Altobelli: You must leave your mark in a World Cup final

It was the 81st minute of the 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain™ final between Italy and West Germany. With the scoreline at 2-0 in favour of the Azzurri, Bruno Conti’s square ball found Alessandro Altobelli in the middle of the box. Altobelli waited for onrushing West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher before skipping to the side of him and netting a sliding finish to make it 3-0.

At the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Italy had virtually wrapped up the game, with the full-time whistle the only thing that stood between Enzo Bearzot’s team and the trophy.

“Playing in a World Cup final is something very few players get to do. Playing in one and scoring is even less common. Let alone playing, scoring and winning. It is not enough to just play in these games, though, you have to leave your mark”, Altobelli told FIFA in a conversation about the 1982 World Cup and other topics.

That goal will never be forgotten. And it mattered little that West Germany were able to reduce the deficit. The final 3-1 scoreline crowned Italy champions of the world for the third time in their history. And Altobelli managed to leave that lasting mark.What sort of striker were you when you were called up for the 1982 World Cup?
Alessandro Altobelli: I was called up by Bearzot in 1982. It wasn’t really a surprise to me. I was coming off multiple positive seasons with Inter. Bearzot used to wait a little while to call you up but when you do get the call up from him, he wouldn’t let you go.

I was a modern player for the time. A unique striker who knew how to play football. I could play with both feet, I was strong in the air and I was an extremely good dribbler. I think I was a great professional in terms of physical fitness. I always wanted to be the best athletically.

That World Cup didn’t begin in the best way, no?
I distinctly remember that we struggled in the group stage in 1982. We got through the first group stage on goals scored. But this was no coincidence. When Italy go to a World Cup, they always go there to win. To go all the way, you have to play seven games and it requires a lot of planning. Our aim was to get to the final. We paid the price for our initial preparations in the first three matches, but that training meant that we were able to dominate the following matches. Bearzot was a genius and he had the insight to prepare the team in the best way possible.

We were all fired up for that World Cup. We didn’t get our rewards in the first three games and we were a little worried for the second group stage, also since we were drawn against Argentina and Brazil in that second group stage. We knew, though, that we were good enough to compete with anyone. We were very strong, on and off the pitch. We hit our stride in those matches, unfortunately for the other teams.

What do you remember about the semi-final against Poland?
I only got in 20 minutes against Poland. It was 0-0 and I remember that we scored two goals after I came onto the pitch. That semi-final gave me the confidence to feel more relaxed in the final. When you go to such an important competition, you need to leave your mark. In the final, [Francesco] Graziani unfortunately picked up an injury, which gave me the chance to show what I could do in that match.

What do you recall from the final?
I came on at 0-0. I played to win that match together with my teammates. That’s the first thing you think of. When it got to 2-0, I wanted to join in on the party and I eventually got my name on the scoresheet. West Germany were attacking, but we won the ball back and I remember that I had to keep up with Conti, running almost more than him. He gave me the ball when I was in the box and I waited for the goalkeeper to come out, went past him and sealed the game.

What do you remember about Paolo Rossi in that tournament?
Paolo Rossi was going through a difficult time and coming back from a ban. He arrived with the national team off the pace and seemed unsettled in front of goal. His confidence was low in the first games but we helped him a lot because we knew that he could be the game-changer in that tournament. We had full confidence in him and he rewarded our faith in the best way possible.

What did you think about your second World Cup appearance in 1986?
We had won the World Cup in 1982, so we didn’t have to face qualification for the next one in Mexico. We set out to make a good impression in 1986 but went out in the round of 16 to [Michel] Platini’s France. On a personal level, I think that I had a good World Cup, with four goals in four games. It was a shame to get knocked out early, I could have scored more goals, the whole team believed in me.

That was Diego Maradona’s World Cup. What was it like to play against him?
Argentina were a very strong team. When you played against players such as [Osvaldo] Ardiles, Maradona… you suddenly realised that you were dealing with big-time players. We competed well but physically we found it difficult in Mexico and we did not manage to adapt well. When you’re playing against Argentina, you’re playing against Maradona. He was a great player who could decide a match in seconds with a piece of magic. We decided on a special plan to man-mark him. We managed to limit the damage, but Diego was hard to stop and they won the World Cup because of him.

How will the 1982 Italy team and Alessandro Altobelli the player be remembered?
That generation of 1982 brought back the belief and voices of all the Italians from a sporting point of view.

From a personal perspective, I always gave my all, even when I was playing badly. I took the game seriously, giving everything to the sport. I was well rewarded, doing this job in the best possible way, respecting my teammates, my opponents and football.