ITALY, July 31 -- Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, with AC Milan saying their former captains “example and integrity will be forever etched into the clubs DNA”.

Baresi spent his entire 20-year playing career with the club from 1977 until he retired in 1997, winning six Serie A titles and three European Cups/Champions Leagues.

Regarded as one of the greatest defenders to play the game, Baresi captained Milan for 15 seasons, making 719 appearances and scoring 33 goals.

He was capped 81 times by Italy and was part of the squad which won the 1982 World Cup. He played in the 1994 final, which Italy lost to Brazil.

In 2020, Baresi became honorary vice-president of AC Milan, with the club retiring his number six shirt fou...