Italian attackers of the highest caliber were once renowned worldwide, and Roberto Baggio ranks among the best of them. His is a very encouraging tale that absolutely needs to be shared. Was he truly that excellent, or was he merely another overrated star from the past? Younger readers should read all the way through to the conclusion to find out. If you belong to the old guard please be patient with me as I take you down memory lane.
Roberto Baggio was a playmaker with physical prowess and imagination. He excelled at set pieces and was regarded as one of the best players of all time for his agility, goal-scoring, and curling free kicks. After placing fourth in the FIFA Player of the Century online vote, he was included in the FIFA World Cup dream squad in 2002. He was awarded FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993, and he earned the Ballon d’Or in 1999. He was included by Pele in the FIFA 100 list of the greatest players still active in the globe in 2004.
Roberto Baggio is considered to be one of the best performers in Italian football history. No matter what fate hurled at Baggio, he was always known to bounce back stronger. At the age of 18, he suffered a catastrophic accident that put his future in jeopardy. But Baggio defied the chances, persisted in the face of hardship, and eventually rose to the rank of one of the best football players ever. The 220 internal sutures used to reattach the tendons in Roberto Baggio’s right knee were all felt by him because he is averse to painkillers, and it seemed as though his football career, which had only just started, was already over.
When Baggio’s first major knee injury happened when he was just 18 years old, he had just accepted to join Fiorentina in Serie B from his hometown side Vicenza when he was informed that he would never play again. He would be written off for the first time, but not for the last. Soon after beginning his Fiorentina tenure, he experienced a recurrence. Despite the terrible injury and need for another operation, the Viola had upheld their part of the bargain to send him to Florence. He had defied physicians’ orders to play again within 18 months. In his first two seasons with the team, he only made five Serie A starts as a result of this injury. Fiorentina’s early years were challenging because of all the accidents that occurred during that time. The youngster’s amazing energy had left him unable to participate in any games for Fiorentina. After recuperating from his injuries in 1986, he started playing in his second season, but only for a brief period of time because he needed 220 sutures in his knee as a result of yet another injury. When everyone believed Baggio had recovered from a fatal injury, fate dealt him another curveball. If Baggio had been a different player, he would have given up on football but Baggio was built differently. In 1987, he recovered by netting a goal to keep Fiorentina from being demoted. His long-awaited success came the following year when, with 15 goals, he finished as the third-highest scorer in the league, giving Fiorentina a spot in the UEFA Cup. He had finally developed into the player he had always wanted to be, and as a consequence, his admirers came to him in droves. In his final season for Fiorentina, Baggio was the second-highest goal scorer in the division that year with 17 goals. He came in eighth place in the 1990 Ballon d’Or competition. Although he didn’t win any titles for the club, Roberto Baggio unquestionably made an enduring impact on Fiorentina by helping the team win local competitions. As a result, the club will remember him for many years to come.
Juventus attempted to acquire Roberto Baggio when he was 16 years old, but Viola beat them to it. In 1990, Juventus made another attempt and were successful. He cost them eight million pounds, a trade record at the time. Fans began riots when he left for a rival club because of his fame at Fiorentina. For the bulk of his carrier, Baggio played for Juventus, where in 1994–1995 he earned the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles. Baggio made his 100th Serie A game while representing Juventus, and he started to have an impact on the squad. Baggio’s passes and moves were the focal points of every Juventus game as early as his second season, and the supporters soon recognized how talented he was. In the 1992–93 campaign, Baggio was appointed team captain. With 39 goals scored for Juventus in all categories following a productive second season, Baggio established a record that helped him earn the Ballon d’Or, European Footballer of the Year, and FIFA World Player of the Year. He was still the second-highest goal scorer in the league though, so he missed the Capo Canoniere honor. In spite of missing the bulk of his final season at Juventus in 1994–95 due to a second knee injury, he made a substantial contribution. Roberto Baggio scored 115 goals for Juventus, but his departure from the team did not go well. It was almost as if he had been forced out. Because the club wanted Del Piero to perform in his place, Baggio’s pay was reduced in half. Fans still consider him to be one of the greatest commanders and leaders Juventus has ever had, despite the fact that his exit from the team was unjustified.
After leaving Juventus he signed with AC Milan, where he missed the majority of his debut season because of yet another injury. Baggio’s lone standout moment of the season occurred in a title-deciding game against Fiorentina, where he converted a penalty. Even though Roberto Baggio was physically ready to play, the coaches didn’t think he was the same explosive player and kept him on the sideline for the bulk of his second season. As a result, AC Milan won the Serie A championship without his help in 1995–96. Due to his sparse playing time, Baggio only managed to score 19 goals during his two seasons at AC Milan.
Bologna was the next destination. His time in Bologna was a time of atonement for him; he wanted to demonstrate to the world that he still had plenty of battle in him and to disprove his former teachers and football skeptics, and he succeeded in doing so. He was brought in by Bologna to prevent them from being relegated, but his record-breaking 22 goals in that season far surpassed their hopes, and Bologna came in eighth. The player had a fantastic year, and we have no doubt that the AC Milan members were cursing themselves for allowing him to go too soon. The fact that Roberto Baggio shaved his fabled ponytail was the only disappointment that season.
He moved on to Inter Milan from Bologna. Unfortunately, Roberto Baggio suffered another injury during his first season with Inter Milan. He was unable to achieve the levels that were anticipated after his incredible season the prior year. The entire Inter Milan team had a bad season in 1998–99, placing ninth. In the second season after Inter recruited his former boss from Juventus, he refused to play Baggio in his initial position because of their ongoing personal conflict. Roberto Baggio tallied 17 goals in the short amount of time he was on the field. It’s a shame he didn’t get the opportunity to participate in many games for Inter Milan because they were his favorite club when he was younger. Although Diego Maradona and Alessandro Del Piero frequently stole his thunder, many people believe he was far better than both of them. Baggio never ceased playing football despite being injured for protracted periods of time throughout his career. He subsequently acknowledged that he was only completely healthy for three or four games per season, yet he never stopped playing football.
He is and always will be remembered for a missed penalty shot that cost Italy the 1994 World Cup final as consequence of it, despite his many achievements. Baggio was a versatile player who was most often used as a second attacker, a position that was developed just for him because of his all-around passing and striking skills. He had extraordinary vision, ingenuity, game reading, chance creation, closing, and crossing abilities. He was almost the ideal player any team could have.
Supporters dubbed him “Il divino codino,” which translates to “divine ponytail,” for his distinctive hairstyle and affection for the Buddhist way of life. Baggio observed that Buddhism fundamentally altered his perspective on life and significantly improved his ability to deal with loss and hardship. His professional journey was so inspiring and intriguing that a Netflix documentary was made specifically about him. Baggio was a pillar of the national squad as well, beating out Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Mancini, and Pepe Signori for a place at the top of Rigo Sachi’s starting lineup. To be honest, it was more of a union of necessity between the two, with Sachi genuinely realizing the greatness of a player whom he simply couldn’t afford to lose despite not being adapted to his usual pressing strategy. The miraculous ponytail eventually came to life against Nigeria, netting a late equalizer and a penalty in extra time to send Italy through. Italy had previously barely advanced to the round of 16 during World Cup 1994 goal difference despite coming from a poor group. It was Baggio, who was outplayed for the majority of the quarterfinal match against Spain, who scored the game-winning goal late on, one-on-one with the goalkeeper Zubizareta, to advance Italy to the semifinals. Baggio scored twice to help Italy progress in the first half of the match against Bulgaria, but there was a sting in the tail when he sustained an injury that limited his influence. When Baggio missed the penalty in the World Cup final playing against another outstanding player of the competition, Romario, Brazil won the championship for the first time in 24 years. The player’s career-defining picture was of Baggio with his hands on his hips and his head lowered. For a player whose accomplishments include capturing the Ballon d’or in 1993, it seems almost absurd how often he was dismissed by critics. In order to help the victims of the Italian floods in 1994, he subsequently auctioned off his Ballon d’Or. That my dear football fans was simply Baggio.