Azzurri World Cup Heroes - then and now

From Football Italia

Roberto Rosato (1970) & Fabio Cannavaro

Italy has a tradition of producing outstanding ‘stoppers’. In 1970 they had Roberto Rosato of Milan. Going into the 2002 World Cup the Azzurri have another outstanding centre back in the heart of their defence - Fabio Cannavaro of Parma. The similarities between Rosato and Cannavaro are quite striking. Cannavaro, like Rosato before him, does not look like a fierce competitor. The Parma man is known for his baby-faced looks while Rosato was known as ‘Angel Face’. Like Rosato before him, Cannavaro is not the biggest defender in the game but for toughness, agility and timing he has few equals. Rosato was born in Chieri, near Turin and he began his career with Torino in 1960 before joining Milan in 1966. In the San Siro he won virtually every honour at club level - Lo Scudetto and the Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1968, the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in 1969 and the Cup-Winners’ Cup again in 1973. He also won the Coppa Italia on three occasions - 1967, 1972 and 1973. He made his Italy debut in 1965, played in the 1966 World Cup but survived the purge after the North Korea defeat. He was outstanding during the 1968 European Championships and for many was the best stopper of Mexico ‘70. In the Final Rosato must be given credit for subduing Tostao, Brazil’s wonderfully intelligent striker. Cannavaro, from Naples, has won nowhere near as much as Angel Face but, at 28, time is still on his side. His brilliant performances during France ‘98 and Euro 2000 have made him one of the hottest properties in the game and Roma Coach Fabio Capello threatened to quit the club when they failed to back his plan to sign him from Parma in the summer. A ball boy at Napoli during the Maradona years, he played for his hometown club until 1995 when he joined Parma. He has been linked with big-money moves elsewhere but has, perhaps surprisingly, remained in Emilia Romagna. He made his international debut as a substitute against Northern Ireland in 1997 and has remained in the side virtually ever since. He was awesome against the French in the World Cup quarter-finals in 1998 and did not deserve to be on the losing side.

Roberto Bettega (1978) & Alex Del Piero

They like their scorers to have a touch of class at Juventus. La Vecchia Signora has always had delusions of grandeur and there is nothing they admire more than footballers who find the net with more than their share of elegance and style. That is the biggest bond between Roberto Bettega and Alex Del Piero. In many ways their respective roles in the Italy side reflect how much the game has changed over the past 25 years. Bettega was much more of a striker, surprisingly strong in the air but blessed with a gift for excellent interplay with his fellow forwards and a powerful shot with his preferred left foot. Born in Turin, he came through the ranks at Juventus and won a string of trophies with the club. At a time when foreign imports were banned he was the best scoring option Italy had to offer. More than 100 goals over 13 years with the Turin club at a time when goals were particularly hard to come by testify to the quality of his play. His international strike rate was that of almost a goal every other game which represents finishing of the very highest standard. With the arrival of overseas stars at Juve and the advancing years he chose to end his playing days in Canada but the call of the Bianconeri soon drew him back. He took up a backroom role and rose to the post of Vice-president with the club. Del Piero delivers for both Juve and Italy in quite a different manner. Neither a striker nor a playmaker, he poses problems for both his managers and, thankfully, opposition defences. Weaker in the air than Bettega, he offers more options from dead-ball situations than his illustrious predecessor. Although some believe he has never fully recovered from serious injury to scale the heights of his early career, there is little doubt that he remains a match-winner. His dribbling skills can be vital in unlocking defences which compares favourably with what Bettega had to offer. But both gave an extra cutting edge to the Italy sides they were involved with. Without them there is little doubt the Azzurri of their respective eras represented a much less threatening attacking force. And when through on goal they could be relied upon to finish with flair and panache - and that will always make you popular with the fans.