RIP Paulo Rossi

Italian world cup winner Paolo Rossi has died aged 64

He was the ultimate poacher in front of goal. Brilliant footballer.

First football game I can vividly remember watching — in a room full of Italians! — was Italy-Brazil in the 1982 World Cup.

Paolo Rossi scored a hatrick that sent them to the final, which they would go on to win.

I was so in awe of Rossi that I spent the rest of the 80s and most of the 90s following Italian football more closely than our own leagues. In fact, that only really ended when Vialli, Zola and DiMatteo went to Chelsea and I found an English team to support.

All Rossi’s fault.

RIP

that probably was one of the world cup's greatest hat tricks and greatest games in it's history and probably one of the best Italian squads ever produced. Rossi was a go master and ususally cojured a goa;l out of nothing. Conceivably one of the world best strikers in his time.

RIP