The Amazing Story of Italy’s 1982 World Cup Hero Paolo Rossi

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 27, 2014

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Paolo Rossi wasn't your typical striker. He wasn't the epitome of a modern-day No. 9, nor was he even considered as a champion before he made history. He was small, frail and lacked the technique that some other Italian heroes had.

Rossi began his footballing life with Juventus, but he wouldn't play a match with them until eight years after he was first signed. After undergoing three various knee operations in the early stages of his career, the striker born in Prato was loaned to Serie B side Como.

Only a year after that, he would go on to score 21 goals and help his new club, Vicenza, to Serie A promotion.



It was then that he started getting noticed as a potential option for the Italian national team. The successive season, he netted 24 times with Vicenza and became the first striker to be the Capocannoniere in the top two divisions in consecutive seasons, further showing his potential as a player who could make the difference in the top flight as well.

This fine domestic form led Enzo Bearzot to call him up to the Italian national team during the 1978 World Cup, where he went on to score three goals in the competition. It was the perfect experience for the event that would ensue four years later.

The events at the 1978 World Cup are hardly the main point of any Paolo Rossi story. It was what he would do later in his career that is still whispered about in quiet alleyways around Italy and throughout the world.

In 1980, Rossi found himself engulfed in the now-infamous scandal known as Totonero while he played for Perugia. The striker was suspended for three years from football but had his sentence shortened to two seasons instead. Rossi maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal.



Shortly after, Rossi signed for Juventus and would be called up to the ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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