Despite being famous for missing the decisive penalty in the 1994 World Cup final, Baggio is one of the best footballers in the Italian football history with his unique style of play that is dubbed as “nine and a half” position. In Roberto Baggio biography, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the 1993 Ballon d’Or winner.
Roberto Baggio is a retired player who played for Italy for two decades until his retirement in 2004. His positions in the game varied from striker to attacking midfielder.
Baggio is among the most popular player in Italy as he not only represented his nation in three World Cups but also led them to the 1994 World Cup final almost single-handedly.
Here, we gather everything about Roberto Baggio, including his childhood, early life, family, career, and personal life.
Everything to Know About Roberto Baggio
Throughout 19 seasons in Serie A, he participated in 453 games and scored 205 goals. He played 56 matches for the Italian national team, scoring 27 times. Playing in three World Cups, Baggio scored 9 goals and lost a decisive and historical penalty in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil.
In Roberto Baggio biography, you’ll learn more about the fullback inside and outside the pitch.
Roberto Baggio Information
Born on 18 February 1967, Roberto Baggio real name is not different from his football name. In this part of Roberto Baggio biography, we take a look at his general information.
- Full Name: Reece James
- Nickname: Il Divin Codino, Raffaello
- Profession: Professional Football Player
Physical Stats
- Height: 174 cm (5′ 9″ feet)
- Eye Color: Green
- Hair Color: Brown
- Weight: 73 Kilograms
Date of Birth and Personal Info
- Date of Birth: 18 February 1967
- Birth Place: Caldogno, Italy
- Nationality: Italian
Football Information
- Position: Striker, Attacking Midfielder
- Professional Debut: 5 June 1983
- Jersey Number: 10
Roberto Baggio Early Life
In this part of Roberto Baggio biography, we take a look at Roberto Baggio’s family and his childhood.
Roberto Baggio’s parents are Matilde Rizzotto and Fiorindo Baggio and he has seven siblings. His brother, Eddy, is also a former footballer. The family lived in a small village in the province of Vicenza name Caldogno.
Roberto, who was raised in the Catholic faith, developed a keen interest in football at a young age. He played the sport daily, dribbling the ball from his house’s hallway to the garden courtyard. In contrast, Roberto’s father was an avid cyclist.
Throughout his childhood, despite being an Inter fan, he greatly admired and looked up to Zico, always tuning in to watch every one of his football matches on TV. Roberto gained widespread recognition throughout the province for his exceptional technical skills and remarkable dexterity with the ball. Roberto’s mother and sisters recall how challenging it was to separate him from the miniature football field made of clay in their hometown. Just two months before his graduation, Roberto decided to quit to join the Serie A side LR Vicenza.
Roberto Baggio Profile
The Italian striker played for several top clubs in Italy, including Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan. Baggio was known for his exceptional ball control, dribbling skills, and scoring ability. Although Roberto Baggio life story takes its peak in helping Italy to reach the World Cup final in 1994, his most infamous scene happens at the same stage where he misses the decisive penalty.
Football Career
In this part of Roberto Baggio biography, we take a look at his marvelous career both on the club level with Vicenza, Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan, and Brescia, and international level with Italy.
Baggio made his senior debut for Vicenza at the age of 15. He scored 12 goals across 29 matches for the club in the 1984-85 season and helped the club to win promotion to Serie B. A severe injury forced him to undergo surgery and his right leg ended up becoming shorter than the other one. This physical characterized his game later.
Fiorentina
Baggio’s performances with Vicenza earned him a £1.5m transfer to the Serie A outfit, Fiorentina in 1985. He missed his first season due to an ACL injury he picked in his last season with Vicenza.
Baggio made his Serie A debut on 21 September 1986 and scored the headlines as he scored his first goal in his debut. He further established himself as a promising talent when he scored a hattrick against Napoli in March 1987. Baggio scored 35 goals across 30 appearances in the 1987-88 season, becoming a fan favorite.
In his final season with Fiorentina, Baggio led the club to the 1990 UEFA Cup Final, where they lost to Juventus. Finishing as the second-highest goalscorer in the 1989-90 Serie A season with 17 goals, Baggio won the Brawo Award and was eighth in the 1990 Ballon d’Or. Scoring 55 goals across 136 appearances for Fiorentina, Baggio signed for Juventus in 1990 for a world record of £8m.
Juventus
Roberto Baggio biography takes its peak during his time with the Bianconeri. Struggling through his debut Juventus season, a notable event occurred during their match against his former team, Fiorentina, when he declined to take a crucial penalty. As he was being substituted, he grabbed a scarf (viola) and nodded to a former colleague on the Fiorentina sideline. The game ended with Juventus suffering a 1-0 defeat. Some of the Bianconeri fans later accused him of betrayal.
However, he established himself as a worthy player in the 1991-92 season, leading Juventus to a 2nd-place finish behind AC Milan. Baggio scored 18 Serie A goals that season. During an exceptional season in 1993, Juventus won the UEFA Cup and Roberto Baggio won the Golden Ball and “Best Player of the Year” award.
In the semi-final match against Paris Saint-Germain, he managed to net three goals followed by an additional two goals in the final of the UEFA Cup against Borussia Dortmund. Moreover, his exceptional performance led Italy to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
Baggio won his first Serie A title in 1995 and further won the Italian Cup with the Bianconeri. However, injuries and difficulties with the board forced Baggio to leave the club. He joined the club’s rival, Milan for a £6.8m fee amid protests from Juventus fans.
AC Milan
Baggio helped Milan to win the Serie A title in his first season, scoring 10 goals across 34 appearances. He further provided 12 assists in Serie A that season and was the league’s top assist provider.
Upon the arrival of Oscar Tabarez, Baggio left his position in Milan’s starting line-up. Baggio managed to persuade the Uruguayan coach of his abilities and secure a position in the starting role. He ultimately emerged as the team’s primary attacking force, initially deployed in his preferred position supporting George Weah, and occasionally utilized as a left-wing or playmaking central midfielder.
Tabarez was sacked after a series of disappointing results and the former Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi, who Baggio had argued after the 1994 World Cup, replaced him as the club’s manager.
Baggio’s time on the field was restricted by Sacchi, which resulted in a decline in form not only for him but for the entire team, ultimately leading to strain in their relationship. Milan’s attempt to defend their championship was unsuccessful as they concluded the season with a disappointing 11th position. Despite being relegated in the group stage, Baggio made his UEFA Champions League debut in the 1996–97 season and scored his first goal in the competition.
Upon Capello’s return to Milan, Baggio chose to move to Parma in search of more regular game time. However, Carlo Ancelotti stood against the transfer and Baggio moved to Bologna instead. Making a total of 67 appearances for Milan, Baggio scored 19 goals for the club.
Bologna
Despite spending only one season at Bologna, his time with Rossoblù makes a key role in Roberto Baggio biography.
Baggio was embarking on a fresh journey with a team that lacked ambition. His primary objective was to secure a spot in the starting lineup for the upcoming 1998 World Cup in France. Baggio did that perfectly as he scored a personal best of 22 goals in Serie A as well as providing 9 assists. Bologna finished the season in eighth place, qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Despite his popularity, Baggio had difficulties with Bologna’s manager Renzo Ulivieri. He opted to leave out Roberto Baggio from the starting squad for their match against Juventus, but Baggio refused to take a seat on the bench.
As a result of fans’ pressure, Renzo Ulivieri made Roberto Baggio his regular player for the rest of the season. Spending only one season with Bologna, Baggio scored a total of 23 goals across 33 appearances for the club.
Inter Milan
Massimo Moratti decided to bring Baggio to associate him with Ronaldo. However, their combination never really paid off as Inter finished far off the table and was eliminated by Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
After three changes at the dugout, Marcello Lippi, Baggio’s former Juventus manager, arrived to start one of the darkest chapters of Baggio’s career. Lippi chose to exclude him from the team for the majority of the season, stating he was out of shape.
Despite not being given many opportunities on the field, Baggio was still able to contribute several crucial goals that aided Inter in securing a fourth-place ranking. One noteworthy instance was his game-winning score against Hellas Verona, which he achieved after being substituted in following his absence from the team since December 18th, 1999. Baggio had played a role in creating Inter’s equalizing goal earlier in the game. Baggio had not scored for Inter since May 27 of the last season. During his post-match interview, he refuted the allegations made by Lippi regarding his fitness. Baggio saved Lippi after Moratti stated the manager would only stay on if the team qualified for the Champions League as he scored twice against Parma in the play-off match for the last remaining Champions League spot.
Brescia
Amid his conflicts with Lippi, Baggio left Inter as a free agent and joined Brescia, remaining in Italy to have a greater chance of being called up for the 2002 World Cup.
After missing the first half of the season due to injuries, Baggio refound his form and provided ten goals and ten assists in his debut season, helping newcomers Brescia to their best Serie A finish in history.
After scoring eight goals in their first nine Serie A appearances in the 2001-02 season, Baggio suffered an ACL injury. He suffered a second serious injury after returning to the team in the Coppa Italia semi-final against Parma. After missing out on the 2002 World Cup, Baggio stated his decision to retire after surpassing the 200 Serie A goal mark.
Roberto Baggio scored his 200th Serie A goal against Parma on 14 March 2004 and played his last match against AC Milan on 16 May 2004. Baggio saved Brescia from relegation for four seasons and in the 2004-05 season, the club finished 19th without their number 10 and relegated to Serie B.
International Career
In this part of Roberto Baggio biography, we take a look at his international career.
Baggio marked his first appearance on the Italian national team on the 16th of November 1988. He participated in three consecutive World Cups in 1990, 1994, and 1998.
During the 1994 World Cup, he single-handedly drove Italy from the round of 16 to the final with five goals; however, his failure to score the final penalty transformed him into the unfortunate character of the tournament. Out of the five Italians who took penalties, only a pair managed to score. Thanks to his impressive performance and the unrelenting requests from his devoted Italian fans, Cesare Maldini, the national coach at the time, decided to include him on the roster for the 1998 World Cup held in France. He showed inconsistent performances while playing for Inter Milan, resulting in his omission from the 2000 European Championship team.
After missing out on the 2002 World Cup, he made his final international game on 28 April 2004, during a friendly game against Spain under Giovanni Trapattoni.
Roberto Baggio’s Playing Style
In this part of Roberto Baggio biography, we tend to the Italian midfielder’s style of play.
Baggio was a talented player hailed as a “star player” from an early age, with the ability to play various positions. Though he primarily played as a second striker or trequartista, he was also capable of playing key roles in a 4-3-3 as a striker or as an outside forward, as well as serving as a center forward in a 4-4-2 formation. He was labeled a “nine-and-a-half” by Michel Platini, who saw him as a player who fell somewhere in between a traditional striker and a shadow striker. This unique trait often posed challenges when it came to positioning him tactically.
He was highly praised for his technical abilities and often compared to legendary footballers. Gianni Brera likened him to Giuseppe Meazza, while Giovanni Trapattoni compared his gameplay to that of Zico. There were also noted similarities in technique with famous players such as Platini and Juan Alberto Schiaffino.
Reception
The Italian was known for his exceptional ball control, dribbling skills, and scoring ability. Baggio’s talent was first recognized when he played for Vicenza in the Italian Serie B league in the late 1980s. He then moved to Fiorentina, where he became a household name, scoring 39 goals in 94 appearances. However, his performance in the 1994 World Cup cemented his status as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Baggio led Italy to the tournament’s final, scoring five goals along the way, including a memorable brace against Bulgaria in the semifinals.
Scoring a total of 291 goals across 643 appearances, Roberto Baggio stats are testimony to his greatness. He won the Ballon d’Or award in 1993 and was included in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1990 and 1994. However, Baggio’s career was not controversial, as he was famously left out of the Italian national team for the 1998 World Cup and was criticized for missing a crucial penalty in the 1994 World Cup final.
Roberto Baggio Honors
In this part of Roberto Baggio biography, we take a look at his honors during his career.
Winning Serie A two times with Juventus and AC Milan, Baggio has also won Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup during his spell at Juventus.
He further led Italy to a second-place finish in the 1990 World Cup and third place in the 1994 World Cup.
Among many individual honors Baggio won, the most notable of them are UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup top scorer, World Soccer’s World Player of the Year, Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player of the Year, FIFA World Cup All-Star Team, and FIFA 100.
Roberto Baggio Outside Professional Life
In this part of Roberto Baggio biography, we take a look at his personal life.
After his career-threatening injury in 1985, Baggio converted to Buddhism as the captain armband he wore throughout his career bore the colors of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhis organization.
Roberto Baggio’s wife is his long-time girlfriend, Andreina Fabbi. Despite Baggio’s conversion, the duo married in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony in 1989, when he was playing for Fiorentina.
The couple has a daughter and two sons together. Valentina (1990), Mattia (1994), and Leonardo (2005) are Roberto Baggio’s children.
