Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio spent most of his career as a second striker, though the role he liked best was a free attacking one behind the forwards. Michel Platini called him a "9 and a half": too creative for a pure number 9, yet scoring more than a typical number 10. Fans called him Il Divin Codino, the Divine Ponytail, and in 1993 he won both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year. Start with the ball at his feet. He was right-footed but comfortable with either foot, and he often began a dribble on his left. Slight and not much of a presence in the air, he made room with quick feet, a low centre of gravity and sharp bursts over short distances. His 1990 World Cup goal against Czechoslovakia had everything: a one-two with Giuseppe Giannini, a run from midfield past several defenders, a feint that sent the last man the wrong way, then the finish. Zico called him "technically flawless." He made goals as well as scoring them. He was known for his vision and his reading of the game, and in the 1995–96 season, when Milan won the title, nobody in Serie A provided more assists. The Guardian's Rob Smyth called him a "conductor" who knew when to change an attack's pace. His free kicks were curled rather than struck hard, usually from close range. In front of goal he stayed calm; a former Fiorentina playmaker said he had "ice in his veins". The limits were real, and most began with his knees. At 18, two days before his move to Fiorentina was settled, he wrecked the cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee. He later wrote that he played his whole career "with a leg and a half." He did little defending once the ball was lost, and Fabio Capello doubted he could last 90 minutes. Óscar Tabárez said there was "no place for poets in modern football," and Maradona called him "a genius" who never quite reached his full potential. Still, the big moments kept finding him. At the 1994 World Cup, after a flat group stage, he scored five knockout goals, including a late winner against Spain after going round the goalkeeper. He played the final with a pulled hamstring and put his shoot-out kick over the bar, handing Brazil the trophy. Four years later he stepped up against Chile, scored and called it "liberating". Over his career he converted about 85 percent of his spot-kicks. His leadership split opinion. Gianni Rivera thought he lacked it, while Andrea Pirlo called him "a silent leader". At Brescia, in his mid-thirties, he wore the armband, kept a promoted side up for four straight seasons and passed 200 Serie A goals. He retired in 2004 to a standing ovation at the San Siro.