Baggio was quite enjoying the role as elder statesman in the squad. “Of course I thought about Pasadena in those moments,” Baggio later said, he could hardly fail to. This is actually a fantastic comparison as they are literally the same player both in terms of skillset and style of play however Baggio has the upper hand. To his credit, Del Piero was candid about his performances, saying, “France ’98 won’t hold happy memories for me, I didn’t do what I wanted, for myself and for the team.”. Isaac. Baggio publically went to bat for him throughout the tournament, relaying his own story, “he only needs a goal to unlock himself, I was in the same position in America and once the ice broke against Nigeria, everything followed.”. Not as physically fragile and mentally stronger after four years of struggle. Then came the chance, the one that this game is most remembered for by Italians. Ancelotti, then a devoted disciple of the Sacchian model, was so deeply wedded to 4-4-2 that he was unwilling to accommodate and threatened to resign if Baggio was thrust upon him. “My only mistake was to hit the ball too well, had I hit it a little dirtier I’m convinced it would’ve went in.” Baggio was of the belief that Barthez was coming out to meet him, therefore forcing him to strike first time, yet Barthez only came halfway. totti cant even compare to baggio or del piero. The stance from Maldini was admirable, by showing relentless faith in Del Piero, that eventually he would come good. It seemed inevitable that he would enter the fray, yet by the time Del Piero was replaced, it was for Chiesa. Baggio was under no illusions as to his role at France ’98; to be Del Piero’s understudy. So it was Valcareggi who came up with the ‘relay’ system, with Rivera and Mazzola playing a half each as a way of compromise. Italy had the players to fit into both. And so it proved, a dour game was decided by Vieri’s powerful finish early on, his fifth goal of the competition. Baggio may have been less of a typical centre forward than ADP, but Baggio was better at scoring goals. For Italy, France ’98 represents the tournament of a resurrected hero, the downfall of another, the pressure that comes with managing the national side, and, ultimately, one of bitter regret. ( Log Out /  In the days leading up to the quarter final with France, Maldini became increasingly conflicted; stick with an out-of-form Del Piero or give in to the demands of the public and play Baggio? Brazilian greats Zico and Falcao, both of whom played in Serie A in the mid ‘80s, gave contrasting views. There was a sense that Del Piero couldn’t cope with the shadow of Baggio looming large, that his every mistake would be scrutinised and after every bad game calls made for Baggio to replace him. The issue? Baggio believed he was better than his American incarnate. The stance from Maldini was admirable, by showing relentless faith in Del Piero, that eventually he would come good. In truth it was an incredibly harsh decision, there was little Fuentes could do. Without the injury issues and the difficulties with his knees, he would have been the best player in history. At their best both Totti and Baggio were both better than Ale, Cassano should have been but obviously didn't live up to that. Baggio according to my dad. Incredible to think of it now, but with the Parma deal dead in the water, Baggio had only three options: Udinese, Bologna and a lucrative offer from Japan, where Baggio was, and remains, hugely popular due to his Buddhist beliefs. Anonymous. Trap had managed both for one season in 1993/94 and gave Del Piero his Juve debut in September 1993. Del Piero would go on to have a strange relationship with the national team, and in many ways he was the anti-Baggio; he saved his best performances for black and white. But I guess Juventus and Addidas thought Del Piero was more famous. I've only seen a few matches of Del Piero when I was young and cant remember too much about him but he was a phenomenal player as well. He later commented: “Roberto Baggio was the best Italian fantasy artist; he was better than [Giuseppe] Meazza and [Giampiero] Boniperti, and he was among the greatest of all time, just behind Maradona, Pelé and maybe [Johan] Cruyff. I think it's Baggio by a fair margin. Asked after the game why he ignored Baggio, Maldini bluntly told the RAI reporter that it was ‘none of his business’. “It is something from 30 years ago, today it no longer makes sense.”. Del Piero would finally make his World Cup bow, replacing Baggio with 25 minutes remaining. 9 years ago. A domestic double winner by the age of 20, Champions League winner at 21, Intercontinental Cup champion by 22. “Del Piero at France ‘98 was me four years later, and I was he four years prior in America,” Baggio would write in his book. He spurned three chances that, many argued, had he been wearing the black and white of Juve, would’ve been taken with relative ease. Baggio was a better player, and he had that awesome Magical Kicks game 15 or so years ago. Baggio immediately sparked some sense of life into a dire Italy performance, and his in swinging free kick was met by Di Biagio, a carbon copy of the Cameroon game, only this time his header went wide. Del Piero's record for winning trophies is better than Baggio's. Two days before the Cameroon game, a test match was initiated with the three on one side in a 4-3-3 with Del Piero on the left and Baggio on the right. Only Ronaldo and Oliver Bierhoff scored more. Pride, passion and tears: Italy’s 1990 World Cup campaign. To turn it around however: Del … Del Piero's unique free kick technique was usually characterised by a curling strike which rose high over the wall, and then suddenly dropped into the top corner of the goal; he attributes his ability on set pieces to the time spent studying Roberto Baggio in … Despite going further in 1990 and 1994, the 1998 squad was the arguably the finest of the three. Yet Maldini was surprisingly quick to pour scorn over Baggio’s performance. Baggio, no doubt. Baggio again looking the part of an older, wiser brother. Del Piero’s 1998 wouldn’t get any better, his form in the opening months of the 1998/99 season followed that of France ’98, before sustaining that injury in Udine. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Austria still had aspirations of making it into the round of 16, but were undone by a Vieri header – from a Del Piero free kick – and a brilliantly executed give-and-go between Inzaghi and Baggio in the dying moments of the game. Many felt Maldini was bluffing, and that he would never inherently break away from his conservative ethos. The cooker pressure-like environment that had surrounded him for most of his career had all but faded away. I would perhaps go for Eusebio or Puskas, or maybe Platini or Cruyff. “A small Italy saved by Baggio,” ran the headline from La Repubblica the following day. From back to front in 3 touches. Pessotto, a versatile and hard working player, could do little to tame Zidane, who inched and probed his way around the Stade de France turf with his usual elegance. In my opinion Del Piero was one of the best strikers of his generation, but Baggio was one of the best forwards of all time. Antonio Cassano has been rated the best Italian player of all-time and better than Roberto Baggio, Del Piero and Totti, according to super-agent Beppe Bozzo. Not only was the country divided into ‘Mazzoliani’ and ‘Riveriani’, but indeed large swathes of the dressing room were too, with it being reported that defenders and midfielders favoured Mazzola, due to his superior work rate, and Riva and Boninsegna clamoring for Rivera due to his ability to create. I didn't know he was that good. Baggio would score first, further cleansing the memory of Pasadena. GOALS. Roberto Baggio’s redemption: A story of two World Cup penalties. Baggio felt bulletproof. I mean, better than Baggio? Baggio was special. His added muscle, needed to rebuild his knee, had taken away from his explosive agility and devastating pace, and the no.10 position was rightfully Totti’s. And still, the talk of Maldini starting both together failed to totally dissipate, only ever briefly fading into the background. The same Capello that had pushed Silvio Berlusconi to sign him only two years prior. What could be done to him that hadn’t already before? “Baggio showed great character,” said Maldini, who was so nervous he turned his back as Baggio began his run up. Like & Subscribe for the incredible footballer, Roberto Baggio! Baggio tried to exude calm. On a day that more resembled autumn than summer in Bordeaux, Italy struck first when Paolo Maldini launched a long pass down the left channel to Baggio. But fast forward some 28 years later to France ’98, and Roberto Baggio and Alex Del Piero found themselves the latest casualties of the staffetta. Why didn’t he try a Del Piero- Baggio- Vieri trio. Rather depressingly, Maldini instructed Italy to play up to their catenaccio heritage, hoping to hit their opponents on the counter through the speed of Moriero and Del Piero. However, it wasn’t an England-coming-home-after-Italia ’90-esque celebration of a great tournament. Italy, as they tend to do when facing defeat, finally showed a sense of urgency. Baggio needed redemption, and most importantly, needed football. After Pasadena, Baggio was ‘vaccinated of any pressure, of any problem, of any eventual defeat’. Del Piero would go through another staffetta at the 2002 World Cup, with Francesco Totti on the other side of the ring. Tormented by that penalty miss in Pasadena, his status as one of the world’s best had nose-dived in the ensuing 3 years due to a combination of injuries and ill-advised moves. Baggio knew the Japanese offer wasn’t a viable alternative if he wanted to make Italy’s World Cup squad. The squad was a nice blend of World Cup veterans and young first timers. Baggio is the most talented Italian player ever, let alone forwards/strikers. Del Piero’s career was on a skyward trajectory, and the 1997-98 season proved the zenith of that three year, most purple of purple patches; 32 goals were rattled in across all competitions, including 10 in the Champions League, the first time double figures had been reached since its 1992 rebranding (and the only time it was achieved in the 24 team iteration). It’s sad Del Piero never owned the world stage in his prime. Baggio for me. Del Piero’s ice breaker should’ve come here. Baggio, not wanting to be upstaged by his former understudy, then tested Edwin van der Sar from distance. It spoke to the sheer volume of talent that Italy had at the time that a player of Baggio’s genius was wilfully ignored for three years. It speaks of reluctance from a coach to trust two equally brilliant players to play at the same time, and rather to play one at any given time. It was so sad to not see Baggio, most people outside Italy still knew Baggio from 94. Del Piero was crucified by the Italian press, with La Repubblica likening his performance against France to an ‘empty plastic bag being blown around in the wind’. Hailing from the northeastern corner of the peninsula, Del Piero and Baggio could be heard talking and cracking jokes in Venetian dialect whilst training. Italy played a single friendly in the run up to the tournament, a 1 – 0 loss to Sweden, in which nobody shined with the exception of Baggio. Was he better than all these > players? ( Log Out /  Baggio felt a strong sense of serenity that he’d scarcely known in his career. As amazing as Baggio was there are plenty better no 10s omo, like Maradona, Zico, Platini etc. He almost scored with the most delightful of chips, only to see it brilliant parried over the crossbar by Jacques Songo’o. Del Piero had a poor game, and showed little of the form that saw him rampage through most of the competition en route to the final. Baggio tried to act as a bigger, more experienced brother to Del Piero, and did his best to shield him from criticism. With France ’98 less than a year away, Baggio was driven by a visceral desire, or rather an intense need, to right the wrong of USA ’94. Italy needed a win in their final game against Austria to ensure top spot, and to avoid an untimely repeat of the 1994 final against Brazil. Let’s compare them based on goals, honours and individual achievements. In the wake of the quarter-final exit, the usual soul-searching over Italy’s football identity began. In the end, it would leave a bitter taste, regret at what might’ve been. It was the only goalless game of the last eight. I feel that if he had started against Chile, things would have been different. In contrast to Baggio’s trials and tribulations, Del Piero emerged from Baggio understudy to one of the world’s finest players. However by May, the groundswell of support for Baggio’s inclusion was so overwhelming (in a poll run by La Repubblica, 90% of readers wanted Baggio in France), and the fact that Baggio’s 22 goals had lifted Bologna into Europe, it was evident Maldini couldn’t feasibly ignore him. Vieri, without breaking stride, slammed the ball home. Full circle and all that. Reflecting on the chance in 2010, Baggio believed the execution of the volley was too Baggio-like, too clean, too crisp. And as he casually rolled the ball into the Austrian net, few would’ve guessed then that it would be his last for Italy. It seemed Maldini was at the very least intrigued by the tantalising prospect of a Del Piero/Baggio/Vieri trident. Italy has a complex history with the issue of staffetta, the most famous of which took place at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. As was Maldini. Angelo Di Livio thought he had scored. He could have been on Pele and Maradona's level if it wasn't for injuries and that penalty miss. Del Piero had been informed the night before of his exclusion from the starting XI, and on the day of the game tried to put a good PR spin on it, saying, “Playing me from the first minute could be risky, he (Maldini) knows well what Baggio can do.”.
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