Franco Baresi, AC Milan and Italy legend, dies at 66

Published Jul 31, 08:15 AM UTC

This article is an obituary and retrospective on Franco Baresi, the legendary AC Milan and Italy defender, who died at age 66. It recounts his humble upbringing on a farm near Brescia, his 20-season career at AC Milan where he won six Serie A titles and three European Cups, and his 1982 World Cup victory with Italy. The piece highlights his unique spatial awareness and vision, praised by filmmaker Werner Herzog, and draws parallels between Baresi's role as a deep-lying playmaker (regista) and Herzog's directorial vision. It also describes a personal trip Baresi took to the Amazon Theatre in Manaus, where he connected with indigenous archer Graciela Santos. The article is an excerpt from The Athletic's book 'The Soccer 100'.