Forgotten Hero: Roberto Baggio

 Roberto Baggio, the retired Italian international, was an exceptionally gifted player and had an illustrious career spanning 22 long years. During the span of his career, he played for prominent teams such as Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, and was considered an indispensable asset to the teams because of his spectacular contributions. 

With some all time records to his name, he carved a permanent name for himself among the football record books and in the hearts of all fans of the beautiful sport. 

         

18YB here takes a look at the contributions made by this legend to the world of football.

Starting off in the year 1982, Baggio was signed by Vicenza, which is now playing its football in the  Serie B. After playing 36 games and scoring in 13 of them for Vicenza, Baggio’s skillful play caught the eye of Fiorentina, where he went on to play 94 matches, and added 39 more goals to his Serie A record. But being the gifted player that he was, Baggio was destined to play for bigger clubs and in the year 1990, he signed a 5 year contract with Juventus which proved to be one of the best decisions of his career. The deal was signed for an astounding sum of $13.6 million, which was the record transfer fee back then. Without a doubt, this transfer created huge uproar and anger among Fiorentina fans. 

At Juventus, Baggio scored 78 goals in 141 matches. As an attacking midfielder, or what you would normally call a ‘second striker’, he averaged an unbelievable 0.55 goals per game. Baggio’s magical run at Juventus saw him winning a Serie A title, 2 UEFA Cups, and 1 Coppa Italia. But a recurring knee injury during the 1994-95 season ensured that Roberto stayed out of action for a long while and ended up scoring just 8 goals for the club. As the season ended, Juventus’ coach Marcello Lippi decided that Roberto was could no longer fit into the club’s long term plans and put him up for transfer; an opportunity that was grabbed by Milan after pressure from now Italy’s Prime Minister and then Milan’s Chairman Silvio Berlusconi, in spite of interest from other clubs like Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers. 

Baggio won both the European Player of the year and the World Player of the year while playing for the Turin side

At Milan, the Divine Ponytail, as he came to be known, made significant contributions to the club and won the Serie A once again, with the highlight being his penalty kick against his former club Fiorentina in a match that proved to be the title decider. 

Baggio in Milan's famous black and red

A couple of years on though, in 1997, Baggio found his place in Bologna, a club that was on the brink of relegation. Baggio’s dream run at the club, that saw him scoring his personal best of 22 goals in a single season, not only saved the club from relegation but got them on the 8^th spot. His dream season at Bologna subsequently earned him his much deserved spot (once again after a couple of years since his fall out with Sachhi because of which he was not a part of the Euro 96 squad) in the Italian national side for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. 

Baggio had a number of altercations with his managers leading to absences from both club and national sides

After the 1998 World Cup, Internazionale fancied Baggio and brought him for an undisclosed sum. Baggio stayed at the club for 2 years and played 41 games for them, in which his score tallied 12 goals. In the year 2000, Baggio changed his club once again and made a move to the unfashionable Brescia, a really unpredictable move which proved to be his last club until he retired in the year 2004.

In a long career spanning 2 decades, Roberto Baggio’s talent was neglected due to personal problems with his managers. 

Baggio playing for Milan's fierce cross-town rivals Inter

 While his injury in 1994-95 at Juventus meant that the club manager Lippi started paying more attention to the then upcoming Alessandro Del Piero, he couldn’t survive at AC Milan due to tiffs with Coach Fabio Capello over the limited on-field time he was subjected to. His move to Internazionale proved to be unfortunate as well, since Baggio’s former Juventus manager Mercello Lippi was signed on as the coach. Due to the poor rapport he shared with the former Juve boss, Baggio found himself warming the bench for a greater part of the season.

Amidst all the Player-Coach controversies that he was subjected to, Baggio always was a remarkable player. His craft of taking free kicks and sheer ability to show flashes of brilliance during all the moves he made was cherished by all his fans, whose votes earned him the #4 spot on FIFA’s Player of the Century online polls. He is preceded only by greats Maradona, Pele, and Portugal’s Eusebio.

Baggio’s vision for through balls, uniqueness in dribbling, dexterous ball control and graceful movements will be remembered by football players and fans alike. His exceptional performances have earned him the Ballon D’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, awards which every footballer craves for, both in 1993. Apart from these majesties, he is also famous as being the only Italian to score in three back to back FIFA World Cups and is one of the top 3 scorers for his national team alongside legends Paolo Rossi and Christian Vieri.

During the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, Baggio’s was blamed for costing Italy the cup after his penalty sailed over the bar, handing Brazil the trophy. However, fans and true pundits will always remember his heroics that saw him single handedly taking his team till the final.

As for the Divine Ponytail, his famous ponytail and strong belief in Buddhist culture earned him this respectful title.

Written by,

 Kanhaiya Maheshwary

Kanhaiya writes for 18YB 

Follow us ay @18YB06

Goodbye Owen: Michael Owen's top 5 moments

18 Yard Box has a look at the English international's top 5 moments in his footballing career and pays a tribute to the former Liverpool star.




When a footballer mesmerises us with his breathtaking runs and inexplicable skills, its difficult for the fans to grasp the realisation that come next year he will not be seen on the football pitch ever again (playing wise). Its the same emotional feelings which the whole of the footballing fraternity is going through after the announcement of Michael Owen's retirement.

The pitch will miss him

" It is with an immense amount of pride that I am announcing my intention to retire from professional football at the end of this season", were the words that rocked the fans as well as the players. Owen, who has had an injury troubled season, has been England's golden boy for quite sometime. 

As a tribute to him, 18 Yard Box has a look at the 5 most important moments in the striker's career. 

1. Owen- A new sensation (Liverpool's debut, 1997)

I am here

Owen stole the limelight when he scored in the club's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Wimbledon. The game saw Liverpool handing United the title. But on the flip side they saw a star being born. From then on there was no looking back for the Reds hero.

2. World Cup '98- A night to remember (Owen's goal against Argentina)

An effort which brought the stadium to their feet

Owen was known for his pace and excellent goal poaching abilities. And he showed why. Taking down a high ball, Owen outran his marker. With Scholes to his left, Owen showed that at an age of just 18 he can do what many footballing greats can. Selling a dummy past the last defender, Owen decided to go for goal from an acute angle and blasted the ball into the top corner. Although, England were knocked out on penalties, this goal is still remembered by his fans.


3. Treblled? Owen's here (FA Cup 2001 Final goal against Arsenal)

Arsenal were in pole position to grab the FA Cup title as Freddie Ljunberg's strike in the 72nd minute had rattled Liverpool. However, Liverpool called upon their number 10 and he responded in style. Pouncing on the ball from a free kick, Owen lashed a volley past David Seaman into the roof of the net to equalise for Liverpool. In the dying embers of the game it was Owen again who outran Lee Dixon, chasing a long ball, and finished superbly by unleashing a low drive with his left foot from an acute angle. Pandemonium broke loose when Owen struck the ball past his compatriot as Liverpool completed a treble that season.

A sumptuous volley followed by a brilliant finish saw Liverpool bag the FA Cup 

4. A start of an end- (Owen's injury, World Cup 2006)

Down and out

Owen had declared himslef 'unfit' before the world cup. However, the former Newcastle striker was rushed back from a broke metatarsal and he undid himself in the group game against Sweden. Twisting awkawardly, Owen ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and in the process ruled himslef for almost an year. Owen never got back to his best following this injury and it took away his sizzling pace and pure panache.


5. Controversy galore- (The infamous goal against Manchester City, 2009)

The goal sprouted celebrations of joy

Owen was one of the very few players who played for Liverpool and then went on to join Manchester United. The two teams share a history of rival and it was believed that Owen would take time to win over the United fans. But this did not take long as Owen scored in the 97th minute of the game against United's arch rivals, Manchester City, to hand them a memorable 4-3 victory. The goal, however, came in controversial circumstances as there were supposed to be just 5 minutes of added time. However, refree allowed the game to roll in the much dreaded 'Fergie time' and Owen capitalised on it.


Watch Owen's brilliance against Germany here

As the Ballon d'Or 2001 winner bows out of the professional scene, the whole world will still remember his heroics and his contirbutions to the world of football. He could easily be called as the 'Dark Knight' of English football.

Written By,
Rishabh Ghai

Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International, contributor for AIS and a writer and editor for 18 Yard Box.

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A hero who never got his due: Matt Le Tissier

 

         

Scoring 47 times out of the 48 penalties he took in his entire career, it is not surprising that Southampton fans affectionately call Matt Le Tissier - ‘Le God’. Matt Le Tissier, an English born footballer, was an attacking midfielder of exceptional abilities and spent his entire professional career at Southampton, rejecting offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in 1990 and 1996 respectively. He is till date remembered by Premier League fans as one of the most gifted and creatively endowed players to have ever graced the Premier League. 

Le Tissier spent his entire career at Southampton

Le Tissier is one of those players whose records speak for the man. He is the first ever midfielder in the history of the English Premier League to reach 100 goals; a figure that was unheard of till the 90s for a midfielder in the then EPL, now BPL. He was a footballer of exceeding abilities, which was not hard to determine from his dribbling prowess, spot kick and free kick abilities, and short bursts of runs despite the heavy built. In fact, he served as a role model for all those slightly heavy players who aspired to make it big as professional footballers.

The Englishman scored a famous hat-trick for England 'B' against Russia 'B' in the run up to the 1998 World Cup but was still overlooked for the senior side by then manager Glen Hoddle. The expert penalty taker that he was, England were to go out on penalties to Argentina that year

Interest from bigger clubs could have probably put Le Tissier in the limelight and given him his due but he chose to stay with Southampton where we won the PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990, ahead of players like Aston Villa legend David Platt, Spurs’ highest scorer of the season Gary Lineker, Man United ace Mark Hughes and Liverpool star John Barnes. While a lot of present Premier League fans might not recall his name, he can be seen regularly on Sky Soccer Saturday as a football pundit. 

Barcelona superstar Xavi once said of the legend," His talent was simply out of the norm. He could simply dribble past seven or eight players but without speed - he just walked past them. For me he was sensational"

Matt Le Tissier has to his credit 209 goals from 540 appearances for the Saints, and his subsequent rejections for offers from Spurs and Chelsea etched his name in the club’s books as one of the greatest legends to have ever played for them. He is still revered by his fans today as much as he was adored back then in the 1990s. After his retirement, Le Tissier had one of the hospitality suites at St. Mary’s stadium named after him and also an apartment block built on the old side of The Dell.

A footballer who didn’t wish to be named quoted something that carries the essence of Le Tissier’s game: “The key to his game was everything that is beautiful about it. He made it seem like an art form – extravagant penalties, stunning free-kicks, beautiful long-range efforts, attention to dribbling and skills that, frankly, aren’t seen often enough in this country”.

P.S: If you love this game, you should spare 5 minutes and watch Matthew Le Tissier’s wizardry! Mozart’s background score only does justice to his moves!

Written by,

Kanhaiya Maheshwary

Kanhaiya writes for 18YB 

Follow us at @18YB06

Clubs which could look to sign Javier Hernandez in the summer

The arrival of Robin Van Persie has although increased the depth in the Manchester United squad, the chance to start games for the likes of the deserving Javier Hernandez have certainly dropped alarmingly. With just 15 appearances in the Premier League this season, Hernandez in certainly not being allowed to showcase his talents in arguably the best competition in the world. At 24, though, Chicharito is yet to reach the prime of his career as he is yet to collect any of the personal accolades a striker so dearly carves.

         

Chicharito could be all set to leave Manchester United in the summer in search of first team football

18YB takes a look at the possible clubs which could look sign Chicharito to spearhead their attack for next season.  

Juventus

With Juventus looking to pair their new signing Fernando Llorente (who joins in the summer) with another world class partner, they could certainly look to sign the quality, yet cheap Javier Hernandez. They already have some world beaters in the middle of the park, in the form of Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, not to mention the quality in attack with Giovinco and Quagliarella. 

Chichrito could pair Juventus' new signing Fernando Llorente in a new look attack for the Serie A giants

With Hernandez though, the Turin side will get the cutting edge they so dearly require in the attacking department. His finishing is absolutely top class and has been very correctly been described as a poacher by fans. His ability to score with both feet has been well documented, as well as his ability to head the ball well despite his height.

The “Old Lady” certainly require this type of a player as they create enough only to waste the chances drafted. With Chicharito though, truck loads of goals could be expected and they would be caused no harm with that.

Chelsea

Another season on and Fernando Torres yet to replicate his top form, Chelsea definitely need to go in the market for a proven goal scorer in the Premier League. With ample creativity in their midfield, the Londoners need to make sure they get a true poacher who can just put the ball in the net. They need a striker who doesn’t need to drop deep and help out in creating chances; he just needs to finish the ample chances created by their well gelled midfield.

Fernando Torres looks set to leave Chelsea at the end of the season and could be replaced by Hernandez

And in Chicharito, they will get exactly that. He has shown his finishing prowess, not to mention his aerial ability which is more than decent. He will also provide some variation going forward as compared to Demba Ba, who is physically strong and comes deep to mix with the midfielders.

Chelsea, though will certainly move forward by drafting in the Mexican giving the fans some hope of goal scoring consistency.

Manchester City

A Premier League crown in the 2011-2012 season has been followed by stuttering campaign in the current league season, accompanied by less than decent showings in cup competitions. The departure of Italian Mario Balotelli has also left the defending champions short of attackers behind Dzeko, Tevez and Aguero, thereby giving City the need to make a signing for the new season. 

The departure of Mario Balotelli along with the uncertainties over the futures of Tevez and Dzeko could force City to look for a cheap solution to their attacking problems

The uncertainties over the futures of Tevez and Dzeko have also overshadowed much of their performances this season, which could mean an entire revamp of the City attack. With Chicharito available at a less than affordable price just across town, City would surely consider the young Mexican as he fills all the eligibility criteria’s one needs to be a goal scorer at a top club like City.

The qualities of Hernandez are well known at City and having bought Tevez from there before, not to mention the apparent attempt to purchase Rooney, the Citizens will have little qualms about approaching him to play for them.

Whichever club does go in for him though will definitely know that they would be getting their hands on a complete striker, capable of finding the net from anywhere near the box. His price and age are all favorable for any buyer, while for Manchester United, it is one of the few disadvantages of having riches in that department.

Written by,

Aman Arora

Aman writes for GiveMeFootball, Goal India and works as a writer/editor for 18YB

Follow us at @18YB06