THE AC MILAN captain, Franco Baresi, who plays his 700th game for the Italian champions this weekend, announced he was quitting at the end of the season yesterday.
Baresi, who turns 37 in March, told the Corriere della Sera: "I've decided, I'm going to see out this season and then retire. I've had enough, my head needs other things now. But I'd still like to be useful to Milan.
"I'm not going to become a coach, that's for sure, and not club president either. Let's be serious, we've (Silvio) Berlusconi for that. What I'd like is a job that involves a rapport between the club and the players.
"I've been lucky in that I've rarely been on the substitutes' bench. It can't be an easy thing toe accept and it's why I never want to be a coach: it's too hard to choose who plays and who doesn't."
Looking back on his 20-season career with Milan and the trophy successes, which include six Italian league titles and three European Cups (1989/90/94), he added: "The club is my second family. I first arrived at the Milanello training ground when I was 14 years old. And at this stage, all that's left is for me to dream in red and black."
Baresi, who started what has become a record number of appearances for Milan in an away win over Verona on April 23rd, 1978, said: "I've played alongside so many champions over the years. The greatest of them all, at least in his position, was Marco Van Basten.
Although Baresi has enjoyed success in his club career, and also at international level as captain of Italy, the world's best-known defender will also finish with a few regrets.
"Believe it or not, but losing the 1994 World Cup final (to Brazil) and missing a penalty wasn't the biggest disappointment of my career," he said.
"I still haven't forgiven myself for the two European Cup finals we lost in 1993 and 1995. Olympique Marseille and Ajax were not better than us, and we missed out on two trophies that were within our reach."
The worst years of all were at the start of his career, he said, when Milan were relegated to the Serie B.
Between 1981 and 1982, I experienced physical and sporting pain," he said. "A blood infection kept me off the pitch for six months, then came the relegation to the Serie B. I think that was the worst time."
