Was it Enzo Bearzots faith in you that made the difference in 1982?
The fact that Bearzot trusted me was fundamental. Without a coach like Bearzot, we probably wouldn’t be having this interview about our victory and how I became top scorer. Bearzot believed in me and was sure I would come through at the right time. When I started playing again after two years out it was really, really tough. And Bearzot’s trust was very important. He was the coach, he picked the team. But the whole atmosphere was very important, as well as the support of my team-mates. Even after the first four matches, when you failed to score? Definitely. Even when I failed to score, I knew they still had faith in me. This is fundamental for a player. Because if you find yourself in an atmosphere where you feel that your team-mates and the coaching staff have lost faith in your abilities, it becomes difficult to perform. Instead, their attitude towards me was instrumental in what happened later on. Did the press get to you? The press, well, not really… I always had a good relations
