An Ode to Il Divino Codino

As we celebrate the 52nd birthday of Roberto Baggio this week, I took it upon myself to take a trip down memory lane and share my own personal experience with Il Divino Codino, or 'The Divine Ponytail.'

Most fans' favorite players either play for their national team or their club team. Roberto Baggio neither played for Malaysia, my home country, nor Argentina, my preferred national team, nor Huddersfield Town, my favorite club. And yet, he was the one I identified with the most, the man who captivated my attention and love, my favorite player. You could say it was an extramarital affair, but in a footballing sense.

I fell in love with Baggio during his time with the Azzurri in the 1990 World Cup. I still remember his goal against Czechoslovakia like it was yesterday. He dribbled the ball from halfway line, beating several players before firing it with his right foot. It reminded me of Diego Maradona’s goal of the century against England four years earlier.

Over the next four years, I only managed to follow his career distantly, as we didn’t have any coverage of Italian football on our local channel.