Paolo Rossi’s 1982 Ballon d’Or win is a story of one man who overcame adversity and against all odds rose to the very top of world football.
He became only the third Italian to win the award after Juventus’ Omar Sívori in 1961 and AC Milan midfielder Gianni Rivera eight years later.
The manner in which the striker won his greatest individual accolade is one of the game’s most magical tales.
Paolo Rossi fought his way back from the depths of scandal to become a global superstar.
From Rock Bottom to 1982 Ballon d’Or winner
‘Totonero’ was the name given to a monumental match-fixing scandal which shook the foundations of Italian football in 1980.
Those wrapped up in the scandal included teams from both Serie A and B along with Rossi’s Perugia who were found guilty.
It was a personal disaster for the striker, banned for his association with the club for three years, later reduced to two years although he continued to protest innocence throughout.
It meant that Rossi was unable to play during the 1980 European Championship with hosts Italy eventually finishing fourth.
The Italian missed the entirety of the 1980/81 Serie A season yet was still able to complete his transfer to Juventus for €1.75m in the summer of 1981.
Once the ban was lifted, Rossi finally returned to action at the end of the 1981/82 season, playing just three games and scoring a single goal.
With barely a competitive game under his belt, Rossi was selected for Enzo Bearzot’s Italian World Cup squad, destined for European glory.
Top Of The World
Rossi made a quiet start to their 1982 World Cup campaign and during Italy’s first two group matches failed to get on the scoresheet.
But when it truly mattered, the striker would deliver crucial and memorable moments.
Rossi scored a hat-trick against Brazil in their closing group game as Italy went on to secure their place in the semi-finals.
He was again invaluable during his country’s final four clash vs Portugal by scoring both goals as they defeated Poland 2-0.
Italy faced West Germany in the World Cup final with the Italians featuring in their first since a 4-1 defeat to the mighty 1970 Brazil team.
Rossi hit the first goal of the final as Italy beat West Germany 3-1 to win their third World Cup and a first since way back in 1938.
The forward ended the competition with six goals, winning the Golden Boot as top goalscorer and Golden Ball, judged to be player of the tournament.
Rossi is one of only three players and the only European to have won the World Cup along with being named top scorer and best player – joining both the Brazilian Garrincha in 1962 and Argentina’s Mario Kempes in 1978.
The achievement capped a spectacular individual comeback for Rossi. Only two years prior to his international triumph, the Italian had found himself facing expulsion from the game and a career full of uncertainty.
Yet by the end of 1982, Rossi had risen above the accusations and trauma, crowned Champion of the World.
1982 Ballon d’Or Top 20
| Rank | Name | Club(s) | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paolo Rossi | Juventus | Italy | 115 |
| 2 | Alain Giresse | Bordeaux | France | 64 |
| 3 | Zbigniew Boniek | Juventus | Poland | 53 |
| 4 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Bayern Munich | West Germany | 51 |
| 5 | Bruno Conti | Roma | Italy | 48 |
| 6 | Rinat Dasayev | Spartak Moscow | Soviet Union | 17 |
| 7 | Pierre Littbarski | 1. FC Köln | West Germany | 10 |
| 8 | Dino Zoff | Juventus | Italy | 9 |
| 9 | Michel Platini | Juventus | France | 5 |
| 10 | Bernd Schuster | Barcelona | West Germany | 4 |
| 11 | Giancarlo Antognoni | Fiorentina | Italy | 3 |
| 12 | Bruno Pezzey | Eintracht Frankfurt | Austria | 2 |
| Gaetano Scirea | Juventus | Italy | 2 | |
| Eric Gerets | Standard Liège | Belgium | 2 | |
| 15 | Paul Breitner | Bayern Munich | West Germany | 1 |
| Torbjörn Nilsson | IFK Göteborg | Sweden | 1 | |
| Walter Schachner | Cesena | Austria | 1 | |
| Marco Tardelli | Juventus | Italy | 1 | |
| Marius Trésor | Bordeaux | France | 1 |
Trivia
Aside from his five appearances made during the 1982 World Cup, Paolo Rossi played six other games for Italy during the calendar year, failing to score in any of them!
Runner up Alian Giresse won both the French Player of the Year and Onze d’Or in 1982 – an award handed out by prestigious football publication Onze Mondial.
Zbigniew Boniek won the Polish league title with Widzew Łódź before moving to Juventus – where he would go on to win some of Europe’s biggest honours – including Serie A, the Coppa Italia and 1985’s European Cup.
