Road to the World Cup
A mere 23 days and change until the greatest sports spectacle begins. Held in Germany this year, the 2006 World Cup is being met with unprecedented television coverage here in the states and an all time high in demand for tickets. A sports atmoshphere unparalled by anything else in modern history, the World Cup's four year cycle makes it the most looked forward to event in sports by far.

We will start are coverage today by looking at perhaps one of Italy's finest goal scorers in its World Cup history.

Paolo Rossi
From Prato, Italy, Rossi made a name for himself in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups in Argentina and Spain. The drama that surrounded this young phenom was a game fixing scandal where he allegedly worked to make the score a 2-2 final which it was. He was suspended for two years after his appeal and it really hurt his professional league career at a time when he should have been the best player in the world.

Despite all the drama swirling around Rossi and the possible rust that may have collected on him during his two year suspension, Italian head coach Enzo Bearzot brought him along on the team much to the criticism of the media and fans of the squadro azzurra. The criticism only picked up heat after Italy had to limp through the qualifying round going 1-1-1 and advancing on a technicallity goal differential.

Rossi started all three games of the qualifying round but failed to make his presence felt. Italy managed to escape past Argentina in the next round with a 2-1 victory and the starter Rossi was once again no where to be found on the box score. The media criticism reached a boiling point but Bearzot would not be influenced, he stuck with his goal scorer and not even Bearzot could have expected what came next.

The Azzurri were up against the wall facing a powerful Brazilian team that required either a win or a draw to advance. Rossi once again found himself in the starting lineup and now made up for his silent start by delivering a stunning hat-trick leading Italy to a 3-2 win over Brazil in one of the greatest World Cup games ever played and surely one of the most clutch performances every witnessed by a goal scorer.

There was no stopping Italy or Rossi after that, in the semi-finals against Poland, Rossi delieverd his fourth and fifth goal of this World Cup to lead his country to the championship game against Germany where once again Rossi delivered what would be his World Cup high sixth goal and capturing the title for the azzurri.

After 48 International apperances scoring 20 goals and leading Italy to a third place World Cup finish, a championship and a 1986 quarter-final while earning the Golden Boot award in 1982, Rossi hung it up at the young age of 31.
His Italian Club leage career saw his rise from Como to Vicenza and Perugia all the way to his heyday with Juventus from 81-85 and then he wound down his career with Milan and Verona.

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