Paolo Rossi
Obituary: Paolo Rossi (23.9.1956 – 9.12.2020)
By Venkatesh Raghavan
Football fans across the globe have woken up to yet another shock with the news of passing away of Italian soccer star Paolo Rossi. Rossi was the superstar of the Italian World Cup winning team, who had led his national team to its third World Cup victory in 1982, scoring six goals in the course of the tournament. He was 64-years-old. This was a double blow to the soccer world within a fortnight, which is still trying to recover from the untimely death of legendary Diego Maradona who died on November 25.
An emotional Federica Cappelletti, Rossi’s wife, informed the press that though a sad moment, she had wished that his torture come to an end, giving him a tight hug. However, the cause of his death was not disclosed at the time of going to press. His funeral which will take place on Saturday at the Vicenza cathedral will be telecast live on Italian television. Flags will fly half-mast in the city till Saturday to mourn Paolo’s death.
It may be recalled that Rossi had almost missed the 1982 tournament owing to a betting scandal that took place prior to it. He came back very strongly in the tournament with a hat-trick against the mighty Brazilians in the second part of the league stage. His feat in the World Cup winning Italian team, included netting two goals against Poland in the Semi-finals and opening the account for Italy in its final encounter with Germany. Italy won the finals beating the Germans 3-1.
During the tournament, he had even outshone the great Maradona, besides many other superstars including Zico, Platini, Socrates! Paolo won the golden boot award for the 1982 world cup tournament which is reserved for the footballer who scores the maximum number of goals.
Tributes kept flowing for the football legend who would have missed the 1982 World Cup in Spain but for intervention that helped reduce the three-year ban imposed on him to two years. He was described as an excellent footballer, excellent team mate and friend, by Dino Zoff, the captain of the 1982 Italian team and also its goalkeeper. Tributes also flowed in from the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte who described him as an “unforgettable champion” . He recalled his performance in the summer of 1982 as a feat that gave a dream to an entire generation of soccer players in Italy.
Climbing the ladder of success in the international soccer arena, Paolo first struck gold for the Vicenza club and later migrated to Perugia. Here’s where he fell under a brief spell owing to a betting scandal, later cleared after serving two years of the three-year ban imposed on him. As of today, Paolo still shares the maximum goals scored in World Cup matches by Italians along with two other Italian soccer legends, namely Christian Vieri and Roberto Baggio.
Another of the legends, Platini voiced his tribute describing him as a benevolent person, a friend and a golden boy. Paolo decided to finally hang his boots at the age of 31 in 1987. By then he had played 400 league games, totalling 154 goals in all. Playing for his national side, he scored a total of 20 goals.
Rossi in what Indian’s would typically call the second innings of his life or in other words, post his retirement from football turned to the small screen that keeps people entertained and informed in their homes. He leaves behind his wife and three children.
