The Italians desired to imprison him, but he propelled them to the pinnacle of the world. The story of Paolo Rossi is undeniably extraordinary. Throughout his football career, he amassed over 150 goals and consistently demonstrated an ability to outmaneuver defenders and surpass them.
Despite not being the fastest player on the field, his remarkable sense of finding the perfect position at the right moment made him a nightmare for his opponents. This secured him a place in the everlasting history of football. However, in his final journey, Paolo Rossi departed prematurely at the age of only 64, leaving Italy engulfed in sorrow. Rossi was not only adored for his performances on the football field but was cherished by the entire nation.
Italy associates the striker with the heroic triumph of the 1982 World Cup. However, before bringing the World Cup title to his country, Rossi underwent a tumultuous journey and narrowly escaped imprisonment.
Born in Prato, near Florence, Paolo Rossi honed his football skills in the Juventus academy. Despite his slender and delicate frame, he exuded cheerfulness and possessed an affinity for the arts. With his goal-scoring instincts, he caught the attention of the Juventus first team.
However, Rossi struggled to establish himself in the team for three seasons, largely due to persistent injuries. During this time, he only played three matches in the Italian Cup and underwent three knee surgeries. Eventually, he was loaned to Como and later to Vicenza in Serie B, which marked the turning point in his career.
Under the guidance of Vicenza’s coach, Fabri, Rossi was moved from the wing to the center of the attack. He became the top scorer in Serie B, notching an impressive 21 goals. His contributions helped Vicenza secure promotion to the top division, where they finished second, just behind champions Juventus. Rossi became the leading scorer in Serie A with 24 goals, earning him a spot in Italy’s national team for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, selected by coach Enzo Bearzot.
At the World Cup, Paolo Rossi solidified his rise to prominence and showcased his prowess to the world. He concluded the tournament with 3 goals and 4 assists, helping Italy secure a fourth-place finish.
However, this marked the beginning of the darkest period in Rossi’s career. Juventus sought to reclaim him, but Vicenza offered a substantial sum to retain his services. Unfortunately, Vicenza suffered a disastrous relegation to Serie B, during a season where Rossi managed to score 15 goals but missed several matches due to injuries.
To continue playing in the top flight, Rossi was loaned to Perugia, where he became embroiled in the “Totonero” match-fixing scandal. As a result, he was initially banned from football for three years, which was later reduced to two, after appealing the decision.
The scandal impacted not only Perugia but also teams like Milan, Lazio, Bologna, and Palermo, resulting in a total of 22 players being banned from the sport for varying periods. Paolo Rossi faced the possibility of imprisonment, but he appealed the sentence and it was eventually changed to a suspended one.
Despite his constant assertions of innocence and being a victim of injustice, Rossi was compelled to spend two years away from football and missed the 1980 European Championship. This period proved to be challenging, and he even contemplated retiring from the sport, considering a potential career as a lawyer while nurturing his passion for painting.
Nonetheless, Juventus remained determined to bring him back and signed him in 1981, despite his ongoing ban. Towards the end of the same year, Rossi’s punishment was reduced, enabling his return to the field.
Reestablishing his previous form proved to be an arduous task, and he struggled to impress in his initial matches. Nevertheless, Enzo Bearzot did not hesitate to include him in the squad for the 1982 World Cup.
Journalists and fans questioned Rossi’s inclusion in the squad, given his unfavorable circumstances and the lingering impact of the “Totonero” scandal, which had dampened expectations for the Italian team.
Italy’s performance in the World Cup group stage was lackluster, with three draws against Cameroon, Poland, and Peru, narrowly advancing by having equal points and scoring one more goal than Cameroon. Paolo Rossi appeared as a shadow of his former self, leading the media to describe him as a “ghost aimlessly wandering on the field.”
During the second group stage, Italy appeared destined for failure against reigning world champions Argentina and tournament favorites Brazil, boasting stars like Zico, Socrates, and Falcao.
It was then that the “Azzurri” awakened and managed to defeat Argentina 2-1, with Rossi failing to score, thanks in large part to the solid defensive play of Claudio Gentile and Gaetano Scirea against the young Argentine star, Diego Maradona.
The subsequent match against Brazil became pivotal, as Italy required a mandatory victory. This legendary encounter, held in Barcelona, is considered one of the greatest in World Cup history.
In this unforgettable classic, Paolo Rossi shone with a hat-trick of typical predatory goals, dismantling the Brazilian defense and altering the course of Italian and Brazilian football. Italy emerged triumphant with a 3-2 victory, propelling them forward.
From that point on, Italy and Rossi were unstoppable. In the semifinal against Poland, the striker scored both goals in a 2-0 victory, and in the final against West Germany, he once again opened the scoring, leading to a 3-1 win and securing the World Cup trophy.
Rossi became the top scorer and best player of the World Cup, netting a total of 6 goals, all of which were scored during the decisive phase. Upon his return home, he was already a legend and won the “Golden Ball” award in the same year. While he managed to have a few productive seasons with Juventus, harnessing his momentum, he will forever be primarily associated with that remarkable World Cup.
After retiring from active football, Paolo Rossi did not pursue a career in coaching but remained engaged in various football-related activities. He became a football analyst for several television networks and contributed to his column in the newspaper “Gazzetta dello Sport.”
This week, fate decided to separate us from him just a few days after bidding farewell to Diego Armando Maradona, who guided his country to the pinnacle of the world four years after Rossi did. These consecutive World Cups swiftly passed, yet they created everlasting legends.
While Rossi never reached the heights he achieved during that summer in Spain, he serves as a testament that sometimes, to become a legend, it is sufficient to know how to be in the right place at the right moment. And Paolo Rossi was always there, one step ahead of the defender, in those eternal fractions of a second.
