Claims that Milan gathered for the funeral of Franco Baresi following his death at 66 are not supported by credible public reporting, and no official announcement from AC Milan, the Italian Football Federation or other major sources has confirmed such news.
Baresi remains one of the most revered figures in AC Milan history, having spent his entire 20-year playing career at the San Siro and earned the club’s Player of the Century honour in 1999.
The former defender’s status at Milan is underlined by the club’s decision to retire his iconic No 6 shirt, a tribute to the man supporters still celebrate as their eternal “Capitano.”
Reports describing high-profile mourners arriving at Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, including Paolo Maldini and Marco van Basten, appear to relate to an unverified or inaccurate account and should be treated with caution.
Names such as Roberto Baggio, Pietro Paolo Virdis, Mauro Tassotti, Clarence Seedorf, Demetrio Albertini, Alessandro Costacurta and Dida were also cited in the claim, but there is no reliable confirmation that such a funeral took place.
Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi are both enduring symbols of AC Milan’s defensive legacy
Franco Baresi’s No 6 shirt was retired by AC Milan in honour of his extraordinary career
Baresi’s legacy is beyond dispute: a one-club legend, a World Cup winner with Italy and one of the greatest defenders football has produced. Any reports concerning his death should be verified through official club or federation channels before publication.
Costacurta, Virdis, Massimo Ambrosini, Marco Simone and Alberico Evani then accompanied the coffin out.
The current AC Milan cohort were represented by injured players Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez, who are not on tour with the team currently undergoing pre-season in Australia.
The players will don black armbands in Perth on Wednesday when they play Inter Milan Down Under.
AC Milan chairman Paolo Scaroni and the club’s owner RedBird’s founder Gerry Cardinale were also in attendance, but booed on their arrival according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
When Baresi’s coffin arrived, fans watching chanted ‘there’s only one captain’ and ‘you are forever Franco Baresi’, before singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.
Baresi’s former manager at Milan Fabio Capello was applauded as he arrived at the church, while ex-Milan players Dejan Savicevic and Daniele Massaro arrived bearing his white signed captain’s armband.
A number of representatives from the Italian national team and other Serie A sides were also in attendance, including a cohort representing AC Milan’s greatest rivals Inter Milan.
His former team-mate Clarence Seedorf was also in attendance in the northern Italian city
The great and the good from AC Milan’s recent past including goalkeeper Dida (left) and former manager Fabio Capello gathered to say goodbye to Baresi
Marco van Basten (left) was one of the pallbearers on a difficult day in the centre of Milan, while Claudio Ranieri also paid tribute to Baresi
While the current AC Milan squad are currently on pre-season duty in Australia, injured players Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez represented the team
The club’s chairman Paolo Scaroni was also in attendance but roundly booed by the fans
Baresi’s 1994 World Cup team-mate Roberto Baggio was another boldfaced name in Milan
Supporters from the San Siro’s Curva Sud group made their presence known with flares
A number of Baresi’s former Milan team-mates were among those who carried his coffin
Songs were sung referring to Baresi as Milan’s only captain, plus ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’
Baresi’s No6 jersey was retired at the end of his playing career and there were a number of his jerseys among the mourners
His former rival in blue and black – and great friend – Beppe Bergomi read the first reading once the ceremony began.
Bergomi had helped Baresi during his last public appearance, with the two legendary captains bringing the Olympic flame into the San Siro for the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in February.
The defender, long considered one of the best of all time, served as captain for 14 years, and helped Milan claim six Serie A titles and three European Cups among numerous other honours.
Baresi had initially been rejected by Inter Milan’s academy as a junior player, after being deemed too small and frail for the rigorous demands of 1970s football, with his eventual rivals instead taking on his elder brother Giuseppe.
That twist of fate brought Baresi to Milan’s academy, and he would go on to make his debut for the senior team at the age of 17 – after being given his nickname Piscinin by the club’s masseur at the time, Paolo Mariconti, which means ‘little one’ in Milanese dialect.
Baresi stuck with AC Milan throughout the match-fixing Totonero scandal which saw the club relegated in 1980, and a second relegation in 1982, before going on to see Milan through their heavily decorated glory years under legendary managers Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.
His role as the bedrock in Milan’s all-Italian defence saw him written into the club’s legend, and in 1989, named Ballon d’Or runner-up.
Baresi also won the World Cup with Italy in 1982 as a squad member, later coming heartbreakingly close to claiming a second when the Azzurri reached the final in 1994 before defeat to Brazil on penalties.
Baresi had previously undergone lung surgery in August 2025 to remove a pulmonary nodule, and later was treated with cancer-prevention immunotherapy.
