On Valentine’s Day, La Gazzetta dello Sport wanted to interview the man who entrusted his heart, life, and career to Milan, never making that choice feel like a burden: Franco Baresi.
Let’s go back in time, even further back—what was Milan for young Baresi before the lightning strike?
"I remember being a Milan fan, looking at these colors even when I was 10 years old. I arrived at Milanello for the first time at 14, and it felt like entering paradise."
What has Milan been throughout your entire life?
"My anchor. I lost my mother and father when I was still a teenager, and Milan took me in, it gave meaning to everything."
What were those years like?
"Difficult. It wasn’t easy to leave my hometown, Travagliato, and move to the big city. Those were different times, and the change was noticeable. In a situation like that, you need mental strength."
And you had that...
"Yes, I turned pain into anger and determination. That’s how it was for my entire career."
Always in the same city, always with the same colors... Baresi commented:
"My story with Milan is hard to replicate. I believe there are very few relationships like this: Milan gave meaning to my life, and together we returned to winning, in those years with Sacchi."
What feeling remains, after all of this?
"Gratitude."
Two nicknames remain as well: Piscinin and Kaiser Franz, in homage to Beckenbauer. Piscinin, which Brera also used—do you still like it at 64?
"Sure, it reminds me of one of the people I was most attached to: Paolo Mariconti, the masseur who was a very important figure for me. He came up with that nickname—so Milanese—when I was still a kid playing with the senior team. I was the little one in the squad."
Piscinin became the head of a Rossoneri family. There have been stories about rejected offers from other teams, especially during the Serie B years, but when was the closest you ever came to leaving?
"As a player? Never. I don’t think there was ever a real moment of possible farewell. Staying at Milan was a life choice. There was that brief stint as an executive in England, after I retired..."
In 2002, at Al Fayed’s Fulham—81 days as technical director, then goodbye.
"In reality, it was just a month. By the end of August, I was already back in Milan. I realized it wasn’t the place for me, and I didn’t even start working. The umbilical cord with Milan was never cut."
And in the end, you became an executive for Milan... Baresi said:
"With the Milan Foundation, I’ve seen poverty in Kenya, in Morocco. In Lebanon, I played on the street with kids. These experiences have completed me."
An easy conclusion: Baresi doesn’t know how to live without Milan?
"There has always been a relationship of mutual respect between Milan and me, through ups and downs. My thoughts have always been for the team and the club, never for myself—but everything always came back to me. I was lucky to meet the right people at the right time."
Silvio Berlusconi, for example...
"He was like a father and made my dreams come true. Retiring the number 6 when I stopped playing was something huge."
On Gianni Rivera:
"My first captain. I had seen him play up close, during my Sundays as a ball boy at the stadium. At first, I struggled to address him informally—it felt like he was someone distant. But in reality, he protected me a lot. Rivera and Bigon, more than anyone else, were by my side every day, looking out for me."
How do young players today see Franco Baresi?
"Oh, I don’t know—you’d have to ask them. But I can see that Milan’s players always look at me with great respect. I was on tour with the team last summer in New Jersey, and you could tell they know who I am, what I’ve done for the club. Giving advice to today’s 20-year-olds isn’t easy—we have different reference points, we see different things."
So, what remains of Franco Baresi?
"We’ll see that over time. I’ve always tried to be a sincere man and to show courage, as the club and Milan fans deserved. In the end, Milan was my second family."
