Only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them.Collection: Courage
I believe to have shown that, at times, the impossible can become possible. It all depends on how much each and every one of us believes in our dreams, in our strength, and in our determination.Collection: Strength
I lost a lot of finals, so it was difficult. It's sad, and that sadness stays with you, but I always enjoyed the game.Collection: Sad
In Buddhism, you have to believe in yourself. You don't believe something external guides your life. You do it yourself.
Thanks to my Buddhist faith, to the positivity that arose from prayer, I put the optimism of determination before the pessimism of logic and reason.
I have a very strong connection with my master, Daisaku Ikeda. I know his principles, I know his values, and I stick to them - that is the most important thing to me.
Every day growing up, I had this dream about the World Cup: I score the winning goal. In the final minute. With my butt!
I don't even realize sometimes I am spending hours and hours on the field, because it is something I decide to do, not something someone else demands of me.
As a professional player, I consider my career closed, but I don't want to exclude the possibility in the future that I may return, but not as a player.
I want to compliment Francesco Totti: scoring 206 goals is a great achievement. It does not matter that he has beat me, as he is a great player.
I am dreaming that Italy can return to having lots of important talent. We need to grow our young players.
Modern football is increasingly dominated by the coaches - their narcissism to put themselves above the team and their players.
The best thing to do is to find the type of play to make Italy win the World Cup, and maybe Baggio be the best player.
I like to play with my back to the goal, but my colleagues have to tell me when I'm alone or how much room I have so I can choose to pass or to go straight for the goal.
Buddhism allows me to feel well, tranquil, and very happy inside. This is good not only for football but for my life in general.
I liked to score, but I also liked to make somebody else score. It was something that was very satisfying, to take someone there.
I always had that joy of the game in my eyes everywhere I played, because it was the best thing, but Brescia probably had less pressure. Maybe people might perceive more enjoyment because the pressure was different, but it was the same. I enjoyed the pressure, no problem!
Van Basten went directly to the national team without coaching any other clubs. It's not the norm in Italy.
With soccer, I have the ability to do things differently. That is why I admire Leonardo da Vinci. He was able to create things other people wouldn't believe in.