MARAZICO - the owner of arguably the best wing/wide performances in the WC, finishing 5th in the Ballon d'Or in 1982 and being a key individual and tactical component of the WC winning Italian side.
The World Cup was one of the crowning moments of Conti’s career. His performances for Roma had earned him a call up to Enzo Bearzot’s squad for the 1982 tournament, where he took the place of Franco Causio. His dribbling, passing and ability to create opportunities for his team-mates led him to be named as the player of the tournament by Pele, who also described him as
“more Brazilian than the Brazilians”. It was in the final against West Germany where Conti really made his mark, winning a penalty (which was subsequently missed by Cabrini), playing a key role in the second and assisting the third goal which was scored by Alessandro Altobelli, as Italy won 3-1. Paolo Rossi, who ended up as the tournament’s top goalscorer, said that “
all you had to do was tap the ball into the back of the net” because Conti would do the rest.
Miljan Miljanic: “All the Italians were great, Bruno Conti maybe a little more than the others”.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: “Italy were deserved winners. The tournament’s best player? For me it’s Bruno Conti; it was an honour for me to swap shirts with him after the final. I’ll keep it as a memory of a fantastic champion”
Michel Hidalgo: “Do you know who I’d long to have? Bruno Conti”
Bobby Charlton: “If I was the national coach of any team in the world, I would want Bruno Conti with me”
Hansi Muller: “Who is the player who I’m most worried about as a future opponent? Bruno Conti, no question”
Pele: “Bruno Conti was the true Brazilian at the World Cup. He was the best of any player I saw in Spain. I don’t think players like him are born any more”
Oscar: “For me, Conti was the best player of the World Cup”
Diego Maradona: “Conti was the real revelation of this World Cup, he’s a player of real international class. Argentina or Brazil would be delighted to have him in their team”
Daniel Bertoni: “Bruno Conti is decisive in the Azzurri’s play, he’s a true world class player. Thanks to him, Bearzot was able to solve no small amount of problems”
Jean Vincent: “Before Italy-Cameroon, I said that Conti was the only player who truly made me fearful, because he’s unpredictable and gifted with great quality. His performances during the entire World Cup showed that I was right”
Zbgniew Boniek: “I’ve seen Conti from on the pitch, on the television and from the stands – it’s almost impossible to stop him. Among other things, he has a very precise and powerful shot”
Heh Scholes would be proud of that