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Italian football is in mourning, and on Saturday the country’s three leading sports dailies devoted their front pages entirely to Franco Baresi, the AC Milan and Italy icon who died on Friday at the age of 66.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the nation has lost “a giant.” Beneath a picture of Baresi lifting the European Cup, the newspaper’s headline reads “Mio Capitano”, or “My Captain”, recalling how the boy known as “il Piscinin” grew into a towering figure who won everything and remained loyal to Milan even during their relegation to Serie B.

Inside the paper, tributes and interviews come from people who knew him closely, including former coach Fabio Capello, ex-team-mate Christian Panucci and Rossoneri legend Gianni Rivera, along with columns by the likes of Luigi Garlando and Beppe Bergomi.

Corriere dello Sport strikes a similar note with “6 per sempre”, meaning “Six forever”, in reference to the shirt number Milan retired in his honour. Under the line “Addio capitano,” the paper describes him as “elegance become legend” and says Italian football is “in tears”, having “lost a beat of our heart.”

It follows the path of a life marked by 21 trophies, from the 1982 World Cup to three European Cups under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, and also carries the words of his long-time defensive partner Alessandro Costacurta, who said Baresi “knew how to lead you through his conduct.”

Turin’s Tuttosport keeps its message simple: “Un capitano,” above the dates 1960-2026 and another image of Baresi with the European Cup. Its tributes go beyond silverware to the moments that defined him as a person, including the courage of his tearful appearance in Pasadena at the 1994 World Cup final, and the 39 red roses he laid in memory of the Heysel victims, describing it as the gesture “from a champion of humanity.”

The newspapers also report the details of the country’s farewell. Baresi’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, 4 August, at 11am at the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan, while the Rossoneri squad will be unable to attend because they are away on their pre-season tour. Italian Football Federation president Giovanni Malagò has ordered a minute’s silence before every friendly played in Italy this weekend.