Paolo Rossi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rossi's career reached a turning point when Vicenza Calcio engaged him on loan. Coach Giovan Battista Fabbri moved him from the wing to the centre of the attack just before the season started. Rossi immediately showed a tremendous knack for getting open in the box and scoring, winning the Serie B Golden Boot with 21 goals in his first year in this more advanced position. In the 1976–77 season, his qualities as an implacable striker led his team to promotion to Serie 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, also leading Vicenza to a surprising second-place finish in Serie A during the 1977–78 season. While at Perugia, Rossi was involved in the infamous 1980 betting scandal known in Italy as Totonero, and as a result he was disqualified for three years, later reduced to a two-year ban. Despite the ban, Rossi always claimed to be innocent, and stated that he had been a victim of an injustice. He missed out on the 1980 European Championship with Italy. Despite his ban, Rossi was repurchased by Juventus in 1981, and returned to the starting line-up just in time for the end of the 1981–82 season to contribute to the club's 1981–82 Serie A title and to take part in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.

In Their Own Story

Italian journalists and tifosi initially lamented that Rossi was in very poor shape at the 1982 World Cup, 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'. Italy manager Enzo Bearzot, however, staunchly confirmed Rossi for the decisive round robin in the second round. After Italy defeated Argentina 2–1, Rossi scored a hat-trick to defeat Brazil 3–2 to qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-final match against Poland, Rossi's two goals won the match for Italy once again, granting them a place in the 1982 World Cup final. In the final against West 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 Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament, as well as the Golden Ball Award for the best player of the tournament. Italian fans hung banners proclaiming him 'Man of the match'. Rossi's accomplishments in Spain gained him the title of European Footballer of the Year and World Player of the Year in 1982, as well as the 1982 Onze d'Or Award. His goalscoring exploits during the tournament earned him the nicknames 'Pablito' and the 'torero'. Between his goals and assists throughout the tournament, Rossi was directly responsible for 58% of his team's goals during the 1982 World Cup.

Reader's Guide

Paolo Rossi's World Cup statistics are defined by his performance at the 1982 tournament in Spain. He scored six goals across the tournament, winning the Golden Boot as top goalscorer and the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament. He was named as part of the team of the tournament for the second consecutive time, having also been named in the team of the tournament for his performances at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where he totalled three goals and four assists as Italy finished in fourth place. At the 1978 World Cup, he also collected the Silver Ball as the second-best player of the World Cup. Rossi's goal in Italy's opening 2–1 group win of the tournament against France, on 2 June 1978, was his first goal for Italy. Along with Roberto Baggio and Christian Vieri, he is Italy's top scorer in World Cup history, with nine goals overall.

Did You Know?

• Rossi is the only player in history to win the Golden Boot, Golden Ball, and Ballon d'Or in a single year (1982).
• He scored a hat-trick against Brazil in the 1982 World Cup second round to qualify for the semi-finals.
• Rossi was directly responsible for 58% of Italy's goals during the 1982 World Cup, through his goals and assists.
• He was the first player to top the scoring charts in Serie B and Serie A in consecutive seasons.
• Rossi was named by Pelé in 2004 as one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.