AC MILAN legends and one club men, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini played 196 matches as a central defensive partnership — conceding just 23 goals.
It’s a quite astonishing stat which shows just how disciplined the pair were.
They spent their entire careers wearing the red black shirts of Milan, and both have had their numbers — Maldini’s No.3 and Baresi’s No.6 — retired.
Maldini played the majority of his games at left-back which is why the number of matches played together is so low — with Alessandro Costacurta regularly partnering Baresi.
In total, the pair played a staggering 1,621 matches in a trophy-laden period for the Rossoneri.
They were united at the heart of defence of 196 times and were almost impenetrable.
Watch ALL the goals from the Premier League before anyone else for FREE plus all the latest news, fixtures and results and live match commentary all on the go with the new Sun Football App – click here to download
The pair were part of a side which went 58 games unbeaten from 1991 to 1993 to an the entire 1991-92 season.
In that title-winning campaign, Milan only let in 21 goals.
While, in 1987-88, they conceded just 14 — and just 15 in 1993-94.
Franco Baresi honours
Serie A (6) — 1978-79, 1987-88, 1991-92, 1993-94, 1995-96
European Cup/Champions League (3) — 1988-89, 1989-90, 1993-94
Intercontinental Cup (2) — 1989, 1990
Italian Super Cup (4) — 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994
World Cup (1) — 1982
AC Milan Player of the Century — 1999
Serie A Player of the Century — 2000
Baresi made his Milan debut in 1977 and stayed for 20 years.
He is most famous for his devastating missed penalty in the 1994 World Cup final, but he really was one of the game’s greatest defenders.
An elegant defender who came completed with extreme mental discipline. He has sensational passing range and amazing technical control.
It was through his work that most Milan attacks would start.
Baresi was appointed club captain at the tender age of 22 — and would lead a stellar team to grand success.
Related Articles
He won the European Cup on three occasions (1988-89, 1989-90 and 1993-94) and four Serie A titles — including three in a row from 1992 to 1994.
He was also a member of Italy’s 1982 World Cup-winning squad and named the Serie A Player of the Century in 2000.
His brother, Giuseppe, played the majority of his career at Inter Milan, but with much less.
Paolo Maldini honours
Serie A (7) — 1987-88, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-95, 1998-99, 2003-04
Coppa Italia (1) — 2002-03
European Cup/Champions League — (5) 1988-89, 1989-90, 1993-94, 2002-03, 2006-07
Intercontinental Cup (2) — 1989, 1990
Fifa World Club Cup (1) — 2007
Italian Super Cup (5) — 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2004
Baresi retired in 1997 and handed the armband over to a man who had been his defensive team-mate since 1984 in Maldini.
The duo were part of one of the game’s greatest-ever defences, which also consisted of Alessandro Costacurta and, first Mauro Tassotti and then Christian Panucci.
Maldini was originally left-back, but his intelligence and advanced reading of the game made him equally as adept in the centre of the defence.
He won three European Cups alongside Baresi — and added two more Champions League titles in 2002-03 and 2006-07.
He also won seven Serie A titles, stemming from 1987-88 until 2003-04.
Paolo was the son of former European Cup-winning Milan captain, Cesare Maldini — and is generally considered one of the greatest defenders in the game’s history.
Leave a comment