"I lost not only a teammate, but also a friend, a brother," said Antonio Cabrini.
Hundreds of mourners gathered inside and outside the cathedral in Vicenza to say a final goodbye to Rossi, one of the greats of Italian football.
The shooting king from the 1982 World Cup died earlier this week after a period of illness, 64 years old.
Due to covid-19 restrictions, the authorities did not allow more than 250 people to gather outside the church, but several were able to follow the ceremony, which was broadcast live on Italian television.
Cabrini, defender of the gold team in 1982, gave an emotional speech.
"Never thought you would leave our group so early"
- We fought and won, sometimes we lost, but always with the will to come back.
We were all part of a group and we never thought you would leave our group so early.
Hello Paolo!
said Cabrini, according to Reuters.
The ceremony ended with a long applause to accompany the cathedral bells while mourners outside sang "Paolo, Paolo ...".
Rossi is to be cremated and his ashes scattered somewhere in Tuscany where he grew up.
He ended his playing career in 1987, at the age of 31.
By then he had played close to 400 league games and scored 154 goals.
In 48 international matches, Rossi produced 20 goals.
His biggest moment was the summer days of 1982, when he stood in front of the world in front of the world for a hat trick in the 3-2 victory against Brazil, followed up with two goals in the 2-0 victory in the semifinal against Poland and then scored the first goal in Italy's 3-0 1 victory against West Germany in the World Cup final.
With Juventus, Paolo Rossi won Serie A, the Italian Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup and the European Cup.