#8 Franco Baresi
One of the greatest captains and defenders of all time, Franco Baresi was a one-club man like no other. Selected by AC Milan at the age of 14, the Italian defender would go on to play out the rest of his career with the Rossoneri for 20 years. Not only is he one of the club’s most significant sweepers, he also captained the side for 15 years through superlative success in the 1980s and much of the 90s.
Nicknamed ‘Piscinin’ which is Milanese for ‘Little One’ owing to his short stature, Baresi was a sweeper in the same vein as Frank Beckenbauer from a generation before. In fact, his style was so similar to the German international, he was actually given the moniker ‘Kaiser Franz’. During his long tenure with the Milan side, Baresi won six Serie A titles, three Champions League titles, four Italian Super Cups, three European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups.
He didn’t just taste success with AC Milan of course. Baresi was part of the Italian World Cup-winning squad in 1982, managed a third place finish in 1990 and a runners-up spot in 1994. However, despite winning such honours, the Italian legend was faced with relegation in 1980 when AC Milan was implicated in a match-fixing scandal. The defender had the option of leaving then but chose to stay playing in Serie B the following season.
The Rossoneri were relegated again just a year later when they came third-last in 1981-82 but Baresi refused to part with his club yet again. By the time he retired in 1997, the AC Milan captain had achieved such cult status that the club retired the number 6 jersey in his honour.
