The players to be introduced today are the first love of football in the hearts of many fans after the 80s, who have excellent football technology and temperament, and are more worthy of the title of "football god" than anyone. Sacrificing everything for football, but the career is difficult to call the perfect "tragic hero".
With deep but slightly melancholy eyes, a dashing and flowing ponytail, he is today's protagonist, Roberto Baggio.
Born on 18 February 1967 in the small town of Cardonio, 10 kilometres from Vicenza, Baggio was the eldest of eight siblings. Baggio's mother always said that he was the naughtiest child in the family, the kind that couldn't sit idle for a minute.
Baggio's home address in Cardonio
Because his brothers were always playing football, Baggio naturally became close to football at a very young age and learned techniques from his brothers.
After making a minor name in the Cardonio region, Baggio caught the attention of Serie C side Vicenza. On the recommendation of Caldonio's team doctor, Vicenza bought out Baggio for only $300.
The 16-year-old Baggio made his career debut against Brescia in 1983. Because italian football at that time had rules prohibiting younger players from playing, Baggio had to train and wait for the right moment. And because of some minor injuries, he didn't officially debut until the final round of the league.
Baggio officially played in the league in the 1984-85 season, when Baggio played 29 games for Vicenza, scoring 12 goals, and Vicenza was promoted. With excellent performances, he could have joined a better team, but Baggio didn't think about it, he just wanted to play his football well.
But contrary to Baggio's ideas, in the summer of 1985, clubs approaching him began to line up in long lines. However, the parties were excluded from the transfer negotiations, in which Vicenza decided everything.
On 3 May 1985, Baggio was signed by Fiorentina for a transfer fee of $1.5 million, and given that Vicenza was in financial crisis and the buyer was still a Serie A team, Baggio went to the secretariat and signed the transfer agreement.
But two days later, an unexpected tragedy occurred...
Baggio suffered the worst injury of his life
On May 5, during a match against Sacchi's Rimini, Baggio suffered a serious injury with a severe fracture of his right leg and a complete rupture of his cruciate ligament. After traveling to France for a major surgery with 220 stitches stitched, the pain in the flesh caused the young Baggio to cry as he hugged his mother.
Baggio competed with Maradona
Baggio, who did not return to the green court until 1987, played that season and made a successful comeback after scoring 6 goals. Despite undergoing such a major operation, the 20-year-old Baggio became Fiorentina's ace star with superb skills.
In the 1988–89 season, under head coach Eriksen, Baggio scored 15 goals in 30 league games and nine goals in 10 cup games, and is considered one of the best players in the league.
Baggio and German legend Mateus
Although Baggio's superb performance remained the same after a year, after the dismissal of Eriksen, who had been in charge of the coaching staff for 3 years, the team's performance plummeted.
Fiorentina's 60% goal score is won by Baggio alone, so he is very dependent on him in attack, and opponents naturally take a hard look at him. In the end, Fiorentina finished 14th in the league that season, and the results were quite dismal.
However, greedy Purple Lily boss Count Pontello sold Baggio to rival Juventus, who had just ascended to the Europa League title, for 25 billion lira in 1990.
The transfer fee set a record for the transfer fee in world football at the time, and the media also jokingly called Baggio "Mr. 25 billion lira".
Don't even think about it, the fans are strongly opposed to the star joining Juventus, baggio himself is not willing to transfer, but because the club's senior leaders have signed a contract, so the involuntary Baggio has to leave his beloved city.
Baggio's move to Juventus was not his personal wish
After joining Juventus, Baggio, who quickly adapted to the team, became the number one scorer in the team in the case of the team's top scorer, Schillacci, in a sluggish state.
In 1990, Baggio scored two goals for Italy at the World Cup, and coincidentally, the tournament's top scorer was the in-form Skiracchi.
In Serie A, Baggio is the top scorer after Van Basten. Although it was no. 2 on the top scorers list, the team finished runners-up in the league and the Coppa Italia, which was a regrettable year for Baggio.
Fortunately, in the Europa League final the following year, he led Juve to a successful victory over Borussia Dortmund to win the title with a supernatural performance of two goals and one assist. It was the only European title won by Robert Baggio, who is known for his "misfortune".
The Europa League in '93 was Baggio's only European championship
This year, Baggio, who scored 21 goals in the league, once again topped the top scorers list. While Juve finished 4th in both the league and cups, Baggio's personal achievements peaked.
Winner of FIFA Player of the Year award and European Golden Boot. After winning the Ballon d'Or in 1993, Baggio established himself as the best player in the world.
However, as the years passed, Baggio's doom grew worse.
At the 1994 World Cup, Baggio carried Italy to the final with his epic performance in the knockout stage, but he missed a penalty at the last minute, making him the "target of everyone".
Obviously, what is deeply imprinted in the minds of many fans is baggio's lonely back after playing a flying penalty. But two goals in the round of 16 with Nigeria, one goal and one assist with Spain in the round of 8, and two goals from the round of four with Bulgaria are enough to prove why he was the best player of his time.
After the World Cup, baggio won his first Serie A title with Juventus, and Lippi boldly activated the young Del Piero at the beginning of Baggio's injured season, and piero showed no less superstar potential than Baggio.
From the time of Juventus, Baggio and Lippi were at odds
At the end of the season, Lipiso made plans for the next season with Piero as the center. Of course, Baggio was excluded from this plan. AC Milan boss Berlusconi, who learned of this news, pushed baggio forward with a strong move, and baggio was sold to Milan.
In Milan, Baggio continued to contribute to the team's 15th Serie A title with a steady performance, but his relationship with manager Capello was not harmonious.
Capello's coaching ability is unquestionable, but he trusts George Weah more than Baggio. Since then, Saki, who has returned to San Siro, has greatly shortened Baggio's playing time.
Baggio against former owner Juventus
Baggio, who often sat on the bench, gradually lost his self-confidence, and seeing that there was still a year left before the opening of the World Cup, Baggio resolutely decided to leave the team.
So, in July 1997, Baggio moved from Milan to Bologna. And decisively cut off the ponytail that symbolized himself, and judging by the results, this choice was correct.
Baggio with a ponytail cut off
In the 1997–98 season, Baggio, who scored 22 goals, became the homegrown goalscorer and set a new single-season Serie A goal record.
Since November 1994, Baggio has been excluded from the starting line-up of the national team. But with the perfect performance of the Bologna period, after four years in the World Cup in France, Baggio once again played as a starter.
Baggio's national team number changed from 10 to 18
Returning as a veteran, he handed over a goal and 1 assist in his first match against Chile. In 3 group games, he scored 2 goals and assisted 2 goals. But Italy has been unable to solve the problem that baggio and Piero cannot coexist on the pitch.
In the second half, Baggio replaced Piero, who played
At that time, the coach Maldini Sr. started from the knockout stage, starting Piero, who had just returned from injury, but Baggio, who was in full shape, was reduced to a substitute. In the end, Italy once again regretted the loss in the penalty shootout with France in the quarter-finals and was eliminated.
Baggio's third and final World Cup came to an end...
Baggio and Da Luo's "Rollo Combination"
After the World Cup, the 31-year-old Baggio moved from Bologna to Inter Milan. Although Ronaldo and Zamorano's attacking firepower was fierce at the time, Baggio also played an important role in the attack, but unfortunately the poor defense dragged Inter down, and they could only end the season with an 8th place in the league.
Lippi and Baggio meet again at Inter
After Lippi took over the whip in 1999, Baggio quickly fell into a substitute. Even if Ronaldo is reimbursed for injury seasons, Lippi prefers to use players such as Zamorano, Vieri, Recoba, etc., and Baggio would rather be abandoned than compromise with Lippi.
So, in September 2000, Baggio left Inter to join Brescia, the last team of his career.
During the Brescia period, Baggio with the young Pirlo
Receiving the No. 10 and captain's armband, he was given the mission to save the team from relegation.
In 2001, Baggio led Brescia, who was a second-division side last season, to 8th place in Serie A with a stunning performance of 10 goals and 10 assists.
The coaching ability of the old coach Mazzoni is excellent, but Baggio, who plays a role in stabilizing the military in the team, is also indispensable.
Baggio returned to San Siro as Captain Brescia
Even in the twilight of his career, Baggio can still drive Brescia fans crazy.
Until his retirement in 2004, Baggio scored more than 10 goals in the league every season.
In his final retirement season, he even scored 20 goals directly, bringing his football career to a successful end.
With a long ponytail and galloping on the pitch, Baggio has had many sad memories of betrayal and abandonment in his long football career.
But he never gave up and eventually became the first love of football for many post-80s fans.
Although Baggio did not become the king of the ball, he will always be the melancholy prince in our minds.
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