In 1993, Baggio beat Cantona and Bergkamp to steal the Ballon d'Or and later took away the World Footballer of the Year honor from Romario. At that time, Baggio was also the first supergiant in world football to win the double honor of "Golden Ball" + "World Football". Not counting that, Baggio went to the 1994 World Cup with an injury, scored five goals, took Italy to the final, and almost won the cup. Unfortunately, Baggio flew the key ball in the penalty shootout, and in the end Italy only finished second, and its lonely figure became the most classic picture of the 94 World Cup.
It can be seen that Baggio's personal honors and national team results are already very good. But even in this situation, Baggio was questioned by some people, and some even felt that he was overrated. So why is Baggio still being questioned?
Objectively speaking, Baggio also has some shortcomings, such as no Champions League, no European Cup, no World Cup These three heavyweight titles. As we all know, the Champions League is the highest honor on the European club platform, the European Cup is the most important honor for the national team's continental competition, and the World Cup is the highest honor for the national team. From the club to the national team, Baggio did not have any of the most outstanding results. In addition, he has no intention of wearing golden boots. It is these accolades that have influenced Baggio's image in the hearts of some fans.
In fact, Baggio is not an overrated supergiant, otherwise he would not have brought honors such as the Ballon d'Or or the World Footballer of the Year. Baggio debuted relatively early, being brought in by Serie C's club Vicenza in 1980 for a transfer fee of $1.3 million, when he was only 13 years old. You know, $1.3 million in the '80s was worth a lot more than it is now, and it's worth a 13-year-old player, which shows Baggio's power. However, Vicenza did not spend money, and Baggio repaid the team with 110 goals in 120 games over two years.
Later, Baggio played for Fiorentina, Milan, Juve and other giants, and left 452 Serie A statistics of 205 goals in 452 games, ranking 6th in Serie A history. In addition, he helped Italy finish third in the 1990 World Cup and runners-up in the 1994 World Cup, leaving the national team with 27 goals in 56 games, including 9 goals in three World Cups. In fact, in terms of statistics alone, Baggio is already a good star. Because Baggio is only a No. 9 and a half, not a single striker.
It is worth mentioning that Inter legend Bergomi once said that he is most afraid of the three players, except for Maradona and van Basten, is Baggio. You know, the old horse is recognized as the king of the ball, van Basten is a great goalscorer, and Baggio can be tied with them, which is also a reflection of their strength. In the case of Italy, Baggio can also be a top 5 great star. In this way, Baggio is not overrated, but a truly powerful supergiant, just without the World Cup and the Champions League.
Author - Liu Hongtao