Defenders
Centre-back: Franco Baresi
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Franco Baresi is a legend. No other words do the great sweeper justice. The "Kaiser Franz", as he was aptly dubbed, was voted Milan’s Player of the Century, which is no mean feat given the plethora of talent to have played for the grand old club.
He spent his entire 20-year career with the Milanese club, winning a host of titles on the way. Baresi also finds a place in the Italian Football Hall Of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2013.
Baresi was a complete defender, with commendable physical prowess, aided by his almost inhuman mental strength and concentration. He was a ball player and one of the most elegant defenders of all time. Baresi was most comfortable as a central defender or sweeper but was able to play anywhere across the backline or even midfield on occasion. He was a strong tackler and possessed excellent reading of the game, allowing him to be efficient at intercepting balls meant for opposition forwards.
Baresi made a total of 719 career appearances, scoring 33 goals. He won 2 Intercontinental cups, 3 Champions Leagues, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 6 Serie A titles, and 4 Italian cups. He also won the 1982 World Cup with Italy.
Centre-back: Paolo Maldini
Skill? Check.
Reading of the game? Check.
Physical Strength? Check.
Longevity? Check.
Leadership? Check.
5 Champions Leagues? Check.
7 Serie A titles? Check.
Best defender of all time? Check.
Oh, and captain of this team? Check.
Paulo Maldini was a leader of men, and the man’s immense tactical nous can be summarised by a few words he once uttered himself, “If I have to make a tackle, I have already made a mistake.”
Maldini represents both the antique and the modern, and a feature of a great player is one who can adapt and play just as well across generations. Maldini has proved that.
Centre-back: Gaetano Scirea
Juve’s no. 6 during the from 1974-88, Scirea was a class defender. There was hardly physicality in his play, which is highly unusual for a defender, and he remarkably never got a red card in his entire career.
The Former Atalanta defender spent 14 highly successful years at Juventus, winning 7 Serie A titles amongst a host of other titles. He was precise in the tackle, tactically aware, and useful on the ball. He also made 78 Italy appearances, scoring two goals for his national team.
Scirea was also an excellent human being, with the football world mourning his loss, when he sadly died in a car crash in Poland at a young age of 36.
