During this time, he won the Serie A, the Supercoppa Italiana, and the UEFA Cup, also reaching the Coppa Italia final.
[1][2] Francini represented Italy at under-21 level on 12 occasions, scoring 2 goals, and reaching the final of the 1986 UEFA Under-21 European Championships under manager Cesare Maldini.
Throughout his career, he received limited playing time for Italy, due to the presence of Antonio Cabrini, and later, Paolo Maldini in his role.
[1][3] Francini primarily played as a left-sided fullback, where he excelled due to his pace, stamina, consistency, composure, and work-rate.
Despite being known as a tenacious and hard-tackling defender, he was also known for his offensive capabilities as a full-back, due to his technique and crossing accuracy, as well as eye for goal, courtesy of his heading, ability to cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger left foot, and his ability to make attacking runs into the penalty area.