By Patrick Omorodion

It is 28 years since the Azurris of Italy inflicted a 3-2 pain on star-studded Brazil in the semi final of the World Cup in Spain but the agony is still with Brazilian fans who are yet to forgive the tormentor in-chief on the Italian side, Paolo Rossi.

Disclosing this himself to the WorldSoccer magazine recently, Rossi said the 1982 World Cup semi final match against Brazil remains his best in his whole career especially because of the three goals he scored that sent the Brazilians packing.

He told the magazine that because of those goals, he still gets recognised around the world especially in Brazil where he is so hated that no taxi driver wants to carry him as he stressed that he would have been happier if he was playing today because of the mega bucks players are now earning.

“I am happy with what I achieved in my career, I cannot complain really. It’s funny, I still get recognised all over the world and in Brazil, even today, I cannot take a taxi (because) I cannot find a driver who is willing to take me,”he confessed.

He also said that he has written his autobiography with the title, I Made Brazil Cry, adding that he was very happy about his hat-trick against Brazil because they were his first in a tournament after coming out of from a two-year ban .

“My three goals were my first in a tournament where only my manager Enzo Bearzot and my team-mates believed in me after a two-season ban. I Made Brazil Cry is the title of my autobiobraphy. It’s true, it really happened.”

He said people should not criticise players for earning fat salaries because “If a champion earns a lot of money, it is because he also creates a lot of money”, adding that the difference between his playing days and now is that the game has become less genuine with less passion.

“Today there is much more tactical organisation, better physical training, we see football that is much more ‘intense’ and faster, but I feel there’s also less passion for the game, it has also become less genuine.

The players are more distant from the ordinary people- and I do not mean just because of their huge salaries, but for a general unwillingness to meet with fans. Human contact in football is increasingly becoming a rarity,” he said.

He picked three players, Michel Platini, Diego Maradona and Zico as the best players of his generation. “Platini for his intelligence, Maradona for his superior talent and Zico for his humility, which is a rare quality for a superstar of that calibre. They played to win, they played for their team-mates and they played for the people before themselves,”he said.