Between heaven and hell, he accidentally fell into hell, leaving the fans with only a silent back. Roberto Baggio, the hero of Italian football and the dream lover of countless teenage girls, missed a key penalty at the last minute and watched Brazil lift the Hercules Cup. We remember the unstoppable strength of the "Samba Legion", the tacit cooperation between Bebeto and Romario, but in that final, we also remembered the Robert Baggio who faced the defeat.
Perhaps, for a man who once regarded football as his life, the World Cup is his most beloved first love. Just look at him on the green field, and you will never forget his face. The reason why blue can represent melancholy is only because Baggio's presence gives him a unique meaning. He has the top touch feeling and the most outstanding sense of rhythm, can in an instant, relying on the dribbled step change and multiple small touches, to complete the vertical breakthrough or horizontal shaking, and Baggio is outstanding, almost without too much body swing when changing direction, whether it is a high-speed attack or a slow dribble, he will always take the ball under his control.
In the summer of Italy in 1990, Baggio, who debuted on the World Cup stage, made a long run and scored a key goal. Four years later in the United States, Roberto Baggio once again went out with the team, but he has become the offensive core of the Italian national team. He had just won the World Footballer of the Year and the European Footballer of the Year, but fate deliberately wrote scars on such a perfect man, catching everyone off guard.
Why him? Why him? Fans constantly question the injustice of fate in their hearts, but regret is also part of football. At the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles, Baggio kicked the penalty away, and his blue No. 10 Italian jersey has been engraved in the hearts of fans ever since. In Baggio's body, there will be as much love as there is jealousy; how much glory there will be, how much loss, how much right and wrong, how many great enlightenments. Perhaps, this is the name of football, this is baggio's fate.
1994 also became a watershed year in Robert Baggio's career. Before the World Cup, he was the darling of Purple Lily fans, and after switching to the "Bianconeri" Juventus, he became the attacking core of the team, the longest two clubs Baggio has played for. However, in that summer of 1994, with the arrival of Lippi the Silver Fox, everything changed.
Roberto Baggio's career has been very tortuous, he has transferred to 7 Italian teams in total, which is another source of his melancholy temperament - not his blind departure, but his personality has made him through twists and turns. When he first represented Juventus against older Fiorentina, he refused to take a penalty and when the Fiorentina fans threw their purple scarves at him, he held it in his arms, affectionately.
When he was put on the bench by Lippi, Piero, who was eight years younger than him, came out and replaced him, wearing Juventus' captain's armband for the last time and bringing the Bianconeri a Serie A title trophy with three assists, before he was reborn and did not look back. His career at Juventus is hardly successful, but he has dedicated himself to every team.
When he came to AC Milan, he was still faltering, Capello and Sacchi put him on the bench of AC Milan, and later he was excluded from the Italian national team by Sacchi, and people finally saw the vicissitudes beyond the melancholy in Baggio's eyes. Baggio is 30 years old, but he doesn't want to give in, he doesn't bow to anyone, that's his character!
He cut off his signature ponytail and joined Bologna, much to the surprise of many fans. Only he knew that he was preparing for the 1998 World Cup. He needs the World Cup, and Italy needs Baggio even more. In the group stage against Chile, he personally took the penalty. In the face of the chatter of his opponents, he withstood the huge pressure and scored steadily. He finally defeated the demons of his heart, defeated the past, and defeated himself.
At this time, Baggio's back is more mature, vicissitudes, and more of a responsibility. He understands that he has been lucky that many players have not had the opportunity to play for the country. Perhaps it was an obsession that made Baggio so caught up in it that he couldn't extricate himself. Maybe it's a wake-up call that makes him understand that in the world of football, letting go is eternal.
Finally, I recommend watching the movie Baggio: The Magic of a Ponytail, which chronicles the 22-year career of star Roberto Baggio, including his early days and serious disagreements with some of his coaches. It was a magical phenomenon, and like his magical ponytail, cut or not, it would always float in the hearts of those who loved him. No one can define their life with a hairstyle, but Baggio can. Only last time, he said goodbye to us with football, and this time he reunited with us again with the movie. For 17 years, we have been reminiscing about his grandeur in the green field, but he has enjoyed a new life in the mountains.