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His gaze is fixed, almost hypnotic. Eyes turned to the sky, tongue brushing his lips, as if savouring what is about to happen. At the centre circle, Cannavaro, De Rossi and Pirlo freeze time in an embrace. Twelve yards separate Fabio Grosso from footballing immortality. That single image captures the moment before pure joy. "We reached the greatest emotional high that sport can offer," Grosso said in an interview published by Vivo Azzurro TV ahead of the 20th anniversary of Italy's fourth World Cup title, won on 9 July 2006. "As a kid, it was hard even to dream of achieving something like that. The years go by, but those feelings have never left me."
FABIO, LIKE TOTÒ. 16 years after Totò Schillaci gave Italy the unforgettable Notti Magiche of Italia '90, another unlikely hero delivered a new chapter for the Azzurri faithful. In a squad packed with stars such as Buffon, Cannavaro, Pirlo, Totti and Del Piero, the award for best supporting actor belongs to Fabio Grosso. He played a vital role in the round of 16, winning the late penalty against Australia after Marco Materazzi's dismissal had left Italy down to ten men. He proved decisive again in the semi-final against Germany, scoring the goal that finally broke the deadlock in extra time. It seemed only fitting that he should take the decisive penalty in the final against France. "I wanted to take it," he recalled. "Del Piero wanted to take the fifth penalty, but the coach decided the order." The run-up at Berlin's Olympiastadion lasted only a few seconds, but the journey to get there had taken years. "I had to come a long way before I could take that penalty. I overcame a lot of challenges to get there."
A LONG APPRENTICESHIP. Born in Rome but raised in Pescara, Grosso began his football journey with Renato Curi in the Eccellenza Abruzzo division. Originally a forward, he scored freely and caught the attention of Chieti, where he worked his way up to Serie C1. "I had an unusual career. I spent many years playing in the lower divisions. I started in Eccellenza, where I played for four years, then spent a season at Interregional level before three more in Serie C2. My dream was to reach Serie A. Once I got there, I kept raising the bar." At Perugia, Serse Cosmi first moved him into midfield as a winger in a 3-5-2 system before converting him into an attacking left-back. That positional switch opened the door to the Italy national team. Grosso made his debut under Trapattoni in 2003 before becoming a regular two years later. "I didn't come through the traditional Italy youth-team pathway. My journey was different, but it taught me so much."
FROM THE PITCH TO THE DUGOUT. As a player, Grosso was admired not only for his powerful running but also for his ability to read the game ahead of everyone else. That quality has helped establish him as one of Italy's leading coaches and, following an outstanding season with Sassuolo, earned him the Fiorentina job a few weeks ago. "I'm a coach who tries to do things the way I believe they should be done, always aiming to get the very best out of the players I have available. I want my teams to play with passion, energy, courage and quality." Among his biggest influences is, naturally, Marcello Lippi. "Words may never be enough for the coach. He gave so much of himself to help us achieve what we did, and we'll always be grateful to him."