Roberto Baggio (photo below) is considered one of the most talented and popular football players of the twentieth century. His game was not just virtuoso - it was called great art, which brought great pleasure to the fans. A long career as a football player is saturated not only with numerous achievements, but also with bitter disappointments. To all the fans, he was remembered as a "divine tail." The player received this nickname because of his peculiar hairstyle, which is associated with his Buddhist religion.
Childhood. Carier start
The future famous athlete was born in 1967 in the small village of Caldogno (Italy). His father was very fond of cycling and dreamed that his son would deal with it professionally. Despite this, the guy from childhood fell in love with football. When he was fourteen years old, scouts of a professional team drew attention to him. For Roberto Baggio, the biography of a football player began with the Vicenza club, which at that time played in the country's third most important division. It was thanks to his brilliant game that the team increased its status - moved to Serie B. Twelve goals scored in the 1984-1985 season contributed to the player's transition to the more eminent Fiorentina club. For the transfer of its leader, Vicenza received an impressive two billion lire compensation at that time.
Juventus
Football player Roberto Baggio fully met the expectations of the Florentines for the time that he spent in their composition. As a result, in 1990, for the equivalent of $ 19 million, it was acquired by Juventus from Turin. Three years after this, the first international trophy also submitted to the Italians - the team became a triumph of the UEFA Cup. The striker himself at that time was recognized as the best football player in the world, as well as the player of the year in Europe. In 1995, Roberto, together with his club, became the champion of Italy.
"Milan"
Be that as it may, money decides a lot in football. It was because of them, as well as in connection with the prolonged and pressing pressure that Silvio Berlusconi, Roberto Baggio, was sold to AC Milan next season. The forward helped his new club win the national title and set a peculiar achievement: he was the first player to win the Italian championship twice in a row in different teams.
"Bologna"
At the age of thirty, the striker hoped to prove to everyone that it was too early to debit, so he signed a contract with the lesser-known club Bologna. During the season, he managed to score 22 goals, in connection with which the player received an invitation to go to the 1998 World Cup as part of the national team. On it, Italy reached the quarter-finals, where it lost to the hosts of the tournament - the French.
International
After the world championship, Roberto Baggio invited the club "Inter". As time has shown, concluding a contract with this team was not a very good decision, because coach Marcello Lippi did not really like the experienced striker. The lack of constant playing practice led to the Italian losing his place in the national team. Be that as it may, even the player’s rare appearances on the football field enthralled the fans. In total, the “International” football player spent two seasons.
Brescia
The legendary Italian spent the final stage of his professional career at the Brescia club. Without a doubt, here he was the main star, thanks to which the team was held in the elite division. Roberto Baggio held his last official match on May 16, 2004 against Milan at his crowded San Siro stadium. The head coach of the team replaced the player in the 88 minute of the match, thereby giving fans the opportunity to hold the player with a long standing ovation.
National team
Roberto spent his first match in a T-shirt of the national team on November 16, 1988 against the Dutch, and the last on April 28, 2004 against the Spaniards. In total, he played 56 fights for the national team, in which he sent the ball 27 times into the opponents' goal. However, despite the large number of memorable moments, there is a match in his biography that many fans remembered from a negative point of view. This is a penalty shootout, which in the final of 1994, he missed the goal, did not score the Brazilians. As a result, the Italian team was only the second.
Achievements
In total, the forward had 205 fights as part of Serie A matches. By the number of goals scored, he is currently in fifth place. Roberto is the only Italian to score goals at three world championships. Among other things, he boasts the titles of the best player in the world and Europe, the holder of the UEFA Cup, the middle and bronze medalist of world championships, the winner of the championship and the Italian Cup.
Personal life and social activities
After the professional career of a football player, Roberto Baggio wrote his autobiography, which described in detail numerous conflicts with coaches. He is currently actively involved in charity work. The legendary player has repeatedly stated that he does not plan to return to football activity. As for his personal life, Roberto is married and has three children.