Roberto Baggio is a retired
Italian footballerFootball is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...
. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation, Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the
FIFA World Player of the YearThe FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
in 1993. He is the only
ItalianThe Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
player ever to score in three
World CupsThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. He is also one of the top 5 all-time goalscorers for Italy. Baggio is known as
(
The Divine PonytailA ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career and his Buddhist background.
Biography
Baggio was born in
CaldognoCaldogno is a town and comune near Vicenza in Italy. Its population is 11,291.The Villa Caldogno Nordera in its territory is attributed to architect Andrea PalladioIt is the birthplace of footballer Roberto Baggio....
,
VenetoVeneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
. 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
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
. Roberto Baggio is the 6th of 8 brothers. His younger brother,
Eddy BaggioEddy Baggio is an Italian football striker.He is one of the younger brothers of Roberto Baggio, but unlike Roberto, Eddy never made his Serie A debut.He started his professional career at A.C...
, was also a footballer who played 86 games in
Serie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. Baggio married his girlfriend Andreina Fabbri in 1993. They have a daughter, Valentina, and two sons, Mattia and Riccardo.
1982–1990: Vicenza and Fiorentina
Baggio began his professional career at native club Vicenza in
Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
during 1982.
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
snapped him up in 1985, and during his years there, he rose to cult status among the team's fans who consider him to be one of their best ever players. He made his
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
debut on 21 September 1986 against Sampdoria and scored his first league goal on 10 May 1987 against Napoli, in a match best remembered for Napoli winning the Scudetto for the first time in their history.
1990–1995: Juventus
In 1990, Baggio was sold to
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, amid outcry from Fiorentina fans, in 1990 for €10 million (US$13.6 million), the
world record transferThis is a list of the progression of the world association football transfer record when measured in British pounds.-See also:*Highest transfer fees*Progression of British football transfer fee record-Notes:...
for a football player at the time. Following the transfer, there were full scale riots on the streets of
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
where fifty people were injured. 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 1993, he won his only European club trophy, helping
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
to the UEFA Cup
finalThe 1993 UEFA Cup Final was played on 5 May 1993 and 19 May 1993 between Juventus of Italy and Borussia Dortmund of Germany. Juventus won 3–1 and 3–0 to record a 6–1 aggregate victory, a record aggregate score for a UEFA Cup Final. The fixture would be repeated in the 1997...
in which he scored twice. His performances earned him both the
European Footballer of the Year and the
FIFA World Player of the Year titles. In 1995 Baggio won his first
Scudetto with Juventus. This was the first of many league titles to come for Juventus in the 1990s.
1995–2000: Milan, Bologna, and Inter
In 1995, after strong pressure from
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
chairman
Silvio BerlusconiSilvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
, he was sold to the Milanese club. 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 ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
title, becoming the first player to win the Scudetto in consecutive years with different teams.
In 1997, Baggio transferred to
BolognaBologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
in order to resuscitate his career, and after scoring a personal best 22 goals that year. After the 1998 World Cup, Baggio signed with
InternazionaleFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. This proved to be an unfortunate move, as the then coach
Marcello LippiMarcello Lippi, Commendatore OMRI is a former Italian World Cup-winning football manager and former player. He served as Italian national team head coach from 16 July 2004 to 12 July 2006 and led Italy to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was re-appointed as Italian head coach in the summer of 2008...
did not favour Baggio. This 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. His last contribution to Inter was two goals against Parma in the playoff for the last remaining
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
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 MorattiMassimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
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.
2000–2004: Brescia
After two years with Inter, in order to be called up for the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, he transferred to previously unfashionable
BresciaBrescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
. 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 ligamentThe anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and
meniscusThe meniscus is the curve in the upper surface of a liquid close to the surface of the container or another object, caused by surface tension. It can be either convex or concave. A convex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a stronger attraction to each other than to the material of the...
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.
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 SiroThe Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
against
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
. 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 PiolaSilvio Piola was an Italian footballer from Robbio Lomellina, province of Pavia. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set. Piola won the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Italy, scoring two goals in the final.Piola is third in the all-time...
,
Gunnar NordahlGunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
,
Giuseppe MeazzaGiuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
,
José AltafiniJosé João Altafini, is an Italian Brazilian former footballer. He is the joint-third highest scorer in Italian Serie A history with 216 goals. He currently holds the record for the highest no...
and
Francesco TottiFrancesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
. His number 10 jersey was
retiredAssociation football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service, sometimes as a memorial after their death.-Background:...
by Brescia. He scored his 300th career goal on 16 December 2002 in Brescia's 3–1 home victory over
PiacenzaPiacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
. He was the first player in over 50 years to reach this milestone, behind only
PiolaSilvio Piola was an Italian footballer from Robbio Lomellina, province of Pavia. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set. Piola won the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Italy, scoring two goals in the final.Piola is third in the all-time...
(364) and
MeazzaGiuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
(338).
International career
Baggio totalled 27 goals in 56 caps for his national team, the fourth-highest of all time for Italy. 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 VieriChristian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...
and
Paolo RossiPaolo Rossi is an Italian former football striker. In 1982, he led Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup title, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot/top scorer honors, and the Golden Ball. After his performance at the 1982 FIFA World Cup he became a hero in the hearts of all Italians...
as Italy's top World Cup scorers. For all his talent he was never rewarded with a victory in an international competition. He infamously missed the deciding
penaltyA penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
in the final of the
1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, which contributed to Italy losing the trophy to
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
1990 FIFA World Cup
Baggio's first
World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
was the
1990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, and although he was used most often as a substitute in the tournament, he was still able to display his quality, scoring twice including the "goal of the tournament" against Czechoslovakia. Baggio is also much remembered for his class; although regularly designated the penalty taker for his team, he stepped aside when Italy was awarded one in the third place match against
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, allowing teammate
Salvatore SchillaciSalvatore Schillaci , commonly referred to by his nickname Totò is a former Italian football player. During his career, he played for Messina , Juventus , Internazionale and Júbilo Iwata...
to score and capture the Golden Shoe.
1994 FIFA World Cup
Baggio was the cornerstone of the
ItalyThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
team during the
1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, leading them to the final after a disappointing start. He scored five goals, all in the knockout phase, and he started every match from the beginning: two in the round of 16 to beat
NigeriaThe Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
(scoring with 2 minutes left of the game sending it into extra time, and then another goal in extra time), one in the quarter-finals to top
SpainThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
(the game winner with 3 minutes remaining) and two to beat
BulgariaThe FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
in the semi-finals. Baggio was not fully fit for the final against
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, which 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. Two other Italians,
Franco BaresiFranco Baresi is an Italian football youth team coach and former player. He played as a sweeper and spent his entire career with Serie A club AC Milan, acknowledged as one of the greatest defenders ever to play the game. Baresi was nicknamed "Piscinin", Milanese for "Little one"...
and
Daniele MassaroDaniele Massaro is a former Italian football forward. He was a member of the Italian squad that won the FIFA World Cup held in Spain in 1982....
, had already missed penalties.
Baggio finished tied for second in the tournament in goals scored and was named one of the top three players.
1998 FIFA World Cup
In Italy's opening match of the
1998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
,
ItalyThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
played
ChileThe Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
. Italy's first goal was scored by
Christian VieriChristian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...
on an assist by Baggio. Towards the end of the game a Baggio cross touched Chilean defender
Ronald FuentesRonald Hugo Fuentes Núñez was a Chilean football defender who was capped 50 times and scored 1 goal for the Chilean national team between 1991 and 2000, including four games at the 1998 FIFA World Cup....
' hand, 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.
Baggio scored two goals in the tournament; he also scored the winning goal against
AustriaThe Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
as Italy topped their group.
In the quarter-final match against
FranceThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Baggio came on as a substitute in the second half. The score remained 0–0 and the match went to a
penalty shootoutA penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
won by the host nation. Italy's coach,
Cesare MaldiniCesare Maldini is an Italian football manager and former player. He played as a centre back and spent the majority of his career with AC Milan. Maldini also represented Italy at international level in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. His son Paolo, also a defender, previously held the record for the...
has since been severely criticised for starting Del Piero ahead of Baggio, who was in the better form, for the quarter-final match against France. Cesare Maldini later apologized to Baggio for not giving him the playing time he deserved.
Later career
Baggio was not called up for
Dino ZoffDino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
's squad in Euro 2000 and also
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
as Italy's coach
Giovanni TrapattoniGiovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
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." Despite Baggio's plea, he was ultimately left out of Trapattoni's squad.
After retirement
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 HopeFootball for Hope was a FIFA-sponsored football match played between the Ronaldinho XI team and the Shevchenko XI team on 15 February 2005 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona in support of the relief effort after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster....
Indian Ocean tsunamiThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
reliefThe humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December 2004, the earthquake, which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the...
benefit on 15 February 2005 at the
Camp NouCamp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
in
BarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, but he declined the invitation.
Baggio wrote an autobiography titled
("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 The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the
Food and Agriculture OrganizationThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
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 JuniorsClub Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
. "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 BomboneraThe Estadio Alberto J. Armando is a stadium located in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires. Widely known as La Bombonera due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium...
. 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."
http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Primo_Piano/2008/03_Marzo/28/baggiogazza.shtml
On 8 October 2008 Baggio appeared in a charity match between Milan and Fiorentina for
Stefano BorgonovoStefano Borgonovo is a retired Italian footballer who played as a striker.-Football career:Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debuts at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio. After a loan spell at S.S...
, 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 PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
laureates.
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 ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
and
Serie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
.
Club honours
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
- Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
: 1984–85
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
- Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1994–95
- Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 1994–95The 1994–95 Coppa Italia was the 47th edition of the tournament. The final was contested between Juventus and Parma, who also met in the previous month in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final.-First leg:-Second leg:Juventus won 3–0 on aggregate.-References:*...
- UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1993The 1993 UEFA Super Cup was contested between Milan of Italy and Parma of Italy . It was won by Parma, 2–1 on aggregate. The final was contested over two legs with a leg at each of the sides' home grounds. The first leg took place at Ennio Tardini, Parma on 12 January 1994 and ended 0–1...
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
- Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1995–96
International honours
Italy National Football TeamThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
- FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: (runner-up): 1994
- FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: (3rd place): 1990
Individual honours
- U-23 European Footballer of the Year: 1990
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
top scorer: 1990–91
- European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
(/Golden Ball): 1993
- FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
: 1993
- Platinum Football award by TV Sorrisi and Canzoni: 1992
- Onze D'Or by French Magazine 'Onze Mondial
Onze Mondial is a French magazine. Onze Mondial was known as Onze until the name was changed in 1989.Every year, Onze Mondial hands out the European Footballer of the Year award, as well as awards for coaches....
': 1993
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1994
- FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe: 1994
- 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
The Guerin d'Oro is an annual prize instituted by the Italian weekly football magazine Guerin Sportivo, which, since 1976, is awarded to the player in Serie A with at least 19 games played, which has obtained the best average-media rating...
: 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
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
: 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's 50
- Italy All-time XI by Football Italia
- Juventus All-time XI by Football Italia
- Brescia All-time XI by Football Italia
Selected statistics
- 318 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
>
| 1982–83 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Triestina won the championship. It was decided that Triestina, Padova was promoted to Serie B, and Piacenza, Mestre, Pro Patria, Forlì was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:...
|
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
|
Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
|
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
- |
2 |
0 |
| 1983–84 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Parma won the championship. It was decided that Parma, Bologna was promoted to Serie B, and Prato, Fano, Fanfulla, Trento was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:It was performed in 18 teams, and Bari won the championship...
|
6 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
- |
10 |
1 |
| 1984–85 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Brescia won the championship. It was decided that Brescia, Lanerossi Vicenza was promoted to Serie B, and Jesina, Asti T.S.C., Pistoiese, Treviso was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:...
|
29 |
12 |
5 |
2 |
- |
34 |
14 |
1985–86-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
|
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
- |
5 |
0 |
1986–87The 1986/1987 Serie A season ended with S.S.C. Napoli doing the "domestic double", winning their first Scudetto and third Coppa Italia, spurred on by their talismanic captain Diego Maradona....
|
5 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
3 |
1987–88The 1987/1988 Serie A season marked A.C. Milan's first Scudetto under the Silvio Berlusconi era and their first since the 1978/1979 season. S.S.C. Napoli, with a team including Diego Maradona, Ciro Ferrara and Careca were pre-season favourites. The championship went down to the last day of the...
|
27 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
- |
34 |
9 |
| 1988–89 |
30 |
15 |
10 |
9 |
- |
40 |
24 |
1989–90Another dominant year for Napoli, with Diego Maradona being among the leading goalscorers in Serie A , behind Marco Van Basten of Milan and Roberto Baggio of Fiorentina .-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:...
|
32 |
17 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
1 |
46 |
19 |
1990–91-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:19 goals* Gianluca Vialli 16 goals* Lothar Matthäus 15 goals* Carlos Aguilera * Tomáš Skuhravý 14 goals* Roberto Baggio...
|
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
33 |
14 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
9 |
47 |
27 |
1991–92During this season, under the guidance of Fabio Capello, AC Milan completed a remarkable unbeaten season, a run that eventually totalled 58 games.- Final classification :- Results :-Top scorers:25 goals* Marco van Basten 18 goals...
|
32 |
18 |
8 |
4 |
- |
40 |
22 |
| 1992–93 |
27 |
21 |
7 |
3 |
9 |
6 |
43 |
30 |
| 1993–94 The 1993–94 Serie A was won by A.C. Milan, being the 14th title for the rossoneri.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:23 goals* Giuseppe Signori 18 goals* Gianfranco Zola 17 goals* Roberto Baggio...
|
32 |
17 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
41 |
22 |
| 1994–95 |
17 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
8 |
4 |
29 |
14 |
| 1995–96 The 1995–96 Serie A title was won by A.C. Milan , with Juventus finishing as runners-up.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:24 goals* Igor Protti...
|
Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
28 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
34 |
10 |
| 1996–97 |
23 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
33 |
9 |
| 1997–98 Juventus won the title in controversial circumstances. In their match on Sunday, 26 April 1998, against eventual runners-up, Inter, Ronaldo was denied what appeared a clear penalty for Inter after being blocked by Mark Iuliano of Juventus. Had the penalty been awarded and then dispatched, the...
|
Bologna Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
30 |
22 |
3 |
1 |
- |
33 |
23 |
| 1998–99 AC Milan won their 16th Scudetto, led by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Lazio finished second, losing the title on the last day. Inter with an often Injured or rested Ronaldo had a disastrous season, finishing in 8th position, whereas Juventus impressive start was cut short by a bad injury to Alessandro...
|
InternazionaleFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
23 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
35 |
10 |
1999–00Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the...
|
18 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
- |
23 |
5 |
| 2000–01 In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
BresciaBrescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
25 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
- |
27 |
10 |
| 2001–02 In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
12 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
- |
13 |
11 |
| 2002–03 In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
32 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
- |
32 |
12 |
2003–04The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
|
26 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
- |
26 |
12
488 |
218 |
88 |
38 |
61 |
31 |
637 |
292
488 |
218 |
88 |
38 |
61 |
31 |
637 |
92
>
|
| 1988 |
1 |
0 |
| 1989 |
6 |
3 |
| 1990 |
9 |
4 |
| 1991 |
2 |
1 |
| 1992 |
7 |
6 |
| 1993 |
7 |
5 |
| 1994 |
12 |
5 |
| 1995 |
1 |
0 |
| 1996 |
0 |
0 |
| 1997 |
2 |
1 |
| 1998 |
6 |
2 |
| 1999 |
2 |
0 |
| 2000 |
0 |
0 |
| 2001 |
0 |
0 |
| 2002 |
0 |
0 |
| 2003 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
56 |
27 |
World Cup goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | World Cup | Round |
| 1. |
19 June 1990 |
Stadio OlimpicoThe Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
, Rome, Italy |
|
2 – 0 |
2–0 |
1990The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
|
Group Stage Play in Group A of the 1990 FIFA World Cup completed on 19 June 1990. Italy won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Czechoslovakia...
|
| 2. |
7 July 1990 |
Stadio San NicolaThe Stadio San Nicola is a multi-use all-seater stadium designed by Renzo Piano in Bari, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Associazione Sportiva Bari. It hosted the 1991 European Cup Final, won by Red Star Belgrade. The stadium itself resembles a...
, BariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy |
|
1 – 0 |
2–1 |
1990The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
|
Third place match In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the knockout stage was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. The top two teams from each group and four best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament...
|
| 3. |
5 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
|
1 – 1 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Round of 16 The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 4. |
5 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
|
1 – 2 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Round of 16 The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 5. |
9 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
|
2 – 1 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Quarter-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 6. |
13 July 1994 |
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East RutherfordEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United States |
|
1 – 0 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Semi-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 7. |
13 July 1994 |
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East RutherfordEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United States |
|
2 – 0 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Semi-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 8. |
11 June 1998 |
Stade du Parc Lescure Stade Chaban-Delmas is a sporting stadium located in the city of Bordeaux, France. It is the home ground of FC Girondins de Bordeaux.Until 2001, the stadium's name was the Stade du Parc Lescure...
, BordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France |
|
2 – 2 |
2–2 |
1998The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
|
Group Stage |
| 9. |
23 June 1998 |
Stade de FranceThe Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
, Saint-DenisSaint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
, France |
|
2 – 0 |
2–1 |
1998The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
|
Group Stage |
Religion
Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic, practices
Nichiren BuddhismNichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
and is a member of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist organization.
Records
Baggio played in 16 World Cup matches for Italy. Ireland is the only team against which Baggio played more than once in his 16 games of FIFA World Cup play. He is the highest Italian goalscorer of all-time in the World Cup, with 9 goals from 16 appearances (along with Rossi and Vieri). But Baggio is the only Italian to have scored in three World Cups. Baggio has scored 87 percent of his penalties in Serie A and International football, scoring 106 out of 122 penalties, more than any other player in Italian football history.
When Baggio was in the national team, Italy always left the World Cup at penalties: in 1990 against Argentina, in 1994 against Brazil, and in 1998 against France. Therefore, in the 16 world cup matches he played, Italy lost only one, which was Italy's opening game of USA 94 against Ireland.
Legacy
Baggio's strong impact on the World of football has recently been celebrated with the release of an online game called Baggio's Magical Kicks,in which players try and replicate his precision and accuracy to score free kicks and penalties.
External links
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2011}}
Roberto Baggio (roˈbɛrto ˈbaddʒo; born 18 February 1967) is a retired
Italian footballerFootball is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...
. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation, Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the
FIFA World Player of the YearThe FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
in 1993. He is the only
ItalianThe Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
player ever to score in three
World CupsThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. He is also one of the top 5 all-time goalscorers for Italy. Baggio is known as
{{lang|it|Il Divin Codino}} (
The Divine PonytailA ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career and his Buddhist background.
Biography
Baggio was born in
CaldognoCaldogno is a town and comune near Vicenza in Italy. Its population is 11,291.The Villa Caldogno Nordera in its territory is attributed to architect Andrea PalladioIt is the birthplace of footballer Roberto Baggio....
,
VenetoVeneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
. 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
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
. Roberto Baggio is the 6th of 8 brothers. His younger brother,
Eddy BaggioEddy Baggio is an Italian football striker.He is one of the younger brothers of Roberto Baggio, but unlike Roberto, Eddy never made his Serie A debut.He started his professional career at A.C...
, was also a footballer who played 86 games in
Serie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. Baggio married his girlfriend Andreina Fabbri in 1993. They have a daughter, Valentina, and two sons, Mattia and Riccardo.
1982–1990: Vicenza and Fiorentina
Baggio began his professional career at native club Vicenza in
Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
during 1982.
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
snapped him up in 1985, and during his years there, he rose to cult status among the team's fans who consider him to be one of their best ever players. He made his
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
debut on 21 September 1986 against Sampdoria and scored his first league goal on 10 May 1987 against Napoli, in a match best remembered for Napoli winning the Scudetto for the first time in their history.
1990–1995: Juventus
In 1990, Baggio was sold to
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, amid outcry from Fiorentina fans, in 1990 for €10 million (US$13.6 million), the
world record transferThis is a list of the progression of the world association football transfer record when measured in British pounds.-See also:*Highest transfer fees*Progression of British football transfer fee record-Notes:...
for a football player at the time. Following the transfer, there were full scale riots on the streets of
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
where fifty people were injured. 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 1993, he won his only European club trophy, helping
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
to the UEFA Cup
finalThe 1993 UEFA Cup Final was played on 5 May 1993 and 19 May 1993 between Juventus of Italy and Borussia Dortmund of Germany. Juventus won 3–1 and 3–0 to record a 6–1 aggregate victory, a record aggregate score for a UEFA Cup Final. The fixture would be repeated in the 1997...
in which he scored twice. His performances earned him both the
European Footballer of the Year and the
FIFA World Player of the Year titles. In 1995 Baggio won his first
Scudetto with Juventus. This was the first of many league titles to come for Juventus in the 1990s.
1995–2000: Milan, Bologna, and Inter
In 1995, after strong pressure from
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
chairman
Silvio BerlusconiSilvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
, he was sold to the Milanese club. 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 ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
title, becoming the first player to win the Scudetto in consecutive years with different teams.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
In 1997, Baggio transferred to
BolognaBologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
in order to resuscitate his career, and after scoring a personal best 22 goals that year. After the 1998 World Cup, Baggio signed with
InternazionaleFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. This proved to be an unfortunate move, as the then coach
Marcello LippiMarcello Lippi, Commendatore OMRI is a former Italian World Cup-winning football manager and former player. He served as Italian national team head coach from 16 July 2004 to 12 July 2006 and led Italy to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was re-appointed as Italian head coach in the summer of 2008...
did not favour Baggio. This 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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} His last contribution to Inter was two goals against Parma in the playoff for the last remaining
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
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 MorattiMassimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
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.
2000–2004: Brescia
After two years with Inter, in order to be called up for the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, he transferred to previously unfashionable
BresciaBrescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
. 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 ligamentThe anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and
meniscusThe meniscus is the curve in the upper surface of a liquid close to the surface of the container or another object, caused by surface tension. It can be either convex or concave. A convex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a stronger attraction to each other than to the material of the...
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.
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 SiroThe Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
against
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
. 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 PiolaSilvio Piola was an Italian footballer from Robbio Lomellina, province of Pavia. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set. Piola won the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Italy, scoring two goals in the final.Piola is third in the all-time...
,
Gunnar NordahlGunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
,
Giuseppe MeazzaGiuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
,
José AltafiniJosé João Altafini, is an Italian Brazilian former footballer. He is the joint-third highest scorer in Italian Serie A history with 216 goals. He currently holds the record for the highest no...
and
Francesco TottiFrancesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
. His number 10 jersey was
retiredAssociation football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service, sometimes as a memorial after their death.-Background:...
by Brescia. He scored his 300th career goal on 16 December 2002 in Brescia's 3–1 home victory over
PiacenzaPiacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
. He was the first player in over 50 years to reach this milestone, behind only
PiolaSilvio Piola was an Italian footballer from Robbio Lomellina, province of Pavia. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set. Piola won the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Italy, scoring two goals in the final.Piola is third in the all-time...
(364) and
MeazzaGiuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
(338).
International career
Baggio totalled 27 goals in 56 caps for his national team, the fourth-highest of all time for Italy. 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 VieriChristian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...
and
Paolo RossiPaolo Rossi is an Italian former football striker. In 1982, he led Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup title, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot/top scorer honors, and the Golden Ball. After his performance at the 1982 FIFA World Cup he became a hero in the hearts of all Italians...
as Italy's top World Cup scorers. For all his talent he was never rewarded with a victory in an international competition. He infamously missed the deciding
penaltyA penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
in the final of the
1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, which contributed to Italy losing the trophy to
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
1990 FIFA World Cup
Baggio's first
World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
was the
1990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, and although he was used most often as a substitute in the tournament, he was still able to display his quality, scoring twice including the "goal of the tournament" against Czechoslovakia. Baggio is also much remembered for his class; although regularly designated the penalty taker for his team, he stepped aside when Italy was awarded one in the third place match against
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, allowing teammate
Salvatore SchillaciSalvatore Schillaci , commonly referred to by his nickname Totò is a former Italian football player. During his career, he played for Messina , Juventus , Internazionale and Júbilo Iwata...
to score and capture the Golden Shoe.
1994 FIFA World Cup
Baggio was the cornerstone of the
ItalyThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
team during the
1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, leading them to the final after a disappointing start. He scored five goals, all in the knockout phase, and he started every match from the beginning: two in the round of 16 to beat
NigeriaThe Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
(scoring with 2 minutes left of the game sending it into extra time, and then another goal in extra time), one in the quarter-finals to top
SpainThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
(the game winner with 3 minutes remaining) and two to beat
BulgariaThe FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
in the semi-finals. Baggio was not fully fit for the final against
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, which 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. Two other Italians,
Franco BaresiFranco Baresi is an Italian football youth team coach and former player. He played as a sweeper and spent his entire career with Serie A club AC Milan, acknowledged as one of the greatest defenders ever to play the game. Baresi was nicknamed "Piscinin", Milanese for "Little one"...
and
Daniele MassaroDaniele Massaro is a former Italian football forward. He was a member of the Italian squad that won the FIFA World Cup held in Spain in 1982....
, had already missed penalties.
Baggio finished tied for second in the tournament in goals scored and was named one of the top three players.
1998 FIFA World Cup
In Italy's opening match of the
1998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
,
ItalyThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
played
ChileThe Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
. Italy's first goal was scored by
Christian VieriChristian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...
on an assist by Baggio. Towards the end of the game a Baggio cross touched Chilean defender
Ronald FuentesRonald Hugo Fuentes Núñez was a Chilean football defender who was capped 50 times and scored 1 goal for the Chilean national team between 1991 and 2000, including four games at the 1998 FIFA World Cup....
' hand, 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.
Baggio scored two goals in the tournament; he also scored the winning goal against
AustriaThe Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
as Italy topped their group.
In the quarter-final match against
FranceThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Baggio came on as a substitute in the second half. The score remained 0–0 and the match went to a
penalty shootoutA penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
won by the host nation. Italy's coach,
Cesare MaldiniCesare Maldini is an Italian football manager and former player. He played as a centre back and spent the majority of his career with AC Milan. Maldini also represented Italy at international level in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. His son Paolo, also a defender, previously held the record for the...
has since been severely criticised for starting Del Piero ahead of Baggio, who was in the better form, for the quarter-final match against France.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} Cesare Maldini later apologized to Baggio for not giving him the playing time he deserved.
Later career
Baggio was not called up for
Dino ZoffDino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
's squad in Euro 2000 and also
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
as Italy's coach
Giovanni TrapattoniGiovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
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." Despite Baggio's plea, he was ultimately left out of Trapattoni's squad.
After retirement
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 HopeFootball for Hope was a FIFA-sponsored football match played between the Ronaldinho XI team and the Shevchenko XI team on 15 February 2005 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona in support of the relief effort after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster....
Indian Ocean tsunamiThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
reliefThe humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December 2004, the earthquake, which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the...
benefit on 15 February 2005 at the
Camp NouCamp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
in
BarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, but he declined the invitation.
Baggio wrote an autobiography titled
{{lang|it|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 The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the
Food and Agriculture OrganizationThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
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 JuniorsClub Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
. "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 BomboneraThe Estadio Alberto J. Armando is a stadium located in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires. Widely known as La Bombonera due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium...
. 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."
http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Primo_Piano/2008/03_Marzo/28/baggiogazza.shtml
On 8 October 2008 Baggio appeared in a charity match between Milan and Fiorentina for
Stefano BorgonovoStefano Borgonovo is a retired Italian footballer who played as a striker.-Football career:Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debuts at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio. After a loan spell at S.S...
, 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 PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
laureates.
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 ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
and
Serie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
.
Club honours
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
- Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
: 1984–85
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
- Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1994–95
- Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 1994–95The 1994–95 Coppa Italia was the 47th edition of the tournament. The final was contested between Juventus and Parma, who also met in the previous month in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final.-First leg:-Second leg:Juventus won 3–0 on aggregate.-References:*...
- UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1993The 1993 UEFA Super Cup was contested between Milan of Italy and Parma of Italy . It was won by Parma, 2–1 on aggregate. The final was contested over two legs with a leg at each of the sides' home grounds. The first leg took place at Ennio Tardini, Parma on 12 January 1994 and ended 0–1...
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
- Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1995–96
International honours
Italy National Football TeamThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
- FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: (runner-up): 1994
- FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: (3rd place): 1990
Individual honours
- U-23 European Footballer of the Year: 1990
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
top scorer: 1990–91
- European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
({{lang|fr|Ballon d'Or}}/Golden Ball): 1993
- FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
: 1993
- Platinum Football award by TV Sorrisi and Canzoni: 1992
- Onze D'Or by French Magazine 'Onze Mondial
Onze Mondial is a French magazine. Onze Mondial was known as Onze until the name was changed in 1989.Every year, Onze Mondial hands out the European Footballer of the Year award, as well as awards for coaches....
': 1993
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1994
- FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe: 1994
- 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
The Guerin d'Oro is an annual prize instituted by the Italian weekly football magazine Guerin Sportivo, which, since 1976, is awarded to the player in Serie A with at least 19 games played, which has obtained the best average-media rating...
: 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
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
: 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's 50 {{lang|fr|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
- 318 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
{{Football player statistics 1|NY}}
{{Football player statistics 2|ITA|NY}}>
| 1982–83 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Triestina won the championship. It was decided that Triestina, Padova was promoted to Serie B, and Piacenza, Mestre, Pro Patria, Forlì was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:...
|
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
|
Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
|
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
- |
2 |
0 |
| 1983–84 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Parma won the championship. It was decided that Parma, Bologna was promoted to Serie B, and Prato, Fano, Fanfulla, Trento was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:It was performed in 18 teams, and Bari won the championship...
|
6 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
- |
10 |
1 |
| 1984–85 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Brescia won the championship. It was decided that Brescia, Lanerossi Vicenza was promoted to Serie B, and Jesina, Asti T.S.C., Pistoiese, Treviso was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:...
|
29 |
12 |
5 |
2 |
- |
34 |
14 |
1985–86-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
|
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
- |
5 |
0 |
1986–87The 1986/1987 Serie A season ended with S.S.C. Napoli doing the "domestic double", winning their first Scudetto and third Coppa Italia, spurred on by their talismanic captain Diego Maradona....
|
5 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
3 |
1987–88The 1987/1988 Serie A season marked A.C. Milan's first Scudetto under the Silvio Berlusconi era and their first since the 1978/1979 season. S.S.C. Napoli, with a team including Diego Maradona, Ciro Ferrara and Careca were pre-season favourites. The championship went down to the last day of the...
|
27 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
- |
34 |
9 |
| 1988–89 |
30 |
15 |
10 |
9 |
- |
40 |
24 |
1989–90Another dominant year for Napoli, with Diego Maradona being among the leading goalscorers in Serie A , behind Marco Van Basten of Milan and Roberto Baggio of Fiorentina .-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:...
|
32 |
17 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
1 |
46 |
19 |
1990–91-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:19 goals* Gianluca Vialli 16 goals* Lothar Matthäus 15 goals* Carlos Aguilera * Tomáš Skuhravý 14 goals* Roberto Baggio...
|
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
33 |
14 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
9 |
47 |
27 |
1991–92During this season, under the guidance of Fabio Capello, AC Milan completed a remarkable unbeaten season, a run that eventually totalled 58 games.- Final classification :- Results :-Top scorers:25 goals* Marco van Basten 18 goals...
|
32 |
18 |
8 |
4 |
- |
40 |
22 |
| 1992–93 |
27 |
21 |
7 |
3 |
9 |
6 |
43 |
30 |
| 1993–94 The 1993–94 Serie A was won by A.C. Milan, being the 14th title for the rossoneri.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:23 goals* Giuseppe Signori 18 goals* Gianfranco Zola 17 goals* Roberto Baggio...
|
32 |
17 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
41 |
22 |
| 1994–95 |
17 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
8 |
4 |
29 |
14 |
| 1995–96 The 1995–96 Serie A title was won by A.C. Milan , with Juventus finishing as runners-up.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:24 goals* Igor Protti...
|
Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
28 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
34 |
10 |
| 1996–97 |
23 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
33 |
9 |
| 1997–98 Juventus won the title in controversial circumstances. In their match on Sunday, 26 April 1998, against eventual runners-up, Inter, Ronaldo was denied what appeared a clear penalty for Inter after being blocked by Mark Iuliano of Juventus. Had the penalty been awarded and then dispatched, the...
|
Bologna Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
30 |
22 |
3 |
1 |
- |
33 |
23 |
| 1998–99 AC Milan won their 16th Scudetto, led by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Lazio finished second, losing the title on the last day. Inter with an often Injured or rested Ronaldo had a disastrous season, finishing in 8th position, whereas Juventus impressive start was cut short by a bad injury to Alessandro...
|
InternazionaleFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
23 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
35 |
10 |
1999–00Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the...
|
18 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
- |
23 |
5 |
| 2000–01 In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
BresciaBrescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
25 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
- |
27 |
10 |
| 2001–02 In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
12 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
- |
13 |
11 |
| 2002–03 In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
32 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
- |
32 |
12 |
2003–04The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
|
26 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
- |
26 |
12
{{Football player statistics 3|1|ITA}}488 |
218 |
88 |
38 |
61 |
31 |
637 |
292
{{Football player statistics 5}}488 |
218 |
88 |
38 |
61 |
31 |
637 |
92
{{Football player statistics end}}
{{Football player national team statistics|ITA}}>
|
| 1988 |
1 |
0 |
| 1989 |
6 |
3 |
| 1990 |
9 |
4 |
| 1991 |
2 |
1 |
| 1992 |
7 |
6 |
| 1993 |
7 |
5 |
| 1994 |
12 |
5 |
| 1995 |
1 |
0 |
| 1996 |
0 |
0 |
| 1997 |
2 |
1 |
| 1998 |
6 |
2 |
| 1999 |
2 |
0 |
| 2000 |
0 |
0 |
| 2001 |
0 |
0 |
| 2002 |
0 |
0 |
| 2003 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
56 |
27 |
World Cup goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | World Cup | Round |
| 1. |
19 June 1990 |
Stadio OlimpicoThe Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
, Rome, Italy |
{{fb|TCH}} |
2 – 0 |
2–0 |
1990The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
|
Group Stage Play in Group A of the 1990 FIFA World Cup completed on 19 June 1990. Italy won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Czechoslovakia...
|
| 2. |
7 July 1990 |
Stadio San NicolaThe Stadio San Nicola is a multi-use all-seater stadium designed by Renzo Piano in Bari, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Associazione Sportiva Bari. It hosted the 1991 European Cup Final, won by Red Star Belgrade. The stadium itself resembles a...
, BariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy |
{{fb|ENG}} |
1 – 0 |
2–1 |
1990The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
|
Third place match In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the knockout stage was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. The top two teams from each group and four best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament...
|
| 3. |
5 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
{{fb|NGA}} |
1 – 1 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Round of 16 The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 4. |
5 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
{{fb|NGA}} |
1 – 2 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Round of 16 The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 5. |
9 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
{{fb|ESP}} |
2 – 1 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Quarter-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 6. |
13 July 1994 |
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East RutherfordEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United States |
{{fb|BUL}} |
1 – 0 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Semi-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 7. |
13 July 1994 |
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East RutherfordEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United States |
{{fb|BUL}} |
2 – 0 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Semi-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 8. |
11 June 1998 |
Stade du Parc Lescure Stade Chaban-Delmas is a sporting stadium located in the city of Bordeaux, France. It is the home ground of FC Girondins de Bordeaux.Until 2001, the stadium's name was the Stade du Parc Lescure...
, BordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France |
{{fb|CHI}} |
2 – 2 |
2–2 |
1998The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
|
Group Stage |
| 9. |
23 June 1998 |
Stade de FranceThe Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
, Saint-DenisSaint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
, France |
{{fb|AUT}} |
2 – 0 |
2–1 |
1998The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
|
Group Stage |
Religion
Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic, practices
Nichiren BuddhismNichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
and is a member of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist organization.
Records
Baggio played in 16 World Cup matches for Italy. Ireland is the only team against which Baggio played more than once in his 16 games of FIFA World Cup play. He is the highest Italian goalscorer of all-time in the World Cup, with 9 goals from 16 appearances (along with Rossi and Vieri). But Baggio is the only Italian to have scored in three World Cups. Baggio has scored 87 percent of his penalties in Serie A and International football, scoring 106 out of 122 penalties, more than any other player in Italian football history.
When Baggio was in the national team, Italy always left the World Cup at penalties: in 1990 against Argentina, in 1994 against Brazil, and in 1998 against France. Therefore, in the 16 world cup matches he played, Italy lost only one, which was Italy's opening game of USA 94 against Ireland.
Legacy
Baggio's strong impact on the World of football has recently been celebrated with the release of an online game called Baggio's Magical Kicks,in which players try and replicate his precision and accuracy to score free kicks and penalties.
External links
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2011}}
Roberto Baggio (roˈbɛrto ˈbaddʒo; born 18 February 1967) is a retired
Italian footballerFootball is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...
. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation, Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the
FIFA World Player of the YearThe FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
in 1993. He is the only
ItalianThe Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
player ever to score in three
World CupsThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. He is also one of the top 5 all-time goalscorers for Italy. Baggio is known as
{{lang|it|Il Divin Codino}} (
The Divine PonytailA ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career and his Buddhist background.
Biography
Baggio was born in
CaldognoCaldogno is a town and comune near Vicenza in Italy. Its population is 11,291.The Villa Caldogno Nordera in its territory is attributed to architect Andrea PalladioIt is the birthplace of footballer Roberto Baggio....
,
VenetoVeneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
. 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
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
. Roberto Baggio is the 6th of 8 brothers. His younger brother,
Eddy BaggioEddy Baggio is an Italian football striker.He is one of the younger brothers of Roberto Baggio, but unlike Roberto, Eddy never made his Serie A debut.He started his professional career at A.C...
, was also a footballer who played 86 games in
Serie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. Baggio married his girlfriend Andreina Fabbri in 1993. They have a daughter, Valentina, and two sons, Mattia and Riccardo.
1982–1990: Vicenza and Fiorentina
Baggio began his professional career at native club Vicenza in
Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
during 1982.
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
snapped him up in 1985, and during his years there, he rose to cult status among the team's fans who consider him to be one of their best ever players. He made his
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
debut on 21 September 1986 against Sampdoria and scored his first league goal on 10 May 1987 against Napoli, in a match best remembered for Napoli winning the Scudetto for the first time in their history.
1990–1995: Juventus
In 1990, Baggio was sold to
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, amid outcry from Fiorentina fans, in 1990 for €10 million (US$13.6 million), the
world record transferThis is a list of the progression of the world association football transfer record when measured in British pounds.-See also:*Highest transfer fees*Progression of British football transfer fee record-Notes:...
for a football player at the time. Following the transfer, there were full scale riots on the streets of
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
where fifty people were injured. 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 1993, he won his only European club trophy, helping
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
to the UEFA Cup
finalThe 1993 UEFA Cup Final was played on 5 May 1993 and 19 May 1993 between Juventus of Italy and Borussia Dortmund of Germany. Juventus won 3–1 and 3–0 to record a 6–1 aggregate victory, a record aggregate score for a UEFA Cup Final. The fixture would be repeated in the 1997...
in which he scored twice. His performances earned him both the
European Footballer of the Year and the
FIFA World Player of the Year titles. In 1995 Baggio won his first
Scudetto with Juventus. This was the first of many league titles to come for Juventus in the 1990s.
1995–2000: Milan, Bologna, and Inter
In 1995, after strong pressure from
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
chairman
Silvio BerlusconiSilvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
, he was sold to the Milanese club. 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 ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
title, becoming the first player to win the Scudetto in consecutive years with different teams.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
In 1997, Baggio transferred to
BolognaBologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
in order to resuscitate his career, and after scoring a personal best 22 goals that year. After the 1998 World Cup, Baggio signed with
InternazionaleFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. This proved to be an unfortunate move, as the then coach
Marcello LippiMarcello Lippi, Commendatore OMRI is a former Italian World Cup-winning football manager and former player. He served as Italian national team head coach from 16 July 2004 to 12 July 2006 and led Italy to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was re-appointed as Italian head coach in the summer of 2008...
did not favour Baggio. This 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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} His last contribution to Inter was two goals against Parma in the playoff for the last remaining
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
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 MorattiMassimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
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.
2000–2004: Brescia
After two years with Inter, in order to be called up for the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, he transferred to previously unfashionable
BresciaBrescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
. 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 ligamentThe anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and
meniscusThe meniscus is the curve in the upper surface of a liquid close to the surface of the container or another object, caused by surface tension. It can be either convex or concave. A convex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a stronger attraction to each other than to the material of the...
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.
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 SiroThe Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
against
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
. 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 PiolaSilvio Piola was an Italian footballer from Robbio Lomellina, province of Pavia. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set. Piola won the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Italy, scoring two goals in the final.Piola is third in the all-time...
,
Gunnar NordahlGunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
,
Giuseppe MeazzaGiuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
,
José AltafiniJosé João Altafini, is an Italian Brazilian former footballer. He is the joint-third highest scorer in Italian Serie A history with 216 goals. He currently holds the record for the highest no...
and
Francesco TottiFrancesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
. His number 10 jersey was
retiredAssociation football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service, sometimes as a memorial after their death.-Background:...
by Brescia. He scored his 300th career goal on 16 December 2002 in Brescia's 3–1 home victory over
PiacenzaPiacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
. He was the first player in over 50 years to reach this milestone, behind only
PiolaSilvio Piola was an Italian footballer from Robbio Lomellina, province of Pavia. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set. Piola won the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Italy, scoring two goals in the final.Piola is third in the all-time...
(364) and
MeazzaGiuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
(338).
International career
Baggio totalled 27 goals in 56 caps for his national team, the fourth-highest of all time for Italy. 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 VieriChristian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...
and
Paolo RossiPaolo Rossi is an Italian former football striker. In 1982, he led Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup title, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot/top scorer honors, and the Golden Ball. After his performance at the 1982 FIFA World Cup he became a hero in the hearts of all Italians...
as Italy's top World Cup scorers. For all his talent he was never rewarded with a victory in an international competition. He infamously missed the deciding
penaltyA penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
in the final of the
1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, which contributed to Italy losing the trophy to
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
1990 FIFA World Cup
Baggio's first
World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
was the
1990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, and although he was used most often as a substitute in the tournament, he was still able to display his quality, scoring twice including the "goal of the tournament" against Czechoslovakia. Baggio is also much remembered for his class; although regularly designated the penalty taker for his team, he stepped aside when Italy was awarded one in the third place match against
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, allowing teammate
Salvatore SchillaciSalvatore Schillaci , commonly referred to by his nickname Totò is a former Italian football player. During his career, he played for Messina , Juventus , Internazionale and Júbilo Iwata...
to score and capture the Golden Shoe.
1994 FIFA World Cup
Baggio was the cornerstone of the
ItalyThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
team during the
1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, leading them to the final after a disappointing start. He scored five goals, all in the knockout phase, and he started every match from the beginning: two in the round of 16 to beat
NigeriaThe Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
(scoring with 2 minutes left of the game sending it into extra time, and then another goal in extra time), one in the quarter-finals to top
SpainThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
(the game winner with 3 minutes remaining) and two to beat
BulgariaThe FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
in the semi-finals. Baggio was not fully fit for the final against
BrazilThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, which 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. Two other Italians,
Franco BaresiFranco Baresi is an Italian football youth team coach and former player. He played as a sweeper and spent his entire career with Serie A club AC Milan, acknowledged as one of the greatest defenders ever to play the game. Baresi was nicknamed "Piscinin", Milanese for "Little one"...
and
Daniele MassaroDaniele Massaro is a former Italian football forward. He was a member of the Italian squad that won the FIFA World Cup held in Spain in 1982....
, had already missed penalties.
Baggio finished tied for second in the tournament in goals scored and was named one of the top three players.
1998 FIFA World Cup
In Italy's opening match of the
1998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
,
ItalyThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
played
ChileThe Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
. Italy's first goal was scored by
Christian VieriChristian Vieri is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations...
on an assist by Baggio. Towards the end of the game a Baggio cross touched Chilean defender
Ronald FuentesRonald Hugo Fuentes Núñez was a Chilean football defender who was capped 50 times and scored 1 goal for the Chilean national team between 1991 and 2000, including four games at the 1998 FIFA World Cup....
' hand, 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.
Baggio scored two goals in the tournament; he also scored the winning goal against
AustriaThe Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
as Italy topped their group.
In the quarter-final match against
FranceThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Baggio came on as a substitute in the second half. The score remained 0–0 and the match went to a
penalty shootoutA penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
won by the host nation. Italy's coach,
Cesare MaldiniCesare Maldini is an Italian football manager and former player. He played as a centre back and spent the majority of his career with AC Milan. Maldini also represented Italy at international level in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. His son Paolo, also a defender, previously held the record for the...
has since been severely criticised for starting Del Piero ahead of Baggio, who was in the better form, for the quarter-final match against France.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} Cesare Maldini later apologized to Baggio for not giving him the playing time he deserved.
Later career
Baggio was not called up for
Dino ZoffDino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
's squad in Euro 2000 and also
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
as Italy's coach
Giovanni TrapattoniGiovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
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." Despite Baggio's plea, he was ultimately left out of Trapattoni's squad.
After retirement
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 HopeFootball for Hope was a FIFA-sponsored football match played between the Ronaldinho XI team and the Shevchenko XI team on 15 February 2005 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona in support of the relief effort after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster....
Indian Ocean tsunamiThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
reliefThe humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December 2004, the earthquake, which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc along much of the...
benefit on 15 February 2005 at the
Camp NouCamp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
in
BarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, but he declined the invitation.
Baggio wrote an autobiography titled
{{lang|it|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 The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the
Food and Agriculture OrganizationThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
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 JuniorsClub Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
. "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 BomboneraThe Estadio Alberto J. Armando is a stadium located in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires. Widely known as La Bombonera due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium...
. 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."
http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Primo_Piano/2008/03_Marzo/28/baggiogazza.shtml
On 8 October 2008 Baggio appeared in a charity match between Milan and Fiorentina for
Stefano BorgonovoStefano Borgonovo is a retired Italian footballer who played as a striker.-Football career:Born in Giussano, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Borgonovo began his professional career with Como Calcio, making his debuts at 17 in a Serie A match against Ascoli Calcio. After a loan spell at S.S...
, 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 PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
laureates.
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 ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
and
Serie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
.
Club honours
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
- Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
: 1984–85
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
- Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1994–95
- Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 1994–95The 1994–95 Coppa Italia was the 47th edition of the tournament. The final was contested between Juventus and Parma, who also met in the previous month in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final.-First leg:-Second leg:Juventus won 3–0 on aggregate.-References:*...
- UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1993The 1993 UEFA Super Cup was contested between Milan of Italy and Parma of Italy . It was won by Parma, 2–1 on aggregate. The final was contested over two legs with a leg at each of the sides' home grounds. The first leg took place at Ennio Tardini, Parma on 12 January 1994 and ended 0–1...
MilanAssociazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
- Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1995–96
International honours
Italy National Football TeamThe Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
- FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: (runner-up): 1994
- FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: (3rd place): 1990
Individual honours
- U-23 European Footballer of the Year: 1990
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
top scorer: 1990–91
- European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
({{lang|fr|Ballon d'Or}}/Golden Ball): 1993
- FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award given annually to the male and female player who were thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams...
: 1993
- Platinum Football award by TV Sorrisi and Canzoni: 1992
- Onze D'Or by French Magazine 'Onze Mondial
Onze Mondial is a French magazine. Onze Mondial was known as Onze until the name was changed in 1989.Every year, Onze Mondial hands out the European Footballer of the Year award, as well as awards for coaches....
': 1993
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1994
- FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe: 1994
- 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
The Guerin d'Oro is an annual prize instituted by the Italian weekly football magazine Guerin Sportivo, which, since 1976, is awarded to the player in Serie A with at least 19 games played, which has obtained the best average-media rating...
: 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
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
: 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's 50 {{lang|fr|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
- 318 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
{{Football player statistics 1|NY}}
{{Football player statistics 2|ITA|NY}}>
| 1982–83 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Triestina won the championship. It was decided that Triestina, Padova was promoted to Serie B, and Piacenza, Mestre, Pro Patria, Forlì was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:...
|
VicenzaVicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
|
Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
|
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
- |
2 |
0 |
| 1983–84 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Parma won the championship. It was decided that Parma, Bologna was promoted to Serie B, and Prato, Fano, Fanfulla, Trento was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:It was performed in 18 teams, and Bari won the championship...
|
6 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
- |
10 |
1 |
| 1984–85 -Serie C1/A:It was performed in 18 teams, and Brescia won the championship. It was decided that Brescia, Lanerossi Vicenza was promoted to Serie B, and Jesina, Asti T.S.C., Pistoiese, Treviso was demoted in Serie C2.-Serie C1/B:...
|
29 |
12 |
5 |
2 |
- |
34 |
14 |
1985–86-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
|
FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
- |
5 |
0 |
1986–87The 1986/1987 Serie A season ended with S.S.C. Napoli doing the "domestic double", winning their first Scudetto and third Coppa Italia, spurred on by their talismanic captain Diego Maradona....
|
5 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
3 |
1987–88The 1987/1988 Serie A season marked A.C. Milan's first Scudetto under the Silvio Berlusconi era and their first since the 1978/1979 season. S.S.C. Napoli, with a team including Diego Maradona, Ciro Ferrara and Careca were pre-season favourites. The championship went down to the last day of the...
|
27 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
- |
34 |
9 |
| 1988–89 |
30 |
15 |
10 |
9 |
- |
40 |
24 |
1989–90Another dominant year for Napoli, with Diego Maradona being among the leading goalscorers in Serie A , behind Marco Van Basten of Milan and Roberto Baggio of Fiorentina .-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:...
|
32 |
17 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
1 |
46 |
19 |
1990–91-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:19 goals* Gianluca Vialli 16 goals* Lothar Matthäus 15 goals* Carlos Aguilera * Tomáš Skuhravý 14 goals* Roberto Baggio...
|
JuventusJuventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
33 |
14 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
9 |
47 |
27 |
1991–92During this season, under the guidance of Fabio Capello, AC Milan completed a remarkable unbeaten season, a run that eventually totalled 58 games.- Final classification :- Results :-Top scorers:25 goals* Marco van Basten 18 goals...
|
32 |
18 |
8 |
4 |
- |
40 |
22 |
| 1992–93 |
27 |
21 |
7 |
3 |
9 |
6 |
43 |
30 |
| 1993–94 The 1993–94 Serie A was won by A.C. Milan, being the 14th title for the rossoneri.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:23 goals* Giuseppe Signori 18 goals* Gianfranco Zola 17 goals* Roberto Baggio...
|
32 |
17 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
41 |
22 |
| 1994–95 |
17 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
8 |
4 |
29 |
14 |
| 1995–96 The 1995–96 Serie A title was won by A.C. Milan , with Juventus finishing as runners-up.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:24 goals* Igor Protti...
|
Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
28 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
34 |
10 |
| 1996–97 |
23 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
33 |
9 |
| 1997–98 Juventus won the title in controversial circumstances. In their match on Sunday, 26 April 1998, against eventual runners-up, Inter, Ronaldo was denied what appeared a clear penalty for Inter after being blocked by Mark Iuliano of Juventus. Had the penalty been awarded and then dispatched, the...
|
Bologna Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
30 |
22 |
3 |
1 |
- |
33 |
23 |
| 1998–99 AC Milan won their 16th Scudetto, led by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Lazio finished second, losing the title on the last day. Inter with an often Injured or rested Ronaldo had a disastrous season, finishing in 8th position, whereas Juventus impressive start was cut short by a bad injury to Alessandro...
|
InternazionaleFootball Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
23 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
35 |
10 |
1999–00Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the...
|
18 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
- |
23 |
5 |
| 2000–01 In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
BresciaBrescia Calcio , known simply as Brescia, is the largest football club in the Lombard city of Brescia, where it was founded in 1911.In the 2009–10 season, in the return leg of the Serie B playoff final, they defeated Torino 2-1 at home , returning to Serie A after a 5-year absence...
|
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
|
25 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
- |
27 |
10 |
| 2001–02 In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
12 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
- |
13 |
11 |
| 2002–03 In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
|
32 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
- |
32 |
12 |
2003–04The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
|
26 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
- |
26 |
12
{{Football player statistics 3|1|ITA}}488 |
218 |
88 |
38 |
61 |
31 |
637 |
292
{{Football player statistics 5}}488 |
218 |
88 |
38 |
61 |
31 |
637 |
92
{{Football player statistics end}}
{{Football player national team statistics|ITA}}>
|
| 1988 |
1 |
0 |
| 1989 |
6 |
3 |
| 1990 |
9 |
4 |
| 1991 |
2 |
1 |
| 1992 |
7 |
6 |
| 1993 |
7 |
5 |
| 1994 |
12 |
5 |
| 1995 |
1 |
0 |
| 1996 |
0 |
0 |
| 1997 |
2 |
1 |
| 1998 |
6 |
2 |
| 1999 |
2 |
0 |
| 2000 |
0 |
0 |
| 2001 |
0 |
0 |
| 2002 |
0 |
0 |
| 2003 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
56 |
27 |
World Cup goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | World Cup | Round |
| 1. |
19 June 1990 |
Stadio OlimpicoThe Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
, Rome, Italy |
{{fb|TCH}} |
2 – 0 |
2–0 |
1990The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
|
Group Stage Play in Group A of the 1990 FIFA World Cup completed on 19 June 1990. Italy won the group, and advanced to the second round, along with Czechoslovakia...
|
| 2. |
7 July 1990 |
Stadio San NicolaThe Stadio San Nicola is a multi-use all-seater stadium designed by Renzo Piano in Bari, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Associazione Sportiva Bari. It hosted the 1991 European Cup Final, won by Red Star Belgrade. The stadium itself resembles a...
, BariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy |
{{fb|ENG}} |
1 – 0 |
2–1 |
1990The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
|
Third place match In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the knockout stage was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. The top two teams from each group and four best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament...
|
| 3. |
5 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
{{fb|NGA}} |
1 – 1 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Round of 16 The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 4. |
5 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
{{fb|NGA}} |
1 – 2 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Round of 16 The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 5. |
9 July 1994 |
Foxboro StadiumFoxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...
, Foxborough, United States |
{{fb|ESP}} |
2 – 1 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Quarter-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 6. |
13 July 1994 |
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East RutherfordEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United States |
{{fb|BUL}} |
1 – 0 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Semi-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 7. |
13 July 1994 |
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East RutherfordEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United States |
{{fb|BUL}} |
2 – 0 |
2–1 |
1994The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
|
Semi-Final The 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals in the United States. The stage began on 2 July 1994 and ended with the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 17 July 1994. The top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as...
|
| 8. |
11 June 1998 |
Stade du Parc Lescure Stade Chaban-Delmas is a sporting stadium located in the city of Bordeaux, France. It is the home ground of FC Girondins de Bordeaux.Until 2001, the stadium's name was the Stade du Parc Lescure...
, BordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France |
{{fb|CHI}} |
2 – 2 |
2–2 |
1998The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
|
Group Stage |
| 9. |
23 June 1998 |
Stade de FranceThe Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
, Saint-DenisSaint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
, France |
{{fb|AUT}} |
2 – 0 |
2–1 |
1998The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
|
Group Stage |
Religion
Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic, practices
Nichiren BuddhismNichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
and is a member of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist organization.
Records
Baggio played in 16 World Cup matches for Italy. Ireland is the only team against which Baggio played more than once in his 16 games of FIFA World Cup play. He is the highest Italian goalscorer of all-time in the World Cup, with 9 goals from 16 appearances (along with Rossi and Vieri). But Baggio is the only Italian to have scored in three World Cups. Baggio has scored 87 percent of his penalties in Serie A and International football, scoring 106 out of 122 penalties, more than any other player in Italian football history.
When Baggio was in the national team, Italy always left the World Cup at penalties: in 1990 against Argentina, in 1994 against Brazil, and in 1998 against France. Therefore, in the 16 world cup matches he played, Italy lost only one, which was Italy's opening game of USA 94 against Ireland.
Legacy
Baggio's strong impact on the World of football has recently been celebrated with the release of an online game called Baggio's Magical Kicks,in which players try and replicate his precision and accuracy to score free kicks and penalties.
External links
{{Navboxes
title=Roberto Baggio – Navigation boxes and awards |
list1=
{{Italy Squad 1990 World Cup}}
{{Italy Squad 1994 World Cup}}
{{Italy Squad 1998 World Cup}}
{{Ballon d'Or recipients}}
{{FIFA World Player of the Year winners}}
{{World Soccer Footballer of the Year}}
{{UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorers}}
{{FIFA 100}}
{{Bravo award winners}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{Succession box|title=World football transfer recordThis is a list of the progression of the world association football transfer record when measured in British pounds.-See also:*Highest transfer fees*Progression of British football transfer fee record-Notes:...
|before= Ruud GullitOON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
|after= Jean-Pierre PapinJean-Pierre Papin is a former French professional football player who was European Footballer of the Year in 1991.Papin achieved his greatest success while playing for Olympique Marseille between 1986 and 1992...
|years=1990–1992}}
{{Succession box|title=Juventus F.C. captains|before= Stefano TacconiStefano Tacconi is an Italian association football player. He is the only goalkeeper to have won all international club competitions.-Career:Tacconi got his first significant experience at Spoleto football club...
|after= Gianluca VialliGianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....
|years=1992–1995}}
{{S-end}} |
}
{{Persondata
| NAME = Baggio, Roberto
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 18 February 1967
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
CaldognoCaldogno is a town and comune near Vicenza in Italy. Its population is 11,291.The Villa Caldogno Nordera in its territory is attributed to architect Andrea PalladioIt is the birthplace of footballer Roberto Baggio....
, Italy
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baggio, Roberto}}