Overview
- Baggio reiterates that missing the 1994 World Cup final penalty remains the greatest bitterness of his career and a lasting personal burden.
- He says Giovanni Trapattoni cited fear of injury for leaving him out of Italy’s 2002 World Cup squad, which Baggio calls an injustice after offering to retire if hurt.
- He credits Carlo Mazzone with reviving his career at Brescia and says he felt such gratitude that he would have given his life for the coach.
- Baggio reveals he began practicing Buddhism on January 1, 1988, saying it helped transform suffering into energy, and recalls his mother’s shocked reaction.
- Citing a knee operation at 18 and frequent knocks, he argues VAR would have protected players like him and notes he now finds daily fulfillment living in the hills near Vicenza.