Football has lost a true one-club icon. AC Milan have confirmed their greatest-ever captain is gone, and San Siro will never feel quite the same again.

It’s the news every Rossonero was dreading.

AC Milan legend Franco Baresi, the defender who defined an entire era for club and country, has died aged 66, as reported by cbinews.tv.

Milan announced the heartbreaking news on Friday morning. No official cause of death has been given, but the club had revealed last August that Baresi underwent surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule and had been receiving treatment since.

Just a few months ago, he was at San Siro looking every bit the icon, carrying the torch into the opening ceremony for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February alongside his old rival Giuseppe Bergomi. That was his last major public appearance.

In a deeply emotional statement, Milan said: "The entire history of AC Milan is in tears."

They added: "Announcing the loss of someone who embodied the heart and soul of AC Milan is incredibly difficult. But everyone at the club and all the Milanisti must live up to Franco Baresi’s memory."

If you know your football, you know Baresi wasn’t just a defender. He was the defender.

Handed the Milan armband at just 22, he went on to make 719 appearances across 20 incredible seasons. All for one club. In that golden era, he lifted six Serie A titles, three European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and four Italian Supercups. When he finally hung up his boots in 1997, Milan did something Italian football had never seen before — they retired his iconic No. 6 shirt.

On the international stage, he was part of the Italy squad that won the World Cup in 1982 and captained the Azzurri to that agonising penalty shootout defeat to Brazil in the 1994 final. He earned 81 caps in total.

Milan added: "In memory of Franco, we stand united, knowing he’ll guide and push us throughout our Rossoneri journey. Forever. Because Baresi is forever."

The tributes have been flooding in. AC Milan great Paolo Maldini, who spent 25 years at the club learning from Baresi, called him the "greatest player" he ever played with.

On Instagram, Maldini wrote: "You taught me to fight until my very last breath, and showed me the meaning of devotion to the jersey and the value of being a true leader. You did this through your example, every single day: few words, but countless actions."

"You protected me when I was a child, guided me as a young man, and inspired me as an adult."

Italian Football Federation President Giovanni Malago said: "Italian football has lost one of its legends. An extraordinary champion who wore only two jerseys throughout his career: AC Milan and the Azzurri."

A true legend of the game. Rest in peace, Capitano.

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