Roberto Baggio

"I knew what I had to do and my concentration was perfect. But I was so tired that I tried to hit the ball too hard."

"Penalties are only missed by those who have the courage to take them. (Italian: I rigori li sbaglia solo chi ha il coraggio di tirarli.)"

"I have lost three World Cups, all on penalties. [...] If you'll allow me this, it really gets on my nerves."

"The angels sing in his legs."

"More productive than Maradona; he [Baggio] is without doubt the best number 10 in the league.""

"Baggio. Oh yes, oh yes…oh yes! What a goal by Baggio! That's the goal they’ve all been waiting for!"

"I had the good fortune to have seen [Giuseppe] Meazza, and I thought of him when I saw Baggio play. Baggio has fantasy."

"Roby is a great nine and a half."

"He looks like a wet rabbit."

"Baggio is the greatest little player I've ever seen."

"He has the kind of skill people dream about."

"There's not a team in the world that wouldn't like to have him in their line-up."

"He's without doubt the most skilful number ten in the modern game, the archetypal playmaker, if you like, who can create chances and score goals."

"One games stands out in particular, one against Ancona which we won 5–1. Baggio scored four goals in the first 20 minutes and killed the game off. I don't think I've seen a better performance from any player in any game I've ever played in. For half an hour, he was on fire. As footballers go, he's a genius."

"Roberto Baggio was the best player I ever played against; he made football look very easy."

"Baggio on the bench? It's something that I will never understand in my lifetime."

"Roberto Baggio was the best Italian fantasista; he was better than Meazza and Boniperti, and he was amongst the greatest of all time, right behind Maradona, Pelé, and maybe Cruyff. Without the injury problems and the difficulties with his knees, he would have been the very best player in history."

"I said, ‘No, you have to play striker.’ Baggio went to another club. That year Baggio scored 25 [actually 22] goals – for Bologna! I lost 25 goals! Big mistake."

"One of the greatest ever."

"He's a fantastic guy, he can play football like few others can, without a doubt the best player I've played with."

"I remember when I was six years old and there was only one idol for me: Roberto Baggio."