1976–1985: Early career and Vicenza Baggio began his youth career after being noticed by his hometown youth team, Caldogno, at age nine. By the time he turned 11, he had scored 45 goals and provided 20 assists in 26 matches, also scoring six goals in one match. His talent was recognised by scout Antonio Mora, and he was acquired by the
Vicenza youth team at age 13 for £300 (500,000 Lit). After scoring 110 goals in 120 matches, Baggio began his professional career with the Vicenza senior side in 1983, at age 15. At the age of 16, Baggio made his
Serie C1 debut with Vicenza on 5 June 1983, a 1–0 home loss against
Piacenza, in the final league match of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute. He scored his first goal in Serie C1 during
the following season, on 3 June 1984, from a penalty in a 3–0 win against
Brescia, the club with which he retired in 2004. Baggio scored the first professional goal of his career in the
Coppa Italia Serie C in a 4–1 away win over
Legnano on 30 November 1983. During the end of his final season at Vicenza, Baggio shattered both the
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the meniscus of his right knee while playing against
Rimini on 5 May 1985, while attempting a slide tackle. The injury occurred two days before his official transfer deal to Fiorentina had been finalised, and it seriously threatened his career, at age 18. Although several team doctors feared he would not play again, Fiorentina retained their faith in him, agreeing to commit to the transfer as well as fund the required surgery, one of many reasons for Baggio's attachment to the club.
1985–1990: Fiorentina Fiorentina purchased Baggio in 1985 for £1.5 million. During his time at the club, despite initial injuries, he became extremely popular, and is regarded as one of the club's best ever players. In his
first season with the club, Baggio did not appear in
Serie A as he was sidelined by injury; Fiorentina finished in fifth place in the league and reached the semi-finals of the
Coppa Italia, with Baggio making his club debut in the latter competition. He finally made his
Serie A debut the following season on 21 September 1986, in a 2–0 home win against
Sampdoria, Baggio suffered another knee injury on 28 September, and he was operated again, requiring 220 stitches to have it rebuilt, losing 12 kg as a result and missing most of the
season. This season would be Baggio's breakthrough, as he scored 15 goals in
Serie A, finishing third in the
capocannoniere (top goalscorer) title. He also helped Fiorentina finish in seventh place in Serie A and win an
UEFA Cup spot, assisting the only goal by
Roberto Pruzzo in the tiebreak qualifier against
Roma. He formed a notable attacking partnership with
Stefano Borgonovo, and the pair scored 29 of Fiorentina's 44 Serie A goals, earning the nickname "B2". Baggio's performances elevated him to hero status among the fans, and he drew praise from several pundits. His characteristics led former Fiorentina playmaker
Miguel Montuori to say Baggio was "more productive than Maradona; he is without doubt the best
number 10 in the league", also stating that Baggio had "ice in his veins" due to his composure in front of goal. He also scored the decisive penalty in the first round
shootout against
Atlético Madrid. With 17 goals, Baggio was the second-highest goalscorer in the 1989–90 Serie A season after
Marco van Basten, and was awarded the
Bravo Award as the best under-23 player in European competitions. He also placed eighth in the
1990 Ballon d'Or. With Fiorentina, Baggio scored 55 goals in 136 appearances, 39 of which were in Serie A, from 94 appearances. Following the transfer, there were riots on the streets of
Florence, where 50 people were injured. Baggio replied to his fans, saying: "I was compelled to accept the transfer." In this
first season at Juventus, Baggio scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists in Serie A, often playing behind the forwards under
Luigi Maifredi, although Juventus finished in seventh place in Serie A, outside the European qualification spots. However, Juventus did reach the semi-finals of the
European Cup Winners' Cup that year, a tournament in which Baggio was top scorer with nine goals, bringing his seasonal total to 27 goals. Juventus would ultimately be eliminated by
Johan Cruyff's
Barcelona "Dream Team". Juventus were also eliminated in the quarter-finals of the
Coppa Italia to eventual winners Roma, with Baggio scoring three goals. Juventus also lost the
Supercoppa Italiana against Napoli at the beginning of the season; Baggio scored Juventus's only goal from a free-kick. Baggio made his 100th Serie A appearance in a 0–0 draw against
Lazio on 21 October 1990. as Juventus finished runners-up to
Fabio Capello's
AC Milan in Serie A, and to
Parma in the
Coppa Italia final, in which Baggio scored in his club's 1–0 victory in the first leg from a penalty. It was during his second season with the club that Baggio came to be accepted by the Juventus fans, as he was seen as a leader around whom the club's play revolved. However, Trapattoni often deployed Baggio in a more advanced role, and Juventus management. Baggio was appointed
team captain for the
1992–93 season. He had a dominant season, winning the only European club trophy of his career after helping Juventus to the
UEFA Cup final, in which he scored twice and assisted another goal over both legs, defeating
Borussia Dortmund 6–1 on aggregate.
En route to the final, Baggio scored two goals in the 2–1 home victory against
Paris Saint-Germain, in the first leg of the semi-final, and he went on to score the only goal in the return leg. Juventus also reached the semi-finals of the
Coppa Italia, losing on away goals to
local rivals and winners
Torino. Juventus finished fourth in Serie A that season, although they managed a 3–1 away win against the Serie A champions Milan, with Baggio scoring a memorable individual goal while also setting-up
Andreas Möller's first goal of the match. One of the highlights of the season involved Baggio scoring four goals in open play against
Udinese in a 5–0 Juventus home win. Baggio was once again runner-up for the Serie A
capocannoniere title with 21 goals and 6 assists. He scored a personal best of 30 goals in all club competitions that season, in addition to five goals with the Italy national team. During the 1993 calendar year, Baggio managed a personal record 39 goals across all competitions, scoring 23 goals in Serie A, 3 in the Coppa Italia, 8 goals in European competitions and 5 goals for Italy, helping his national side qualify for the World Cup. Baggio's performances throughout the year earned him both the
European Footballer of the Year, with 142 points from a possible 150, and the
FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Juventus once again finished runners up to Milan in Serie A, and Baggio finished third in the
capocannoniere title with 17 goals and 8 assists, while the club suffered a quarter-final elimination in the
UEFA Cup against
Cagliari. On 31 October 1993, Baggio scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over
Genoa, which included his 100th Serie A goal; he also set up a goal for Möller during the match. Baggio made his 200th Serie A appearance on 5 December 1993 in a 1–0 win over Napoli. Baggio placed second in the
1994 Ballon d'Or, who was deployed as an outside forward in a
4–3–3 formation. Baggio was injured for most of the season, being ruled out for over three months after sustaining a knee injury against
Padova on 27 November 1994. After scoring from a free-kick, he was substituted by Alessandro Del Piero, who temporarily took his place in the team. Baggio returned to the starting line-up in the first leg of the
Coppa Italia semi-final against
Lazio in
Rome on 8 March 1995, setting up Fabrizio Ravanelli's winner. On his first Serie A match back from injury, on 12 March 1995, Baggio scored Juventus' second goal in a 2–0 win over
Foggia, and set up Ravanelli's goal. Due to his injury, Baggio only managed 17 Serie A appearances, but still contributed to his first
scudetto with Juventus by contributing eight goals and eight assists. He provided assists for three of the goals in the title-deciding match against Parma, which Juventus won 4–0 in
Turin on 21 May 1995. He helped Juventus win the
Coppa Italia that year, notching two goals and two assists, scoring the winning goal in the second leg of the semi-final. He helped lead Juventus to another
UEFA Cup final by scoring four goals, including two goals and an assist over both legs of the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund. Despite Baggio's strong performance, Juventus were defeated in the
UEFA Cup final by Parma. Baggio scored 115 goals in 200 appearances during his five seasons at Juventus; 78 were scored in Serie A in 141 appearances. In 1995, Baggio was nominated for the
Ballon d'Or and placed fifth in the
1995 FIFA World Player of the Year Award. and is the joint tenth-highest goalscorer for Juventus in Serie A, alongside
Pietro Anastasi. He is the sixth-highest Juventus goalscorer in the Coppa Italia with 14 goals, and is also the joint fourth all-time Juventus goalscorer in European competitions, as well as the joint fifth all-time Juventus goalscorer in international competitions, with 22 goals, alongside Anastasi once again.
1995–1997: AC Milan In 1995, Marcello Lippi,
Roberto Bettega and
Umberto Agnelli announced that Baggio no longer featured in their plans at Juventus and decided to focus on the emerging star Alessandro Del Piero, who would inherit Baggio's number 10 shirt. Baggio faced difficulties with Agnelli,
Luciano Moggi, and Juventus management during his final season, as they stated they would only renew his contract if he reduced his salary by 50%. After strong pressure from
AC Milan chairman
Silvio Berlusconi and manager Fabio Capello, Baggio was sold to the Milanese club for £6.8 million, amidst several protests from Juventus fans. At the time, Baggio had been linked with
Inter Milan,
Real Madrid, and English
Premier League clubs
Manchester United and
Blackburn Rovers. Although Baggio initially struggled with injuries at the beginning of his first season with Milan, he came back into the starting line-up and was appointed the main penalty taker. Baggio finished the season with 10 goals in all competitions, in 34 appearances; seven of his goals were scored in
Serie A, in 28 appearances, and he also provided 12 assists in Serie A, making him the top assist provider of the season. He became one of only six players to win the
scudetto in consecutive years with different teams, and was voted the club's best player of the season by the fans, despite playing a more creative role. Towards the end of the season, Baggio had disagreements with Capello due to limited playing time, as Capello believed he was no longer fit enough to play for 90 minutes; although Baggio frequently started matches, he was often substituted during the second half; During the opening of the
1996–97 Serie A under new Milan manager
Óscar Tabárez, Baggio was initially left out of the first team, with the former commenting "[t]here is no place for poets in modern football." Baggio was later able to convince the Uruguayan manager of his abilities and earn himself a spot in the starting line-up; he became the focal point of the team's offensive play, and was initially started in his preferred role behind George Weah, and on occasion as a left-winger or as a central-midfielder playmaker. After a series of disappointing results, Baggio was relegated to the bench, and Milan's former coach
Arrigo Sacchi, also the former Italy manager with whom Baggio had argued following the
1994 World Cup, was called in as a replacement. Although their relationship initially improved, Sacchi gave Baggio limited playing time, and he soon fell out of form, along with the rest of the squad, which caused their relationship to deteriorate again. Milan failed to retain their league title, finishing the season in a disappointing 11th place, and they were knocked out once again in the quarter-finals of the
Coppa Italia. Baggio made his
UEFA Champions League debut in the
1996–97 season, scoring his first goal in the competition, although Milan were eliminated in the group stage. Milan also lost the
1996 Supercoppa Italiana to Fiorentina, as Baggio was left on the bench. During his time at Milan, Baggio scored 19 goals in 67 appearances in all competitions; 12 of his goals were scored in Serie A, in 51 appearances, 3 were scored in the Coppa Italia in 6 appearances, and 4 were scored in European competitions, in 10 appearances. Baggio chose to move to Parma, but the manager at the time,
Carlo Ancelotti, impeded the transfer, as he also did not feel Baggio would fit into his tactical plans. Ancelotti would later state he regretted this decision, stating that in his naïveté, he believed that the
4–4–2 formation was the ideal formation for success, and he felt that at the time, creative players such as
Gianfranco Zola and Baggio were not compatible with this system. Baggio subsequently transferred to
Bologna, aiming to save the squad from relegation, and earn a place at the
1998 FIFA World Cup. Baggio refound his form with the club and had a dominant season, scoring a personal best of 22 goals in
Serie A, as well as providing 9 assists, leading Bologna to an eighth-place finish, allowing them to qualify for the
UEFA Intertoto Cup. Baggio was the highest scoring Italian in Serie A that season, and the third-highest goalscorer in Serie A. His performances earned him a place in Italy's 1998 World Cup squad. Baggio also led Bologna to the round of 16 in the
Coppa Italia, where he scored one goal in three appearances. Although he rose to hero status amongst the fans, Ulivieri later denied ever having any difficulties with Baggio. At the beginning of the season, Baggio cut off his iconic ponytail, signifying his rebirth.
1998–2000: Inter Milan boots in the
San Siro museum, home of Inter and AC Milan After the 1998 World Cup, Baggio signed with his favourite childhood club Inter Milan in order to compete in the
UEFA Champions League. After injuries, disappointing results, and several managerial changes throughout the season, including
Luigi Simoni,
Mircea Lucescu, and
Roy Hodgson, Baggio struggled to gain playing time, and was used out of position as a winger, often as a substitute. Baggio scored five league goals and provided 10 assists in 23 appearances during the
1998–99 season, as Inter finished in eighth place, missing out on a European spot. He helped Inter to a
Coppa Italia semi-final, losing out to eventual winners Parma. Baggio scored a goal against his former club Bologna in a European play-off match, but Inter lost both matches, failing to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Baggio also scored four goals in the Champions League, helping lead Inter through the qualifying rounds to the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Manchester United, also scoring a memorable brace against
defending champions Real Madrid in the group stage. In the
1999–2000 season, Marcello Lippi, Baggio's former manager at Juventus, was appointed as Inter's new coach. Lippi did not favour Baggio and left him out of the squad for most of the season, stating Baggio was out of shape. In his autobiography, Baggio stated Lippi had dumped him after Baggio refused to point out which of Inter's players had expressed negative opinions about the coach, also highlighting an incident during a training session where he called out
Christian Vieri and
Christian Panucci for applauding Baggio for a notable assist. only to be defeated by Lazio. Despite his limited playing time, Baggio still managed several important goals to help Inter to a fourth-place finish, alongside Parma, such as his match winning goal against
Hellas Verona, which he scored after coming off the bench, after being excluded from the team since 18 December 1999. Baggio had also previously helped to set up Inter's equaliser during the match. This was the first time Baggio had scored for Inter since his goal on 27 May of the previous season, and in the post-match the interview, he denied accusations made by Lippi in regard to his personal form. Baggio's last important contribution to Inter was scoring two memorable goals against Parma in the play-off match for the last remaining Champions League place, which Inter won 3–1; Lippi had been forced to field Baggio due to several injuries. Baggio was given a perfect 10 rating from the Italian sports newspaper
La Gazzetta dello Sport, which described his performance as "absolutely perfect all game". This match is considered an example of professionalism shown by Baggio, as Inter president
Massimo Moratti had stated Lippi would only stay on if the team qualified for the Champions League.
2000–2004: Brescia After two years with Inter, Baggio decided not to renew his expiring contract due to his conflicts with Marcello Lippi, making him a free agent at age 33. and also various Premier League and
La Liga clubs, including Barcelona. He was made captain and was given the number 10 shirt, playing as an attacking midfielder. Despite injury problems during the first half of the season, Baggio re-found his form and managed ten goals and ten assists in the
2000–01 season. Brescia finished in a joint seventh place, their best Serie A finish since the league's re-establishment in 1946, and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup, also reaching the quarter-finals of the
Coppa Italia, losing to eventual winners Fiorentina. Baggio helped Brescia to the final of the
2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup, where they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain on away goals. Baggio scored one goal in the tournament, in the final from a penalty. His performances earned him a nomination for the
2001 Ballon d'Or, and he finished 25th overall in the rankings. Baggio was one of the best offensive
playmakers in the league, winning the
Guerin d'oro Award in 2001, awarded by the Italian sports magazine
Guerin Sportivo, to the player with the highest average rating throughout the season with at least 19 appearances. At the start of
2001–02 season, Baggio scored eight goals in the first nine matches, leading him to the top of the Serie A goalscoring table. A week later, against
Venezia, he scored from a penalty, but he endured a more serious injury following a hard challenge which caused him to tear the ACL of his left knee, keeping him out of action for four months. He suffered a second serious injury that season, tearing the meniscus in his left knee, after returning to the team, and coming off the bench, in the
Coppa Italia semi-final against Parma on 31 January 2002. He was operated on 4 February 2002 and he returned for three matches before the end of the season, making a recovery in 76 days. On 21 April 2002, in the first game after his comeback, Baggio came on as a substitute to score two goals against Fiorentina, helping Brescia win the match. Despite Baggio's performances and public demand, Italy national team head coach Giovanni Trapattoni did not deem him fully fit, prompting the coach to leave Baggio out of the final squad for the 2002 World Cup. Trapattoni also expressed concern about bringing Baggio to the World Cup due to the presence of
Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero in his role, believing that this could create a rivalry between the players. After missing out on the tournament, Baggio reversed his initial decision to retire after the World Cup, expressing his intention to surpass the 200 Serie A goal mark. Baggio maintained a high level of performance under new coach
Gianni De Biasi. In the
2003–04 season, the final season of his career, Baggio recorded 12 goals and 11 assists. He scored his 200th goal in Serie A in a 2–2 draw against Parma on 14 March 2004, saving Brescia from relegation, as they finished the season in 11th place. Baggio played his last career match on 16 May 2004 on the final matchday of the season at the
San Siro against Milan, which ended in a 4–2 loss to the Serie A champions; during the game, he set-up
Matuzalém's second goal. In the 88th minute, De Biasi substituted Baggio, prompting the 80,000 present at the San Siro to give him a standing ovation; Milan's captain, defender
Paolo Maldini, who was Baggio's former teammate both with the Italy national team and Milan, also embraced him before he left the pitch. With Brescia, Baggio scored 46 goals in 101 appearances in all competitions, scoring 45 goals in 95 Serie A appearances, and one goal in two European matches. Baggio also made four Coppa Italia appearances with Brescia. Baggio retired as Brescia's all-time leading goalscorer in Serie A. He ended his career with 205 goals in Serie A, making him the seventh-highest scorer of all time, behind Silvio Piola, Francesco Totti (who overtook him in 2011),
Gunnar Nordahl, Giuseppe Meazza,
José Altafini, and
Antonio Di Natale (who overtook him in 2015). Baggio's number 10 shirt was
retired by Brescia in his honour, and he is considered the club's greatest ever player. Before Baggio had joined Brescia, they had never been able to avoid relegation after being newly promoted to Serie A, in over 40 years. During the four years under Baggio, Brescia recorded their best ever Serie A run and were never relegated. == International career ==