| |
Baresi had to wait until 1990 to make his World Cup debut. David Cannon/Allsport |
No country appreciates the beauty of defending more than Italy, and in Franco Baresi the nation was blessed with one of the greatest practitioners of the art. AC Milan's legendary sweeper was neither big nor quick, but he dominated opponents with his flawless reading of the game, perfect positional sense and composure on the ball.
Yet Baresi had to wait until 1990 to play in a World Cup, 12 years after making his Serie A debut. He was a member of the Italian squad that won in 1982 but failed to break into the side. In protest he refused to play for the Azzurri while Enzo Bearzot remained in charge, sitting out the defending champion's poor campaign in 1986.
In 1990 Italy was riding high on the back of AC Milan's back-to-back European Cups, and Baresi was typically immaculate at the defensive heart of a team that swept to the semifinals without conceding a goal, only to crash out to Argentina on penalties. Four years later Baresi was injured in Italy's first-round clash with Norway but returned for the final after undergoing knee surgery. Baresi was outstanding, keeping Romario and Bebeto quiet for 120 minutes, only to miss the first penalty in another shootout defeat.
