Zoff

Full Name:
Dino Zoff
Born:
28 Feb 1942
Life in Soccer:

He is one of the best goalkeepers the world has ever seen. He has set lots of records in Italian and world football. For instance he is the oldest player to win the World Cup. In 1982 at the age of 40 he could collect the trophy as captain of Italy's team. And he is also the goalkeeper to have kept a clean sheet the longest time, from September 1972 to June 1974 (1142 minutes!) he was unbeaten. Haiti, of all nations, ended the run in the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Zoff played most of his career in Napoli and Juventus and he played for Italy a record 112 times. In 1968 he was a member of Italy's European Championship winning team, but he was dropped for the Mexico World Cup two years later. Albertosi was preferred in goal in the tournament where Italy were runners-up. In 1974 Zoff was back in Italy's team, but despite his superb run of no goals conceded, Italy went out in the group stage. By the 1978 World Cup Zoff and Italy were among the favourites, they even beat the eventual winners and host nation Argentina in the group stage. But in a decisive final round match against Holland, Arie Haan's 40 yard shot sent Italy out. They played Brazil in the bronze match and lost there too.

But 1982 was to be Zoff's year, in his final World Cup he had success. After a slow start with only draws in the group stage, Italy then beat Argentina, Brazil, Poland and West Germany in consecutive matches and became worthy champions. As many other players, Zoff stayed in football after he finished playing and he has, among several jobs, been manager of Lazio in Rome and national team coach for Italy in 1999.

Baresi

Full Name:
Franco Baresi
Born:
8 May 1960
Life in Soccer:
He was a born in Travagliato, is one of very few players at top international level to have spent an entire career at one club. He made his debut for AC Milan in 1978 and won the Serie A already in his first full season the following year.


Franco was one of these players that didn’t look very impressive physically compared to what you would expect from a central defender. He usually operated as a sweeper behind the defensive line, and controlled the pace of the game from there. He read the game impressively well, which was the main reason to why he was so outstanding.


It took some time for him to break into the national team because Enzo Bearzot, the coach at the time, preferred the Juventus trio Cabrini, Gentile and Scirea in defence. The latter occupied the sweeper’s position in the World Cup winning team of 1982. Baresi was included in that squad, but never played a minute in Spain which he didn’t like. He then rejected to play for Italy as long as Bearzot was in charge which made him miss the 1986 World Cup. Bearzot then retired and Baresi once again said yes to the Azzurri. Italy reached the semifinals at Euro 88, Franco’s first tournament with Italy, and another semifinal in their own World Cup in 1990. Italy lost to Argentina on penalties, but beat England in the bronzematch.


Baresi was captain when Italy travelled to America for the World Cup in 1994. At 34, he knew this was his last chance to win the World Cup, but an injury in the first round against Norway made him miss several matches and he wasn’t ready until the final against Brazil, where he played the game of his life. Brazil evenutally won on penalties and Franco missed one of the penalties for Italy. It was his 81st and final match for Italy.


He played three more years for Milan before retiring, having won six Serie A championships, three European Cups and two World Club Cups among his many titles. AC Milan paid tribute to him by making his number 6 jersey immortal. No player in the future will ever wear that jersey again for Milan.

Baggio

Full Name:

Roberto Baggio

Born:

18 Feb 1967

Life in Soccer:

Roberto Baggio has been one of the best players in the world through out the 1990s. He started his career in Vicenza back in the 1982/83 season, and stayed there for three seasons until he was picked up by Fiorentina in 1985. It was from there he started to show his true potential. In the 1988/89 he won his first cap for Italy after having a very good season scoring 24 goals in 40 games in Italian football. The following season was even better, Baggio knocked in goals for fun and Fiorentina couldn't afford to keep him. The big clubs in the north were prepared to put the big money on the table.

It was Juventus who finally got him for a world record fee of £7.700.000 in the summer of 1990, just before the World Cup on homesoil. Baggio scored two goals as Italy went on to get bronze, after losing on penalties in the semifinals to Argentina. He spent five seasons in Juventus. Five great years for him, as he won the Serie A, Italian Cup and UEFA Cup as well as been voted "World and European Player of the Year" in 1993.

Baggio's best World Cup was in 1994 in the United States (USA 94). After a slow start he woke up in the second round, scoring twice against Nigeria, then once against Spain in the quarterfinal, and two more in the semifinal against Bulgaria. In the final against Brazil he missed a penalty in the shoot-out which saw Brazil win the World Cup for the fourth time.

Since then, Baggio has been in and out of the Italian squad. He was dropped from the EURO 96 squad by Arrigo Sacchi, but made Cesare Maldini's France 98 squad and played in several games although not with the same class as four years earlier. He has since played for AC Milan winning the Serie A once, and also in Bologna, Inter Milan and Brescia where he seems to end his career.