Milan bids farewell to Franco Baresi as thousands gather at Sant'Ambrogio for funeral of AC Milan legend

A city in red and black

Thousands of supporters, many wearing vintage AC Milan shirts with the number 6 on the back, filled the square outside the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio well before the funeral began. A large banner unfurled by the Curva Sud read: "Immortal legend, an inimitable standard that will never stop flying. Goodbye, Captain." The coffin, adorned with white and red roses, was carried into the church as chants of "there's only one captain" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" echoed across the piazza.

Football royalty and fan discontent

Among the mourners were former Milan coach Fabio Capello, Paolo Maldini, Marco Van Basten, Mauro Tassotti and Pietro Paolo Virdis. A standing ovation greeted Maldini and Van Basten when they entered. The arrival of current owner Gerry Cardinale and club president Paolo Scaroni drew whistles from fans frustrated with the club's direction; Milan mayor Beppe Sala also received some flak. Delegations from Real Madrid and Barcelona attended, while wreaths arrived from FIFA, Andriy Shevchenko, Inter, Roma and others. The current Milan squad could not be there: the team was on tour in Australia, and only Christian Pulisic and Santiago Giménez, both recovering from injury, had stayed behind at Milanello.

'Piscinin' remembered from the pulpit

Monsignor Carlo Faccendini, the abbot of Sant'Ambrogio, centred his homily on Baresi's childhood nickname.

In the Gospels, Jesus's predilection for the little ones, for those who are 'Piscinin', as Franco Baresi was affectionately called, is explicit. He taught us that it is possible to become great while remaining small.

Faccendini addressed the family directly, saying that while the pain would grow sharper in the coming days, "what remains of him is the good, the love with which we live."

The final carry

Nine former teammates lifted the coffin and carried it out of the basilica: Roberto Donadoni, Marco Van Basten, Daniele Massaro, Demetrio Albertini, Alessandro Costacurta, Pietro Paolo Virdis, Massimo Ambrosini, Marco Simone and Alberico Evani. Thousands of fans applauded, raised red-and-black scarves and sang "you'll always be with us" as the family stood in tears on the church steps.

Bergomi's memory of the flame

Beppe Bergomi, the former Inter captain who faced Baresi in 30 derbies, read a passage during the service at the request of Baresi's son. He recalled the last time the two entered San Siro together, carrying the Olympic flame for Milano Cortina 2026.

Perhaps for the first time in my life I was the one guiding him.

Bergomi noted the respect shown by Milan fans when he arrived, and said the derbies of their era were always lived with mutual regard.

An inimitable standard

Baresi died on 31 July at the age of 66. He spent his entire 20-year playing career at AC Milan, winning six Serie A titles and three European Cups, and captaining the side for 15 seasons before retiring in 1997. The club retired his number 6 shirt, a first in its history. He was part of Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning squad and captained the national team to the 1994 final, playing the full 120 minutes just 25 days after knee surgery.