Roberto Baggio left the brightest mark in the history of world football. His game was enjoyed not only by Italian fans, but also by millions of fans from other countries, recognizing their extraordinary talent
Baggio Roberto: biography
The famous 20th century scorer Roberto Baggio entered the history of world football thanks not so much to victories as to a spectacular game. Speaking at number 10, the athlete served as a dispatcher, but easily switched to attacks. In his arsenal over 30 years of his career - more than 300 goals, 5 team titles and the Golden Ball, awarded in 1993.
In addition, Baggio is a key name in the history of Italy’s stunning bad luck in the penalty kicks of the World Cup finals. Three times the national team was on the verge of victory, three times the fate of the tournament was decided by a penalty shootout, and Italian football players, including Roberto, missed three times. However, failure only added color to the biography of Baggio - one of the most memorable athletes of the last century.
Roberto Baggio has been playing football since childhood. He was born in the Italian city of Caldogno on February 18, 1967. In a family where, apart from Roberto, his seven brothers were brought up, football occupied a special place. From the age of seven, the boy went in for sports in the local team, speaking in the junior squad.
Already then the talent of the scorer showed up: at the age of 13, in the match for Caldogno, Roberto scored 6 goals for his opponent. The result so impressed the Vicenza scout present on the rostrum that he invited him to move to the provincial capital. For two seasons, the young man played for the youth team, and since 1982 he has taken a place mainly.
Club career
His first club was Vicenza, which then played in the S-1 series, the third division of Italian football. But for a long time he did not stay there.
"Fiorentina"
1985-1990
Already at the age of 18, Baggio became a player in Fiorentina, and at the age of 20 he became a solid footballer and leader of the club. For two seasons (1988-1989 and 1989-1990), Baggio scored more than 30 goals for the club in the Italian Championship alone.
It is clear that “Fiorentina” could not have kept a player of this magnitude, and on the eve of the home World Cup for Italians, Baggio went to Juventus for a record then 14 million dollars.
However, not all fans of “violets” understood the inevitability of the transition, it even came to street demonstrations, and the player was forced to explain to the fans that not everything in this deal depended on his desire.
The piquancy of the situation was given by the fact that, after the announcement of the fact of the transaction, Fiorentina was supposed to play precisely with Juventus in the UEFA Cup final. Despite all the efforts of Baggio, “Fiorentina” lost in the sum of two matches 1: 3, which, however, reflected the real balance of power.
Juventus
1990-1995
The years spent in Juventus are perhaps the best in the career of a great football player.
It was in the Turin club that Baggio won his first “scudetto", it was at that time that he received the Golden Ball of the best football player in Europe, and won the silver medal of the World Cup in the Italian national team.
"Milan"
1995-1997
Baggio proved the recklessness of this decision to everyone, already in the first season he helped “Milan” to return the “Scudetto” that was lost a year earlier.
In “Milan”, Baggio’s game changed somewhat and faded - he began to score much less, and his game lost its former effectiveness and efficiency, therefore, many of his transition to “Bologna” was perceived as the beginning of the sunset of the great football player.
"Bologna"
1997-1998
Baggio spent one season at this club. 22 goals in the matches of the national championship - the third indicator of the championship.
The vibrant game did not go unnoticed by the head coach of the Italian national team Cesare Maldini and, written off from the country's main team, Roberto Baggio was included in the national team's application for the 1998 World Cup.
Inter
1998-2000
After the World Cup, Baggio moved to Inter Milan, where he had a great time in his first season, making up an excellent attacking team with Brazilian Ronaldo.
However, a year later, “Inter” was headed by an old friend of Baggio Marcello Lippi and the history of Turin repeated - Roberto lost his place in the first team and left the club.
Brescia
2000-2004
Baggio spent the last four years of his career in a modest “Brescia”, where, however, he never once dropped below the mark of “10 goals per season”.
And his T-shirt with number 10 is forever removed from use at the club.
Roberto Baggio Titles
Team
- Silver medalist of the World Cup - 1.
- World Championship bronze medalist - 1.
- Champion of Italy - 2.
- UEFA Cup Winner - 1.
- Cup Winner Italy - 1.
Customized
- The Golden Ball is the best player in Europe (not the one that is now issued for 50 goals against the Aymars and Cordoba, beautiful hairstyles and the appearance of glossy magazines on the covers, but REAL).
- The best football player in Italy -3.
- FIFA team of all time.
