On 5 May 1985 Roberto Baggio was 18 and Fiorentina were about to buy him. That day, in a game against Rimini, he tore his cruciate ligament and meniscus. It took more than a year to come back. He ended his career with 205 goals in Serie A.
Caldogno
Baggio was born in Caldogno, near Vicenza, on 18 February 1967: the sixth of eight children. At 13 he joined Vicenza's youth teams and at 16 he made his debut in Serie C1.
The injury
On 5 May 1985, against Rimini, his knee gave way: anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus. He had surgery in France and rehabilitation took more than a year.
Fiorentina, who had decided to sign him, didn't back out and waited.
The return
He made his Serie A debut on 21 September 1986. His first goal came on 10 May 1987, a penalty against Napoli. From 1987 to 1990 he scored 39 goals in 94 games for Fiorentina.
Juventus and the World Cup
In 1990 Juventus bought him for about 25 billion lire, a record: in Florence fans protested in the streets. In five seasons he scored 115 goals, won the UEFA Cup in 1993 and the league in 1995.
In 1994 he led Italy to the World Cup final, lost on penalties to Brazil.
Until Brescia
He then played for Milan, where he won another title, Bologna, Inter and Brescia, where he retired in 2004 as captain. With 205 goals he is among Serie A's all-time top scorers; for Italy he scored 27 goals in 56 games.
What you can learn if you're a winger or playmaker
The tips below are ideas taken from this story, not promises: every career is different.
- A serious injury at 18 doesn't end a career: what counts is how you do your rehab, day after day.
- When you can, choose a club that believes in you even in hard times.
- Technique and creativity are trained with thousands of touches, even on your own.
Sources
Facts checked on 29 September 2026 against public sources. No sentence is invented or put in the player's mouth. Found a mistake? Write to us.