2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown: The Italian Hero No One Expected

10 Days to Go: Paolo Rossi - The Least Likely World Cup Hero in History

Each World Cup brings with it at least one unexpected hero, a player who prior to the tournament was virtually a nobody, an afterthought, and considered unworthy of excess attention.

In 2010 it was South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala; in 2014 it was Guillermo Ochoa; 2018 saw the one-hit wonder of Denis Cheryshev; and in 2022, literally any member of the Moroccan team would be a suitable name.

So while we are all making our predictions for who is going to be the unlikely star of the 2026 World Cup, let's hark back to 1986 and revisit the tournament where arguably the tournament's most unlikely hero graced the stage – Italy's Paolo Rossi.

You may be surprised to hear his name, as at the time, he was one of the country’s premier strikers and was wearing the famed black and white stripes of Juventus. However, due to controversial circumstances at club level, there was a fear that he would not make the tournament at all.

Quite a Gamble

To understand why Rossi’s inclusion in the 1982 squad was a bit of a gamble, we must head back to the end of the 1979/80 season, when the forward was donning the Perugia shirt. Having scored 13 goals in 28 games for the Serie A side, Rossi was in solid form. Not spectacular, but more than good enough for international consideration.

However, his career was temporarily derailed by an incident known as the ‘Totonero’, a betting scandal masterminded by teams including Lazio, Milan, Avellino and Rossi’s Perugia. Milan and Lazio were punished most heavily by the Italian FA, being relegated to the second tier for their troubles, while the worst-offending players were also punished with bans of various lengths.

🇮🇹 En Italia, nadie daba un duro por la 'azurra' para España '82.

Mucho menos cuando uno de los nombres propios de aquella selección, Paolo Rossi, acabó involucrado en el escándalo del 'Totonero'. pic.twitter.com/PePLiJ9PvD

— Brazalete Negro (@BrazaleteNegro) May 7, 2026

Rossi himself was slapped with a three-year ban, one which was shortened to two on appeal, and suddenly, the Italian national team had been stripped of more than just a handful of its best players.

Throughout his spell on the sidelines and beyond, Rossi maintained his innocence, adamant that he had done nothing wrong and was not deserving of his ban. Nevertheless, Italy’s higher powers upheld his lengthy sin-bin, and Rossi only made his return to professional football in the final three fixtures of the 1981/82 season, a matter of weeks before the 1982 World Cup was set to begin.

Even during his ban, Rossi’s quality was recognised, as Juventus brought him from Perugia despite having not played since March 1980, and despite having not played for two calendar years, Rossi still managed to bag a goal to mark his return to the pitch.

However, his inclusion in the Italian squad was fortuitous. Far from match fit, unpopular in some circles that considered him to be guilty, and with many wondering if he still boasted the same quality after two years out, Rossi was the primary target for Italian criticism and had a lot to prove if he were to earn the Azzurri's trust back once more.

A Ghost

Italy’s start to the World Cup was as unspectacular as Rossi's – they drew all three of their opening group games, found the net just twice, and naturally, Rossi’s input was minimal, with the starting striker failing to score or, indeed, impact the game.

In fact, his performances were so below par thanks to his lack of match sharpness that the Italian media temporarily made him a scapegoat, criticising his poor shape and describing him as a “ghost aimlessly wandering over the field”.

His and his country's only saving grace was that they scraped through to the second group stage, their three points enough to eliminate third-place Cameroon on goals scored. However, it looked as if this was the end of the line, as in the second group stage, Italy was handed an unbelievably tough draw against Brazil and Argentina.

The former had won three of the last six finals, while the latter were the reigning champions of the world. Italy hadn’t won the trophy in almost 50 years, their last success coming all the way back in 1938.

With an out-of-shape star striker and a side that seemed allergic to winning games, they were predicted to finish stone dead last in the second group stage, with almost no one willing to give them a chance. However, Rossi had other ideas.

Stunningly, Italy defeated Argentina in their first fixture, a result which was remarkably their first win of the tournament. Though Rossi didn’t score, his level was much improved – he was peaking just at the right time.

It was in their next game against Brazil that the Italian truly announced his return to football, bagging a historic hat trick against the Seleção in a shock 3-2 win. Instinctive and ruthless, this was the Paolo Rossi of old – three shots, three goals, and he had knocked out a Brazilian golden generation featuring the likes of Zico and Socrates.

He had also led Italy to the top of their group, sending them to the semi-finals where they met Poland, a side they had drawn against earlier in the tournament.

Their second meeting saw a much different outcome, and once again, Rossi had the final say, netting twice as the Azzurri coasted to a 2-0 win, booking a spot in the final. 0 goals in his first four games had been followed by five in his last two; Rossi’s form made absolutely no sense at all, but the Italians weren’t complaining!

Two-time winners West Germany awaited in the final, a menacing adversary for an Italy side that, while in a purple patch, had illustrated inconsistency during the early stages of the tournament. Against a side as organised as Jupp Derwall’s, there was a fear that Italy’s facade of good form would collapse.

However, it seemed that knockout football had awoken something in Rossi – the group stage clearly wasn’t important to the striker, but the risk of being knocked out of the competition in just one game clearly fuelled him in a different way.

After a tense first half in which neither side could find the net, Rossi inevitably found a moment of inspiration to finally break the deadlock just before the hour mark, nodding home a teasing Claudio Gentile cross and handing Italy the momentum.

Rossi’s finish opened the floodgates – Marco Tardelli netted Italy’s iconic second, accompanied by the “scream heard around the world”, before Alessandro Altobelli put the game beyond reasonable doubt with 10 minutes remaining. Even a late Paul Breitner finish with seven minutes to go did nothing to dampen the early Italian celebrations.

The full-time whistle blew, the Azzurri lifted the Jules Rimet trophy, and Paolo Rossi went from vilified, dodgy-dealing underperformer to national treasure overnight. Six goals in the final three games of any World Cup is an unbelievable return, but to pull that off having hardly kicked a ball for two years takes a special type of talent.

1982 World Cup Final: Italy 3-1 West Germany 🇮🇹🏆

On July 11, 1982 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Italy ended its 44-year title fast with a dramatic victory over West Germany. Goals from Paolo Rossi (57’), Marco Tardelli (69’), and Alessandro Altobelli (81’) made… pic.twitter.com/3XTOqaewV6

— VintageFootballTV (@Vintage77Ball) April 30, 2026

That talent was recognised later that year, as Rossi was awarded the 1982 Ballon d’Or, a fitting reward for his role in Italy’s success, while it also brought wide-reaching attention to the circumstances that surrounded his return to the team, which quickly became a comeback story for the ages.

It was a truly astonishing turn of events. Rossi had gone from the ghost everyone wanted to play against to the phantom that no one wanted to face, and his remarkable uptick in output correlated not only with Italy starting to win games as opposed to drawing them but also with beating three of the biggest footballing nations on the planet in Brazil, Argentina and Germany.

Rossi was a quality player, and at any other time, no one would have been surprised if he did in fact become a World Cup winner. However, his surprise inclusion, terrible early tournament form, and the radical way in which he flipped it on its head added up to one of the most unexpected hero stories the World Cup has ever seen, and it was a campaign etched in stone with both Italy’s World Cup trophy, and Rossi’s golden ball.