Paolo Rossi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rossi was born in Prato, Tuscany, Italy in the area of Santa Lucia. He made his debut in professional football with Juventus in 1973, making an appearance in the Coppa Italia. After three operations on his knees, he was sent to gain experience with Como, where he made his Serie A debut during the 1975–76 season. His career reached a turning point when Vicenza Calcio engaged him on loan. Coach Giovan Battista Fabbri moved him from the wing to the centre of the attack. Rossi won the Serie B Golden Boot with 21 goals in his first year in this position. In the 1976–77 season, he led Vicenza to promotion to Serie A. The following season, he scored 24 goals, becoming the first player to top the scoring charts in Serie B and Serie A in consecutive seasons. He made his Italy debut on 21 December 1977 in a 1–0 friendly away win over Belgium. At the 1978 World Cup, he totalled three goals and four assists as Italy finished in fourth place, and he collected the Silver Ball as the second-best player of the tournament. After the 1978 World Cup, Vicenza paid 2.612 billion lire for Rossi, making him the world's most expensive player. While at Perugia, he was involved in the 1980 betting scandal known as Totonero and was disqualified for three years, later reduced to a two-year ban. Despite the ban, he was repurchased by Juventus in 1981. At the 1982 World Cup, he scored a hat-trick to defeat Brazil 3–2, two goals in the semi-final against Poland, and the first goal in the final against West Germany, helping Italy win 3–1. With six goals, he won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball. He also won the 1982 Onze d'Or Award. After retiring, he worked as a pundit for Sky, Mediaset Premium, and Rai Sport until his death on 9 December 2020.

In Their Own Story

In 1978, at the age of 10, Maldini had his first tryout for AC Milan youth academy. Before that, he had only played street football. He successfully played the test game as a right midfielder or winger in the 4–4–2 formation and was accepted into his age group's squad. He would continue playing in this position until the age of 14, when he was moved to right full-back. Due to him being good on the ball with both of his feet, he would sometimes be fielded on the left side as well. Maldini won the Coppa Italia Primavera with the Milan Youth side during the 1984–85 season, and he made his league debut for Milan under manager Nils Liedholm during the same season on 20 January 1985, replacing the injured Sergio Battistini in a match against Udinese at age 16. It was his only league appearance of the campaign, but he was immediately made a member of the starting eleven the following season, at age 17, at right-back, being handed the number 3 shirt, which had previously also belonged to his father, Cesare. Maldini also made his Coppa Italia debut in 1985, on 21 August, while his debut in European competition also came later that same year, on 18 September. He scored the first of his 29 goals in Serie A on 4 January 1987 in a 1–0 win against Como.

Reader's Guide

At club level, Rossi was a prolific goalscorer for Vicenza. In 1976, he was signed to Juventus from Vicenza in a co-ownership deal for a world record transfer fee. Vicenza retained his services, and he was the top goalscorer in Serie B in 1977. The following season, he scored 24 goals to become the first player to top the scoring charts in Serie B and Serie A in consecutive seasons. Rossi made his debut for Juventus in 1981, and went on to win two Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the European Cup. With success at club and international level, he is one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian footballers of all time, Rossi was named in 2004 by Pelé as one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration. In the same year, Rossi placed 12th in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll.

Did You Know?

• Rossi is the only player in history to win the Golden Boot, Golden Ball, Ballon d'Or, and World Cup in a single year (1982).
• He scored a hat-trick against Brazil in the 1982 World Cup second round, a match Italy won 3–2.
• Rossi was directly responsible for 58% of Italy's goals during the 1982 World Cup.
• He was nicknamed 'Pablito' and 'torero' for his goalscoring exploits in the 1982 tournament.