News about Franco Baresi

ANDY TOWNSEND: I've been lucky enough to wear an Ireland shirt for a number of key moments, but being captain, walking out for the first game of the tournament against Italy in such a setting... there were so many Ireland supporters at Giants Stadium on that day. We were up to the ground three and a half hours before World Cup matches were scheduled, so there was a lot of time. We're all changed, and we're in the tunnel wearing white shirt, green shorts, and white socks. I was standing next to Franco Baresi, who was wearing a white shirt, blue shorts, and white socks. He looks at me like, 'No, no, no you've got the wrong kit on!' We're about to step out, and we're about to walk out.

Prior to his injury, the Dutch defender had been involved in a string of world class campaigns for the Reds and barely missed out on the 2019 Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi. As Jurgen Klopp's team won the Champions League and Premier League, he established himself as the world's best defender. Foster claims that his form elevates him above the likes of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Franz Beckenbauer, and Sergio Ramos as the best player in the position of all time.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO: The league's heavyweight sides all won significant victories, including Napoli, who maintained their ascendancy at the top of the table, over the weekend. After beating Sassuolo 2-0, the Naples team is now 15 points ahead of nearest rival Inter Milan, who are expected to win their first Scudetto since 1990. Meanwhile, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Roma all won, while Salernitana plightened despite new boss Paulo Sousa's arrival.

Franco Baresi, the former Yugoslav footballer and ex-AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, who died at the age of 53 after being fighting against leukaemia, was honored at the end. After a lengthy struggle of over three years, the former Lazio and Inter Milan star has succumbed to his illness. Bologna's youngster was still in the dug-out just three months ago. After Mihajlovic died in a clinic in Rome on Friday, former Italy and AC Milan captain Franco Baresi led the tributes to him.

BY ADAM SHERGOLD: Joey Barton will occasionally walk into a Bristol Rovers team meeting and begin by saying: 'Lads, I know this will sound barmy.' Or the squad may have heard something about football history, like Franco Baresi and the Italian school of defense, and his holistic approach to Rovers is paying off. Aaron Collins, a Welsh forward who is now in the form of his life, is one of those who has fully bought-in to his methods.

PETE JENSON: Gerard Pique left Barcelona four years ago to establish himself as the best central defender in the club's history. No one in any doubt that he'll be back again, and it's likely to be as president next time. 'You all know me, and sooner or later I'll back,' he said in the video, and no one noticed that he was checking up at the directors' box as he said it.'

Only a select group of footballers will qualify to play at a World Cup. An even more elite group is those that were able to win the world's biggest tournament. After all, only eight nations have lifted the trophy in almost a century of history. Any player faces the greatest challenge and the holy grail. However, there have been some truly outstanding teams who came so close to winning it and then stopped so far. Sportsmail looks at some of the best teams that did not win the World Cup in Qatar ahead of the tournament.