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Paolo Rossi

This article is about the Italian international footballer. For other people, seePaolo Rossi (disambiguation).

Paolo Rossi(Italian pronunciation:[ˈpaːoloˈrossi];[1][2]23 September 1956 – 9 December 2020) was an Italian professionalfootballerwho played as aforward.He ledItalyto the1982 FIFA World Cuptitle, scoring six goals to win theGolden Bootas top goalscorer, and theGolden Ballfor the player of the tournament. Rossi is one of only three players, and the only European, to have won all three awards at a World Cup, along withGarrinchain 1962 andMario Kempesin 1978. Rossi was also awarded the1982 Ballon d'Oras the European Footballer of the Year for his performances (remaining the only player in history to win these four awards in a single year). Along withRoberto BaggioandChristian Vieri,he isItaly's top scorer in World Cup history,with nine goals overall.[3]

Paolo Rossi
Rossi withItalyat the1982 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Date of birth (1956-09-23)23 September 1956
Place of birth Prato,Italy
Date of death 9 December 2020(2020-12-09)(aged 64)
Place of death Siena,Italy
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1961–1967 Santa Lucia
1967–1968 Ambrosiana
1968–1972 Cattolica Virtus
1972–1975 Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1976 Juventus 0 (0)
1975–1976 →Como(loan) 6 (0)
1976–1980 Vicenza 94 (60)
1979–1980 →Perugia(loan) 28 (13)
1981–1985 Juventus 83 (24)
1985–1986 Milan 20 (2)
1986–1987 Hellas Verona 20 (4)
Total 251 (103)
International career
1977–1986 Italy 48 (20)
Medal record
Men'sfootball
RepresentingItaly
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1982 Spain
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

At club level, Rossi was also a prolific goalscorer forVicenza.In 1976, he was signed toJuventusfrom Vicenza in a co-ownership deal for aworld record transfer fee.[4]Vicenza retained his services, and he was the top goalscorer inSerie Bin 1977, leading his team to promotion toSerie A.The following season, Rossi 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, theCoppa Italia,theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup,theUEFA Super Cup,and theEuropean Cup.With success at club and international level, he is one of nine players to have won theFIFA World Cup,theUEFA Champions Leagueand theBallon d'Or.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian footballers of all time, Rossi was named in 2004 byPeléas one of theTop 125 greatest living footballersas part ofFIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.[5]In the same year, Rossi placed 12th in theUEFA Golden Jubilee Poll.After he retired from football, he worked as a pundit forSky,Mediaset Premium,andRai Sport,until his death on 9 December 2020.[6][7]

Career

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Early years

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Rossi was born inPrato,Tuscany,Italy in the area of Santa Lucia.[8][9]

Although he was a member of the squad during the 1972–73 season, Rossi made his debut in professional Italian football withJuventusin 1973, making an appearance in theCoppa Italiaand winning a runners-up medal in the1973 Intercontinental Cup.He was often injury-prone during his first few seasons, only making three Coppa Italia appearances with Juventus between 1972 and 1975, and scoring no goals. After three operations on his knees, he was later sent to gain experience withComo,where he made hisSerie Adebut during the1975–76 season,initially playing as aright winger,where his small build would not be a hindrance; he made six Serie A appearances for the club, but again failed to score.[10][11][8][12]

A young Paolo Rossi withComoin 1975

His career reached a turning point whenVicenza Calcio(then Lanerossi Vicenza) engaged him on loan. CoachGiovan Battista Fabbridecided to move him from the wing and place him in thecentre of the attack(because of injuries to the then centre-forward) just before the season started. Rossi immediately showed a tremendous knack for getting open in the box and scoring, winning theSerie BGolden Boot with 21 goals in his first year in this more advanced position. In the 1976–77 season, Rossi's qualities as an implacable striker led his team to promotion to Serie A, and he also led Vicenza to the second group stage of theCoppa Italiathat season. In the following season, Rossi scored 24 goals, to become the first player totop the scoring chartsinSerie Band Serie A in consecutive seasons, also leading Vicenza to an incredible second-place finish inSerie A during the 1977–78 season,only behind his co-owners Juventus. Due to his performances, he was selected by theItalian national team's managerEnzo Bearzotfor the1978 FIFA World Cup.Rossi was also given his Italy debut under Bearzot on 21 December 1977, in a 1–0 friendly away win overBelgium.[10][11][12][13]

Rossi confirmed his growth during the 1978 World Cup tournament, gaining international fame as one of the world's best strikers. Playing for Italy as a central striker, he would sometimes switch positions with the two other forwards, going to his original right wing position. Right wingerFranco Causio,a two-footed player, would go left, and Italy's tall left wingerRoberto Bettegawould go to the center. This simple stratagem, made possible by the technical quality of all three players, created havoc for opposing defences, and Italy showed an entertaining offensive style of play in the tournament. Rossi totalled three goals and four assists as Italy finished in fourth place in that World Cup. He was named as part of the team of the tournament for his performances, and he also collected theSilver Ballas the second-best player of the World Cup. Rossi's goal in Italy's opening 2–1 group win of the tournament againstFrance,on 2 June 1978, was also his first goal for Italy.[10][11][14]

Up to this point, Rossi had been jointly owned by Vicenza and Juventus. When the two clubs were called to settle the property, Lanerossi offered the shocking sum of 2.612 billion lire for Rossi, who became theworld's most expensive player,and Italy's most costly sportsman ever at that point. After the 1978 World Cup, during the1978–79 season,Rossi made his European debut with Vicenza in theUEFA Cup,however, despite scoring 15 goals for the club in Serie A, his season was marked by injuries, and Vicenza was relegated to Serie B. Rossi was subsequently loaned toPerugia,in order to play in Serie A the following season.[10][11][13]

Match-fi xing scandal

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While at Perugia, he managed 13 goals in Serie A during the1979–80 season,also helping the club to the round of 16 of theUEFA Cup.During the season, however, he was involved in the infamous 1980 betting scandal known in Italy asTotonero,and as a result of this Rossi was disqualified for three years, although this was later reduced to a two-year ban. As a result, Rossi missed out on the1980 European Championshipwith Italy, where the team once again finished in fourth place, on home soil. Despite the ban, Rossi always claimed to be innocent, and stated that he had been a victim of an injustice.[14][15]

1982 World Cup

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Paolo Rossi kisses the1982 FIFA World Cuptrophy.

Despite his ban, Rossi was repurchased byJuventusin 1981, and he returned to the starting line-up just in time for the end of the 1981–82 season to contribute to the club's1981–82 Serie Atitle (scoring one goal in three appearances), and to take part in the1982 FIFA World Cupin Spain.[10]Italian journalists andtifosiinitially lamented that he was in very poor shape, however, and this view seemed to be confirmed by Italy's appalling performance in the three group matches, in which he was described as a "ghost aimlessly wandering over the field".[16]

Italy managerEnzo Bearzot,however, staunchly confirmed Rossi for the decisive round robin in the second round, in which his team was to faceArgentina,thereigning World Champions,andBrazil,the favourites to win the title with a team consisting of world-class players such asSócrates,Zico,andFalcão.After Italy defeated Argentina 2–1, partly thanks to the defensive work ofClaudio GentileandGaetano Scireawho shut down the young Argentine starDiego Maradona,Rossi scored ahat-tricktodefeat Brazil 3–2to qualify for the semi-finals.[12]In the semi-final match againstPoland,Rossi's two goals won the match for Italy once again, granting them a place in the1982 World Cup final.In the final againstWest Germany,Rossi scored the first of Italy's three goals, from an indirect set-piece assist from Gentile, helping Italy win the match 3–1, giving his team their third World Cup title. With six goals in total, he won the tournament'smáximo goleadoraward, theGolden Boot,as the top scorer of the tournament, as well as theGolden Ball Awardfor the best player of the tournament, and he was named as part of the team of the tournament for the second consecutive time.[10][11][14]

Italian fans hung banners proclaiming him "Man of the match".Rossi's accomplishments in Spain gained him the title ofEuropean Footballer of the YearandWorld Player of the Yearin 1982, as well as the 1982Onze d'OrAward. His goalscoring exploits during the tournament earned him the nicknames "Pablito" and the "torero".[10][11][17]Between his goals and assists throughout the tournament, Rossi was directly responsible for 58% of his team's goals during the 1982 World Cup.[18]

Rossi became a national hero in Italy for his six goals in the 1982 World Cup finals. Peter Mason, writing forThe Guardian,noted that the World Cup final win, which was set up by Rossi's crucial first goal, "was a cathartic moment for the nation, which had been subject to significant social and political unrest for a number of years and, despite being regarded as one of the world's premier footballing nations, had not won a World Cup since 1938... With the victory came an incalculable lift to the nation’s spirits, and Rossi was at the centre of the celebrations."[19]

Later years and death

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Rossi in 2007

After the 1982 World Cup, Rossi continued to play withJuventus.During the1982–83season, Juventus finished second in Serie A, although he helped the club to win the 1983 Coppa Italia, scoring five goals. He also helped Juventus to reach the1983 European Cup final,only to lose out toHamburg;he finished thetournamentas the top scorer, with six goals. During the1983–84 season,Rossi won his secondScudettotitle with the club, notably scoring 13 goals, also helping the club to win the1983–84UEFA Cup Winners' Cup,followed by the1984 UEFA Super Cup.During his final season with the club, Rossi finally won theEuropean Cupin1985,finishing the tournament with 5 goals, behind only teammateMichel Platini,andTorbjörn Nilsson,with 7 goals.[10][11][14][17]

Following his tenure with Juventus, Rossi moved on to a then strugglingMilanfor a season in 1985.[8]During his time with Milan, he was remembered for his two-goal performance againstInternazionalein aMilan derby match.Rossi was also selected in Italy's squad for the1986 FIFA World Cupin Mexico, but did not play in the competition; an injury caused him to struggle during the team's fitness tests, owing to the high altitude of the region. As a result, he was replaced byGiuseppe Galderisiup-front in the team's starting line-up.[20]He made his final appearance for Italy on 11 May 1986, in a 2–0 friendly home win overChinain Naples. He ended his club career atHellas Veronaduring the1986–87season, helping them to a fourth-place finish in Serie A, before retiring at the end of the season. He was involved inreal estate,together with his former teammate Giancarlo Salvi.[10][11]

Rossi scored a total of 20 goals in 48 senior international caps forItaly.[21]Rossi isItaly's joint all-time top goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup,with nine goals in 14 appearances over two editions of the tournament, alongsideRoberto BaggioandChristian Vieri.Six of his World Cup goals came in seven appearances during Italy's passage to triumph in 1982, and three of his goals came in seven appearances during the 1978 tournament, when Italy finished in fourth place.[10][17]Rossi represented Italy in the1991edition of theWorld Cup of Masters,scoring in the third place play-off againstUruguay.

Pelénamed Rossi as one of thetop 125 greatest living footballersin March 2004;[5]during the same year, Rossi placed 12th in theUEFA Golden Jubilee poll.[22]

In August 1990, he was named vice-president ofLega Pro Prima DivisioneclubA.S. Pescina Valle del Giovenco.[23]

Following his retirement he also worked as a pundit for Sky, Mediaset Premium, and Rai Sport.[6][24]

Rossi died on 9 December 2020, at the age of 64, fromlung cancer.[6][7][25]Rossi was survived by his second wife, Federica Cappelletti, and three children.[26]During his funeral inVicenzaon 12 December, attended by thousands,[27]his house inBucinewas robbed.[28][19]

Style of play

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Paolo Rossi is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most prolific Italianforwardsof all time.[12]Although he lacked the intimidating physical presence of a typical out-and-out striker, Rossi was a quick, agile, prolific, and elegantcentre-forward,with good technique, balance, extremely quick reactions, an accurate shot, and an eye for goal, which enabled him to anticipate defenders in the box for the ball.[8][29]He made up for his lack of strength, physicality, and shooting power with his keen sense of opportunism, intelligence, positional sense, and sharp finishing skills with both of his feet as well as with his head, which allowed him to excel in the air and beat out larger opponents for the ball, in spite of his relatively short stature; he was not particularly adept at set pieces, however.[10][12][14]Although Rossi was primarily known as a striker who mainly operated in the penalty area, he began his career as aright winger,and in his later career with Juventus, he was also deployed as asupporting forwardor as centre-forward, but in a role known as acentravanti di manovrain Italian football jargon (similar to the modernfalse 9role), owing to the offensive attributes of the club's new signings in midfield, in particularZbigniew Boniekand Michel Platini, where his role frequently involved holding up the ball or dragging opponents out of position to create space for his teammates' runs with his excellent attacking movement off the ball.[10]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Coppa Italia Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Juventus 1973–74 Serie A 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 1 0
1974–75 Serie A 0 0 2 0 0 0 – 2 0
Total 0 0 3 0 0 0 – 3 0
Como 1975–76 Serie A 6 0 0 0 – – 6 0
Lanerossi Vicenza 1976–77 Serie B 36 21 6 2 – – 42 23
1977–78 Serie A 30 24 4 2 – – 34 26
1978–79 Serie A 28 15 3 2 1[a] 0 – 32 17
Total 94 60 13 6 1 0 – 108 66
Perugia 1979–80 Serie A 28 13 4 0 4[a] 1 – 36 14
1980–81 Serie A 0 0 0 0 – – 0 0
Total 28 13 4 0 4 1 – 36 14
Juventus 1981–82 Serie A 3 1 0 0 0 0 – 3 1
1982–83 Serie A 23 7 11 5 9[b] 6 – 43 18
1983–84 Serie A 30 13 7 0 9[c] 2 – 46 15
1984–85 Serie A 27 3 6 2 9[b] 5 1[d] 0 43 10
Total 83 24 24 7 27 13 1 0 135 44
Milan 1985–86 Serie A 20 2 3 1 3[a] 0 – 26 3
Hellas Verona 1986–87 Serie A 20 4 7 3 – – 27 7
Career total 251 103 54 17 35 14 1 0 341 134
  1. ^abcAppearance(s) inUEFA Cup
  2. ^abAppearances inEuropean Cup
  3. ^Appearances inEuropean Cup Winners' Cup
  4. ^Appearance inEuropean Super Cup

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[30]
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 1977 1 0
1978 10 4
1979 5 3
1980 3 0
1981 0 0
1982 11 6
1983 7 2
1984 6 3
1985 3 2
1986 2 0
Total 48 20
Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rossi goal.[21]
List of international goals scored by Paolo Rossi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 June 1978 Estadio Mundialista,Mar del Plata France 1–1 2–1 1978 FIFA World Cup
2 6 June 1978 Estadio Mundialista, Mar del Plata Hungary 1–0 3–1 1978 FIFA World Cup
3 18 June 1978 Estadio Monumental,Buenos Aires Austria 1–0 1–0 1978 FIFA World Cup
4 21 December 1978 Stadio Olimpico,Rome Spain 1–0 1–0 Friendly
5 24 February 1979 San Siro,Milan Netherlands 2–0 3–0 Friendly
6 26 May 1979 Stadio Olimpico, Rome Argentina 2–1 2–2 Friendly
7 13 June 1979 Stadion Maksimir,Zagreb Yugoslavia 1–0 1–4 Friendly
8 5 July 1982 Estadio Sarriá,Barcelona Brazil 1–0 3–2 1982 FIFA World Cup
9 2–1
10 3–2
11 8 July 1982 Camp Nou,Barcelona Poland 1–0 2–0 1982 FIFA World Cup
12 2–0
13 11 July 1982 Estadio Santiago Bernabéu,Madrid West Germany 1–0 3–1 1982 FIFA World Cup
14 5 October 1983 Stadio della Vittoria,Bari Greece 3–0 3–0 Friendly
15 22 December 1983 Stadio Renato Curi,Perugia Cyprus 3–1 3–1 UEFA Euro 1984 qualifier
16 4 February 1984 Stadio Olimpico, Rome Mexico 2–0 5–0 Friendly
17 3–0
18 4–0
19 5 February 1985 Dalymount Park,Dublin Republic of Ireland 1–0 2–1 Friendly
20 3 April 1985 Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca,Ascoli Piceno Portugal 2–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours

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Vicenza[14]

Juventus[14]

Italy[14]

Individual

References

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  1. ^Luciano Canepari."Paolo".DiPI Online(in Italian).Retrieved27 October2018.
  2. ^Luciano Canepari."Rossi".DiPI Online(in Italian).Retrieved27 October2018.
  3. ^"PAOLO ROSSI: NOI, RAGAZZI DELL'82"[Paolo Rossi: We, the guys of '82] (in Italian). Famiglia Cristiana. 14 May 2012.Retrieved5 July2015.
  4. ^"The history of the world transfer record".BBC Sport.Retrieved10 May2014.
  5. ^abc"Pele's list of the greatest".BBC Sport.4 March 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 19 August 2010.Retrieved15 June2013.
  6. ^abc"Paolo Rossi has died".football-italia.net. 10 December 2020.Retrieved10 December2020.
  7. ^abCugini, Mimmo (10 December 2020)."È morto Paolo Rossi, simbolo dell'Italia Mondiale del 1982".La Gazzetta dello Sport(in Italian).Retrieved10 December2020.
  8. ^abcdPaolo Rossi(in Italian). Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2014.Retrieved7 January2015.{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
  9. ^Intorcia, Francesco Saverio (25 April 2012)."Ho visto esplodere Paolo Rossi e Bobo Vieri anche mio nipote Alino merita la Nazionale".La Repubblica(in Italian).Retrieved5 July2015.
  10. ^abcdefghijklStefano Bedeschi (23 September 2013)."Gli Eroi in Bianconero: Paolo ROSSI"(in Italian). Tutto Juve.Retrieved7 January2015.
  11. ^abcdefgh"Paolo Rossi: La solitudine del centravanti"(in Italian). Storie di Calcio.Retrieved4 July2015.
  12. ^abcde"Paolo Rossi, l'uomo che fece piangere il Brasile. Intervista al campione del mondo di Spagna '82"(in Italian). gonews.it. 20 December 2013.Retrieved7 January2015.
  13. ^ab"Real Vicenza: Il Lanerossi Vicenza di Fabbri"(in Italian). Storie di Calcio.Retrieved5 July2015.
  14. ^abcdefghijk"Pablito, Italy's outstanding opportunist".FIFA.Retrieved7 January2015.[dead link‍]
  15. ^Dan Warren (25 July 2006)."The worst scandal of them all".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 23 March 2012.Retrieved21 May2010.
  16. ^"Rossi è Pablito, Italia campione"(in Italian).La Gazzetta dello Sport.7 July 2006.Retrieved5 January2016.
  17. ^abcFabio Bianchi."1982, il ritorno di Paolo Rossi e il lieto fine di una favola spezzata"(in Italian). Storie di Calcio.Retrieved4 July2015.
  18. ^"Spain's 2010 conquerors in numbers".FIFA. 22 August 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2018.Retrieved18 May2020.
  19. ^abMason, Peter (11 December 2020)."Paolo Rossi obituary".The Guardian.Retrieved11 December2020.
  20. ^"Mondiali 1986: ARGENTINA, Capitolo V – Si ricomincia con la Bulgaria"(in Italian). Storie di Calcio. 25 July 2016.Retrieved28 September2017.
  21. ^ab"Nazionale in cifre: Rossi, Paolo"(in Italian). FIGC.Retrieved19 May2015.
  22. ^"Winner acknowledges his fans".UEFA. 23 April 2004.Retrieved4 July2015.
  23. ^"Juventus legend Rossi back in football at Pescina".Tribalfootball. 6 August 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2009.Retrieved10 September2009.
  24. ^"E' morto Paolo Rossi, l'eroe del Mundial 82".la Repubblica(in Italian). 10 December 2020.Retrieved10 December2020.
  25. ^"Scaltro e con il gol nel sangue: da Prato al tetto del mondo con Boniperti e Bearzot".La Gazzetta dello Sport(in Italian). 10 December 2020.Retrieved10 December2020.
  26. ^"Federica, wife of Rossi: 'No one like you'".Football Italia. 10 December 2020.
  27. ^"Paolo Rossi's funeral held in Vicenza".Football Italia. 12 December 2020.
  28. ^"Rossi's wife lost for words after home robbed during funeral".Football Italia. 13 December 2020.
  29. ^Di Dio, Marcello (13 November 2013)."Da Pablito a Pepito stesso fiuto del gol ma lui è più potente".Il Giornale(in Italian).Retrieved7 January2015.
  30. ^Roberto Di Maggio (9 November 2002)."Paolo Rossi – Goals in International Matches".RSSSF.
  31. ^1982–83 All matches – season at UEFA website
  32. ^Roberto Di Maggio; Igor Kramarsic; Alberto Novello (11 June 2015)."Italy – Serie A Top Scorers".RSSSF.Retrieved2 December2015.
  33. ^"Italy – Serie B Top Scorers".RSSSF.Retrieved2 April2015.
  34. ^abJosé Luis Pierrend (12 February 2015)."FIFA Awards: FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Awards".RSSSF.Retrieved20 December2015.
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  36. ^"Gazzetta Sports Awards: Buffon le nuove sfide oltre le lacrime"(in Italian). gazzetta.it. 20 November 2017.
  37. ^"Sport 1978".Mundo Deportivo.Retrieved4 June2024.
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  39. ^José Luis Pierrend (6 March 2012).""Onze Mondial" Awards: Onze de Onze 1976–2011 ".RSSSF.Retrieved14 September2015.
  40. ^Rob Moore; Karel Stokkermans (21 January 2011)."European Footballer of the Year (" Ballon d'Or ")".RSSSF.Retrieved22 December2015.
  41. ^Jamie Rainbow (14 December 2012)."World Soccer Awards – previous winners".World Soccer.Retrieved21 November2015.
  42. ^"L'Équipe World Champion of Champions".26 December 2014.Retrieved22 December2015.
  43. ^Roberto Di Maggio; Roberto Mamrud; Jarek Owsianski; Davide Rota (11 June 2015)."Champions Cup/Champions League Topscorers".RSSSF.Retrieved22 December2015.
  44. ^"World Soccer 100 Players of the Century".Retrieved5 July2015.
  45. ^"Zinedine Zidane voted top player by fans"(PDF).UEFA.Retrieved24 July2014.
  46. ^"Golden Foot Legends".Golden Foot. Archived fromthe originalon 29 October 2015.Retrieved27 March2015.
  47. ^"Italian football Hall of Fame to induct ten new stars".25 October 2016.Retrieved25 October2016.

Further reading

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  • Antonello Capone e Paolo Piani, Sponsor, in Marco Sappino (a cura di), Dizionario del calcio italiano, 1ª ed., Milano, Baldini & Castoldi, 2000.
  • Calciatori ‒ La raccolta completa Panini 1961–2012, Vol. 2 (1985–1986), Modena, Panini, 2012.
  • Calciatori ‒ La raccolta completa Panini 1961–2012, Vol. 3 (1986–1987), Modena, Panini, 2012.
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