Roberto Baggio

The Divine Ponytail: Italian legend and one of the greatest playmakers in football history.

Roberto Baggio (born 18 February 1967) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder. He is also the former president of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation. A highly skillful creative playmaker and set piece specialist, renowned for his curling free-kicks, dribbling skills, and goalscoring, Baggio is regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time.

Quick Facts

Born: 18 February 1967
Birthplace: Caldogno, Italy
Height: 1.74 m / 5 ft 9 in
Position: Second striker, Attacking midfielder
Total caps: 488
Total goals: 218

Lore & Background

Baggio played for Italy in 56 matches and is the joint fourth-highest goalscorer for his national team. He starred in the Italian team that finished third in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. At the 1994 World Cup, he led Italy to the final, received the World Cup Silver Ball and was named in the World Cup All-Star Team. Although he was the star performer for Italy at the tournament, he missed the decisive penalty in the shootout of the final against Brazil.

Baggio is the only Italian to score in three World Cups, and with nine goals holds the record for most goals scored in World Cup tournaments for Italy, along with Paolo Rossi and Christian Vieri. In 1993, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100. In 2002, Baggio became the first Italian player in over 50 years to score more than 300 career goals; he is the fifth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions with 318 goals.

In 1990, he moved from Fiorentina to Juventus for a world record transfer fee. Baggio won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Cup, playing for seven different Italian clubs during his career (Vicenza, Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan, and Brescia). Baggio is known as "The Divine Ponytail", for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career, for his talent, and for his Buddhist beliefs. In 2002, Baggio was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

In 2003, he was the inaugural winner of the Golden Foot award. In recognition of his human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in 2010. In 2011, he was the first footballer to be inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

Reader's Guide

Baggio began his youth career at age nine with Caldogno. He was acquired by the Vicenza youth team at age 13. He made his professional debut with Vicenza in 1983 at age 15. He scored his first professional goal in the Coppa Italia Serie C in 1983. During the 1984–85 season, he scored 12 goals in 29 appearances, helping Vicenza gain promotion to Serie B. He was awarded the Guerin d'Oro in 1985 as the Best Player in Serie C1. In 1985, he suffered a serious knee injury but Fiorentina completed his transfer and funded surgery. At Fiorentina, he made his Serie A debut in 1986 and scored his first league goal in 1987. He led Fiorentina to the 1990 UEFA Cup final, losing to Juventus. In 1990, he moved to Juventus for a world record fee. He won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Cup with Juventus. He later played for AC Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan, and Brescia.