of Dutch superstars Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard – joining the now established team stalwarts of Maldini, Costacurta and Donadoni – all, of course, imperiously led by Baresi, a new footballing dominance was set in place.

 

The city of Milan is no stranger to dominance. The influence of the powerful Milanese Visconti family flourished from the 13th to the 15th century and was reprised by the Sforza family around the Renaissance period. In a not too dissimilar way, after the time of Sacchi and the Dutch players, Fabio Capello took over at the helm and brought in Marcel Desailly, Zvonimir Boban and Dejan Savićević. Baresi remained a constant throughout.

During this period, Milan won six Scudetti, the European Cup thrice, six Suppercoppa Italiana, three European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. Although it is true to say that the array of forward players accumulated by the Rossoneri in this period contributed greatly to such success, the miserly defence, marshalled with such excellence by the elegant Baresi, played a more than full part.

For example, in the triumphant 1987/88 season, Milan conceded 14 goals. His contribution to the cause was recognised in 1999 when he was voted as the club’s Player of the Century. In 2004 he was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at the FIFA centenary and was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2013. He also finished as runner-up to Milan teammate Marco van Basten for the Ballon d’Or in 1989.

Baresi also enjoyed success on the international stage. After collecting his World Cup winner’s medal in 1982, he was named as a member of the FIFA World Cup all-star team after the 1990 tournament when Italy finished in third place on home soil and, as mentioned, above played in the 1994 tournament when the Azzurri lost out in the final to Brazil.

His international career began in 1980 when, whilst still playing for Italy’s under-21 side, he was selected to join his brother in the squad for the home European Championship He never played in the tournament as Italy finished fourth. Two years later, the situation was repeated in the Spanish World Cup, although the Italian triumph surely compensated more than somewhat for his lack of involvement. He played and scored during the 1984 Olympics, but missed out on a medal as the Italians were defeated by Yugoslavia in the bronze medal playoff after losing to Brazil in the semi-final.

The same year saw him win his first senior international cap during a European Championship qualifying game against Romania. Unsurprisingly, the Baresi-inspired defence kept a clean sheet in Florence that day, but the Azzurri failed to qualify for the tournament finals.

The following few years were a troubling time internationally as the then-Italy manager, Enzo Bearzot, saw Baresi more as a holding midfielder than a sweeper. It was a role that the talented Baresi could doubtless play with ease, but pitted against the likes of Marco Tardelli – plus, ironically, his brother Giuseppe – for that spot in the team, it meant an inevitable second-choice status. It was not a situation Baresi was used to being cast in, and without any doubt, it cost him a number of caps.

When Azeglio Vicini replaced Bearzot, however, he wasted little time in realigning the natural order of things. Baresi was quickly returned to the fold in his natural position of sweeper and established himself as a regular member of the team, playing every match of Euro 88, where the Azzurri reached the semi-finals. When the 1990 World Cup rolled round – to be played on Italian soil – there was little doubt that Baresi would be key to the hopes of the host country.

 

He duly made his World Cup debut and was outstanding throughout as Italy progressed to the semi-final stage. Now in his pomp, under Baresi’s guidance the Azzurri back-line kept five consecutive clean sheets in the tournament, recording over 500 minutes without conceding and only seeing their defence breached twice in all.

Unfortunately, following a goalless draw after 90 minutes and extra-time, they succumbed to Argentina on penalties, when the Italian curse of 17 struck as Roberto Donadoni missed the vital spot-kick. Baresi had been the first of the Italians to step up, and duly slotted home his spot-kick. His performances meant inclusion in the FIFA select team of the tournament was inevitable.

For the 1994 tournament – the first to be staged in North America – Baresi had now taken over as his country’s captain from the long-serving Giuseppe Bergomi. Although the finals were to illustrate the determination of Baresi to contribute to the cause, his desire was ultimately foiled as Italy lost out to Brazil – again on penalties – in the final. Perhaps realising that his last chance of tournament glory had gone in that hot Pasadena afternoon, Baresi played only one further match for the national side.

Following a 1-1 draw with Slovenia in September 1994, he pulled down the curtain and retired from international football. His international career had given him 81 caps; but for Bearzot’s obtuse reluctance to recognise the defensive talent at his disposal, he would surely have topped a century. He had the rare distinction, however, to have won gold, silver and bronze medals at World Cup tournaments.

It is such records that led to many acclaim Baresi as surely one of the greatest defenders – and therefore players – of all-time, although only ranked 19th in the World Soccer list of the 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century. No career goes on forever, though, and he announced his retirement from all football in 1997. Players are often the first to know when the time is right for such decisions. Baresi related later: “It was tough to retire, but that last season I had a lot of injuries and I couldn’t train properly, so the desire to quit began to build. Then, after 27 years playing, it was time.”

It was never likely that player with such a determined and perfectionist attitude would ever be happy to be playing at anything less than the maximum of his powers, and so it was. As a mark of respect and in recognition to his immense contribution to the success of AC Milan across two decades, the club retired Baresi’s famous number 6 shirt shortly after he announced he was hanging up his boots.

Many years ago, even when top-ranked professionals retired, there was little future for someone whose life had been so dominated by such an all-consuming profession that had suddenly vanished. In England, many opted to open a pub or run a sports shop.

Of late, however, with the inflated wages being earned and international fame assured, there are many more options. It was a surprise to many when, in June 2002, Baresi was appointed as Fulham’s director of football, supposedly to work alongside manager Jean Tigana.

Sadly his time in west London didn’t last long. Director of Football is one of those ambiguous posts that can mean a number of different things to different people – and at different times. After he had left the club, Baresi made it known that it was his understanding that he would, in a short time after his appointment, be replacing Tigana to take full control of the team.

According to the Italian, it seemed that the club had a change of heart and wanted to retain the Frenchman, rather than move him on. From Baresi’s perspective, this left him with “nothing to do” and he decided to move on in August of the same year.

In 2006, AC Milan appointed him as coach of the under-19 squad at the club. It was a move widely acclaimed. For a legendary player who had exhibited exemplary attitudes during his career, and was widely respected, his influence could only be a positive attribute for the younger players. It was not to be a long-time appointment, however, and he later retired from coaching.

The official AC Milan website sums up the regard Baresi is held in by the club. It reads: “In the history of Italian football very few players can be considered real one club legends for their teams, but Franco Baresi is surely that for AC Milan.” In football, defenders rarely receive the acclaim they deserve.

The accolade of “great” is usually reserved for those that attack and score: Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff, Messi, Ronaldo; none of them won fame for their ability to defend.

Of World Soccer’s 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century, the only player figuring in the top ten who could arguably be described as a defender is Beckenbauer – and such a designation is probably dubious at best. Baresi is at 19.

The great German was really a midfielder who simply adapted a role to suit him, rather than being a natural back-line operative. Baresi wasn’t that – he was a defender who excelled at his craft to the extent that his name should surely be regarded in the most exalted of company.

After Verdi’s debut at La Scala, he went on to complete a lifetime’s work that had him ranked as one of the foremost operatic composers of all time.

A contemporary of Richard Wagner – they were born in the same year – there was always a rivalry between the two, with adherents to the two different styles debating which was better. Surely, the grist to that particular mill is that they should be celebrated as different, rather than competitively. Both deserve high acclaim.

Whilst Baresi and Beckenbauer were not of the same generation, many have sought to claim one as better than the other as they occupied similar roles in outstanding teams, at both club and international level. As with the maestros, that is surely fallacious. Although they had complementary talents, they were different in both approach and deployment.

It’s worth pondering on the equity of that for a moment. Could I venture that if we cast off a perhaps natural aversion to honouring the defensive side of the game, there’s room at the top end of that list for one of the best defenders ever to play football, the “special” Franco Baresi.

Edited June 25 by erskblue

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In case anyone is interested in having a read.