India, May 27 -- They made Italy world champions after 42 years but Paolo Rossi's goals would struggle to make the longlist of memorable strikes in the World Cup. They were not in the range of, say, Carlos Alberto's goal in the 1970 final, the cannonball of a shot finishing a move to which all Brazil outfield players contributed, Saeed Al Owairan's mazy, 69 metre run in 1994 or Kylian Mbappe's stupendous and powerful volley in the last final.

Yet, Rossi would be central to any conversation on the World Cup in India. Not because of the slightly built centre-forward's brilliant comeback after being banned for involvement in betting - a charge he denied till his death in 2020 - or a preternatural ability to find space and remain calm in the...