And the talent, as we saw in that indelible moment at San Siro on Saturday, is still his to command. Perhaps Old Trafford, too, will get something to remember him by.. He is not wearing the black and blue stripes just in order to secure his pension. If tomorrow's first leg of the European Cup quarter-final is destined, as the defender Fabio Galante predicted this week, to turn into "a battle in which temperament, conviction and a spirit of sacrifice will be more important than tactics or technical quality", then Roberto Baggio's character is unlikely to be found wanting. "But Robi," he said, "is the captain in the outfield, so it's his job to talk to the referee."So the desire is still there. He was forever chasing around after a whistle-happy referee, arguing the toss about fouls and offside decisions given against the black-and-blues.
When Lucescu was asked about it afterwards, the coach pointed out that, in the absence of Giuseppe Bergomi, the club captain, the armband was worn by the goalkeeper, Gianluca Pagliuca. But, interestingly, there wasn't much of the old Zen tranquillity in the ex-ponytail's performance on Saturday night. He is hoping to play for Dino Zoff in Euro 2000, but this season's European Cup surely represents his last realistic chance at club level, and even in Inter's confused season there is enough evidence to attest to his continuing ability to influence the tide of events.The Buddhist who spends his holidays hunting game in Argentina must have needed all his inner resources to retain a decent perspective throughout such a career. He was still, unquestionably, the class act on the field, but for the third time in succession he found himself eliminated from the World Cup by the most unkind of methods. Afterwards, he couldn't sleep.He returned from France to join yet another club, having finally succumbed to Massimo Moratti's entreaties and made what will probably be - although don't bet on it - his final big move. Manchester United should bear in mind that despite winning Serie A medals with Juventus and Milan, and the Uefa Cup with Juventus, his record lacks a major international trophy. Baggio made appearances in four of their five matches, and it was as a late substitute that he came close to changing football history when his superb cross-shot in extra time almost prevented the quarter-final against France from going to penalties.
His time in Bologna was not without its turbulent moments, particularly when the coach led him to believe that he would be starting the big game against Juventus and then dropped him to substitute on the morning of the match, but it was sufficient rehabilitation to persuade Cesare Maldini to take him to France last summer.And who knows what might have happened had Maldini been brave enough to drop Del Piero, the nation's current pin-up boy, whose poor form diminished the whole team. Worse still, after Fabio Capello's departure he was joined there by Sacchi, a coach for whom he privately had no respect.His experience with Milan cost him his place in the national squad for Euro 96, but he had already regained it by the time he made his next move, to Bologna for pounds 1.7m, in the summer of 1997 - again spurning Inter's approach. He turned down an approach from Inter to join what turned out to be a team in serious decline. There were tears from Baggio and riots from the Florentine fans when his pounds 8m transfer to Juventus was announced in 1990. Gianni Agnelli's Fiat fortune had brought football's most gifted individual to Turin, for a relationship that lasted five years, until another little prince, Alessandro Del Piero, came along to take the No 10 shirt.A transfer to Milan in 1995, again for pounds 8m, represented the worst move of Baggio's career.