8 players who have won the Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League

#2 Paolo Rossi

Rossi's career was full of drama

Five Italians have won the Ballon d’Or and Italy have won the FIFA World Cup four times and yet the only Italian to win all three prestigious trophies is Paolo Rossi.

Before divulging into Rossi’s World Cup exploits, we need to discuss what happened before the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

He played for Lanerossi Vicenza between 1976 and 1979 and it was with them that he rose to fame. During this period, he was named in the Italy squad for the 1978 FIFA World Cup where he won the Silver Ball for the tournament’s second best player, having scored three goals and four assists as Italy finished fourth.

He was jointly owned by Juventus and Vicenza and after the 1978 World Cup, the two clubs were asked to settle the property and it ended with Vicenza signing him for a then World record fee!

The following season was marred with injuries and Vicenza were relegated to the Serie B despite Rossi scoring 15 goals. He was loaned out to Perugia for the 1979/80 season and during his spell there, he was infamously involved in the betting scandal known as Totonero.

Rossi claimed he was innocent but he was suspended for three years which was later reduced to two. As a result, he missed the 1980 Euro which was played in Italy.

He joined Juventus in 1981 and returned to action after completing his suspension towards the end of 1981/82 season. He was named in the squad for the World Cup despite claims from the media and fans alike that he was in poor shape.

The view gained more popularity when Italy drew all three games in the group stage and progressed to the next round only because they had scored one goal more than Cameroon.

In the next round, Italy were placed with the South American powerhouses Brazil and Argentina. Italy beat Argentina 2-1 in the first game with a brilliant defensive display but it was Rossi’s magnificent hat-trick against a Brazil side consisting of Sócrates, Zico, and Falcão that helped the Italians win 3-2 and progress to the semifinal.

In the semifinal, Rossi scored both goals as Italy won 2-0 against Poland and set up a final with West Germany. In the final, Rossi scored the first goal of the game as his side won 3-1 to lift their third World Cup and their first since 1938.

He won the tournament’s golden boot and golden ball for best player. The biggest individual award was also bestowed upon him in the same year as he won the Ballon d’Or.

Three years later, he was part of the Juventus team that defeated defending Champions Liverpool in the final of the European Cup.