In a heartfelt interview, the Italian legend opens up about faith, pain, missed World Cups and the coaches who shaped his destiny
Roberto Baggio has never needed to raise his voice to leave a mark. In a long, intimate interview released on Forbes Italia’s YouTube channel, the former Ballon d’Or winner offered one of the most honest self-portraits of his life—between childhood dreams, spiritual rebirth, football regrets and eternal gratitude.
“I grew up dreaming of a World Cup final against Brazil. I don’t even know why that dream stayed with me from such a young age,”
said Roberto Baggio, revisiting the origins of a destiny that would eventually lead him to Pasadena, 1994.
“I would have traded everything for that World Cup”
The shadow of the missed penalty in the 1994 World Cup final still follows him.
“I would have given up everything else to win that World Cup. Representing Italy was my life’s goal.
That miss is the biggest bitterness of my career. A personal tragedy I still carry inside.”
Fate, Baggio admits, was cruelly repetitive:
“I played three World Cups. I lost three World Cups on penalties. That’s not easy to digest.”
Buddhism, pain and transformation
Behind the football icon stands a man who learned to turn suffering into meaning.
Baggio credits his spiritual journey—embraced in 1988—for helping him survive injuries, disappointments and inner turmoil.
“Hope is everything. Without it, there’s no light. Buddhism helped me transform suffering into value.
The biggest obstacles are often only in our minds.”
His mother’s first reaction?
“She said: ‘Call an ambulance, we’ve lost him.’ Back then, people lived inside rigid schemes.”
Today, Baggio lives surrounded by nature near Vicenza:
“I need nature. It fills my days.”
Trapattoni and the 2002 World Cup wound
Another scar still burns: exclusion from the 2002 World Cup.
“I came back 77 days after a cruciate ligament injury, scored twice and was fit.
Trapattoni said he was afraid I’d get injured again. I told him: if I get injured, I’ll retire.
What he did was an injustice.”
VAR? “It would have helped players like me”
Looking at modern football, Baggio is clear:
“With VAR, things would’ve been better for me. Back then it was a slaughter.
Today there’s more protection. Maradona or Mihajlovic would score five goals a game with these rules.”
His broader concern is structural:
“Italian football lacks courage. Young Italian players aren’t trusted enough.
A strong team needs a core that grows together for years.”
Mazzone, gratitude without limits
Among all coaches, one stands above the rest: Carlo Mazzone.
“He was humble, honest, fair. Few rules, the same for everyone.
I would have given my life for him.”
Baggio recalled the moment Mazzone called him to Brescia, when no one else wanted him:
“I was training alone, my contract was worth zero. My dream was to return to Vicenza.
Then Mazzone called me: ‘What do you want to do?’
‘I want to play.’
From there, four extraordinary years.”
Final lesson: simplicity
At the end of the journey, Baggio leaves one message—not just for football, but for life:
“Success lies in simplicity. Peace doesn’t exist elsewhere.
Joy is already inside us.”
