'We were hoping for a different
outcome right from the beginning
of the medical tests but now
Roberto wants to quit football.
He wants to change his lifestyle,'
Petrone said.
'We will try to change his
mind. Personally, I have one
more dream - to see him return
to the football field. 'Even if he has missed his
chance with the World Cup, he
deserves to return to playing.' But Petrone later played down
the suggestion that Baggio aimed
to retire and told Italian newspapers
he had been misunderstood.
Brescia team manager Edoardo
Piovani told Reuters that Baggio
had not yet taken a decision
on his future. 'No decision has been made.
It is far too early. He only
had the operation on Monday,
we all need to have patience,'
said Piovani.
Baggio was stretchered off
with an injured left knee after
coming on as a substitute during
Brescia's Italian Cup semifinal
match at Parma on Thursday. It was only his second game
back after three months out
with an injury to the same knee.
Baggio played in the last three
World Cups, making his mark
on the 1990 tournament in Italy
with a fine individual strike
against Czechoslovakia before
leading the Azzurri to third
place. In 1994 he missed the crucial
penalty in the shoot-out in
the final against Brazil and
was a surprise inclusion in
the 1998 World Cup squad but
did not feature at Euro 2000. |
Soccer Media
