‘I Won the Ballon d’Or by a Landslide

A former Ballon d’Or winner, who claimed the award in a landslide victory at the peak of his career, now leads a completely different life away from football.

The superstar became accustomed to the limelight during his time on the pitch, lapping up the attention and establishing himself as one of the greatest showmen in the sport’s history. He is also widely regarded as one of his nation’s greatest-ever players.

While he never quite fulfilled his potential in terms of team honours, having retired before he could win either the Champions League or the World Cup, his individual brilliance and trophy cabinet more than made up for those missing accolades.

Nowadays, however, he prefers a much quieter existence, working and living on a farm while keeping himself occupied with interests far removed from the pressures and demands of the football pitch.

REUTERS/Emmanuel Foudrot

One of the greatest footballers of all time, former Italy and Juventus midfielder Roberto Baggio has never hidden his immense love for nature.

In fact, on January 23, 2013, when he left his position as president of the FIGC Technical Sector, he decided to retire from football to dedicate himself entirely to his home and his farm located in the hilly area of Altavilla Vicentina, in the province of Vicenza.

As per Italian outlet Il Messaggero, his home is a ‘very quiet and peaceful structure’ – it is located far from the city centre, shops, and social life. In this place, Baggio, now 59, spends his days raising animals and practicing his Buddhist faith.

He lives there with his wife Andreina and their two sons, and the only way to really get a glimpse into his private life is through his fairly new Instagram account, where he shares pictures of his slower lifestyle from time to time.

Baggio’s Conversion to Buddhism and Other New Interests

After his career-threatening injury in 1985, Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic (having still married his wife in a Roman Catholic church), converted to Buddhism, practicing Nichiren Buddhism, and is a member of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist organisation.

The captain’s armband that he had worn throughout his career bore the colours of this religious school (blue, yellow, and red) and the Japanese motto: “We win. We must win” in ideograms of the language.

Baggio is popular in Japan, and has held close ties with the country since his conversion to Buddhism. He has endorsed several Japanese football video games, such as Human Entertainment’s Super Formation Soccer 95: della Serie A, and Sega’s Virtua Pro Football.

He also has close ties with Argentina; he speaks Spanish and owns a ranch property in Rivera, where he enjoys hunting wild game. In 2008, he gave a lengthy interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, in which he revealed that he came to support Argentine club Boca Juniors due to their passionate fanbase.

His Landslide Ballon d’Or Victory

REUTERS

Baggio, nicknamed ‘The Divine Ponytail’, won the 1993 Ballon d’Or after a dominant calendar year for Juventus and the Italian national team, receiving 142 out of 150 possible points from a panel of UEFA journalists to finish ahead of Dennis Bergkamp and then-new Manchester United signing Eric Cantona.

He scored 39 goals across all competitions in that year (including 23 in Serie A, eight in European competitions, three in Coppa Italia, and five for Italy) and provided 17 assists.

Moreover, he supercharged that Juventus side to the UEFA Cup, scoring crucial goals, including a half-volley and free-kick against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, and a brace in the first leg of the final against Borussia Dortmund.

He scored key goals to help guide the Azzurri through their qualification campaign for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where they’d end up finishing runners-up to Brazil.