Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, with AC Milan saying their former captain’s “example and integrity will be forever etched into the club’s 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 four years later.
Baresi had surgery in August 2025 to remove a lung nodule, and his last public appearance was at the San Siro Stadium for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in February.
In a statement on X, AC Milan wrote: “Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi. His example and integrity will be forever etched into the club’s DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is.”
AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric – who turns 41 in September – has signed a one-year contract extension.
The Croatian joined Milan last summer on a one-year deal with an option to extend after leaving Real Madrid.
After 13 years at the Bernabeu, Modric scored two goals in 37 appearances for Milan in a season when they finished fifth in Serie A and only reached the last-16 stage of the Coppa Italia.
“I am thrilled to stay at AC Milan, where you made me feel welcomed and loved from the very first day,” Modric said of his new deal.
“After a season below our expectations, the desire to bounce back is immense. A new season and a new challenge await us – a project I believe in and that motivates me.
“I’m ready to continue to give everything again for this shirt and I’m so proud to keep wearing these colours. Can’t wait to return to San Siro and feel your roar.”
Modric has just played in his fifth World Cup, in which Croatia were knocked out in the last 32 by Portugal.
Since Modric became national team captain in 2016, Croatia had previously been runners-up and finished third in the World Cup.
The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner won six Champions League titles and four La Liga titles at Real. Previously, he made 160 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur over four years in north London.
In a statement, Milan said: “A key figure in the Rossoneri midfield since his arrival, Luka has brought his experience and quality to the service of the team, both on and off the pitch, with humility and great passion.
“One of the finest and most iconic players in world football, the Croatian will continue his journey in the Rossoneri shirt with the ambition to reach new, important milestones.”
FORGET garden centres, DIY jobs and lazy weekends at home – a growing number of Brits are flying to European cities for just a few hours before heading home the very same day.
Called “extreme day tripping,” the new trend is thanks to cheap return flights costing less than a meal out.
Sign up for the Travel newsletter
Thank you!
More Brits than ever are going on extreme day trips to Europe – including Emily Benham (pictured)Lisa Houston raved about how easy they are too
These adventurous travellers manage to squeeze in croissants in Paris, canal cruises in Amsterdam and pizza in Milan without booking a hotel room.
Lisa Houston, from Edinburgh, caught the extreme day trip bug after taking her son to Paris in January.
“My son had recently split up from his girlfriend and I wanted to give him something completely different to look forward to,” she said.
“He hadn’t been abroad since he was seven, so I surprised him with a day trip to Paris.
“We saw Les Invalides: Napoleon’s Tomb, sailed down the Seine, ate croissants in a little Parisian cafe and stood gazing at the Eiffel Tower. He absolutely loved it.”
The pair flew out at 7am and returned home the same evening.
“The flights were about £100 each, but you can often get them much cheaper,” Lisa said. “It was enough time to enjoy the city without feeling rushed.”
The trip sparked a love for Lisa and has since ticked off Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Milan and Dublin, with Barcelona, Paris and Poland still to come later this year.
One of her biggest bargains was Copenhagen, where she managed to secure return flights for just £34.
After spotting photos of the colourful waterfront district of Nyhavn on Instagram, Lisa booked the trip and spent the day exploring the Danish capital.
Places like Copenhagen often have cheap flights and easy-to-navigate streetsCredit: Alamy
“By lunchtime I was sitting outside a cafe with Nyhavn behind me,” she said.
Despite the early starts – often leaving home before 3am to catch the first flight – Lisa insists it’s worth every minute.
“I treat the whole day as the adventure, not just being in the destination,” she said.
Like other Extreme Day Trippers, Lisa gets some inspiration from a Facebook Group of like-minded people but said the appeal fitting in holidays around busy schedules.
“I’ve got a busy job, a granddaughter living with me, elderly parents and caring responsibilities,” she said.
“Sometimes I just need a day that’s all about me. Telling people that I’m ‘off to Paris to have lunch’ is my vibe these days.”
She estimates most of her trips cost around £150 in total, including flights, food and attractions.
“I think it’s brilliant value for money – in a couple of hours you’re somewhere you’ve never been before, seeing things you’ve only dreamed of. That’s priceless.”
“We left home at 4am and arrived in Pisa at 11am,” she said.
Cassie Goodfellow said you can fit in more than you think in a day
“Our flights were £125 each – I would have preferred them to be £75 or under as I think part of the fun is keeping it as cheap as possible but my daughter chose the destination and it was worth it.”
“A highlight was seeing the Leaning Tower for the first time. It was breath-taking.”
The pair spent eight hours exploring the city, visiting the cathedral, eating pizza and wandering the back streets before heading home that evening.
“It was my first extreme day trip and I’ve already booked another one to Frankfurt with my brother and sister,” she said.
For Cassie Goodfellow, from Bathgate, an extreme day trip was the perfect way to celebrate turning 40.
After spotting inspiration online, she booked a return flight to Copenhagen and spent 12 hours exploring the city solo.
Even places like Pisa can be done for the dayCredit: Alamy
“Most people thought I was a bit crazy,” she admitted.
“They couldn’t understand why I’d travel abroad for just a day or the fact I was doing it solo, But the memories and experience made it worthwhile.”
Flights cost just £63 return, while her total spend for the day came to around £160.
“The highlight was wandering Copenhagen’s beautiful streets and landmarks,” she said.
“I was surprised by how much I managed to fit into one day.”
Looking back, she says it was one of the best things she has ever done.
“There’s something exciting about proving you can have a meaningful travel experience in a single day,” she said.
Mauricio Pochettino has held initial talks with AC Milan to become their next manager following Massimiliano Allegri’s sacking.
The 54-year-old Argentine is currently preparing for the World Cup with the United States, but his contract expires after the tournament.
Pochettino’s immediate focus is on this summer’s finals, which begin on 11 June and are being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, but an eventual return to club football may interest the former Tottenham and Chelsea head coach.
However, speaking after training on Thursday, Pochettino replied “no” when asked if he had met with AC Milan’s management before being opaque about his representatives’ dealings with the Serie A side.
When asked if his representatives had had a meeting, he replied: “Maybe, possible, because they need to do their job.”
He added: “If I met someone, what happened? What is going to change if I met someone?
“We have friends everywhere and my representative works for me into trying to find the best possibility for the future. That is normal.”
Pochettino said he and US Soccer Federation chief executive JT Batson had discussed the possibility of him staying.
“He asked if we are open to listen [to] the project of the federation for the next four years,” said Pochettino.
“And we said of course we are open. Do you think that if we have a commitment with another people, we are going to waste time to listen?”
Batson said Pochettino has been “incredibly transparent” about approaches from other clubs, right from when they first met a couple of years ago, and that “there were lots of people interested in Mauricio and his team”.
Batson added: “He had standing offers from other places and he wanted to be here. He’s a big believer in what we’re doing at US Soccer. He’s a big believer in soccer in America, and he’s a big believer in this men’s team.”
Pochettino’s last club spell was as Chelsea boss for the 2023-24 season, with the Blues finishing sixth in the Premier League and losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool.
Before that he was at Paris St-Germain for a season and a half, winning the Ligue 1 title and French Cup.
He also had a five-and-a-half-year spell at Tottenham and reached the 2019 Champions League final, only for Spurs to lose 2-0 to Liverpool.
Pochettino, who has also managed Espanyol in Spain and Southampton, was a defender during his playing career and made 20 appearances for Argentina.
AC Milan sacked Allegri earlier this week after failing to qualify for the Champions League, in a season the club’s hierarchy described as an “unequivocal failure”.
Milan dropped from third place to fifth in Serie A after a 2-1 home defeat by Cagliari on the final day to miss out on the elite European competition for the second year in a row, although they did secure a Europa League spot.
