156 Facts About Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions.

Roberto Baggio is the former president of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation.

Roberto Baggio played for Italy in 56 matches, scoring 27 goals, and is the joint fourth-highest goalscorer for his national team, alongside Alessandro Del Piero.

Roberto Baggio starred in the Italian team that finished third in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, scoring twice.

Roberto 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 2002, Roberto 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 2004, during the final season of his career, Roberto Baggio became the first player in over 30 years to score 200 goals in Serie A, and is the seventh-highest goalscorer of all time in Serie A, with 205 goals.

Roberto Baggio won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Cup, playing for seven different Italian clubs during his career.

Roberto Baggio is known as, for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career, for his talent, and for his Buddhist beliefs.

In 2002, Roberto Baggio was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Roberto Baggio was born in Caldogno, Veneto, the son of Matilde and Florindo Baggio, the sixth of eight siblings.

Roberto Baggio began his youth career after being noticed by his hometown youth team, Caldogno, at age nine.

Roberto Baggio was awarded the Guerin d'Oro in 1985 as the Best Player in Serie C1.

Roberto Baggio helped Fiorentina finish in seventh place in Serie A and win an UEFA Cup spot, assisting the only goal by Roberto Pruzzo in the tiebreak qualifier against Roma.

Roberto Baggio formed a notable attacking partnership with Stefano Borgonovo, and the pair scored 29 of Fiorentina's 44 Serie A goals, earning the nickname "B2".

Roberto Baggio's performances elevated him to hero status among the fans, and he drew praise from several pundits.

Roberto Baggio's characteristics led former Fiorentina playmaker Miguel Montuori to say Baggio was "more productive than Maradona; he is without doubt the best number 10 in the league", stating that Baggio had "ice in his veins" due to his composure in front of goal.

Roberto Baggio scored the decisive penalty in the first round shootout against Atletico Madrid.

Roberto Baggio scored four goals in the first 20 minutes and killed the game off.

Roberto Baggio inherited the number 10 shirt, formerly worn by Michel Platini.

When Juventus played Fiorentina on 7 April 1991, Roberto Baggio refused to take a penalty, stating Fiorentina goalkeeper Gianmatteo Mareggini knew him too well.

However, Luigi De Agostini, Roberto Baggio's replacement, missed the penalty and Juventus eventually lost the match.

When Roberto Baggio was substituted, he picked up a Fiorentina scarf thrown onto the field, a gesture which, although appreciated by his former club's fans, caused outrage among the Juventus supporters, who were initially reluctant to accept Roberto Baggio.

Roberto Baggio claimed to be "always purple" in his heart, with purple being the colour of Fiorentina.

However, Juventus did reach the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup that year, a tournament in which Roberto Baggio was top scorer with nine goals, bringing his seasonal total to 27 goals.

Juventus were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia to eventual winners Roma, with Roberto Baggio scoring three goals.

Juventus lost the Supercoppa Italiana against Napoli at the beginning of the season; Roberto Baggio scored Juventus's only goal from a free-kick.

Roberto Baggio was runner-up for the Serie A capocannoniere title with 21 goals and 6 assists.

Roberto Baggio scored a personal best of 30 goals in all club competitions that season, in addition to five goals with the Italy national team.

Roberto Baggio was awarded the Onze d'Or, and the World Soccer Player of the Year Award.

Roberto Baggio placed second in the 1994 Ballon d'Or, third in the 1994 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was awarded the 1994 Onze de Bronze.

Roberto Baggio was injured for most of the season, being ruled out for over three months after sustaining a knee injury against Padova on 27 November 1994.

Roberto Baggio returned to the starting line-up in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Lazio in Rome on 8 March 1995, setting up Fabrizio Ravanelli's winner.

Roberto Baggio helped Juventus win the Coppa Italia that year, notching two goals and two assists, scoring the winning goal in the second leg of the semi-final.

Roberto Baggio helped lead Juventus to another UEFA Cup final by scoring four goals, including two goals and an assist over both legs of the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund.

Roberto Baggio scored 115 goals in 200 appearances during his five seasons at Juventus; 78 were scored in Serie A in 141 appearances.

In 1995, Roberto Baggio was nominated for the Ballon d'Or and placed fifth in the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year Award.

Roberto Baggio was awarded the 1995 Onze d'Argent Award, behind George Weah.

Roberto Baggio is currently Juventus' ninth-highest goalscorer in all competitions, and is the joint tenth-highest goalscorer for Juventus in Serie A, alongside Pietro Anastasi.

Roberto Baggio is the sixth-highest Juventus goalscorer in the Coppa Italia with 14 goals, and is the joint fourth all-time Juventus goalscorer in European competitions, as well as the joint fifth all-time Juventus goalscorer in international competitions, with 22 goals, alongside Anastasi .

At the time, Roberto Baggio had been linked with Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.

Roberto Baggio helped Milan win the Serie A title, notably scoring a goal against his former team Fiorentina from a penalty in the title-deciding match.

Roberto Baggio finished the season with 10 goals in all competitions, in 34 appearances; seven of his goals were scored in Serie A, in 28 appearances, and he provided 12 assists in Serie A, making him the top assist provider of the season.

Roberto Baggio became one of only six players to win the scudetto in consecutive years with different teams, and was voted the club's best player of the season by the fans, despite playing a more creative role.

Towards the end of the season, Roberto Baggio had disagreements with Capello due to limited playing time, as Capello believed he was no longer fit enough to play for 90 minutes; although Roberto Baggio frequently started matches, he was often substituted during the second half; during the course of the season, he only played nine matches in their entirety, being substituted on 17 occasions, and coming off the bench twice.

Milan lost the 1996 Supercoppa Italiana to Fiorentina, as Roberto Baggio was left on the bench.

In 1997, Capello returned to Milan, subsequently stating Roberto Baggio was not a part of his plans with the club.

Roberto Baggio chose to move to Parma, but the manager at the time, Carlo Ancelotti, impeded the transfer, as he did not feel Roberto Baggio would fit into his tactical plans.

Roberto Baggio subsequently transferred to Bologna, aiming to save the squad from relegation, and earn a place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Roberto Baggio led Bologna to the round of 16 in the Coppa Italia, where he scored one goal in three appearances.

At the beginning of the season, Roberto Baggio cut off his iconic ponytail, signifying his rebirth.

Roberto Baggio was named as Bologna's captain for part of the season, before handing the armband to Giancarlo Marocchi.

Roberto Baggio received nominations for both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year due to his performances for Bologna and Italy that season.

Roberto Baggio was nominated for the 1998 Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year and Serie A Footballer of the Year awards, losing out to Alessandro Del Piero and Ronaldo, respectively.

Roberto Baggio helped Inter to a Coppa Italia semi-final, losing out to eventual winners Parma.

Roberto Baggio scored a goal against his former club Bologna in a European play-off match, but Inter lost both matches, failing to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Roberto Baggio scored four goals in the Champions League, helping lead Inter through the qualifying rounds to the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Manchester United, scoring a memorable brace against defending champions Real Madrid in the group stage.

Lippi did not favour Roberto Baggio and left him out of the squad for most of the season, stating Roberto Baggio was out of shape.

Roberto Baggio was used scarcely and often as a substitute, scoring 4 goals in 18 appearances during the regular Serie A season.

Roberto Baggio had previously helped to set up Inter's equaliser during the match.

Roberto Baggio was given a perfect 10 rating from the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, which described his performance as "absolutely perfect all game".

Roberto Baggio was linked with several Serie A clubs, such as Napoli and Reggina, and various Premier League and La Liga clubs, including Barcelona.

Roberto Baggio ultimately transferred to Serie A newcomers Brescia under head coach Carlo Mazzone, aiming to save them from relegation; he remained in Italy in order to have a greater opportunity of being called up for the 2002 World Cup.

Roberto Baggio was made captain and was given the number 10 shirt, playing as an attacking midfielder.

Roberto Baggio helped Brescia to the final of the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup, where they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain on away goals.

Roberto Baggio scored one goal in the tournament, in the final from a penalty.

Roberto Baggio's performances earned him a nomination for the 2001 Ballon d'Or, and he finished 25th overall in the rankings.

Roberto Baggio was one of the best offensive playmakers in the league, winning the Guerin d'oro Award in 2001, awarded by the Italian sports magazine Guerin Sportivo, to the player with the highest average rating throughout the season with at least 19 appearances.

Roberto Baggio suffered a second serious injury that season, tearing the meniscus in his left knee, after returning to the team, and coming off the bench, in the Coppa Italia semi-final against Parma on 31 January 2002.

Roberto Baggio was operated on 4 February 2002 and he returned for three matches before the end of the season, making a recovery in 76 days.

On 21 April 2002, in the first game after his comeback, Roberto Baggio came on as a substitute to score two goals against Fiorentina, helping Brescia win the match.

Roberto Baggio scored again against Bologna, saving Brescia from relegation on the final matchday, and bringing his seasonal tally to 11 goals in 12 Serie A matches.

Roberto Baggio maintained a high level of performance under new coach Gianni De Biasi.

Roberto Baggio was the first player in almost 30 years to surpass the 200-goal milestone, and is currently only one of seven players to have accomplished the feat.

Roberto Baggio totalled 27 goals in 56 caps for his national team at senior level, making him Italy's fourth-highest all-time goalscorer, tied with Del Piero, who managed the tally in 91 appearances.

Roberto Baggio was called up for his first World Cup tournament in 1990, on home soil.

Roberto Baggio appeared in five matches, starting in four of them, as Italy manager Azeglio Vicini preferred the more experienced Gianluca Vialli to start against Argentina.

Roberto Baggio was still able to display his ability throughout the tournament, and Vicini's decision not to use him more frequently was later criticised, as Roberto Baggio's creative combinations with Salvatore Schillaci were praised.

The goal, which drew him comparisons with Giuseppe Meazza, involved an exchange with Giuseppe Giannini on the left wing, followed by a dribbling run from midfield, in which Roberto Baggio beat several players, wrong-footing the last defender with a feint, before putting the ball past the goalkeeper.

Roberto Baggio scored a goal from a direct free-kick, but it was disallowed as the referee had awarded an indirect free-kick.

Roberto Baggio had come off the bench in the second half for Giannini, and came close to winning the match with a free-kick, but it was saved by Sergio Goycochea.

Roberto Baggio scored Italy's first goal of the match after stealing the ball from Peter Shilton.

David Platt momentarily equalised, but with five minutes left on the clock, Roberto Baggio set up Schillaci, who was fouled inside the area by Paul Parker.

Roberto Baggio assisted a goal by Nicola Berti in the dying minutes of the match, but it was incorrectly ruled offside.

Under Italy's new manager, Arrigo Sacchi, Roberto Baggio was his team's top scorer during their qualifying campaign for the 1994 World Cup, scoring five goals of the team's 14 goals in the eight games in providing seven assists.

Roberto Baggio helped Italy top their group and qualify for the 1994 World Cup, notably contributing to Dino Baggio's winner in the decisive final group match against Portugal, which secured Italy's place in the final competition.

Under Sacchi, Roberto Baggio made his first and only starting appearance as Italy's captain in the 1994 World Cup qualifying match in Glasgow against Scotland on 18 November 1992.

Roberto Baggio scored his first goal of the match with two minutes left on the clock, after receiving ball at the edge of the area from Roberto Mussi.

Roberto Baggio then went on to score the winning goal from a penalty in extra time after setting up Antonio Benarrivo with a lobbed pass, who was then fouled in the penalty area.

Roberto Baggio was involved in the build-up which led to Italy's first goal by his unrelated namesake Dino Baggio.

Roberto Baggio scored his first goal after beating two players and curling the ball from outside the area into the bottom-right corner.

Roberto Baggio's second was scored with a half volley from a tight angle, assisted by Demetrio Albertini with a lobbed ball.

Roberto Baggio was not fully fit for the final against Brazil at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, after pulling his hamstring during the semi-final and playing with the aid of a painkiller injection.

Roberto Baggio has described the infamous miss as the worst moment of his career, stating that it affected him for years.

Roberto Baggio was named in the World Cup All-Star Team.

Roberto Baggio finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or, with 136 points from a possible 245, and third place for the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1994.

Roberto Baggio eventually lost his spot in the squad, missing out on Italy's Euro 1996 squad, despite winning the scudetto that year with Milan.

Sacchi justified his decision by stating Roberto Baggio was not fully fit, and that Enrico Chiesa helped the team more when possession was lost.

Roberto Baggio was excluded from Cesare Maldini's Italian Olympic squad in 1996.

Roberto Baggio was selected as one of Italy's 22 players for the 1998 World Cup following his performances with Bologna.

Vieri opened the scoring from a Roberto Baggio assist, but Chile managed to equalise and take the lead through Marcelo Salas.

Roberto Baggio created several chances, but Italy were unable to equalise.

Towards the end of the match, Roberto Baggio played a low cross into the box which unintentionally touched Chilean defender Ronald Fuentes's hand at the edge of the penalty area, resulting in a fortunate penalty for Italy.

Roberto Baggio came on during the second half, replacing Del Piero, after the crowd had begun to chant his name.

Roberto Baggio scored the winning goal of the match, after combining with Francesco Moriero and Filippo Inzaghi, as Italy topped their group.

Roberto Baggio was left on the bench for the round of 16 win over Norway as Italy advanced to the quarter-finals.

In 2008, Roberto Baggio stated that he has great respect for Del Piero, and that there had never been disagreements between them.

Roberto Baggio was voted Italy's Player of the Century in 2000.

Roberto Baggio was controversially excluded from Italy's 2002 World Cup squad by coach Giovanni Trapattoni, who believed him to not have fully recovered from the serious injury he had sustained during the season.

Roberto Baggio is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups with nine career World Cup goals, putting him equal with Christian Vieri and Paolo Rossi as Italy's top World Cup goalscorers.

Roberto Baggio stated that Baggio's playing style coincided with the re-emergence of the attacking midfielder in Italy during the early 2000s; indeed, he served as an inspiration to many future players.

Roberto Baggio was a tactically versatile player, with a good understanding of the game, and was comfortable attacking on either flank or through the centre of the pitch; this allowed him to operate anywhere along the front-line.

Roberto Baggio was occasionally deployed out of position as a left winger in an attacking trident, as a wide midfielder, or even in central midfield as a mezzala or deep-lying playmaker on rarer instances.

Italian journalist Gianni Brera, who had observed both Giuseppe Meazza and Gianni Rivera, stated that Roberto Baggio was the best Italian player he had ever seen.

Roberto Baggio is undoubtedly one of the names that made football great.

Roberto Baggio's personality is thought to have limited him from being more successful, in particular with larger clubs, with some pundits instead arguing that he excelled more with smaller teams; others instead believed that he had a difficult character due to his disagreements with several of his managers throughout his career, although he was generally regarded as a "correct" and co-operative player by officials, and as a classy and well-behaved footballer in the media.

Roberto Baggio never let his great talent weigh on anyone else.

Roberto Baggio was a friend who helped me win games on a Sunday.

Roberto Baggio's unique playing position, style, and approach to the game, combined with his talent, limited work-rate, and injury struggles, led him to have both many admirers and several detractors.

Roberto Baggio is either brilliant, or he disappears, looking confused and unhappy.

Roberto Baggio is less known for his acts of great success than for his injuries, his misfortunes and his courage; he is an artist in sport whose work is appreciated but no longer used in modern currency.

Roberto Baggio's career is filled by cameos of sublime skill, particular games when his imagination and ability enabled his team to transcend all normal expectations.

For fans of Serie A, Roberto Baggio is recognised as the best of his generation, despite a career that was blighted by injury and clashes with his Coaches.

Widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all-time, Roberto Baggio came fourth in the 1999 FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, and was ranked 16th in World Soccer's list of the 100 greatest footballers of the 20th century, the highest ranked Italian player; in IFFHS's election for the best player of the 20th century in the same year, he was elected the ninth-best Italian player and the 53rd-best European player of the Century.

Roberto Baggio was voted Italy's player of the century in 2000.

In 2002, Roberto Baggio was elected to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team, and in 2003, he was the inaugural winner of the Golden Foot award, awarded for ability and personality.

In 2010, Roberto Baggio was named one of the 50 greatest Juventus legends.

In 2015, journalists of La Gazzetta dello Sport elected the greatest Italian player of all time, with Roberto Baggio finishing in second place behind only Gianni Rivera; in a fan poll that was organised by the newspaper, Roberto Baggio was instead voted as the greatest Italian footballer of all time, while Majid Mohamed of UEFA ranked him as the twentieth-best player ever not to have won the UEFA Champions League.

Roberto Baggio played in 16 World Cup matches for Italy; the Republic of Ireland is the only nation against which he played more than once.

Roberto Baggio is the joint-highest Italian goalscorer of all-time in the World Cup, with nine goals, alongside Paolo Rossi and Christian Vieri.

Roberto Baggio is the only Italian to have scored in three World Cups.

Roberto Baggio is the joint fourth-highest scorer for Italy with 27 goals in 56 appearances, with a 0.48 goal per match average.

Roberto Baggio scored 10 with Vicenza, 25 with Fiorentina, 38 with Juventus, 5 with Milan, 11 with Bologna, 1 with Inter Milan, 11 with Brescia and 7 with Italy.

In Serie A, Roberto Baggio scored 17 penalties for Fiorentina, 25 for Juventus, 3 for Milan, 11 for Bologna, 1 for Inter Milan, and 11 for Brescia.

Roberto Baggio has scored penalties for six different Serie A clubs.

Behind Totti, Roberto Baggio has scored the most penalties in Serie A history.

In shoot-outs, Roberto Baggio converted three of four career penalties: one in the UEFA Cup with Fiorentina, and the other two with Italy at the World Cup; in World Cup shootouts, Roberto Baggio scored twice, with his only miss in 1994.

Alongside Totti, Roberto Baggio has scored the fourth-highest number of free-kicks in Serie A with 21 goals; ahead of him are only Alessando Del Piero, Andrea Pirlo, and Sinisa Mihajlovic.

Roberto Baggio assisted 123 goals in Serie A Roberto Baggio is the fourth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions, behind Del Piero, Giueseppe Meazza and Silvio Piola, with 318 professional career goals in 699 appearances.

On 23 January 2013, Roberto Baggio stepped down from the position, stating the federation had ignored his ideas about improving the system and focusing on youth talent, which prompted him to resign.

Baggio obtained his Italy Category 2 Coaching License in mid-2011, which made him eligible to coach Lega Pro teams, or work as vice-coach in Serie A and Serie B On 5 July 2012, Baggio obtained his Category 1 UEFA Pro Coaching Licence at Coverciano, which officially allows him to coach a professional Serie A club.

Between 1991 and 2012, Roberto Baggio was the owner of a sporting goods store in Thiene, Vicenza, called Roberto Baggio Sport, which he was eventually forced to close due to losses as a result of the 2008 recession.

In 2001, Roberto Baggio wrote an autobiography entitled, including details about his career, childhood, religion, personal life and rifts with managers.

Roberto Baggio has close ties with Argentina; he speaks Spanish and owns a ranch property in Rivera, where he enjoys hunting wild game.

On 16 October 2002, Roberto Baggio was named a Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Through the organisation, Roberto Baggio helped to fund hospitals, raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake, contribute to tackling bird flu, and was involved in the Burmese pro-democracy movement, which supported the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her release from prison.

Roberto Baggio was awarded the 2010 Man of Peace title in Hiroshima, presented by the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in recognition of his charitable work and contribution to social justice and peace.

On 8 October 2008, Roberto Baggio appeared in a charity match between Milan and Fiorentina, which had been organised in honour of his former Fiorentina teammate Stefano Borgonovo to raise money for his foundation, his treatment and for ALS research.

In 2014, Roberto Baggio was one of the many celebrities to take part in the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge" to raise awareness about the disease and funds for ALS research.

On 1 September 2014, Roberto Baggio took part in the "Match for Peace", which was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, with the proceeds being donated to charity.

Roberto Baggio set up Juan Iturbe's goal and scored from a Diego Maradona assist.

On 25 October 2014, Roberto Baggio inaugurated in Milan the opening of the largest Buddhist temple in Europe.

Roberto Baggio has featured in two Italian commercials which reference his infamous penalty miss in the 1994 World Cup final.

The first was made for WIND in 2000, and shows Roberto Baggio scoring the final penalty to win the tournament.

Roberto Baggio has featured in several Diadora commercials, as he endorsed their products.

Roberto Baggio is popular in Japan, and has held close ties with the country since his conversion to Buddhism.

In 2011, Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport issued a collection of DVDs entitled Io Che Saro Roberto Baggio recounting his career.