The Italian decade was defined by artistry and agony.
The country produced greatness by the bucketload - and in every position - but, tantalisingly, never got over the line. They had defenders that would go onto redefine the position. Baresi, the great centre-back and leader. Maldini, another great centre-back and left-back. They both have strong claims for being the greatest defenders in the history of the game. Roberto Baggio was the definition of a great number 10. Albertini, Donadoni, Dino Baggio and Conte all excelled in the middle of the park. Schillaci, Mancini, Vialli, Zola, Del Piero, Vieri, Ravanelli all had hall of fame careers as forwards. But it was never enough to get the job done in the 90s.
It started with semi-final heartbreak on home soil, going south in Naples during Italia ’90 - a loss so devastating they then failed to qualify for Euro ’92. The will of the people, the sheer expectation almost carried them to victory but they came undone against Diego Maradona's Argenina in the stadium that would later be named after him.
Redemption beckoned at USA ’94, a country’s hopes pinned on Pagliuca, Baresi, Maldini and, most of all, Roberto Baggio. He carried the team to the final and was arguably the best plater in the tournament. But his miss from the penalty spot in Pasadena became an image seared into the national consciousness, a generational moment of anguish.
The hangover lingered through Euro ’96, where Arrigo Sacchi banished Baggio from the squad. No more freethinkers, went the logic. It was a last through of the dice from a manager who could feel contro sipping away and who, perhaps, still blamed Baggio for the failure to lift the World Cup in 1994. Sacchi's reign ended shortly after a damaging group stage exit.
By the decade’s close, a new generation emerged - Vieri, Del Piero, even Maldini still standing proud - but the ghosts of penalty shootouts continued to haunt them at France ’98. They again exited on spot-kicks to the tournament winners. Another case of what might have been.
The 1990s left Italy as they so often were: elegant, tortured, and chasing something just out of reach. They found it, eventually, in 2006 - the scars of the 90s still visible.
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