This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011)

Roberto Baggio (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto ˈbaddʒo]; born 18 February 1967) is a retired Italian footballer. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of all time (4th in the Fifa internet poll; member of the Fifa World Cup Dream Team), Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993. He is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He is also one of the top 5 all-time goalscorers for Italy. Baggio is known as Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career and his Buddhist background.

Biography[link]

Baggio was born in Caldogno, Veneto, son of Matilde and Fiorindo Baggio. He has 7 brothers and sisters. As a youngster, he always had a keen interest in the sport of football and played for a local youth club over a period of nine years. After scoring 6 goals in one game, Baggio was persuaded by scout Antonio Mora to join Vicenza. Roberto Baggio is the 6th of 8 siblings. His younger brother, Eddy Baggio, was also a footballer who played 86 games in Serie B. After his serious career threatening injury in 1985, Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic, converted to Buddhism. He married his girlfriend Andreina Fabbi in 1989, in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony however. They have a daughter, Valentina, and two sons, Mattia and Leonardo.

Club career[link]

1982–1990: Vicenza and Fiorentina[link]

Baggio began his professional career at native club Vicenza in Serie C1 during the 1982 season. He won promotion to Serie B fin his time in the 1984-85 season. It was during his time at Vicenza that he was first injured to his left knee.

Fiorentina snapped him up in 1985, and during his years there, despite initially being sidelined due to recurring injury problems, he rose to cult status among the team's fans who consider him to be one of their best ever players.^[1] In his first season there, Fiorentina finished in 5th place. He made his Serie A debut on 21 September 1986 against Sampdoria and scored his first league goal from a free kick on 10 May 1987 against Diego Armando Maradona's Napoli, in a match best remembered for Napoli winning the Scudetto for the first time in their history. He also led Fiorentina to the UEFA CUP Final in 1990, in which he would be defeated by his future club, Juventus. He also led Fiorentina to a Coppa Italia Semi-final during the 1988-1989 season, in which he scored 9 goals, and was the second highest scorer after his future team mate Vialli, with 13. He helped Fiorentina to finish in 7th place and win an UEFA Cup spot during the 1989-90 Serie A season, in which he was also second highest goalscorer.^[2]

1990–1995: Juventus[link]

Baggio was sold to Juventus, amid outcry from Fiorentina fans, in 1990 for €10 million (US$13.6 million), the world record transfer for a football player at the time. He also inherited the number 10 shirt. Following the transfer, there were full scale riots on the streets of Florence where fifty people were injured.^[3] Baggio replied to his fans saying: "I was compelled to accept the transfer". In the match he played for Juventus against Fiorentina in 1990, he refused to take a penalty; and when substituted he picked up a Fiorentina Scarf thrown onto the field by fans and kissed it. He claimed: "Deep in my heart I am always purple", the colour of Fiorentina.

In this first season at Juventus, he scored 14 goals in the league as Juventus finished in a disappointing 7th place, although they did manage to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup Winner's Cup, in which Baggio was top scorer. Juventus were eliminated by Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team", who lost in the final to Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, however. Juventus also lost the Supercoppa Italiana Final against Napoli, although Baggio managed to score a goal.

In his second season, he finished runner-up to Van Basten for the Serie A top scorer title, scoring 18 goals, as Juventus finished as runners up to Milan in Serie A, and to Parma in the Coppa Italia Final, in which Baggio scored in the first leg from a penalty.

In the 1992-1993 season, he was appointed team captain, and he won his only European club trophy, helping Juventus to the UEFA Cup final in which he scored twice, defeating Borussia Dortmund. He ended the competition as top scorer. Juventus ended 4th in Serie A, although they managed a 3-1 win against eventual Serie A Champions with a brilliant goal by Baggio. Baggio was once again runner up for the Serie A Capocannoniere title, with 21 goals, his personal best in Serie A until then. Giuseppe Signori however managed 26. Baggio's performances earned him both the European Footballer of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year titles. He scored a personal besst of 30 goals in all competitions during this season.

In the 1993-1994 season, Juventus once again finished runners up to Milan, and Baggio finished 3rd in the Capocannoniere title with 17 goals in Serie A that season, whilst they were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the Quarter Finals to Cagliari.

In the 1994-1995 season, Baggio was injured for the most part, only scoring 8 goals in Serie A, however he still managed to win his first Scudetto with Juventus, scoring important goals to clinch the title, such as his memorable header against Milan and another crucial goal against Cremonese, as well as his his goals against Parma and Reggiana. He also assisted 3 goals in the title deciding match against Parma, which Juventus won 4-0. This was the first of many league titles to come for Juventus in the 1990s. He also helped Juventus to win the Coppa Italia that year, and helped led Juventus to another UEFA CUP final, in which they were defeated by Parma, who they had also faced in the Coppa Italia final. He finished the season with 14 goals in all competitions. He scored 115 goals in all competitions during his time at Juventus, of which 78 were scored in Serie A.

1995–2000: Milan, Bologna, and Inter[link]

In 1995, Lippi stated that Baggio no longer entered into his plans at Juventus and decided to focus rather on the young emerging Italian star Alessandro Del Piero. After strong pressure from Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi, he was sold to the Milanese club, amidst several protests from the fans.^{[4] [5]} At this time, he had been linked with English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers, but no firm offers were made from either of these clubs. He helped Milan win the Serie A title, scoring a goal against his former team, Fiorentina, from a penalty, in the title deciding match. Baggio finished the season with 10 goals in all competitions, of which 7 were scored in Serie A. He also became one of the six players to win the Scudetto in consecutive years with different teams (along with Giovanni Ferrari, Riccardo Toros, Eraldo Mancin, Alessandro Orlando and most recently, Andrea Pirlo). He would also make his Champions's League debut in the 1996-97 season. Milan finished runners up in the 1996 Supercoppa Italiana Final. During this time, he had several disagreements with manager Fabio Capello due to limited playing time, since Capello believed that although Baggio was a talented player, he was no longer fit enough to play for 90 minutes, as well as Arrigo Sacchi, with whom he had also previously argued during the 1994 World Cup .^[6]

In 1997, Baggio transferred to Bologna in order to resuscitate his career, save them from relegation, and earn a place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He scored a personal best of 22 goals in Serie A that year, leading Bologna to qualify for the Intertoto Cup and eventually the UEFA Cup. He was known to have had difficulties with his manager at the time, Renzo Ulivieri, in particular during one incident in which Ulivieri, at the very last moment, left him out of the starting 11 for the match against eventual Serie A Champions, Juventus. Ulivieri however later denied ever having any difficulties with Baggio, also stating that Baggio was "a nice guy." He also rather shockingly cut off his ponytail at the beginning of the season, signifying his rebirth.^[7]

After the 1998 World Cup, Baggio signed with Internazionale. This proved to be an unfortunate move, as after disappointing results and several managerial changes, Baggio's ex-manager during the 1994-95 Season with Juventus, Marcello Lippi, was appointed as Inter's new manager. The then coach did not favour Baggio, and left him out of the squad for most of the season. Whilst at Juventus, he had previously chosen to sell him to Milan in 1995. This exclusion caused Baggio to lose his place in the national team. In his autobiography, Baggio later declared that Lippi had effectively dumped him after Baggio had refused to point out which of Inter's players had expressed negative opinions about the coach.^[8] He did however manage a memorable brace against Real Madrid, in the 1998-1999 Champions League Group Stage, leading Inter to the quarter finals, where they were knocked out against eventual winners, Manchester United. In the 1999-2000 season, Inter were also runners-up to Lazio in the Coppa Italia Final. His last important contribution to Inter was two memorable goals against Parma in the playoff for the last remaining UEFA Champions League place, which Inter won 3–1. This game is considered another prime example of the great professionalism shown by Baggio throughout his career. Inter president Massimo Moratti had openly declared that Lippi would only stay on as manager if the team made it into the Champions League, but Baggio knew that because of his bad relationship with Lippi, that would also mean that he would have to leave the club himself.^[9]

2000–2004: Brescia[link]

After two years with Inter, in order to be called up for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he transferred to previously unfashionable Brescia, his aim being to save them from relegation. He was made captain and was given the number 10 jersey. Despite initial injury problems, he managed 10 goals in the 2000-2001 Serie A season, including a memorable brace against Fiorentina, a game winning penalty against Inter, a match winning free kick against Napoli, and a late equaliser against Juventus at the Delle Alpi Stadium, assisted by Andrea Pirlo. He also scored a hat-trick against Lecce, in which he also scored directly from a corner kick. Brescia finished in a comfortable joint 7th place and qualified for the Intertoto Cup. They lost in the final against Paris Saint-Germain. Baggio scored one goal in this tournament.

At the start of 2001–02 season, he scored eight goals in the first nine games. Unfortunately, during that season, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee; despite this severe injury, he came back three games before the end of the season, making a recovery of 76 days. In the first game after his comeback, he scored two goals against his former team Fiorentina, the first of them after only two minutes from the start of the match. Then he scored again against another team he played for, Bologna, saving Brescia from relegation on the final matchday. Brescia made the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia that season.

Baggio maintained a high level of performance in the next years, playing at Brescia until his retirement in 2004. He played his last game on 16 May 2004 at the San Siro against Milan. In the 88th minute, Brescia coach Gianni De Biasi subbed Baggio off so he could get his curtain call. The 80,000 present at the San Siro gave him a standing ovation. He ended his career with 205 goals in Serie A, making him the sixth-highest scorer of all time behind Silvio Piola, Gunnar Nordahl, Giuseppe Meazza, José Altafini and Francesco Totti. His number 10 jersey was retired by Brescia. He scored his 300th career goal on 16 December 2002 in Brescia's 3–1 home victory over Piacenza. He was the first player in over 50 years to reach this milestone, behind only Piola (364) and Meazza (338). Before Baggio had joined Brescia, they had never been able to avoid relegation after being promoted to Serie A. Under Baggio, they were never relegated, however after his retirement, in the 2004-05 season Brescia were relegated to Serie B once again.^[10]

International career[link]

Baggio totalled 27 goals in 56 caps for his national team, the fourth-highest of all time for Italy, tied with Alessandro Del Piero, who managed this tally in 91 appearances however. He is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups with a total of 9 career World Cup goals, which puts him even with Christian Vieri and Paolo Rossi as Italy's top World Cup scorers. For all his talent he was never rewarded with a victory in an international competition. Despite his performances, he has never played for Italy in a European Championship. Baggio was not called up very often for the Euro 1992 Qualification matches and Italy failed to qualify for the tournament. After the 1994 World Cup, Sacchi and Baggio infamously had a falling out and Baggio was no longer called up to the national team, missing out on Euro 1996, despite winning the Scudetto with Milan in 1996. After leading Italy to the final of the 1994 World Cup, scoring 5 goals in the process, he infamously missed the deciding penalty in the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which contributed to Italy losing the trophy to Brazil.

1990 FIFA World Cup[link]

Baggio's first World Cup was the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and although he was used most often as a substitute in the tournament, he was still able to display his quality, play-making skills, and scoring ability, scoring twice including the "goal of the tournament" against Czechoslovakia, involving a dribbling run, beating several players, before putting it past the keeper. Italy were eliminated on penalties against Argentina in the semi-finals, although Baggio was able to net his penalty. Baggio is also much remembered for his class; in the 3rd-4th place final match against England, he managed to help win a crucial penalty for Italy. Although he was regularly designated the penalty taker for his team, he stepped aside when he was awarded one, allowing his teammate Salvatore Schillaci to score and capture the Golden Shoe. He also managed a goal in that match, allowing Italy to capture the 3rd place medal, as the match ended 2-1 in their favour.

1994 FIFA World Cup[link]

Baggio was the cornerstone of the Italy team during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, wearing the number 10 jersey, and leading them to the final after a disappointing start. The Italy manager, Arrigo Sacchi, had been criticised for excluding key players and for being unable to decide on a specific formation, as well as Baggio's role (striker, trequartista/playmaker or second forward/rifinitore. He eventually ended up playing as a forward, but in a free "fantasista" role.)^[11][12]

In the first match against Ireland, Italy were defeated 1-0. Baggio was not yet at his best in this match, although he attempted several assists for his teammates.

In the second match against Norway, he seemed more inspired, however Italy goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca was sent off for handling the ball outside the area. Luca Marchegiani was brought in to replace him, and Arrigo Sacchi decided to take off Baggio, in what produced an outcry amidst the fans. Baggio later stated in an interview that Sacchi was "crazy."^[13] Italy however managed to win the match 1-0.

Baggio had difficulty getting into their third match in the group stage, as Italy drew 1-1 against Mexico, finishing in third place in their group. They however managed to advance to the knockout stages as the best third-place team.

Baggio re-found his form in the knockout stages however, and scored five brilliant goals, starting every match from the beginning. He scored two in the round of 16 to beat Nigeria (scoring with a low, well-placed drive, from just inside the right half of the penalty area, with 2 minutes left of the game sending it into extra time. He then scored another goal from a penalty in extra time, after setting up Antonio Benarrivo with a lobbed pass, who was then fouled in the area). He also scored another goal in the quarter-finals to top Spain (the game winner with 3 minutes remaining, assisted by Signori. He dribbled past and jumped over the goalkeeper, scoring off-balance from a tight angle). He had also previously assisted Dino Baggio's goal. He scored two more goals to beat Bulgaria in the semi-finals; the first was after a throw-in on the far left side of the pitch of the opposition half, in which Baggio controlled the ball, beat two players and curled the ball from outside the area, past the keeper, into the bottom right corner. The second was a half volley from a tight angle, inside the area, on the right-hand side of the goal, assisted by Albertini with a lobbed throughball. Baggio was not fully fit for the final against Brazil, after pulling his hamstring in the semi-final, although he still tested Claudio Taffarel and was able to set up a few chances for his team mates. The match ended 0–0 after extra time; he took Italy's last penalty in the resulting shoot-out, but his kick went over the cross-bar and the Brazilians won the title in what would be remembered as one of the most upsetting moments in World Cup History. Two other Italians, Franco Baresi and Daniele Massaro, had already missed penalties.

Baggio finished tied for second in the tournament in goals scored and was named one of the top three players. He also finished runner up for the Ballon d'Or and in 3rd place for the FIFA World Player.^[14]

1998 FIFA World Cup[link]

After his lengthy absence from the National Team, Baggio was called up again by Cesare Maldini for an important Qualifying match against Poland. Baggio scored an important goal in that match, helping Italy to come one step closer to qualifying for the World Cup. He was subsequently selected as one of Italy's 22 players for the 1998 World Cup following his performances that season for Bologna.

In Italy's opening match of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Italy played Chile. Baggio Started the match alongside Vieri, playing all 90 minutes, since Del Piero was still recovering from an injury. Italy's first goal was scored by Christian Vieri on an assist by Baggio. Towards the end of the game a Baggio cross touched Chilean defender Ronald Fuentes' hand,^[15] resulting in a penalty scored by Baggio which made the score 2–2. With this goal, he became the first Italian player to score in three World Cups. He also assisted Di Biagio's goal against Cameroon, and scored a goal in that game, which was however incorrectly ruled offside. Baggio scored his second goal of the tournament against Austria, scoring the winning goal after a splendid one-two with Filippo Inzaghi as Italy topped their group. With this goal, he tied the record for most goals by an Italian player in the World Cup Finals, with 9. This was also his last goal he scored for Italy. He was left on the Bench for Del Piero for the Round of 16 match against Norway as Italy advanced to the quarter finals.

In the quarter-final match against the hosts and eventual World Cup Champions France, Baggio came on as a substitute in the second half. The score remained 0–0 and the match went to extra time, with Baggio coming closest to scoring the golden goal with a volley. They match eventually went on to yet another penalty shootout. Although Baggio this time netted his penalty, the shootout was won by the host nation. Italy's coach, Cesare Maldini has since been severely criticised for starting the recovering Del Piero ahead of Baggio, who was in the better form, for the quarter-final match against France.^{[citation needed]} Cesare Maldini later apologized to Baggio for not giving him the playing time he deserved. Despite this, Baggio and Del Piero remain good friends to this day, with Baggio stating in an interview that he has the utmost respect for Del Piero, his leadership at Juventus and his timeless talent, and that there had never been disagreements between them, despite rumours of a rivalry between the two players.^[16][17] Del Piero also stated that he believed that Baggio and Zidane were the best players he had ever played with, and that technically they were brilliant and a delight to play with.^[18]

Later career[link]

Baggio was not called up for Dino Zoff's squad in Euro 2000 and also 2002 FIFA World Cup as Italy's coach Giovanni Trapattoni considered him not fully recovered from injury. Fans and pundits criticised the omission of Baggio, as Italy were eliminated by South Korea in the Round of 16. Baggio had made a direct appeal to Trapattoni prior to the tournament by writing a letter to the then Azzurri coach. In the letter, he spoke of his love for the national team, the sacrifices he had made in recent months, and his desire to participate in the tournament. "Two years ago I decided to stay in Italy, choosing Brescia and Mazzone, to try and win a jersey for the World Cup."^[19] Despite Baggio's plea, he was ultimately left out of Trapattoni's squad. He was given an international sendoff in a friendly against Spain in 2004, in which he wore the number 10 jersey and the captain's armband for part of the match. The match finished 1-1 and Baggio was given a standing ovation upon being substituted.^[20]

After retirement[link]

Baggio was given an international send-off match on 28 April 2004 against Spain. He was invited to play for the European XI at the Football for Hope Indian Ocean tsunami relief benefit on 15 February 2005 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, but he declined the invitation.

Baggio wrote an autobiography titled Una porta nel cielo ("A Goal in the Sky", but also "A Gate in the Sky"), including details about his rifts with managers.

On 16 October 2002, Roberto Baggio was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

On his 40th birthday (18 February 2007), Baggio started his new website to converse with his fans. As per his website he does not intend to return to mainstream football, but rather exchange words with his fans on his blogs.

In March 2008 Baggio—who has owned a ranch property in Argentina for many years—gave a lengthy interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport. In it he discussed many topics, including the team he now supports: Boca Juniors. "How did I become a fan of Boca? It's an interesting story. A rainy Sunday, I was at my house with a friend of mine and I saw a game on TV. The score was 4–0, and was played at the Boca stadium, La Bombonera. At one point they scanned across the crowd at their fans: they danced, they sang, they twirled flags and banners. A contagious joy. I said to my friend, 'It's beautiful to do this when their team is winning.' And he turned to me and said: 'Roberto, are you watching? Boca are losing 0–4! …' From that moment Boca has become my team. That stadium gives me incredible feelings."[1]

On 8 October 2008 Baggio appeared in a charity match between Milan and Fiorentina for Stefano Borgonovo, with whom Baggio played at Fiorentina during the late 1980s.

August 2010 marked Roberto Baggio's comeback into Italian football, as he was appointed as president of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation, replacing Azeglio Vicini.

On November 2010, Baggio was awarded the World Peace Award, an annual award bestowed by Nobel Peace Prize laureates.^[21]

He obtained Italy Category 2 Coaching License (UEFA A License) in mid-2011, made him eligible to coach Lega Pro teams or as vice-coach in Serie A and Serie B Furthermore since August 2010 he is the technical director of the FIGC, the Italian Football Federation.^[22]

Style of Play[link]

Roberto Baggio is considered one of Italy's greatest and most loved players of all time. He is also remembered as a symbol of the Italian National Team.^[23] He began his career as a second-striker, or rifinitore in Italian, although he was known for scoring goals as well as providing assists, which lead Juventus legend Michel Platini to describe him as a "fantastic 9 and a half", referring to the fact that he wasn't a true number 9, the shirt number of a striker, but that he scored more than a classic 10.^[24] He would go on to specify that Baggio's playing style coincided with the emergence and popularisation of the trequartista in Italian football. During his time at Juventus, Giovanni Agnelli referred to Baggio as an artist, comparing him to the painter Raffaello, whilst he described the emerging talent and his heir, Alessandro Del Piero, as the student Pinturicchio^[25] . He was also a playmaker, or fantasista, and was comfortable attacking on both wings as well as in the centre of the pitch.^[26] In his later career, he played as a trequartista. Baggio was a set piece and penalty kick specialist, who influenced several other future specialists, such as Andrea Pirlo^[27] . Although naturally right footed, he was comfortable using either foot, and usually began dribbling with his left foot.^[28] Despite his success, skill and talent, Baggio's career is thought to have been affected by the many severe injuries he encountered.^[29] Although he was not imposing physically, he was renowned for his vision, creativity, technical skills, passing and tactical awareness, that allowed him to pick out attacking players making runs, and provide them with assists. ^[30] He was also known for his pace, acceleration and his ability to lose his markers. ^[31] His dribbling, ball control, balance, agility and his ability to beat defenders (in particular on one on one situations) were also highly renowned, as well as his finishing. ^[32] He has been known for his leadership and his ability to perform well in important matches throughout his career, despite having played for many different clubs.^[33]

Club honours[link]

Vicenza

• Serie C1: 1984–85

Fiorentina

• UEFA Cup: Runner up: 1989-90

Juventus

• Serie A: 1994–95 Runner up: 1991-92, 1993-94
• Coppa Italia: 1994–95 Runner up: 1991-92
• UEFA Cup: 1993 Runner up: 1994-95
• Supercoppa Italiana: Runner up: 1990
• European Cup Winner's Cup: Semifinalist: 1990-91

Milan

• Serie A: 1995–96
• Supercoppa Italiana: Runner up: 1996

Bologna

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998

Inter

• Coppa Italia: Runner up: 1999-2000
• Supercoppa Italiana: Runner up: 2000

Brescia

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: Runner up: 2001

International honours[link]

Italy National Football Team

• FIFA World Cup: (runner-up): 1994
• FIFA World Cup: (3rd place): 1990

Individual honours[link]

• U-23 European Footballer of the Year: 1990
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorer: 1990–91
• European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or/Golden Ball): 1993
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 1993
• Platinum Football award by TV Sorrisi and Canzoni: 1992
• Onze D'Or by French Magazine 'Onze Mondial': 1993
• FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1994
• FIFA World Cup Silver/ bronze Shoe: 1994/5
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1994
• Bravo award with Fiorentina: 1990
• Golden Guerin with Vicenza: 1985
• Golden Guerin with AC Milan: 1996
• Golden Guerin with Brescia: 2001
• Guerin d'Oro: 2001
• Azzuri Team of The Century: 2000
• FIFA Dream Team of All-Time: 2002
• 'Most Loved Player' Award via Internet Polls: 2001
• 'Most Loved Player' Award at the Italian Oscars: 2002
• FIFA 100: 2004
• World Soccer Awards 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century #16
• Giuseppe Prisco award: 2004
• The Champions Promenade – Golden Foot 2003
• Guerin's Sportivo 150 Grandi del Secolo
• Placar's 100 Craques do Seculo
• Planète Foot's 50 Meilleurs Joueurs du Monde
• Italy All-time XI by Football Italia
• Juventus All-time XI by Football Italia
• Brescia All-time XI by Football Italia

Selected statistics[link]

• 319 goals in all competitions
• 76 goals from 91 penalties (best all time record in Italy)
• 32 goals in European competitions
• 9 goals in World Cup finals (2 during Italia 90, 5 during USA 94, 2 during France 98)

Statistics[link]