Fiorentina v Napoli: when Roberto Baggio faced Diego Maradona

02-Oct-2021 08:00:04 | The Guardian

When remembering Baggio and Maradona, we often focus on the narratives of their lives. It’s better to just enjoy their football

By Henry Bell for The Gentleman Ultra

In a time when it has never been easier to watch football from the past, it is a curious quirk that so much effort is devoted to celebrating great players of yesteryear through the stories that have been told about them rather than their actions on the pitch. It is like trying to understand Mozart by looking at his Wikipedia page rather than listening to his music.

Diego Maradona and Roberto Baggio were two of the greatest entertainers ever witnessed in Serie A. Yet, for those of us born after their heyday, it is easier to recall moments in the narrative created about them rather than their moments on the pitch. By focusing too much on the stories about a player’s career, we can miss what made them special.