USA '94 was a World Cup with many firsts. It was the first WC to be played outside Europe or South America, the first to assign three points for a win, the first to be decided on penalties, the first one with the name of the players printed on the back of the shirts. It was also the first time that a World Cup was held in a country fundamentally indifferent to football. The USA preferred, and continues to prefer, American football, basketball and baseball. The irony of fate wanted Russia's World Cup debut, after the fall of the Soviet Union, to be in the United States. And it was a Russian, Oleg Salenko, to establish the record for most goals in a single game by scoring 5 against Cameroon! Brazil won the Cup after a 24-year drought; Brazil won their fourth title, outpacing Italy and Germany who have three each. Oddly, this Brazil team was weaker than many others (1982 one was a better team on the whole), but they finally found a real goal scorer. The ace in the hole for the golden-green side was Romario, the Baixinho (the shrimp) who scored five goals in 1994. His brother-in-arms was Bebeto, who scored another three. Another strong point of Parreira's team was the defence, with Aldair and Marcio Santos as centre-backs, Cafu and Branco as full-backs. Three storied teams were absent in the American World Cup: Uruguay, France and England. On the other hand, the tournament held many surprises which astonished the world; Sweden (with the goalkeeper Ravelli, Brolin and Kennet Andersson) and Hristo Stoichkov's Bulgaria placed third and fourth respectively. Gheorghe Hagi's Romania impressed and Saudi Arabia reached un unthinkable second round; Al-Owairan scored a wonderful goal which resembles Maradona's one in 1986 in an impressive way.

Italy was one of the favourites. The coach of the Azzurri was Arrigo Sacchi, the man who amazed the world with his spectacular and attacking Milan between the 80s and the 90s. Italy's star was the reigning Ballon d'Or Roberto Baggio, one of the best number tens ever. The Italian World Cup started awfully however, losing to Ireland. Qualification to the second round came by the skin of their teeth thanks to a particularity of the tournament; Italy qualified as the fourth best third placed team in all the groups.  A miracle helped the Azzurri, but things were about to change, as Roberto Baggio took off. In the second round, against Nigeria, the Codino (ponytail) scored the equaliser with minute to go, then netted a penalty kick in extra time. In the quarter finals another last minute victory arrived; Roberto Baggio scored the final goal from an impossible position: 2-1 against Spain. That match made history for Tassotti's elbow to Luis Enrique; the Italian was suspended for 8 games thanks to TV replays. Italy overran Bulgaria in the semifinal with another brilliant double by Roberto Baggio. His overflowing talent led Italy to the final, a copy of 24 years before: Italy-Brazil. The South-Americans beat the United States, the Netherlands and Sweden after the Group stage. The Azzurri reached that game quite battered. Baresi had just returned from an injury – he underwent surgery on his meniscus 20 days prior – Baggio still suffering the consequences of a muscular ailment felt in the semifinal, while Tassotti was suspended. Weather conditions were prohibitive in Pasadena, where the final was played. Heat and high humidity made it impossible to play at a highly competitive level. Brazil hit the post with Mauro Silva's long-distance drive and tried to score a goal at least, but Italy's defence endured for two hours. Penalties, and apart from Massaro, two key players who made every effort to be at Pasadena failed: Baresi and Roberto Baggio. Brazil scored three, and that was enough to raise their fourth World Cup. Brazilian players dedicated the victory to Ayrton Senna, the Formula One champion who died a few weeks earlier in a car accident in the Grand Prix of Imola.

Roberto Baggio, 1967. 56 caps and 27 goals for Italy. He was expected to be a star of USA '94 and he delivered. Roberto Baggio was the leader who dragged Italy towards the final; unfortunately for him his missed penalty, his head hung low while the Brazilians were running to celebrate their victory, are still images impressed into World Cup history. Baggio was one of the few players loved by every Italian: he wore the three main clubs' shirts (Juventus, Milan and Inter) but he never fully identified with one in particular, although his best spell coincided with his Juventus years, where he won an Italian title and a UEFA Cup, scoring 78 goals in Serie A. Baggio won a Scudetto with Milan, but his spell in Rossonero was negative on the whole; in his second season there, Milan fell into a deep crisis that led up to Arrigo Sacchi's return. That was the beginning of an endless debate between them. After a happy one-year break at Bologna, his years in Nerazzurro weren't better. Once more Baggio was unlucky because Inter was enduring a very bad period. Baggio was there in the season when Inter changed four coaches (three were sacked) and in Lippi's disastrous first campaign, who regularly excluded him from the starting eleven. Before leaving Inter, Baggio gave a gift to the fans who never stopped supporting him, scoring a double in a playoff against Parma for a Champions League place.

 

Baggio is part of Italian heritage. Maybe, that was the reason why he always gave it all for La Nazionale. He was a hugely gifted forward who could play equally well as a striker or as a trequartista, a position which – actually – he was rarely deployed in. He had irresistible dribbling, devastating bursts of speed, endless fantasy and he was also a penalty area killer. He scored 205 times in Serie A, still the sixth best all-time scorer. His gems are innumerable: the slalom through Napoli's players in 1989-90, the goal against Czechoslovakia at Italy '90, his pool shot against Spain at USA '94, his impossible control-cum-dribble against Juventus in 2001 are only a taste. The Codino argued with almost every coach he had. He was barely disposed to tactical constraints and his presence by itself lured the greatest attention, something that some prima donna coaches didn't like. Baggio was tormented by injuries during his entire career. Two, very serious, occured when he was 18 and 19 years old. He also suffered a lot of muscular problems and another knee injury in 2002 that prevented him from playing the 2002 World Cup. Although he recovered in an unbelievably short time, Italy's coach Trapattoni didn't call him. Yet he played football until aged 37, mainly because he took a crucial decision in 2000: leaving Inter to sign for Brescia, where he found for the first time a coach, Carlo Mazzone, who gave him carte blanche and considered him essential for the team. Baggio played four seasons at Brescia – a minor club - maintaining an astonishing goal average: 45 goals in 95 games.

 

Aldair, 1965. 83 caps and 4 goals for Brazil. World champion in 1994. Not many Brazilians know that the pillar of their national team's defence in 1994 was dubbed Pluto (Goofy's dog in the Disney comics). Roma fans gave him that nickname for his apparently awkward gait. Aldair was one of the Roma's strongest centre-backs and, maybe, one of Brazil's best defenders ever. His lack of pace was compensated by anticipation, aerial abilities and an uncommon technique. If Aldair had been deployed in midfield no one would bat an eyelid thanks to his vision of the game and his attacking raids; he was an essential player in each phase of the game. At the time of USA '94 Aldair had just closed his fourth season in Giallorosso; another nine would come. He was shy and reserved, the Paparazzi soon gave up hoping to find him at a disco or in a bar at night. Compared to the Brazilian cliché, Aldair was precisely the opposite. Aldair's chats with the press were so few that he barely learned Italian, he only knew a handful of sentences. Roma fans loved him for his loyalty to Roma. To honour him, Roma retired his number 6, which was dusted off – with his permission - in the summer of 2013 after Kevin Strootman's arrival. There's another reason why Aldair is so deeply linked with Roma's recent history. In 1998, the Brazilian decided to gave his armband to Francesco Totti, the Pupone remains Roma's captain. “The moment of responsibilities had come for him”, Aldair said. Apart from the 1994 World Cup, Aldair won the Copa America and a Confederations Cup. With Roma he won the Italian title in 2001, a Coppa Italia in 1991 and an Italian Supercup in 2001.

Gheorghe Hagi, 1965. 125 caps and 35 goals for Romania. Hagi is a living legend in his home country; he's the best Romanian footballer ever. He's dubbed “the Maradona of the Carpathians”, a stadium is named after him. His gifted left foot, his class and genius really recalled el Pibe de Oro. He played in three World Cups: 1990, 1994 and 1998, but his best one was certainly USA '94, when he nearly reached the semifinals, losing a dramatic quarter final on penalties with Sweden. To play at his 100 percent, Hagi needed to be the undisputed leader of his team. That's the reason why he struggled to establish himself at Real Madrid and Barcelona, whereas he played magnificently with Sportul and Steaua Bucharest in Romania and, in the later years, with Galatasaray in Turkey. Hagi reached USA having just finished his Italian spell. He joined Brescia to link up with his mentor Mircea Lucescu, Hagi played there for two seasons. It was an odd situation: one of the best football talents playing in a minor club. For “le Rondinelle” fans it was like a daydream. Unfortunately Hagi descended into Serie B in his first season at Brescia, but he stayed and conquered an immediate promotion, along with Lucescu and his team-mate and compatriot Ioan Sabau. At the end of his second season, Hagi left to join Barcelona. He scored 15 goals for the Rondinelle. 

Hristo Stoichkov, 1966. 81 caps and 36 goals for Bulgaria. Just one year after he enchanted the world at USA '94 (and won the Ballon d'Or), Stoichkov also wanted to measure himself in Italy. In 1995 he signed for Parma, who at the time was one the most ambitious emerging Serie A clubs LINK. His arrival enriched the already stellar Italian football league; the Bulgarian joined Baggio, Batistuta, Balbo, Weah, Maldini, Baresi and Zola, who became his team-mate. Parma fans dreamed of the Scudetto and they had good reason to, as the Crociati had a stunning side: the youngsters Buffon and Cannavaro in defence along with the Azzurri Benarrivo and Apolloni, the Swede Thomas Brolin and Dino Baggio – two key players at USA '94 – in the midfield and Gianfranco Zola, the Colombian Faustino Asprilla and a young Pippo Inzaghi as attackers. And then, the Bulgarian: he was really among the best around, he could be deployed in every attacking position or behind the forwards as a number ten. Dribbling, technique and strength were his best skills. The Bulgarian came from five unforgettable seasons at Barcelona, where he was one of the Dream Team's pillars. That team, led by Johan Crujff, managed to amass four Spanish titles in a row and its first European Cup in 1992 against Sampdoria. Stoichkov left Catalonia due to a controversy with Crujff.

 

“He banished me because he couldn't tolerate that at Barça I won more than him in all his career af footballer” said Hristo about Crujff one minute after having left Spain. In fact, Stoichkov's character was too similar to Crujff's one: proud, dreadfully irascible, sometimes quarrelsome. Early days in Italy were encouraging as he scored four goals in five games. In addition, he netted a wonderful free kick in the Cup Winners' Cup, then the lights turned off. The 'ayatollah' (he was dubbed this thanks to his goal celebration, both arms raised to the sky) had quit preaching. Some said that Parma, a small city, was oppressive for him, some that he antagonised most of the dressing room and others said that Hristo suffered from the unexpected competition from Inzaghi. History shows that at the end of the season Stoichkov left Parma to return to Barcelona, where – in the meanwhile - his enemy Crujff had already left. But Hristo's career was almost over, he played another two seasons in Blaugrana, then he started a golden peregrination in Saudi Arabia, Japan and the United States.

OTHER CHAPTERS: 1930 | 1934 | 1938 | 1950 | 1954 | 1958 | 1962 | 1966 | 1970 | 1974 | 1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1990 | 1998 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010

 

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