"It's a disgrace"

Only a few defenders have ever won the Ballon d’or and Dejan Savicevic believes that AC Milan legend Franco Baresi should have been among them.

Since his passing, the sheer number of tributes for Baresi has been overwhelming. His ability has been focused on heavily, as has his character and to many, it feels like he was never rated as highly as he perhaps should’ve been.

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History will be kind to the Milan legend; there can be no denying that. However, there are certainly a few who believe it should have been even kinder.

Baresi and the Ballon d’Or

Baresi was certainly at the level to have won a Ballon d’Or and many will remember Silvio Berlusconi giving him one. Yet, Savicevic believes that the media held him back from winning the award, as he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Now they say he was better than Beckenbauer. Right?

“I only saw Beckenbauer with his national team. I was a kid, I have distant memories, a champion, great class. Baresi was like him. In fact, he and Paolo Maldini were the greatest in the world. Franco won so much and should have won even more.”

Even the Ballon d’Or?

“Especially that one. Come on: it’s a disgrace. How can you not give the Ballon d’Or to Baresi? But it’s your fault…”

Like ours?

“You journalists. You didn’t vote for him. Only the Dutch won. Rijkaard always finished ahead of him, in first place. Now, with all due respect to Rijkaard, we’re talking about a midfielder, good passing, good football. But Baresi was something else: he was a phenomenon. Look, don’t talk to me about the Ballon d’Or, it pisses me off…”

The German Sammer won it…

“And Cannavaro. Eh? And not Franco Baresi, one of the greatest defenders in the history of football. I’m not saying it’s a disgrace, but they weren’t like Baresi. But he also had a great quality: he didn’t take it personally. He’d say: okay, come on, let’s forget it, let’s think positively. He was a leader, he’d get over it.”

Ultimately, Baresi will not have minded that he did not win the award. He was just that sort of man. History will be as kind to him as he was to everyone. A major miss from the footballing world and perhaps even the list of Ballon d’Or winners.

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