Roberto Baggio
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Biography
Roberto Baggio is an Italian soccer player. Also known as Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career, he is considered as one of the best footballers in the 1990s.
Roberto Baggio was born on February 18, 1967 in Caldogno, a small town in the north of Vicenza in Italy. His father, Fiorindo was a storeowner and mother, Matilde a housewife. Baggio was the sixth of the eight children in the family.
Baggio began playing soccer at an early age and by the age of nine came under the wings of his coach, Gian Pero Zenere. He became a local star and gained a reputation of scoring in every match. At the end of a game in which Baggio scored six goals, a scout Antonio Mora persuaded him to join Vicenza, a Serie C team at that time. Baggio was just 15. Baggio helped Vicenza move up to Serie B and his exceptional performance earned him a place in the under-16 national team. In 1985, Baggio joined Fiorentina, a Serie A side. He scored his first Serie A goal in May 1987 and then scored nine goals in the 1988 season. He also received his first national cap in 1988. His performance in 1989 was even better and he took Fiorentina to the UEFA cup finals. However, the team lost to Juventus.
During his stint with Fiorentina, Baggio's popularity rose to cult status among the team's fans. When Juventus bought Baggio for a world record $19 million in 1990, angry Fiorentina fans rioted on the streets for two days.
Baggio helped Juventus win the 1993 UEFA Cup. For his performance in 1993, he was awarded the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year. In 1995, he was transferred to AC Milan. His performance somewhat declined after the transfer and he moved to increasingly inferior clubs beginning with Bologona in 1997, then to Internazionale, and finally to Brescia. He played with Brescia until his retirement in 2004.
Apart from his club career, Baggio was a part of the Italian squads in 16 matches over three soccer World Cups. In the 1990 World Cup, Baggio scored twice including the "goal of the tournament" against Czechoslovakia. In 1994, Baggio was the main architect of the Italian's team's path to final. Though he scored five goals in the tournament and was named one of the top three players, his missed kick in the penalty shoot out in the final against Brazil overshadowed his performance. Baggio again represented Italy in the 1998 World Cup and scored two goals.
In 1988, Baggio married his long-time girlfriend Andreina Fabbri. They have two girls, Valentina and Mattia.
Throughout his career, Baggio was plagued with injuries and with egoistic coaches who probably did not allow him to display his full potential. However, to Baggio's credit he took whatever opportunity he received by the horns and more often than not the divine ponytail delivered.
Links
AskMen.com: Roberto Baggio
123Football.com - Roberto Baggio
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