Ink And Insight

Baggio. The moment before silence. Pasadena, California. July 17, 1994. The FIFA World Cup Final. Roberto Baggio walked towards the penalty spot. The shootout was level. Everything rested on the most gifted footballer on the planet and a single kick twelve yards from goal. He placed the ball carefully. He straightened up and looked at the goal. The Brazilian goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel stood on his line, shifting his weight. Three steps back. A pause. Then he ran forward and struck the ball cleanly. It flew over the crossbar and into the Californian night sky. Silence. Brazil were World Champions. Italy were broken. The man who had almost single handedly carried Italy to that final stood with his hands on his hips, his head bowed, staring at the ground. Alone. Are penalties the cruellest test in football? Baggio's miss in 1994 was not an isolated moment of failure. It was part of a story that repeats itself at almost every World Cup. England have lost penalty shootouts in 1990, 199...

  Watching over the game – Pelé and Maradona, forever part of football What is it about Mexico? Something happens to football legends when they arrive on Mexican soil. They come as icons. They leave as immortals. And the place where this magic happens has a name. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Pelé arrived in Mexico in 1970, having won the World Cup twice already. The world knew who he was. But Mexico gave us something more. It gave us the complete Pelé. Pelé, the greatest footballer on the planet, led a Brazilian side that played beautiful football. As captain, Pelé lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy at the Azteca that summer. Brazil had won the World Cup three times. The trophy was theirs to keep forever. Pelé did not just win a third World Cup. He became eternal. Sixteen years later, another legend walked into the Azteca. Diego Maradona had already ignited the football world. But Mexico 1986 gave us something no one was prepared for. For three weeks, Maradona mesmerized the footb...

Italy will miss the 2026 World Cup. For a nation crowned champions four times, it is another painful reminder that in football, history offers no guarantees. Though one of the tournament’s most successful sides, Italy’s journey has always been marked by triumphs shadowed by heartbreak. In 1934, they hosted and won, though not without controversy. Four years later, they defended their title in France, becoming the first team to do so. For a generation, Italy set the standard for how to win when it mattered most. Then came 1982 in Spain. Three draws in the group stage left the press and fans at home furious. Nobody believed in them. In the quarter finals, they faced Brazil, the best team in the world. Paolo Rossi, just back from suspension and dismissed as “the Ghost,” suddenly came alive. His hat trick eliminated Brazil and carried Italy to the title. A player written off became the hero of the nation. In 1990, they hosted again. Unbeaten through the group stage, controlled and ef...