FRANCO BARESI

FRANCO BARESI

9. FRANCO BARESI Italy

Baresi was the keystone of an Italian defence that went into the tournament having conceded only one goal in their previous nine games, and maintained their form through the early stages.
The calm distributor in a back line that also included Giuseppe Bergomi, Paolo Maldini and Riccardo Ferri, Baresi’s unflustered reading of the game helped bring clean sheets against Austria, USA, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay and the Republic of Ireland.
When they finally conceded a goal, following a misjudgement by Walter Zenga in the semi-final, it proved terminal, as Italy lost to Argentina on penalties, despite Baresi coolly despatching the first kick of the shoot-out.

SALVATORE ‘TOTO’ SCHILLACHI

SALVATORE ‘ SCHILLACHI

1. SALVATORE ‘TOTO’ SCHILLACHI Italy

Italy went into the tournament having scored just two goals in their last seven warm-up games, and with nobody convinced by Azeglio Vicini’s centre-forward pairing of Gianluca Vialli and Andrea Carnevale.
They needed a striker to hit a hot streak as Paolo Rossi had done in 1982, and they found him in Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, a Sicilian who had been called into the squad of the back of 15 goals in his first season at Juventus after seven seasons in Serie B.
He replaced Carnevale after 75 minutes of Italy’s opening game against Austria, and within four minutes had headed in Vialli’s cross for the game’s only goal. He celebrated with manic, bulging eyes; they would become a feature of the tournament.
Schilaci came off the bench against USA and then, handed a start in what was effectively a dead-rubber against Czechoslovakia, he headed in Giuseppe Giannini’s miscued shot. That kept him in the side for the second-round game against Uruguay, and he swept the opener in a 2-0 win.
He got the winner against the Republic of Ireland in the quarter, heading in after Packie Bonner had parried Roberto Donadoni’s shot, and put Italy ahead in their semi-final defeat to Argentina. A penalty in the third place play-off ensured the Golden Boot was his.