Franco Baresi; Carlo Ancelotti struggles to find the right words

Even several hours after the sad announcement of Franco Baresi’s passing at age 66, messages of support and condolences continue to pour in from fans and industry insiders, many of whom shared part of their athletic careers with “Piscinin.” Among them was Carlo Ancelotti, the current head coach of Brazil, who was Baresi’s teammate at Milan and on the national team, as well as Italy’s assistant coach at the 1994 World Cup.

The coach from Reggiolo, deeply moved by the terrible news, expressed a thought as simple as it was heartfelt, almost struggling to find the words: “You will always be my captain. Rest in peace.” Within an hour of being posted, Ancelotti’s post had surpassed 55,000 likes, garnering “likes” from numerous figures in the sports world, including French star Kylian Mbappé.

Carlo Ancelotti and Franco Baresi were teammates from 1987 to 1982, winning two Scudetti, two European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, and one Italian Super Cup together. Baresi also coached the Primavera and Berretti teams during Milan’s golden era at the start of the millennium, with Ancelotti on the bench.