Roberto Baggio, hands on hips, head bowed, and Brazilians celebrating around him. It’s one of the most heart-breaking scenes in football history.
The Italy icon missed the all-important penalty in the 1994 World Cup final after the two nations played out a 0-0 draw at the Rose Bowl in the United States.
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It was a pockmark on a career thought by most to be one of the greatest ever in the game, but Baggio has no need to cover his scar – he practically dragged his nation to the final.
Even when his coaches failed to give his generational talents the respect he deserved, the peoples’ love for a player who helped dreams come true never faltered.
His own dreams were almost over before they started, the first of several serious knee injuries occurred aged just 18 as he was on the verge of signing for Fiorentina from Vicenza.
La Viola had faith though and signed him anyway, even if some doctors feared it was career-threatening.
But the injury, followed by another in 1986/87, curtailed any hopes of an immediate impact in Florence.
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When Baggio did get going, though, he repaid that faith handsomely, saving them from relegation with a free-kick against champions Napoli in 1987.
By the end of the 1988/89 campaign, he was a superstar and while many were dazzled by his skilful movement in attack, he possessed a striker’s instinct too.
He netted 15 times that season, making him the fourth highest scorer behind Aldo Serena, Marco van Basten, and Careca – fine company.
But he was still troubled by his previous injuries, later claiming he would have barely played football again had he only taken to the field when pain free.
Even so, that campaign ex-Argentina and Fiorentina ace Miguel Montuori insisted he was “more productive than Maradona. He is without doubt the best number 10 in the league.“
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His skills would obviously attract interest and it was Juventus who would sign him, sparking several days of riots in Florence in protest at the deal, for a world-record £8million, inheriting Michel Platini’s famous No.10 shirt.
In the next match between the two clubs, despite being the designated penalty-taker, he refused to step up, insisting goalkeeper Gianmatteo Mareggini knew him too well.
Replacement Luigi De Agostini missed the spot-kick and when Baggio was later substituted he left the field at Fiorentina’s Artemio Franchi stadium holding the scarf of his former side which had been thrown from the crowd.
It wasn’t his smartest move, but he was staying true to himself in a changing game and he would do so throughout his career. His performances would win over those who didn’t take well to his decision.
With Juve he won a UEFA Cup and a Serie A title, while individually he would win the Ballon d’Or in 1993, and finish second a year later, despite that World Cup penalty miss.
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It wasn’t all easy for Baggio, though. Knee injuries continued to plague him, while the Italian league changed around with more physicality and different tactical structures seeing his freedom to play as creative No.10 limited.
Much like Lionel Messi today, Baggio wasn’t often seen to work hard defensively, although often he’d scored or created, allowing him some leeway.
Many of his managers struggled to find tactics which complemented the order of the day and the player with legends like Arrigo Sacchi, Marcello Lippi, Fabio Capello, Giovanni Trapattoni and Renzo Ulivieri all finding it tough.
Baggio himself found it hard to understand the issue, saying in 2011: “I’ve often wondered why they really wouldn’t consider me, but I never found the real answer. Perhaps they were a bit jealous, as everybody used to love me, even opposing fans. Was I stealing the show, denying them the role of protagonists they were desperately claiming for themselves?’’
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Lippi would force him out of Juventus, in part thanks to the arrival of Alessandro del Piero on the scene, and despite more fan protests, he moved to AC Milan, where even though he had more injuries, he would contribute to another Serie A title win in 1995/96, although mainly in cameos.
His part-time roles weren’t understood by many. Even Zinedine Zidane found it hard to comprehend, saying: “Baggio on the bench? It’s something that I will never understand in my lifetime.”
In his second season at the San Siro with Milan, new boss Oscar Tabarez wouldn’t provide him with regular starts and said: “There is no place for poets in modern football.”
He would leave in 1997 and almost ended up in the Premier League, in with an unlikely club.
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“In soccer, big names don’t come much bigger than this bloke,” said Derby County boss Jim Smith, Rams boss at the time.
“Landing Roberto Baggio would lead to an explosion of interest – and we now have a 50-50 chance of swinging the deal.
“The main question still is whether Roberto genuinely wants to sample the English experience.
“We are in with a chance of persuading Baggio to join us.
“Exactly how big a chance it is will depend on our progress during talks with Roberto and his advisers.”
Baggio being friends with the Rams’ new signing Stefano Eranio would help but, while his agent Antonio Calaendo admitted the player knew “of Derby’s fine tradition, and their exciting new stadium,” he deal failed to materialise due to spiralling costs.
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He was initially going to join Parma but then-boss Carlo Ancelotti wanted him as a striker, leading him to go elsewhere.
Ancelotti has never forgiven himself: “I said, ‘No, you have to play striker.’ Baggio went to another club. That year Baggio scored [22] goals – for Bologna! I lost 25 goals! Big mistake.”
His renaissance led to Inter Milan swooping in 1998 but it was a familiar story back at the San Siro, shunted out of position on the wing on rare occasions he played, starting just 24 times in two campaign.
But despite his tough relationship with Lippi, again his boss after a number of departures at the San Siro, he came in for a vital play-off encounter for Champions League qualification against Parma, scoring twice and saving his manager’s job as they beat their opponents 3-1.
His love for the game and the fans always came first.
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Even though there was reported interest from Barcelona, Baggio ended up with newly-promoted Brescia in 2000 after his two luckless seasons with Inter.
At 33 years old, he was targeting a place at the 2002 World Cup by playing for a side who were thought to be facing a battle against relegation.
He led them to their best finish since Serie A’s re-establishment after World War Two, as they ended the season in eighth, with the No.10 scoring 10 and making nine assists, while his form saw him earn another nomination for the Ballon d’Or.
His Italy dream would fail with Del Piero and Francesco Totti preferred and the Azzurri were knocked out in the round of 16 by South Korea.
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His renaissance continued with Brescia, despite another knee injury, and across four campaign he scored 46 Serie A goals in just 95 matches., creating 32 others.
He found a place where once against he was appreciated and even with his fragile limbs he lasted to the age of 37.
Carlo Mazzone managed him for the first three seasons, handing him the captain’s armband and the No.10 shirt and role.
He later commented: “Roberto Baggio was the best Italian fantasista; he was better than [Giuseppe] Meazza and [Giampiero] Boniperti, and he was amongst the greatest of all time, right behind Maradona, Pelé, and maybe [Johan] Cruyff. Without the injury problems and the difficulties with his knees, he would have been the very best player in history.”
The narrative of his career had wild highs and lows, it’s no wonder a film on his career will be released on Netflix.
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On his own achievements, Baggio said: “The most beautiful thing about my career is the feeling people have for me.”.
And the people will never forget how the Divine Ponytail blessed them.
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