Paolo Rossi 1982

Paolo ROSSI

Inaugural winner… Rossi on the cover

A fairy tale A fairy tale come to life come to life

Paolo Rossi is Wo Wor l r ld Soccer’d Soccer’s s firstt-ever World Footballer of er World Footballer of the Year – that is the verdict e Year – that is the verdict of a poll conducted among of a poll conducted among contributors and readers, the results contributors and readers, the results of which were, predictably, heavily of which were, predictably, heavily influenced by events at the Worldinfluenced by events at the World Cup finals in Spain.

Bu But w t while world champions Italyhile world champions Italy provprovided a top-scoring four playeided a top-scoring four players rs in the top ten, note also the strongin the top ten, note also the strong re represen presenta tation of Brazil – with Falcao,tion of Brazil – with Falcao, Zico and Socrates finishing third, four Zico and Socrates finishing third, fourth th and fifth respectively. There is no doubtand fifth respectively. There is no doubt th that at footb footbal all lovel lovers the world over werers the world over were captivated by the brilliant Brazilians atcaptivated by the brilliant Brazilians at th the World Cup, and that is duly reflected e World Cup, and that is duly reflected by by the appearance of B the appearance of Bra razil at the head zil at the head of the World Team of the Year poll. of the World Team of the Year poll.

Italy had to be satisfied with secondItaly had to be satisfied with second place here, but a more than adequate place here, but a more than adequate compensation was the election of Enzocompensation was the election of Enzo Be Bear arzo zot as World Manager of the Year. t as World Manager of the Year.

Fo Football fans around the world haveotball fans around the world have st studied udied th the ups and downs of Bear e ups and downs of Bearzo zot ’s t ’s career since he became sole national career since he became sole national manager. He’s worked hard to bring Italymanager. He’s worked hard to bring Italy out of the staout of the stagnating defensive pattegnating defensive patterns rns of calcio to a new pinnacle in the world to a new pinnacle in the world ga game and when Rossi and Co. collected me and when Rossi and Co. collected th the World Cup in Madrid, it was only e World Cup in Madrid, it was only right that the man they should instantly seek out to raise on their shoulders was Bearzot. Each of ch of the separate categories e separate categories produced points to note.

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Azzurri goal king…Rossi

World champions…lifting the trophy

The players’ poll left Diego Maradona – freely recognised as the world’s most talented attacker – among the also-rans. His campaign in the World Cup was by and large disappointing and ended in the ignominy of dismissal from the pitch for an awful foul on Brazil’s Batista. Then again, Maradona made a slow start with Barcelona and that brilliant goal against Red Star Belgrade in the Cup Winners’ Cup in Yugoslavia came too late to have much influence on the voting.

The story of eventual winner Paolo Rossi comes straight out of football fiction. If you read it in a novel you’d throw it away as absurdly fanciful. Life doesn’t work that way.

Banned for two years in the Italian match-fixing scandal, Rossi returned to action at the tail end of the league

season, almost immediately became league champion with Juventus, then picked up the pieces of his international career to such effect that he finished as top scorer in the World Cup finals… and was a goalscoring member of the Italian side who beat West Germany in the final itself in Madrid.

That Rossi plays football at all is remarkable.

Born in Prato on September 23, 1956, he was picked up in his late teens by Juventus but a series of cartilage operations meant that his future as an inside or outside-right wasn’t rated very highly by the Turin giants.

They sent him on loan first to Como, then to second-tier Lanerossi Vicenza. Here Rossi met a man who recognised his potential. Coach Gian Battista Fabbri switched him to centre-forward with immediate success.

Slim, quick and skilful, Rossi was hard to pin down in the penalty box. He was brave as well, unafraid to go in where the boots were flying. Scoring 21 goals he lifted Vicenza into the first division where a hat-trick against Roma earned an international debut against Belgium in December 1977.

The end of that season saw Rossi crowned as the league’s top scorer with 24 goals and his World Cup explosion in the finals in Argentina. Juventus now wanted him back. But Vicenza president Giussi Farina raised enough cash to outbid them for the “other” half of Rossi and he became their player entirely.

To pay the £1.75 million fee, however, Vicenza had to sell many other players. Despite Rossi’s continued flow of goals Vicenza were relegated the next year

and Rossi was once more put out on loan; this time to first division Perugia at a cost of £600,000 for one season. He hadn’t been there a season, however, before the betting scandal emerged.

Rossi forever protested his innocence. That whatever was arranged about the 2-2 draw with Avellino, he knew nothing of it. But the league authorities banned him for three years, reduced on appeal to two.

During that time Rossi trained alone, until Juventus came along to finally buy back the boy that they had cast aside all those years before. He played the last three games of the 1981-82 season and then scored six goals in Spain – including a hat-trick against Brazil and the opening goal in the World Cup final – to complete one of football’s most staggering fairy tales.

The story of eventual winner Paolo Rossi comes straight out of football fiction. If you read it in a novel you’d throw it away as absurdly fanciful

Top 10 Players of 1982

Player Club Country % of vote 1) Paolo Rossi Juventus Italy 23 2) Karl-Heinz Rumenigge Bayern Munich West Germany 14 3) Falcao Roma Brazil 12 4) Zico Flamengo Brazil 10 5) Socrates Corinthians Brazil 9 6) Dino Zoff Juventus Italy 6 7) Bruno Conti Roma Italy 4 8=) Johan Cruyff Ajax Netherlands 3 8=) Gaetano Scirea Juventus Italy 3 10) Zbigniew Boniek Widzew Lodz/Juventus Poland 2

Rossi…starring in the World Cup final v West Germany

Other World Soccer Award winners 1982

Samba superstars…Brazil pipped Italy in the vote by four per cent

Coaching masterclass… Bearzot dominated with almost half the vote

TEAM OF THE YEAR: Brazil