Franco Baresi is synonymous with the start of the Silvio Berlusconi era, and the former AC Milan captain has paid tribute to him.
The emotional reaction continues to flood in after Berlusconi passed away on Monday at San Raffaele hospital in Milan, and the former media tycoon and Prime Minister will have a state funeral today starting at 15:00 CEST with a service in the Duomo.
Berlusconi was the owner and president of Milan from 1986 until 2017, a period in which the club won 29 trophies, including five Champions League and eight Scudetti, going from near bankruptcy to being on top of the world.
Baresi is now the honorary vice president of Milan and he spoke to Corriere dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) today about Berlusconi and what he meant to the club.
On what Berlusconi represented for him: “He was everyone’s father, beyond the fact that he was a great President, but also a very sensitive person, attentive first to the person and then to the athlete.
“He was loved by all because those who knew him knew how generous he was. With his empathy he was able to involve everyone, if we managed to win so much the merit was his.”
On the most beautiful memory has has of Berlusconi: “There are many. The happiness we managed to give him when we won the first European Cup, to see him so happy because he got what he wanted more than anything else. At first we thought it was a dream but we have reached a great goal. Surely it was the first nice thing, being able to make him happy.”
A memorable anecdote: “A nice gesture towards me was when he handed me that Ballon d’Or in the last match, there was another sign of great esteem and gratitude towards me as a person. Having never won it, he handed it to me. It is a gift that is worth double for what I had done in the twenty years of Milan.”
On the relationship he had with Berlusconi on a human level: “There has always been a great relationship, always great affection towards me. The last time he spoke about Milan and his players he said: ‘Baresi is super because he is a loyal and professional man’. These are the words that have filled me the most with pride beyond the victories with the team on the field.”
On the revolution brought about by Berlusconi in the world of football when nobody believed him: “It was his strength, where he started and where he wanted to bring something of his own he always succeeded. He was the first to believe in it and then we too, together with him, began to think we could become the strongest team.
“In the world of football he was the proponent of many things, he brought prestige to our movement, in those years everyone was ironic, but then he was right.
“He brought organisation and work culture. He brought an attacking style, he chose people who were able to bring what he wanted to the field. From the coaches to the players, he has always shown great competence.”
On the adjective ‘brilliant’ that everyone uses to describe Berlusconi: “Yes, I agree. He was brilliant and I don’t think anyone can say otherwise. Ingenious and innovative, he deserves all these accolades because he was a unique character in everything he did.”
On whether Berlusconi’s era at Milan could be unrepeatable: “I think such a long and successful cycle is unrepeatable, also because football has changed a lot and we know how many difficulties there are now.
“I think he will remain the most winning and most important President in the history of Italian football, for what he has given and won I think it cannot be replicated.”
A final farewell to Berlusconi: “I feel a little more alone, missing him is strong. All the adjectives we are using these days are right. For me he was a father as well as a great President.”
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