FRANCO BARESI

Few players in world football have a closer identity with one club than Italian defender Franco Baresi. Spending twenty years with AC Milan through one of the most successful periods in the club's history, his legendary status at the club was confirmed when on his retirement the club "retired" the number 6 shirt in his honour.

Baresi started out with Milan in 1977 aged just 17 and won his first major honour just two years later when the club won the Serie A Championship. Although the early 1980s did not bring any domestic success to Milan, Baresi's performances earned him a place in the Italian squad for the 1982 World Cup despite having not even made his international debut, although he did not actually play in the finals.

In protest at not playing in 1982, Baresi refused to play for Italy under coach Enzo Bearzot and so missed out on the defence of the World Cup in 1986. Playing a crucial part in the Milan team that won Serie A again in 1988, and returned to the national team as they reached the European Championship semi-final that year. Over the next few years, Baresi was the defensive rock in the Milan team that dominated Italian and European football.

Winning the European Cup in 1989 and defending it in 1990, Baresi was named Italian Football of the Year for 1990 after helping Italy to a World Cup semi-final on home soil. Domestic dominance for Milan continued into the 1990s, with a hat-trick of league titles from 1992 to 1994 being crowned with a third European Cup winners' medal for Baresi in 1994.

The World Cup of 1994 saw one of Baresi's more astonishing achievements when after being injured in the group stages, he returned to Italy for knee surgery before rejoining the Italian team to play in the final. He had a wonderful match, but unfortunately missed the first kick in the penalty shoot-out as Italy lost out to Brazil. After winning a sixth Serie A title in 1996, Baresi retired from football in 1997 having made more than 700 appearances for AC Milan, a club record. He remained with Milan as vice-president and has also coached the youth team.