This is the 306thepisode of my podcast, 'Soccernostalgia Talk Podcast’.
For this
episode, I interview French Author Mr. Mario Morisi, as we discuss his book ‘Roberto
Baggio, Vingt ans de folie italienne et mondiale’ (2026).
This is the third part;
the first part covered the origins until the 1990 World Cup. The second part
covered Fall of 1990 to the 1994 World Cup. This third part covers the period
from the Fall of 1994 to retirement with Brescia in 2004.
This is the first
biography of Roberto Baggio in French.
Mr. Morisi has authored
many books in French and Italian.
For any
questions/comments, you may contact us:
You may also contact me
on this blog, on twitter @sp1873 and on facebook under Soccernostalgia.
This is the 303rdepisode of my podcast, 'Soccernostalgia Talk Podcast’.
For this
episode, I interview French Author Mr. Mario Morisi, as we discuss his book ‘Roberto
Baggio, Vingt ans de folie italienne et mondiale’ (2026).
This is the second part;
the first part covered the origins until the 1990 World Cup. This second part
covers his first years at Juventus until the 1994 World Cup.
This is the first
biography of Roberto Baggio in French.
Mr. Morisi has authored
many books in French and Italian.
For any
questions/comments, you may contact us:
You may also contact me
on this blog, on twitter @sp1873 and on facebook under Soccernostalgia.
This is the 295thepisode of my podcast, 'Soccernostalgia Talk Podcast’.
For this
episode, I interview Scottish Freelance Football Writer Mr. Mark Gordon, as we discuss his book ‘Roberto
Baggio: The World Cup Years’ (2026).
Mr. Gordon specialises in
Scottish, Italian and women’s football but his writing covers many footballing
genres. His work has appeared The Guardian, The Daily Record, The
Sunday Post, She Kicks, and Nutmeg magazines as well as online
outlets such as The Gentleman Ultra, Tifo Football, These
Football Times and The Football Pink
For any
questions/comments, you may contact us:
You may also contact me
on this blog, on twitter @sp1873 and on facebook under Soccernostalgia.
Juventus hosted Napoli on November 9th,
1986, in a match that would have profound repercussions in the title race and
would also signal a change in the balance of power.
This was an early season match (Matchday 9) and
there was still more than 2/3 of the season left.
After the eighth round of matches, the two teams
were joint leaders of the Serie A with 12 points.
Juventus were defending Serie A Champions in their
first post-Trapattoni season (now managing Inter). The new man in charge was
Rino Marchesi. He had the difficult task of following in Trap’s footsteps and
managing a side that was showing signs of age.
French star Michel Platini was still there,
complemented by the younger Danish star Michael Laudrup.
However, Platini was a player in decline, after
nearly five years in the high-pressured atmosphere of the Serie A. Similarly, team
captain Gaetano Scirea, Antonio Cabrini, Sergio Brio and Massimo Bonini among
others were fading forces.
In addition to Laudrup, the younger players
included Massimo Mauro and Aldo Serena.
In contrast, Napoli were starting to become a
power. Argentine Superstar Diego Maradona had transformed Napoli’s fortunes in
couple of seasons. The team had finished third the previous season, in the back
of many transfers possible after the arrival of Maradona.
Maradona had just led Argentina to win the World
Cup, just a couple of months before, and was the undisputed king of Football.
In fact, most of the comparisons made were the
contrasting fortunes of the declining Platini compared to the growing stature
and success of Maradona.
Napoli were managed by Ottavio Bianchi, a former
player with the club in the 60s and 70s. He had managed mostly lower level and
mid-table Serie A teams before his appointment in 1985.
Napoli had been active once more in the transfer
market to build a team worthy of Maradona’s talents.
Italian International midfielder Fernando De
Napoli had arrived from Avellino, while future International striker Andrea
Carnevalle arrived from Udinese.
The team already
consisted of former Verona goalkeeper Claudio Garella, veteran defender
Giuseppe Bruscolotti, veteran International
midfielder Salvatore Bagni and former International and Lazio striker Bruno Giordano.
The team also included a young defender that would go on to be
one of the best in Italy into the next decade (and in fact for Juventus as well),
his name Ciro Ferrara. He would be rewarded with his first cap for his Nation
at the end of the season.
Despite Napoli’s growing strength, at this point,
chances are most observers were still not tipping them to win their first
elusive Scudetto.
Photo From: France
Football, Issue 2118, November 11, 1986
For this match, playing at home, Juventus had a
chance to build a distance between themselves and Napoli.
For the Bianconeri, Scirea was out injured, and
Nicola Caricola started in his place.
After a scoreless first half, Juventus took the
lead through Michael Laudrup in the 49th minute. He knocked in a
rebound after Garella had parried Cabrini’s cross from the left.
In the past, this would have signaled the
opening of the floodgates, but this Napoli had other ideas.
They would pressure to get back into the game
and the tiring Juventus side would give way. It must be remembered that just
days before, Juventus had been involved in a Champions Cup against Real Madrid
that had gone into overtime.
Napoli tied the match in the 72nd
minute. Francesco Romano’s corner from the left was headed across and struck in
by Moreno Ferrario.
Just couple of minutes later Napoli would take
the lead. Diego Maradona’s corner from the right, was headed across by Renica to
the far post for Giordano to knock in.
Juventus
could not get into the match with every passing minute and just at the end,
Napoli dealt the final blow.
Andrea Carnevalle
advanced and was knocked down at the edge of the box and Giuseppe Volpecina
curled in the loose ball from just inside the box on the right side.
This was
Napoli’s first win at Turin in 29 years (last win had been in 1957).
This had
been a bad week for Juventus following the elimination in the Champions Cup vs.
Real Madrid.
These two
losses conditioned Juventus’ season and despite ending as runners-up in the
end, they hardly challenged for the title (Inter being Napoli’s most credible
challenger for most of the season).
In
retrospect, this loss marked the start of the near decade long decline of
Juventus.
Platini
would retire at the end of the season. Italy’s premier club was now not only
being overtaken by Napoli, but soon by Berlusconi’s AC Milan and Inter, for the
coming years.
Photo From: Guerin
Sportivo, No 46 (618), November 12-18, 1986
(November 9, 1986, Juventus
1-Napoli 3)
Perhaps, in
terms of spectacle, this match was not a classic, nor a title decider given the
stage of the season, but was memorable in terms the history of the Serie A.
For the
first time, Napoli as well as the Press and the Public believed they
could win the title.
This change in psyche was
critical as Napoli held on to the lead for the rest of the season.
Maradona cemented his
place further in history, by following a World Cup win, by leading one of the
unfashionable sides to the Serie A title.
They would build upon
this title with another Scudetto in 1990 and the UEFA Cup in 1989. They would
become one of the major players in the Serie A for the following few years and
it all started with this match vs. Juventus.
2- Como, Internazionale Milano, AC Milan,
Roma, Verona 10 points
League
Standings after the match after the 9th Matchday on November 9th,
1986:
1-Napoli 14 points
2- Internazionale Milano, Juventus, Roma 12 points
3- Como 11 points
Photo From: Guerin
Sportivo, No 46 (618), November 12-18, 1986
(November 9, 1986, Juventus
1-Napoli 3)
Photo From: Guerin
Sportivo, No 46 (618), November 12-18, 1986
(November 9, 1986, Juventus
1-Napoli 3)
Date: Sunday, November
9, 1986
Competition: Italian Serie A, 1986/87
Season-Matchday 9
Result:Juventus
Football Club-Torino 1- Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli 3
Venue:Turin (Torino)-Stadio Communale
Attendance:37,433
Referee:Luigi
Agnolin (from Bassano)
Linesmen: -
Kick-off time: -
Goalscorers:
(Juventus): Michael
Laudrup 49
(Napoli): Moreno Ferrario 72, Bruno Giordano 74, Giuseppe Volpecina 90
Summary of goals:
1:0 (49th minute, Juventus): Cabrini’s cross from the left side was parried by
Garella, Laudrup knocked in the rebound.
1:1 (72nd minute, Napoli): Romano’s corner from the left side was headed across and
shot in by Ferrario.
1:2 (74th minute, Napoli): Maradona’s corner from the right side, was headed across
by Renica to the far post and struck in by Giordano.
1:3 (90th minute, Napoli): Carnevalle advanced and was knocked down at the edge of
the box, Volpecina curled in the loose ball from just inside the box on the
right side.
World Cup
Stories; https://www.facebook.com/groups/949738315563259
Soccernostalgia Question: When Juventus
started the 1983/84 season, they had been defeated in the previous season’s
Champions Cup Final vs. SV Hamburg and finished second in the Serie A behind AS
Roma. What were the expectations going into the Cup Winners Cup?
Mr. Deodato Response: The expectations were high. First of all because all
important players remained in Turin. And then because the feeling about Athens
was that Juventus missed the great opportunity to win their first European Cup.
The dream had been quickly destroyed by the shot made by Magath and for the
rest of the game it was clear: Juventus is not the usual Juventus. Because of
this, even though Athens had been a bad moment for Juventus fans, there was a
renewed trust on Juventus, hoping to see them taking a revenge somehow in
Europe.
Soccernostalgia Question: The major
transfers in the off-season had been the arrivals of Goalkeeper Stefano Tacconi
(from Avellino), Nicola Caricola (from Bari) in defense, Roberto Tavola (from
Lazio, back from loan) and Beniamino Vignola (from Avellino) in midfield and Domenico
Penzo (from Verona) upfront. The departures included the retirement of Dino
Zoff and the loss of Roberto Bettega to the NASL. In hindsight were any of the
arrival critical in the European matches that season (besides Vignola that is)?
Mr. Deodato Response: The arrival of Stefano Tacconi was important but
could still caused some uncertainties. The question in those days was: how can
Juventus ever succeed in substituting the legendary Dino Zoff? It seemed
impossible. For months Juventus had contacted the best young goalkeepers and
the one who was very close to join Juventus was Ascoli goalkeeper Fabio Brini.
He stopped penalty kicks against the best teams and many journalists and
experts saw him as the "new Zoff". As Juventus contacted Ascoli, Ascoli
president Costantino Rozzi asked for a high amount as he also considered Brini
the new Zoff. So Juventus opted for Tacconi instead who also had played a good
season. At the end, Brini moved to Udinese and played with Zico while Tacconi
became the new Juventus goalkeeper for years winning everything possible. Pity
that he never had space with the National team and pity also that Brini has not
had the chance to join Juventus. Udinese was a wonderful team with Zico but
Juventus played for years at the top level and competitions. Caricola was a
good choice, Tavola did not have lot of space while Penzo was expected to be
the new unstoppable scorer because of his stats and performances with Verona.
He had a great start with 4 goals in a match with Lechia but the problem was
that Juventus had Rossi, Platini and Boniek upfront. With Vignola there was
more balance and fantasy.
Soccernostalgia Question: The first
round turned out to be very easy with Juventus comfortable winners over Polish
side Lechia Gdansk? The main talking point was Boniek playing against his
compatriots. What do you remember from these matches?
Mr. Deodato Response: Before the first leg, Boniek said: "We must win
but without piling it on, it will be difficult for Lechia players to play in
front of 70.000 people". And they won 7-0. In the second leg in Poland,
the fans in Gdansk booed Boniek for 90 minutes and he answered scoring the
winning goal at minute 83 (Lechia - Juventus 2-3). Walesa was at the stadium
and all fans stood up and screamed "Solidarnosc". Walesa thanked the
fans by taking a bow. Overall I have the memory of an unstoppable Juventus in
Serie A and in the Cup Winners Cup.
Photo From: Guerin Sportivo, Issue 38 (456), September
21-27, 1983
(September 14, 1983, Cup Winners Cup, Juventus 7-Lechia Gdansk 0)
Photo From: Guerin Sportivo, Issue 40 (458), October 5-11,
1983
(September 28, 1983, Cup Winners Cup, Lechia Gdansk 2-Juventus 3)
Soccernostalgia Question: The
second-round tie vs. French side Paris St Germain was a bit trickier. There
surely would have been some talk about Platini this time playing against his
compatriots. Juventus did well away from home and were almost winning before
PSG struck in the last minute. Despite this, a (2-2) away tie was very
beneficial to Juventus. For the away leg in typical Trapattoni fashion,
Juventus maintained a scoreless tie to advance on away-goals rule? What was the
general view of Juventus’ performance?
Mr. Deodato Response: Juventus had to face Paris Saint-Germain, the team
which wanted to sign Platini in the previous seasons. Juventus was very close
to win in Paris but for an Italian team the draw with two goals on the road had
always considered (and it really was) a good result. Boniperti had the opinion
that Platini had been influenced by the boos he received and Platini confirmed
that it was true. Le Roi Michel also added that Susic had mad too many fouls
and that Gentile and Caricola will remember it for the second leg.
In Turin Juventus could qualify with a 0-0 draw with Paris Saint-Germain
constantly attacking at the end of the match. It was a very good result as
Juventus came from two defeats in a row in Serie A in the derby with Torino and
against Sampdoria.
Photo From: France Football, Issue 1959, October 25, 1983
(October 19, 1983, Cup Winners Cup, Paris St Germain 2-Juventus 2)
Photo From: France Football, Issue 1961, November 8, 1983
(November 2, 1983, Cup Winners Cup, Juventus 0-Paris St Germain
0)
Soccernostalgia Question: Juventus
entered the Springtime Quarterfinals as Serie A Leadesr with Platini on fire
having won the Ballon d’Or at the end of 1983. On paper, their opponents, the
Finnish side of Haka Valkeakoski seemed vastly inferior. Yet, Juventus seemed
to struggle breaking down their defense and ‘only’ won (1-0) home and away. What
do you remember from these matches?
Mr. Deodato Response: The general expectation was to see Juventus winning
by 4 or 5 in each game as nobody had ever heard of Haka. In Finland Juventus
had many chances to score but the winning goal came in the last minute and was
scored by Beniamino Vignola. Platini did not play a good match and a signal
came in the previous days as he travelled to France and gave signs of being
nervous. The match was played in Strasbourg and Platini had awaited a better
welcome from the French fans. Moreover, France Football had written a tough
article on Platini accusing him of being too much linked to his ancestral
Italian origins and that for the European Cup, he will need to get rid of the
Italian clothes. In the second leg Juventus won only by 1 with a goal scored by
Tardelli and fans whistled Juventus. Platini was injured and did not play.
Trapattoni said to the journalists: "The players are offended. What do
fans expected?". True, 1-0 was not the expected results for the fans. But
Juventus had lost in Verona some days before and could keep only 2 points
advantage on Roma. This might have influenced the game with Haka.
Photo From: France Football, Issue 1979, March 13, 1984
(March 7, 1984, Cup Winners Cup, Haka Valkeakoski 0-Juventus 1)
Soccernostalgia Question: It was at the
Semifinals stage that Juventus came across a strong opponent in Manchester
United. The first leg Juventus did well to come away with a tie (1-1), but
nothing was decided yet. In the second leg, Paolo Rossi scored Juventus’ winner
in the end for a (2-1) win Was this Juventus’ best performance in Europe that
season?
Mr. Deodato Response: The game in Manchester was played some days before
the clash Roma - Juventus with Juventus 3 points ahead of Roma. Juventus knew
that they had to obtain a good result in England and also be ready for Roma.
Before the match Manchester accused Juventus to have paid the referee.
Boniperti: "Manchester fans are upset because they fear that we will sign
Robson? They should not be worried, they can keep him". The game was tough
and Robson did not play but Juventus could get a 1-1 draw. The second leg in
Turin was also 1-1 until some minute before the end when Rossi scored a great
goal. The newspapers wrote: "A great goal, in Paolo Rossi's style".
Rating for Paolo Rossi: 7.5.
Photo From: France Football, Issue 1984, April 17, 1984
(April 11, 1984, Cup Winners Cup, Manchester United 1-Juventus
1)
Photo From: Guerin Sportivo, Issue 18 (488), May 2-8, 1984
(April 25, 1984, Cup
Winners Cup, Juventus 2- Manchester United 1)
Soccernostalgia Question: The Final vs.
Porto was somewhat unspectacular in retrospect. In Trapattoni fashion, Juventus
just did enough to win (2-1). How do you regard the Final?
Mr. Deodato Response: I have other memories in mind. I remember the stadium
plenty of Juventus fans in Basel. A bianconeri wall all around, Juventus taking
the lead with Vignola followed by the equalizer of Porto and right before the
end of the first half, the goal scored by Boniek. I never had the impression
that Juventus could risk to lose that game or even to get a second goal.
Juventus seemed to be in their best day, solid, sure, keen to win. These have
been the ratings of the players by Italian newspapers: Tacconi 7, Gentile 7.5,
Cabrini 7, Bonini 6.5, Brio 6.5, Scirea 7, Vignola 7, Tardelli 7, Rossi 6.5,
Platini 7.5, Boniek 8.
Photo From: France
Football, Issue 1989, May 22, 1984
(May 16, 1984, Cup
Winners Cup, Juventus 2- Porto 1)
Soccernostalgia Question: As the season
progressed, Beniamino Vignola became Juevntus’ revelation in Serie A and Europe
(scoring in the Final vs. Porto and a key winner vs. Haka). He never seemed to
build up on the success of this season. Why do you think that was?
Mr. Deodato Response: Vignola was the great solution coming from the bench.
In that season he gave Juventus and unexpected great added value with class,
precision and mental presence. He was always focused on the results of Juventus
and always succeeded in offering creativity. In the following seasons Agnelli
continued having faith on Platini, in both 1984-85, in 1985-86 and also in
1986-87. Vignola waited until the end of the 1984-85 season with just a couple
of matches in Europe with 2 goals scored to Grasshoppers and a good number of
games in Serie A. He wanted more space but Agnelli could not give such a
guarantee. He moved then to Verona but Juventus fans have a good memory of this
great player.
Soccernostalgia Question: The Serie A
would have always been Juventus’ main objective. Do you feel Juventus were
mostly untested in Europe that season due to the luck of the draw?
Mr. Deodato Response: I dont see it this way. In the first round it was
always probable to meet a weaker team. In the second round (Round of 16),
Juventus drew one of the toughest teams, Paris Saint-Germain. Before the draw,
when he had been asked which team he wants to avoid, Platini answered
"Paris Saint-Germain". The draw with Haka was luck on one side but
also caused a lack of concentration. Juventus was busy in Serie A and they
thought that it woud have been very easy. It wasnt. My feeling is that
Juventus, the fans, the players, the managers, had the great wish to win both
competitions. Scudetto had more importance not only for the title but for the possibility
to make a new try in the main competitions and win it.
Soccernostalgia Question: This was
perhaps Paolo Rossi’s last good season. He came through in the Manchester
United matches. How do you assess his general season in Europe?
Mr. Deodato Response: When Paolo Rossi played, above all after the good
previous season, everyone exptected him to score tons of goals. At the end he
scored in the most decisive moment and, as also Trapattoni said, he helped the
team by creating spaces for the other player. When you have Platini, Boniek,
Rossi and Vignola it is a good thing not to let the opponents know, who will
attack in the center of the defence. Rossi had learned to move more on the left
or right side and leave room to Platini and Boniek. He had learned that all
defenders had studied him and wanted to stop the World Cup champion and top
scorer.
Soccernostalgia Question: One cannot
talk about that season without mentioning Michel Platini. However, in Europe,
he did not seem as dominant. Was it a question of tactics?
Mr. Deodato Response: After Athens and the defeat with Hamburg Platini has
surely had a period where he had to rebreath. It was always hard for him to
understand why Italians think of football 7 days out of 7 while in France only
in the 2 days of the games, on Sunday and Wednesday. Still, when he did not
play, Juventus missed him like in Juventus - Haka in Turin. He scored 20 goals
in Serie A with only 3 penalty kicks. He knew that it was his main job: win the
Scudetto (his first one) and book the ticket for the next European Cup. And
this with the European Championships with France in his mind.
Soccernostalgia Question: In closing, this
was Juventus’s second consecutive European Final and in some way was a
consolation after the heartbreak of Athens in 1983. How do Juventus fans regard
this season’s Cup Winners Cup victory?
Mr. Deodato Response: It was a beautiful moment because it was the
confirmation that Juventus belonged to the top European teams. The thought was
that Juventus was the best team, with the best players and that in two years
only one match had been wrong, the one in Athens. We exclude in this count the
first months after the arrival of Platini who needed time to get used to Italy.
In Juventus fans' expectations, nobody could have stopped them in Europe in the
season to come.
Juventus Matches during the Cup Winners Cup, 1983/84 Season:
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