A long-standing "nerazzurro", he also served as Internazionale captain for four seasons, winning several trophies both domestically and internationally. Despite his club success, Giuseppe achieved little success at the national team level, unlike his younger brother, only playing 18 matches with the "Azzurri" shirt between 1979 and 1986, being also surpassed in notoriety by his more famous brother Franco who played for crosstown city rivals Milan. After representing the under-20 side in the 1977 Under-20 World Cup, and the under-21 side in the 1978 and 1980 European championships, Giuseppe was a member of Italy's senior squad at the UEFA 1980 European Championship, on home soil, alongside his brother, Franco. This was the only time that the two brothers were both selected for a major tournament with Italy, although only Giuseppe would make appearances in the competition, as Italy managed to reach the semi-finals, finishing in fourth place. Despite being called up for the 1982 World Cup qualifiers by manager Enzo Bearzot, Giuseppe was left out of the final squad for his brother Franco; although the team went on to win the trophy, Franco did not make a single appearance throughout the tournament. Baresi was also a starting member of Italy's 1986 World Cup squad, which was eliminated in the round of 16.