Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Milan on Tuesday to bid a final farewell to legendary defender Franco Baresi, whose funeral drew football icons, supporters and dignitaries from across the sport.
Baresi died last week at the age of 66 after a period of ill health.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history, Baresi captained AC Milan for 15 seasons, making 719 appearances and scoring 33 goals during a glittering career.
The legendary centre-back won 18 major trophies with the Rossoneri, including six Serie A titles, three UEFA Champions League crowns, four Italian Super Cups, three UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.
On the international stage, Baresi earned 81 caps for Italy and was part of the squad that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He later captained the Azzurri to the 1994 World Cup final, where they were beaten by Brazil on penalties.
In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the club, AC Milan retired his iconic No. 6 shirt following his retirement and appointed him honorary president in 2020.
The funeral service was held at the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, where football greats including Paolo Maldini, Marco van Basten, Clarence Seedorf, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Costacurta gathered to pay their respects.
Although AC Milan's first-team squad is currently in Australia for a pre-season tour, several players not involved in the trip attended the service, including United States forward Christian Pulisic.
AC Milan will honour their former captain with a special tribute ahead of Wednesday's pre-season friendly against Inter Milan.
