Roberto Baggio is the “divine tail” of Italian football. “Footballers don’t earn that much” Personal life of Roberto Baggio

main cast / Roberto Baggio

Position: Midfielder

Team number: -

Date of Birth: 18.02.1967

Citizenship: Italy

Height: 174 cm

Weight: 73 kg

Roberto Baggio(Italian Roberto Baggio; February 18, 1967, Caldogno, Veneto) is an outstanding Italian football player. He played in the positions of a forward and attacking midfielder. He spent his sports career (1982-2004) in Italy, where he played for the clubs Vicenza, Fiorentina, Juventus, Milan, Bologna, Inter and Brescia. He played for the Italian national team at the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Championships.

Best player in the world and Europe in 1993, winner of the 1992/93 UEFA Cup, silver medalist of the 1994 World Championship, bronze medalist of the 1990 World Championship, champion of Italy in the 1994/95 and 1995/96 seasons, winner of the Italian Cup 1994/95. The only Italian footballer to score goals in three World Cups.

According to the results of an online survey conducted by FIFA in 2000, he took 4th place in the list of the best players of the 20th century (after Maradona, Pele and Eusebio). In 2004, he entered the FIFA 100 list. One of the most popular players in the history of Italian football.

After finishing his football career, he was involved in charity work. Since 2002 - FAO Goodwill Ambassador. Winner of the World Peace Award 2010.

Club career

Roberto Baggio was born in Caldogno, near Vicenza, into a family of 7 children. He began his career at the Vicenza club in 1981, where he ended up thanks to the scout Antonio Moro who noticed him. in Serie C1 in 1981. From the 1982/1983 season, Baggio began playing for the main team of Vicenza.

Fiorentina bought him in 1985 and during his time in Florence he became a cult figure among local fans, who revere him as one of the greatest footballers in the club's history.

Despite the protest of fans, he was sold to Juventus in 1990 for 25 billion Italian lire ($19 million), a record transfer amount at that time. In response to comments from fans, Baggio said: “I was forced to accept the invitation.”

In 1993, he won his first European club trophy - the UEFA Cup was won with Juventus. His performance earned him the titles of World Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year.

Baggio won his first Scudetto with Juventus in the 1994/95 season. After a conflict with Bianconeri coach Marcelo Lippi, the player was sold to Milan. In his first season, Baggio helped his new club win Serie A, becoming the first player to win the Scudetto two years in a row with different teams.

In 1997, Baggio moved to Bologna, wanting to prove to everyone that he had been written off early, and, having scored 22 goals during the season, was included in the starting line-up of the Italian national team at the 1998 World Cup instead of Gianfranco Zola.

After the World Cup in 1998, Roberto Baggio signed a contract with Inter Milan. Baggio spent his first season, having a permanent place in the lineup, quite smoothly. A year later, the club was headed by Marcelo Lippi, with whom the footballer had not gotten along since the days of Juventus. This led to Baggio losing his place in the club’s base, and then in the national team. In his autobiography, Baggio subsequently wrote that Lippi skillfully “suppressed” him only because he refused to indicate to the coach which of the Inter players spoke negatively about him. The final contribution to the club’s history of victories were two goals scored by Baggio against Parma in the match for the last ticket to the Champions League. In total, during his time at Inter, Roberto Baggio played 58 matches, in which he hit the opponent’s goal 15 times.

After two years at Inter, the player moved to the much less titled Brescia. Despite the serious injury, he managed to recover by the end of the season. However, national team coach Giovanni Trapattoni did not include him in the squad for the 2002 World Cup. Fans and experts criticized him for this decision: Italy was eliminated without even reaching the quarterfinals, contrary to all grandiose plans.

Baggio continued to play for Brescia until 2004, when he announced his retirement. My last game he played on 16 May at the San Siro against Milan. In the 88th minute, Brescia coach Gianni de Biasi replaced Baggio, allowing him to receive a well-deserved applause from the packed stands. During his career, Roberto Baggio scored 205 goals in Serie A, making him the sixth highest scorer in the history of the tournament. Ahead of him are Silvio Piola, Gunnar Nordahl, Giuseppe Meazza, Jose Altafini and Francesco Totti.

The legendary player scored his 300th goal on December 16, 2002 in home match Brescia vs Piacenza (3:1). He became the first player in more than 50 years to reach this mark, ahead of only Piola (364) and Meazza (338).

Baggio's number 10 shirt was permanently retired at Brescia.

International career

He played his first match on November 16, 1988 with the Dutch national team in Rome. The last game was on April 28, 2004 with the Spanish national team in Genoa.

Cesare Maldini, head coach of the national team, at the 1998 World Cup, stated that the appearance on the field of two bright attacking players in the same lineup - Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero - was excluded: “The appearance of both of them on the field does not correspond to my tactical schemes.” . According to Baggio himself, Maldini relied on Del Piero: “Maldini’s position is extremely clear: Del Piero is the first. Therefore, if I play, I will be happy. If I sit on the bench, I’ll be just happy.” In the first two matches group stage 1998 World Cup, with the national teams of Chile and Cameroon, Roberto Baggio was in the starting lineup (this was due to the fact that Del Piero, who had barely recovered from an injury, was out of shape). A penalty converted by Baggio five minutes before the end of the match with the Chileans allowed the Italians to avoid defeat. Del Piero replaced Roberto Baggio in the match against Cameroon in the 65th minute with the score 1-0; Despite the fact that in the remaining 25 minutes the Italians hit the opponent’s goal twice more, Del Piero did not show himself in any particular way. However, Cesare Maldini released Del Piero in the starting lineup for the third and final match of the group stage against Austria, leaving Baggio on the bench. The young forward scored an assist and in the 72nd minute gave up his place to Baggio, who scored the winning goal a minute before the end of regular time. In the 1/8 finals against Norway, Baggio again remained on the bench, not even coming on as a substitute. The Italians won 1-0, showing a very unconvincing performance. However, in the quarter-final match against France, Maldini again started Del Piero instead of Baggio. Del Piero once again failed to cope with his role as the leader of the team's attacks and gave up his place to Baggio in the 67th minute. The change made Italy's performance much more impressive and Baggio had a great opportunity to shoot through Fabien Barthez's goal but missed. Having failed to score, the Squadra Azzurra lost in the penalty shootout (Roberto Baggio himself scored his penalty kick) and left the tournament. Later, Cesare Maldini apologized to Baggio for not allowing him to be in the starting lineup, which he deserved (at the 2002 World Cup, Baggio and del Piero did not play a single minute together, and while all the Italians were arguing who was better - Baggio, del Piero or both need to be in the lineup - center forward Christian Vieri managed to score five goals)

Roberto Baggio, with a total of 27 goals in 56 matches for the national team, became the fifth most successful footballer in its history. He is the only Italian footballer to score goals in three World Cups at once. There are nine in total, which makes Baggio top scorer Italy in the World Cup finals along with Christian Vieri and Paolo Rossi.

After retirement

Baggio is known as Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail) for his special hairstyle, associated primarily with the footballer’s religion.

On his 40th birthday (February 18, 2007), he opened a new website to communicate with fans.

In the summer of 2010, following the defeat of the Italian national team at the next World Cup, he was appointed technical director of the Italian Football Federation, responsible for working with youth and searching for new talents.

On July 18, 2011, Baggio received a license professional trainer 2nd category, which gives the right to work as the head coach of clubs in the Pro League (formerly Serie C) and below, to be the second coach of clubs in Serie A and B, or to head the youth teams of clubs participating in the Italian Championship among youth teams (Campionato Nazionale Primavera). Together with Roberto, the holders of a similar license were Emiliano Bigica, William Viali, Sergio Volpi, Leonardo Colucci, Francesco Cozza, Fabio Moro, Paolo Negro, Luis Oliveira, Luigi Piangerelli, Sergio Porrini, Sebastiano Siviglia, Andrea Sottil, Andrea Tarozzi, Ivan Jurich and others former players.

On July 5, 2012, after completing a nine-month course at the specialist training center in Coverciano, Baggio successfully passed the exams and received a UEFA Pro en coaching license, giving the right to coach teams at the highest level.

Achievements and awards

Football

Italy national team

• Silver medal at the 1994 World Championships
• Bronze medal at the 1990 World Championships

Juventus

• UEFA Cup 1992/93
• Scudetto 1994/95
• Italian Cup 1994/95

"Milan"

• Scudetto 1995/96

"Bologna"

• Intertoto Cup 1998

Personal

• FIFA Player of the Year (1993)
• Ballon d'Or (France Football) (1993)
• The best football player in Europe according to Onze Mondial (1993)
• Giuseppe Prisco Prize (2004)
• Trophy Bravo (1990)
• Best Italian Footballer of the Year according to Guerin Sportivo (1985, 1996, 2001)
• Gaetano Scirea Prize (2001)
• Golden Foot Award (2003)

Symbolic teams and lists

• FIFA World Team of All Time (2002)
• FIFA 100 list compiled by Pelé (2004)
• list of the greatest football players of the 20th century according to World Soccer (1999)
• 100 best World Cup players of all time according to Placar (2005)
• 50 best players in the world according to Planete Foot (1996)
• Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• World Peace Award 2010
• For the Italian national team in final tournaments During the World Championships, Roberto Baggio played 16 matches. The only team he played against more than once was Ireland. Of all the World Cups in which Baggio was on the entry list, Italy was eliminated after an unsuccessful penalty shootout.
• Baggio converted 86% of his penalties in Serie A and internationally, a record for all Italian football, but missed the decisive penalty against Brazil in the 1994 World Cup final.
• Practices Buddhism.
• Dino Baggio (Italian) Dino Baggio), long years who played with Roberto in the national team and for several years at Juventus, is not his relative.

Roberto Baggio left a bright mark in the history of world football. His play was enjoyed not only by Italian fans, but also by millions of fans from other countries, recognizing the extraordinary talent of “Tails”.

Born 02/18/1967

Career:

• Vicenza (1982-1985; 46 matches, 15 goals).
• Fiorentina (1985-1990; 135 matches, 55 goals).
• Juventus (1990-1995; 200 matches, 115 goals).
• Milan (1995-1997; 67 matches, 19 goals).
• Bologna (1997-1998; 33 matches, 23 goals).
• Inter (1998-2000; 58 matches, 15 goals).
• Brescia (2000-2004; 98 matches, 45 goals).
• Italian national team (1988-2004; 56 matches, 27 goals).

Team Achievements:

• Silver medalist at the 1994 World Championships.
• Bronze medalist at the 1990 World Championships.
• Winner of the 1993 UEFA Cup.
• Champion of Italy 1995, 1996.
• Winner of the Italian Cup 1995.

Personal achievements:

• Footballer of the year 1993 according to FIFA.
• Winner of the Golden Ball best football player Europe 1993.
• The best football player in Italy in 2001.

Start

Roberto was born near Vicenza, starting his football career in the team of the same name. At the age of 15, he began to be involved in training with the main team and made his debut in adult football in the 1982/1983 season. To be fair, we note that Baggio became truly indispensable in his team only two years later, when he was able to overcome the 10 mark for the first time goals scored per season.

Of course, it was too early to talk about the readiness of a player who had barely reached the age of majority for Serie A, given that Baggio accumulated his scoring experience two levels lower. However, this fact did not bother the management of Fiorentina, a regular at the top echelon of Italian football.

Fiorentina star

Having moved to Florence, the young striker faced difficult trials. For the first two seasons, he had to watch almost all the games from the bench, and only after the age of 20 did Baggio break into the Fiorentina starting team. “Violets” in those years were far from fighting for medals in the championship, but nevertheless they could give a fight to absolutely any favorite.

The more often the young forward appeared on the field, the more he attracted attention to himself. Extraordinary technique, a well-placed shot, decent speed - Baggio had all the necessary qualities for a striker. In just a year, he went from a backup to the leader of the Florentines' attacks.

Roberto finally earned star status in 1990. For two seasons in a row, his performance in Serie A did not fall below 15 goals scored. The newly minted scorer, logically, attracted the attention of the grandee - it turned out to be Juventus of Turin.

When the transfer became known, mass unrest began in Florence - Fiorentina fans could not accept this fact as accomplished, and then Baggio had to declare that not everything in this case depended on his desire.

World Championship 1990

In the summer of 1990, Italy was gripped by a football boom - the country hosted the FIFA World Cup. All local fans longed for a repeat of the triumph of the Squadra Azzurra eight years ago, but, unfortunately for them, it did not happen. But the world saw firsthand the play of a great master.

Despite the fact that Baggio started the World Cup as a reserve, by the game for third place with the British he was a solid main player and one of the main ideological inspirers of his team's attacks, making a serious contribution to Italy winning bronze.

Hero of Juventus

Having finally established himself as a star European football, Roberto finds himself on a team that claims to win all the tournaments in which he takes part. So, in five years in Turin, Baggio became the winner of the UEFA Cup, champion and winner of the Italian Cup.

Roberto Baggio - leader of Juventus

Despite the fact that from his first appearances on the lawn until the end of his career, Baggio always stood out for his special football intelligence and consistently held high level, we can safely say that he spent his best years at Juve.

The first half of the 90s was the period of his reign in Serie A, which needed a new hero after the legendary one left the Apennines. Having received complete carte blanche, Roberto truly created on the field. Acting as a drawn forward and receiving the ball, as a rule, on the outskirts of someone else's penalty area, he almost always made the right decisions, which usually led to scoring situations.

His scoring instincts and ability to take free kicks reached an incredible level, which allowed Baggio to regularly hit the opponents' goal. And this is in a championship in which defensive play is especially valued, and most popular account, elevated to a cult, become 1:0.

Of course, success in the UEFA Cup and exploits in Serie A do not go unnoticed, and at the end of 1993, Roberto deservedly received the Golden Ball for the best football player in Europe, which clearly demonstrates his fantastic level.

Roberto Baggio - 1993 Ballon d'Or winner

Savior and executioner of Italy

Baggio is not an upstart, so he was a candidate for the highest personal award a year later. Most likely, he would have received it if the tragedy had not happened to him in July 1994.

The Italian national team arrived at the World Cup by no means as favorites, which was confirmed by the first matches group tournament, which the Italians overcame only thanks to a mathematical coincidence. Nothing foreshadowed the long journey of the Italians in America, but then our hero got down to business.

Baggio scored in three consecutive playoff matches, scoring doubles in two of them. Thus, he practically single-handedly brought his compatriots to the final, in which the favorites, the Brazilians, awaited Italy. To the credit of the Italians, they were not much inferior to the magicians of the ball. As a result, in regular and extra time the teams were unable to hit each other's goals, and the winner had to be determined in a penalty shootout.

And then the Italians gave up, and the seemingly iron-clad Franco Baresi and Roberto Baggio, who was always distinguished by his ability to take penalty kicks, made mistakes. By launching the ball into the sky, he buried his country's hopes of gold and automatically lost the race for the player of the year title to Romario.

Milan disappointments

In the mid-90s, Baggio's star began to gradually fade from the football horizon. So, in the summer of 1995, after a conflict with Marcello Lippi, “Tail” moved to the camp of the main competitor of the “Old Lady” - “Milan”. And even though Baggio became the champion of Italy as part of the Milanese, celebrating success in Serie A for the second year in a row, his period in red and black cannot be called particularly successful.

His performance decreased, and his game lost its former luster, although there were no external prerequisites for such a trend. If Baggio spent two seasons in Milan, he was based in the city of the same name for four years - at the turn of the century he played for Inter.

Summarizing his play for the blue-blacks, one can pick up similar expressions that characterize Baggio’s stay in the camp of another Milanese superclub. At Inter, Baggio no longer claimed to be the first violin in attack, given that the club’s colors were then defended by the best striker in the world. In addition, Lippi got him in the fashion capital, completely ruining what was already not the best line in the striker’s resume.

Rise from the Ashes

However, Baggio had a truly super season between his Milan voyages. Once at Bologna, he was automatically written off by the press and fans. But Roberto did not give up and forced people to talk about himself again in enthusiastic tones. In 30 Serie A matches of the 1997/1998 season, he forced the opposing goalkeepers to take the ball out of their goal 22 times and deservedly entered the list of 22 Italian national team players who went to defend the honor of their country at the World Cup.

True, as at the 1990 world championship, Baggio started the tournament on the bench. Head coach The Italians relied on the younger prototype of Roberto - Alessandro Del Piero, who, although he was then at his peak, could not show anything useful on the French fields.

But Baggio again managed to benefit his country. Thus, his two goals allowed the Italians to confidently overcome the group barrier, and Roberto himself, during the time allotted to him on the field, instilled confidence in the team that they had someone to rely on. And even though Italy again blundered in the penalty shootout, Baggio could not be blamed for anything - he converted all his few chances and proved that in terms of talent he is still the undisputed No. 1 in Italy.

"Brescia"

Baggio maintained a consistently high level until the very end of his career, playing for the modest Brescia. Having joined it at the age of 33, Roberto automatically became the team leader for the next four years.

Of course, everyone around understood that Baggio was finishing the game, but this can be done in different ways. Yes, he has lost his speed, but his game wisdom and football intelligence have not gone away. Roberto still played set pieces brilliantly, excelled as an assistant, and fortunately, he always had an excellent vision of the field.

The success of his “swan song” is confirmed by statistics - in none of the four seasons spent for Brescia did Baggio score less than 10 goals, and in the 2001/2002 championship he gave a fantastic result - 11 goals in 12 matches.

Greatness

“Tens” have always been in special favor with the demanding public: Maradona, Platini, Baggio. The Italian maestro was distinguished on the field by his intelligence, creativity and performance. With the exception of not the most successful seasons in Milan and Inter, Roberto was always and everywhere a leader, someone who led others by his own example.

And even despite the penalty shootout miss in the 1994 World Cup final, Baggio is a national hero for Italy. The benefit performance that he staged on the fields of the United States cannot be forgotten, and the common tragedy made people love their idol even more. Therefore, in a country where football ranks first on the list sports games, Roberto will forever remain a legend.

Italian footballer Roberto Baggio set a record by remaining a professional for almost two decades. He managed to speak for best clubs Italy, including Juventus and Inter. Roberto is known for his fantastic goals, thanks to which he brought the team to first place. However, many remember him for his failed penalty in the 1994 World Cup final.

“This memory is in me already to the grave. I will never forget that blow. As a child, I dreamed: I would win the World Cup, and in the final we would play against the Brazilians. Of course, I didn't think about how this dream would turn out. And it turned out to be the saddest ending you can imagine.”

First victories

Roberto Baggio was born in 1967 in Caldogno in the province of Vicenza. While still a teenager, he always had a keen interest in football and played for a local youth club for nine years. By the time Roberto turned 11, he had scored 45 goals and provided 20 assists in 26 matches. After 6 goals scored in one game, he was enrolled in the Vicenza club. Having scored 110 goals in 120 matches, Baggio began his professional career in 1983. Then he was only 15 years old.

The footballer played in the positions of a forward and attacking midfielder. Baggio is also known as "Il Divin Codino" - "the divine ponytail". The athlete received his nickname for his hairstyle.

In 1985, Baggio moved to Fiorentina, where he rose to cult status among the team's fans, who consider him one of their best ever players. Roberto made his Serie A debut in 1986 against Sampdoria. He scored his first league goal on 10 May 1987 against Napoli in a match best remembered as Napoli winning the Scudetto for the first time. "Scudetto" is a patch with the colors of the Italian flag worn by the winning team the following season.

Roberto Baggio's best goals

The history of Roberto Baggio's goals begins from a very young age. However, the master’s later masterpieces became iconic. In 1989, in the match between Napoli and Fiorentina, the Italian, having received the ball in the 22nd minute, single-handedly beat the defenders and goalkeeper. Despite the fact that his team lost then, Baggio’s goal was remembered by the audience for a long time.

Fiorentina fans were outraged when Roberto moved to Juventus in 1990 for what would be today's €12 million ($19 million). This was a world record for a football player at that time. After his crossing, there were riots on the streets of Florence, in which fifty people were injured. Baggio responded to his fans:

"I was forced to accept the invitation."

In the same year, Roberto ensured an unconditional victory for his team in the final match of the group tournament Italy - Czechoslovakia. His goal was decisive, thanks to which the game ended with a score of 2:0.

With 17 goals, Baggio was the second highest scorer in the 1989/1990 Serie A season behind Marco van Basten and was awarded the Bravo Award. He also finished eighth in the 1990 Ballon d'Or and received the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 1993.

Also in 1993, the footballer won his only European club trophy, helping Juventus to the UEFA Cup. His performances elevated Roberto to the status of European Footballer of the Year with a World Cup title. Baggio won his first Scudetto with Juventus in 1995.

After strong pressure from Milan club chairman Silvio Berlusconi, Roberto joined them. At this time he was bound by verbal agreements with Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers in English Premier League, but no concrete proposals have been made by any of these clubs. The footballer helped Milan win the Serie A title, becoming the first player to win the Scudetto in consecutive years with different teams.

In 1997, Baggio moved to Bologna, scoring 22 goals in his debut season. He was also included in the Italian national team for the World Cup, immediately after which he signed a contract with Inter. At the same time, he cut off his ponytail, marking a new era for himself and for football.

Baggio scored 5 goals and provided 10 assists in 23 matches in the 1998-1999 season, but Inter finished in just eighth place. Roberto helped the team in the semi-finals of the Italian Cup and scored a goal against his former club Bologna were in the European play-offs, but Inter ended up losing both matches, failing to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

After two years with Inter, to be called up for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Baggio moved to previously unpopular club Brescia. Despite serious injury, he miraculously recovered before the end of the season. However Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni did not send Roberto to Korea and Japan. Fans and pundits criticized him for this action, and Italy, without Baggio's inspiration, was eliminated before reaching the quarter-finals.

One of the Italian's most famous goals is considered to be the ball thrown into an empty net in the Juventus - Brescia match in 2001. Roberto Baggio received a pass from Andrea Pirlo and rounded the goalkeeper to gracefully slot home the ball. Baggio continued to play for Brescia until his retirement in 2004.

Penalty kick in the 1994 World Cup final

Unfortunately, in addition to the landmark victories, the defeat caused by Roberto Baggio will forever be remembered in the history of Italian football. He helped the Italian team reach the final of the 1994 World Cup. Baggio was Italy's top scorer during the qualifying campaign, scoring five goals. Football player scored winning goal in the quarter-finals, helping to beat Spain 2-1 with three minutes remaining. Receiving the ball from Giuseppe Signori, he sent the ball past Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. However, in the final with Brazil, after injuring a tendon and playing under painkillers, Baggio made what he considered to be the worst mistake of his life.

The match ended with the score 0:0. The decisive penalty, which Roberto had to convert, became one of the most unpleasant in the history of the Championship. The ball went over the goal and Brazil won.

In his autobiography, Roberto Baggio later wrote:

“Penalties are missed only by those who have the courage to take them.”

Having led Italy to the final, the footballer received the Silver Ball as the second most important player of the tournament and the Silver Boot. Gold went to Romario and the Brazilians.

Celebrating his 50th anniversary in 2017, the athlete recalled his landmark victories and his greatest reach to the final of the 1994 World Cup. Together with Italian brand It was decided to release a clothing collection “Made in Italy”. A jacket, T-shirt and sweater were presented, with the footballer's autograph on them.

The Roberto Baggio x Diadora release also included the Intrepid sneaker in an original colorway. The model is accompanied by Vibrassorb inserts and Impact control technology to enhance the comfort of the silhouette. They enjoyed no less success.

Roberto Baggio was born in Caldogno, province of Vicenza on February 18, 1967. He began his football career in the amateur team of the same name, playing for which he attracted the attention of the selectors of Vicenza, a team playing in Serie C1. At the age of fourteen, Roberto found himself in the club’s youth team, and a year later in the main team. In the 1984-85 season, he scored 12 goals in 29 games, which allowed his team to achieve promotion and reach Serie B. But the game of eighteen-year-old Baggio had already attracted the attention of several Serie A clubs. Fiorentina turned out to be the most generous of all, and Roberto moved to Florence. On one of the last days of the season, playing for Vicenza, he received a serious injury to his right knee, but Fiorentina president Piercesare Baretti was not embarrassed by this circumstance and he still continues to believe in Roberto and gives him a chance. In the 1985–1986 season, he never entered the field for the Florentine club. For many months he worked out in the gym according to a special recovery program, bringing himself to the point of exhaustion. He made his Serie A debut on September 21, 1986 against Sampdoria, and scored his first goal in the top division on May 10, 1987 in a match against Diego Maradona's Napoli. The progress of the young football player did not go unnoticed and he was invited to the national team. He played his first match in the Squadra Azzurra jersey on November 16, 1988year with the Dutch team in Rome. The last season that Baggio spent at Fiorentina was very successful for the player. He scored 17 goals in 32 matches and helped the club reach the UEFA Cup final, where Fiorentina lost to Juventus in the final. Turin's Juventus became interested in Baggio after the UEFA Cup final match. Juventus management paid a record amount for Baggio at that time - $17 million. Fiorentina fans were very unhappy with the departure of a player who had already become their idol. To show their displeasure they destroyed the streets of Florence. In response to fans' comments, Baggio said: "I was forced to accept the invitation". In Florence, Baggio was never forgiven. Every time he came to a game with Fiorentina as part of Juventus, and then other clubs, he was invariably greeted with whistles.

After the end of the World Cup, Baggio began his journey with Juventus, which lasted five years. During these years, he won the Championship, the Italian Cup and the UEFA Cup with Juventus. In 1993 he received the Golden Ball award, a year later Baggio became the hero of the 1994 World Cup, and at the same time one of its main losers. The final match brought great disappointment to the Italian team. A difficult match with the Brazilian national team, even after extra time, ended in a goalless draw. But in the penalty shootout, things didn’t go well for the Italians from the very beginning. Team captain Baresi struck first, but Brazilian goalkeeper Taffarel managed to parry the shot. However, Italian goalkeeper Pagliuca also managed to defend his goal. After the first three strikes the score was 2:2. However, the fourth Italian - Massaro - again shot unsuccessfully, and the Brazilian Dunga converted his shot. The last of the Italians to reach the penalty spot was Roberto Baggio. He definitely had to score, then the Italians still had some chance, but the ball flew over the crossbar. Fatigue took its toll, and besides, Baggio entered the final match with a hamstring strain.

In 1995, Baggio won his first Scudetto with Juventus.

Then Baggio found it increasingly difficult to find a place in Juventus; in those years Alessandro Del Piero began to show himself. Baggio was offered to stay at the club only if he agreed to 1/3 of the salary he received. Baggio decided to leave Juventus and after prolonged pressure from Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, he was sold to the Rossoneri. The decision to move to Milan was a big mistake for the footballer’s career. The fact is that he was not a player in the main squad, and coach Capello only released Baggio as a substitute, but nevertheless he became the first football player to win the Italian Championship two years in a row with different teams. Roberto decides to leave Milan next summer. Baggio decided to start over at Bologna, where he is reborn and sets a new personal record of 22 goals in 30 games. National team coach Cesare Maldini was "forced", due to great success, to call Roberto up for the World Cup in France in 1998.

But in France, Maldini relied on Del Piero, and Baggio was forced to be on the bench almost all the time and only occasionally came on as a substitute.

Maldini's decision undermines the internal balance, which may be why the Italians failed this championship. This time Baggio scored his goal from the penalty spot, but nevertheless the Italians lost again, allowing the French team, which eventually became the World Champion, to the semi-finals. Baggio would score two goals, becoming the only Italian player to score in three different World Cups.

That same summer he moved to Inter. The transition turned out to be an unsuccessful decision, since the club's coach, Marcello Lippi, did not favor Baggio. This led to the player losing his place in the national team, but once Roberto Baggio appeared on the field, the fan was never disappointed. In his autobiography, Baggio subsequently wrote that Lippi skillfully “suppressed” him only because he refused to indicate to the coach which of the Inter players spoke negatively about him. These were not the most better times Inter, the team changed coaches (Simoni, Lucescu, Castellini, Hodgson), which does not allow Baggio to show his best playing qualities. The final contribution to the club's history of victories were two goals scored by Baggio against Parma in the match for the last ticket to the Champions League.

Baggio decided to return to the provincial team, moving to Brescia under the leadership of Carlo Mazzone, with the stated goal of taking part in the 2002 World Cup. This goal could not be achieved, partly due to an injury to the left knee, which affects in several cases the decisive season, preventing him from joining the national team. The last game for the national team was April 28, 2004 with the Spanish national team in Genoa. Roberto Baggio, having scored a total of 27 goals in 56 matches for the national team, became the fifth most productive football player in its history. He is the only Italian footballer to score goals in three World Cups at once. There are nine in total, making Baggio Italy's top scorer in World Cup finals alongside Christian Vieri and Paolo Rossi.

On March 14, 2004, during a match against Parma, Roberto Baggio scored his 200th goal in Serie A, thereby repeating the achievements of such great players as Silvio Piola, Gunnar Nordahl, Giuseppe Meazza and Jose Altafini. The legendary player scored his 300th goal on December 16, 2002 in Brescia's home match against Piacenza (3:1). He became the first player in over 50 years to reach this mark, ahead of only Piola (364) and Meazza (338).

Baggio continued to play for Brescia until 2004, when he announced his retirement. He played his last game on May 16 at the San Siro against Milan. In the 88th minute, Brescia coach Gianni De Biasi replaced Baggio, allowing him to receive a well-deserved applause from the packed stands. Baggio's number 10 shirt has been permanently retired at Brescia.

Personal life.

Married to Andreina Fabbi. Three children: Valentina (born in 1991), Mattia (born in 1994), Leonardo (born in 2005).

Baggio writes an autobiography entitled "Gateway to Heaven."

On October 16, 2002, Roberto Baggio was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Bajo's religion is Buddhism. “At times I dream of taking refuge in a temple somewhere in India in the middle of the season, to spend some time in a contemplative state, relax and gain mental strength to continue the fight on several fronts at once. Unfortunately, such pleasure is available to me only in the off-season.”- says Baggio. Robie had many different nicknames. “The Wet Rabbit” - the creation of Agnelli, even now is usually remembered in connection with the penalty missed in the penalty shoot-out in the final of the World Cup - 94. “The Divine Ponytail” - Robi’s most common nickname has become a thing of the past, since Baggio parted ways with this famous detail of his hairstyle. “I have countless nicknames, I don’t even remember many of them, but I try to treat everyone with humor. Perhaps the nicest nickname I’ve ever received is “ Fantasista"("dreamer", "inventor"). It at least corresponds to what I try to do on the field"- says Roberto

On his 40th birthday (February 18, 2007), he opened a new website to communicate with fans. Thus, it reports that Baggio is not going to return to “big” football, preferring to exchange remarks with his fans on blogs.

In March 2008, Baggio, who has owned a ranch in Argentina for many years, gave an extensive interviewGazzetta Dello Sport. In it he discussed many topics, including the teams he now supports: “Boca Juniors” “How did I become a fan? Seven or eight years ago I was watching an Argentine championship match on TV. One of the teams was losing 4-0. And so the players stood at the sector of their fans, the “curva”, and everyone was there They sang and danced like crazy. I then said - well, of course, to win 4-0. And they answered me - no, these are the ones who lost. These were Boca Juniors fans. And since then I fell in love. For them there is only "Boca, all week they live only for their team, only for them. And then, Argentina delights me, here I feel incredibly free".

August 2010 marked the return of Roberto Baggio to Italian football. He was appointed president of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation, replacing Azeglio Vicini.

In November 2010, Baggio was awarded the World Peace Prize, an annual award given to Nobel Peace Prize laureates.So the Nobel Committee noted his achievements in the field of charity.

An outstanding Italian football player, one of the best players of the twentieth century... He not only played football masterfully: his game became high art, delivering not only fans, but also those who accidentally switched the television channel and “got to Baggio”, true pleasure. Rafael's long sports career (this honorable nickname was given to the brilliant player) is full of great achievements and bitter disappointments, the frantic love of the public and the skepticism of coaches.

Roberto Baggio played “sincere football” - winning the hearts of fans not with athleticism and super speed, but with brilliant talent, enhanced by his almost mystical charisma. Baggio's appearance, complemented by an Indian tattoo on right hand, a large gypsy earring in his ear and, of course, the famous Buddhist ponytail, “completed the job”: Roberto the Divine, who “is not Buddha, but just Baggio,” became the personification of Italian football. However, he was not a world champion and did not win the Champions League. He simply played - but in such a way that everyone who saw it seemed to be witnessing a brilliant performance.

During his twenty-two-year sports career in Italy, he played for the clubs Juventus, Fiorentina, Bologna, Vicenza, Brescia, Inter, Milan; He played for the Italian national team at the World Cup in 1990, 1994 and 1998.

On the stellar horizon of Roberto Baggio’s sports career, the following titles are especially noticeable:

• Best player in Europe and the world - 1993
• UEFA Cup Winner - 1992-1993
• Silver medalist of the World Championship - 1994
• Bronze medalist World Cup - 1992
• Italian Champion 1994/1995 - 1995/1996
• Winner of the Italian Cup in 1994/1995
• The only player in the history of Italian football to score goals in 3 World Cups.

Roberto Baggio, one of seven children in the family, was born in the Italian village of Caldogno in 1967. His father is an avid cyclist and dreamed of seeing his son pedal professionally, but Roberto chose football.

Once fourteen-year-old Baggio scored six goals in a game, which impressed the scouts a lot football team Vicenza, then playing in Serie C. The result of those impressions were the first three professional football seasons of young Roberto, which he spent in Vicenza, which, thanks to forward Baggio, reached Serie B. Twelve goals in the 1984/1985 season did it! And then came the contract with Fiorentina. And Vicenza, having parted with Badji, received a “consolation prize” of 2 billion lire - a very considerable amount for those times.

Having already signed a contract with the Violets, but playing for Vicenza for the last time, 18-year-old Roberto Baggio received a serious knee injury (ruptured cruciate ligaments). This did not allow the forward to enter the field for a whole year. The next year, Baggio played only 5 games, scoring the only goal during this time.

But Roberto did not miss the next three championships, fully justifying the trust of the Florentine leadership. The 1989/1990 season was especially successful for him, after which Baggio was bought for 25 billion lire by the Turin club. Then Fiorentina, which reached the UEFA Cup final, lost the championship to Juventus.

5 years at Juventus brought Roberto Baggio participation in two World Cups. After the 1990 World Championships, held in Italy, Roberto began to be called the “divine ponytail”. The nickname stuck thoroughly. In the semi-finals, during the game with Argentina, 23-year-old Roberto Baggio entered the field only in the second half. The team only took bronze.

And in 1994, in the USA, Roberto scored 5 goals and led the Italian team to the World Cup final. It was there that the most dramatic event in sports career Raphael. It's hard to forget that final, the game against Brazil in which Roberto Baggio missed in the penalty shootout. That unfortunate mistake cost him “Niagara Falls” criticism and remembering everything “for which he was and was not to blame,” including his passion for Buddhism. It was then that Roberto said his famous: “Yes, I am a Buddhist. But not Buddha, but just Baggio... As if Muslims or Catholics don’t miss from the penalty spot.” And none other than Baggio set an Italian football record by converting 86% of his penalties while playing internationally in Serie A.

Club football in the life of the Italian star during the same period was much more positive: 141 matches for Juventus in Serie A: 78 goals; best player world and European titles in 1993, Juventus winning the UEFA Cup.

Soon the Turin team bet on the new football talent Alessandro Del Piero, offering Baggio other conditions: the last season in Juventus, Roberto appeared on the field only in every 2nd meeting.

Then there was the period of the Milan club. The result of the last season in Juventus and 2 seasons in Milan were only 20 goals scored, but Baggio twice became the champion of Italy - in 1995 with Juventus, and then in 1996 with Milan. In this sense, Roberto Baggi is the undisputed champion, winning the Scudetto for 2 years in a row, playing for different clubs.

In 1997, Roberto Baggio moved to Bologna, where he almost immediately scored 22 goals and joined the team representing Italy at the World Cup in 1998. The Italians lost to the French in the quarterfinals, but Roberto still scored his 11-meter shot to Barthez!

The contract with Inter, signed in 1998, did not bring much success for Baggio. Although his two goals scored against the Italian Parma “won” the team a ticket to the Champions League.

The last years of his football career(2000-2004) Roberto Baggio played for Brescia: he became the undisputed leader, which allowed the team to “stay” in Serie A for several years. Last match Raphael took place on April 28, 1994.

On account of Roberto Baggio:

• 205 goals in Serie A games
• 56 caps for Italy, 27 goals

Roberto Baggio's star continues to shine today. Former football player He is actively involved in charity work: he is an FAO Goodwill Ambassador and an honorary recipient of the World Peace Award in 2010.

Roberto Baggio is the head of a happy, friendly family: he and his wife Andreina have a daughter, Valentina, and sons, Mattia and Leonardo.