Heysel’s Shadow: Del Piero’s ’39 Times Thank You’ to Baresi

FolioPitch.com – 01 August 2026 | The Heysel story behind Del Piero s Baresi message 39 times thank you is one of football’s most profound gestures of cross-club respect. When Alessandro Del Piero, Juventus‘s legendary captain, paid tribute to Franco Baresi after the Milan icon’s passing on Friday, he closed with a line that puzzled outsiders but resonated deeply with Juventus supporters: “39 times thank you. The Juventus fans will understand.”

Del Piero’s words, reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, brought back a memory that had been etched into the collective conscience of Italian football for over three decades. It was a gesture made by Baresi, then Milan’s captain, that transcended the fierce rivalry between two of Serie A’s greatest clubs.

The Heysel story behind Del Piero s Baresi message 39 times thank you dates back to March 7, 1990. Milan were in Brussels to face Mechelen in a European Cup quarter-final at the Heysel stadium. Hours before kickoff, Baresi and Milan director Paolo Taveggia quietly walked to Sector Z, the very terrace where on May 29, 1985, 39 supporters—most of them Juventus fans—had lost their lives before the European Cup final against Liverpool.

Milan had requested official permission to lay a commemorative wreath, but the Belgian authorities declined. Baresi, however, refused to let the moment pass. On his own initiative, he placed 39 red roses at the foot of the stand, one for each victim. No cameras captured the act, no ceremony accompanied it. It was a simple, silent expression of humanity from a man wearing the colors of Juventus’s fiercest rival.

When word of Baresi’s gesture reached Turin, the Juventus curva responded at the next home game at the Stadio Comunale with a banner that would become legendary: “Baresi, 39 volte grazie”—”Baresi, 39 times thank you.” It was a moment of shared grief and mutual respect that defied the usual boundaries of club loyalty.

Now, 36 years later, Del Piero—himself a one-club bandiera in the same mold as Baresi—revived that phrase. The Heysel story behind Del Piero s Baresi message 39 times thank you is not merely a nostalgic footnote; it is a testament to Baresi’s character. He was mourned not just as one of the greatest defenders the game has ever produced, but as a man whose decency transcended rivalry.

In his tribute, Del Piero wrote: “Thank you Franco for what you taught us, on and off the pitch, with your legendary career. A club icon is forever.” Those words alone would have been enough, but the coda that followed—”39 times thank you. The Juventus fans will understand”—carried an emotional weight only those familiar with the Heysel tragedy could fully grasp.

The Heysel story behind Del Piero s Baresi message 39 times thank you highlights how football can bridge even the deepest divides. Baresi’s act in 1990 was not calculated or political; it was instinctive. He understood that some wounds are bigger than any club badge. His roses honored the dead, but they also sent a message to Juventus: in that moment, you are not rivals, you are fellow mourners.

As the football world says goodbye to Baresi, Del Piero’s message serves as a reminder that true legends are defined by more than trophies and tackles. They are defined by moments of humanity that leave an indelible mark on the hearts of opponents. The banner that Juventus fans unfurled in 1990 will forever be linked to Baresi’s name, and now Del Piero has ensured that the memory of that gesture will live on.

In the days since Baresi’s death, tributes have poured in from across the globe—from former teammates, opponents, and clubs. Yet it was Del Piero’s message, with its cryptic reference to a dark night in Brussels, that captured the essence of Baresi’s legacy. It was not just about football. It was about empathy, respect, and the ability to stand with those who grieve, even when history says you should stand apart.

The 39 roses are long gone, but their meaning endures. Del Piero’s farewell, echoing those two simple words from a Juventus curva, ensures that Franco Baresi will always be remembered not only as a Milan legend, but as a man of profound decency. The Heysel story behind Del Piero s Baresi message 39 times thank you is a reminder that in football, as in life, the most powerful acts are often the quietest.