Paolo Rossi

Paolo Rossi was born in Prato, Tuscany. Joining Juventus as a youth, his early career was plagued by three knee operations before he found his stride on loan with Lanerossi Vicenza. Under coach Giovan Battista Fabbri, Rossi was converted into an opportunistic center-forward, scoring 24 goals to lead newly promoted Vicenza to second place in Serie A and earning a call-up to Enzo Bearzot's national squad for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, where he scored three goals.

After moving to Perugia, Rossi was banned from football for two years following the 1980 Totonero match-fixing betting scandal, despite vehemently protesting his innocence. Re-signed by Juventus while still suspended, Bearzot stubbornly retained faith in 'Pablito' and included him in Italy's squad for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, drawing widespread media condemnation when Rossi appeared sluggish during the opening group matches.

What followed was one of the greatest individual redemptions in sporting history. In the second-round showdown against Telê Santana's magical Brazil at the Sarrià Stadium in Barcelona, Rossi scored an extraordinary hat-trick to seal a 3-2 victory. He then scored both goals in the 2-0 semi-final win over Poland and headed the opening goal in the final as Italy defeated West Germany 3-1 in Madrid. Rossi swept the Golden Boot, Golden Ball, and 1982 Ballon d'Or, before winning the 1985 European Cup with Juventus.