Editing Franco Baresi (section)

==Club career==
Originally an [[AC Milan]] youth product, Baresi went on to spend his entire 20-year professional career with Milan, making his [[Serie A]] debut at age 17 during the [[1977–78 Serie A|1977–78 season]] on 23 April 1978.<ref name="A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Franco Baresi">{{cite web|url=https://www.acmilan.com/en/franco-baresi|title=A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Franco Baresi|website=acmilan.com|publisher=A.C. Milan|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=30 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160930102243/http://www.acmilan.com/en/franco-baresi|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cinquantamila">{{cite web|url=http://www.cinquantamila.it/storyTellerThread.php?threadId=BARESI%20Franco|title=Biografia di Franco Baresi|work=Il Corriere della Sera|language=it|author1=Giorgio Dell'Arti|date=2 October 2013|access-date=12 May 2017|archive-date=14 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014133003/http://www.cinquantamila.it/storyTellerThread.php?threadId=BARESI%20Franco|url-status=live}}</ref> He had initially been rejected by the [[Inter Milan|Internazionale]] youth team, who chose his brother Giuseppe instead, hence the Milan youth team signed Franco Baresi. The two brothers ended up captaining their respective teams shortly after, with their image while exchanging pennants became the trademark of Milan's ''derby della Madonnina'' throughout the 80s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://it.blastingnews.com/calcio/2018/10/inter-milan-quando-era-un-affare-di-famiglia-tutti-i-derby-dei-fratelli-baresi-002746305.html|title=FC Inter-AC Milan when it used to be a family affair|website=it.blastingnews.com|language=it|author=Michele Caltagirone|date=15 October 2018|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731200856/https://it.blastingnews.com/calcio/2018/10/inter-milan-quando-era-un-affare-di-famiglia-tutti-i-derby-dei-fratelli-baresi-002746305.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The following season, he was made a member of the starting 11, playing as a [[Sweeper (association football)|sweeper]] or as a centreback, winning the 1978–79 Serie A title, Milan's tenth overall, playing alongside [[Fabio Capello]] and [[Gianni Rivera]].<ref name="A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Franco Baresi"/>
[[File:Franco baresi panini card 1979.jpg|thumb|Baresi with AC Milan in 1979]]

This success was soon followed by a dark period in the club's history, when Milan was relegated to [[Serie B]] twice during the early 1980s. Milan were relegated in [[1979–80 Serie A|1980]] for being involved in the [[Totonero 1980|match fixing scandal of 1980]], and once again after finishing third-last in the [[1981–82 Serie A|1981–82 season]], after having just returned to Serie A the previous season, after winning the 1980–81 Serie B title. Despite being a member of the Euro 1980 Italy squad that had finished fourth, and the 1982 World Cup-winning team, Baresi elected to stay with Milan, winning the Serie B title for the second time during the 1982–83 season and bringing Milan back to Serie A. After [[Aldo Maldera]] and [[Fulvio Collovati]] left the club in 1982, Baresi was appointed Milan's captain, at age 22, and would hold this position for much of his time at the club, becoming a symbol and a leader for the team. During this bleak period for Milan, Baresi did manage to win a Mitropa Cup in 1982 and reached the [[Coppa Italia]] final during 1984–85 season, although the team failed to dominate in Serie A.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: Franco Baresi"/><ref name="Franchino (detto Franco) BARESI (II)"/>
During the end of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, Baresi was at the heart of a notable all-Italian defence alongside [[Paolo Maldini]], [[Alessandro Costacurta]], [[Mauro Tassotti]] and later [[Christian Panucci]], under managers [[Arrigo Sacchi]] and Fabio Capello, a defence which is regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time.{{efn|See<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espnfc.com/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2834534/gianluigi-buffon-record-cements-his-legacy-greatest-keeper|title=Gianluigi Buffon record cements his legacy as greatest keeper of all-time|publisher=ESPN FC|author1=James Horncastle|access-date=21 March 2016|date=21 March 2016|archive-date=23 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723040450/http://www.espnfc.com/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2834534/gianluigi-buffon-record-cements-his-legacy-greatest-keeper|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/mar/21/gianluigi-buffon-clean-sheet-record-juventus-torino-sebastiano-rossi|title=Gianluigi Buffon humble as clean sheet record tumbles, but delight not universal|work=The Guardian|first=Nicky|last=Bandini|date=21 March 2016|access-date=21 March 2016|archive-date=26 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726183438/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/mar/21/gianluigi-buffon-clean-sheet-record-juventus-torino-sebastiano-rossi|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/may/08/joy-of-six-great-defences|title=The Joy of Six: Great defences|work=The Guardian|author1=Rob Smyth|date=8 May 2009|access-date=9 March 2016|archive-date=16 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216083337/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/may/08/joy-of-six-great-defences|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.repubblica.it/sport/calcio/nazionale/2013/11/19/news/rivoluzione_filosofica_prandelli-71352856/?refresh_ce|title=Nazionale: 2013, addio al catenaccio. Balotelli-Rossi coppia mondiale|work=La Repubblica|language=it|date=19 November 2013|access-date=9 March 2016|archive-date=8 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008115617/https://www.repubblica.it/sport/calcio/nazionale/2013/11/19/news/rivoluzione_filosofica_prandelli-71352856/?refresh_ce|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Foot|first1=John|title=Winning at All Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer|date=2006|publisher=Nation Books|location=New York|page=228}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://it.eurosport.com/calcio/la-storia-della-tattica-da-sacchi-a-guardiola_sto4735853/story.shtml|title=La storia della tattica: da Sacchi a Guardiola|publisher=Eurosport|language=it|author1=Mattia Fontana|date=19 August 2014|access-date=10 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org/milan_sacchi_capello.html|title=MILAN 1988–1994: 6 ANNI DA CAMPIONI|work=Storie di Calcio|language=it|author1=Corrado Sannucci|date=28 November 2015|access-date=10 March 2016|archive-date=6 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006053937/http://www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org/milan_sacchi_capello.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calciomercato.it/news/162238/VIDEO---Speciale-squadre-nella-leggenda-Milan-93-94-vs-Inter-09-10.html|title=Speciale squadre nella leggenda, Milan '93–'94 vs Inter '09–'10|publisher=Calciomercato.it|language=it|author1=Jonathan Terreni|date=19 June 2012|access-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310140544/http://www.calciomercato.it/news/162238/VIDEO---Speciale-squadre-nella-leggenda-Milan-93-94-vs-Inter-09-10.html|archive-date=10 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} When the attacking Dutch trio of [[Marco van Basten]], [[Ruud Gullit]] and [[Frank Rijkaard]] arrived at the club in the late 1980s, Milan began a period of domestic and international triumphs, and between 1987 and 1996, at the height of the club's success, the Milan squad contained many Italian and international stars, such as [[Roberto Donadoni]], [[Carlo Ancelotti]], Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and later [[Demetrio Albertini]], [[Dejan Savićević]], [[Zvonimir Boban]], [[Marcel Desailly]], [[George Weah]], [[Jean-Pierre Papin]], [[Brian Laudrup]] and [[Roberto Baggio]]. Under Sacchi, Milan won the Serie A title in [[1987–88 Serie A|1987–88]], with Baresi helping Milan to concede only 14 goals. This title was immediately followed by a [[Supercoppa Italiana]] in [[1988 Supercoppa Italiana|1988]] the next season, and back-to-back [[UEFA Champions League|European Cups]] in [[1988–89 European Cup|1988–89]] and [[1989–90 European Cup|1989–90]];<ref name="A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Franco Baresi"/> In the [[1990 European Cup Final]], Baresi turned in a dominant performance as the team's captain, helping Milan to defend the European Cup title and keep a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/milan-88-inside-story-sacchis-all-conquering-kings-told-them |title=Milan '88: The inside story of Sacchi's all-conquering kings, as told by them |publisher=FourFourTwo |last1=Barker |first1=Matt |date=28 October 2016 |access-date=3 November 2019 |archive-date=3 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103213654/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/milan-88-inside-story-sacchis-all-conquering-kings-told-them |url-status=live }}</ref> Baresi was also runner-up to teammate Van Basten for the [[Ballon d'Or]] in 1989, finishing ahead of his other teammate Frank Rijkaard, and was named [[Guerin d'Oro|Serie A Footballer of the Year]] in 1989–90. Milan also reached the Coppa Italia final during the 1989–90 season.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: Franco Baresi"/><ref name="Franchino (detto Franco) BARESI (II)"/>

Baresi went on to win four more Serie A titles with Milan under Fabio Capello, including three consecutive titles in [[1991–92 Serie A|1991–92]], [[1992–93 Serie A|1992–93]] and the [[1993–94 Serie A|1993–94]] seasons. Baresi helped Milan win the 1991–92 title undefeated, helping Milan to go unbeaten for an Italian record of 58 matches. Milan also scored a record 74 goals that season. During the 1993–94 season, Baresi helped Milan concede a mere 15 goals in Serie A, helping the club to finish the season with the best defence. Baresi also won three consecutive Supercoppa Italiana under Capello, in [[1992 Supercoppa Italiana|1992]], [[1993 Supercoppa Italiana|1993]] and [[1994 Supercoppa Italiana|1994]]. Milan also reached three consecutive UEFA Champions League finals during the [[1992–93 UEFA Champions League|1992–93]], [[1993–94 UEFA Champions League|1993–94]] and [[1994–95 UEFA Champions League|1994–95]] seasons, losing to [[Olympique Marseille|Marseille]] in 1992–93 and [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]] in 1994–95. Baresi won the third European Cup/UEFA Champions League of his career in 1993–94 when Milan defeated [[Johan Cruyff]]'s [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] "Dream Team" 4–0 in [[1994 UEFA Champions League Final|the final]]. Baresi also managed to win the [[1994 European Super Cup]], although Milan were defeated in the 1994 Intercontinental Cup, the [[1993 European Super Cup]] and the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. Under Capello, Milan and Baresi were able to capture another Serie A title during [[1995–96 Serie A|1995–96 season]], Baresi's sixth.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: Franco Baresi"/><ref name="Franchino (detto Franco) BARESI (II)"/>

Baresi retired at the end of the [[1996–97 Serie A|1996–97 Serie A season]], at age 37. In his 20 seasons with Milan, he won six Serie A titles, three European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles (reaching five finals in total), two Intercontinental Cups (four finals in total), three European Supercups (four finals in total), four Supercoppa Italiana (five finals in total), two Serie B titles and a Mitropa Cup.<ref name="A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Franco Baresi"/> He scored 31 goals for Milan, 21 of which were on penalties, and, despite being a defender, he was the top scorer of the Coppa Italia during the 1989–90 season, the only trophy which he failed to win with Milan, reaching the final twice during his career. His final goal for Milan was scored in a 2–1 win against [[Padova Calcio|Padova]] on 27 August 1995. In his honour, Milan retired his number 6 shirt, which he had worn throughout his career.<ref name="A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Franco Baresi"/> The captain's armband, which he had worn for 15 seasons, was handed over to Paolo Maldini. Milan organised a celebration match in his honour, which was played on 28 October 1997 at the [[San Siro]], featuring many footballing stars.<ref name="Storie di Calcio: Franco Baresi"/><ref name="Franchino (detto Franco) BARESI (II)"/>