The Top 10 Players Of Italia 90

Despite a defence-dominated tournament, a 38-year-old dancing Cameroonian, a blubbing British barnpot and a bonafide home-nation hero still managed to set Italia 90 alight, Jonathan Wilson gives us the run down.

10 - 9 8 - 7 6 - 5 4 - 3 2 - 1

10. JURGEN KLINSMANN West Germany

Klinsmann came away from the tournament with a deserved reputation for diving, but he also proved himself an extraordinary striker.

His header against Yugoslavia showed what he could achieve when he put his leaps to a positive use, but the performance that defined him came against the Dutch in the second round.

Left to play as a lone front-man after Rudi Voller had been sent off, he led the line tirelessly, scoring the opener. Inevitably, it was a foul on him – suitably brought to the referee’s attention with an extravagant fall and shoulder spin – that led to Pedro Monzon’s red card in the final.

9. FRANCO BARESI Italy

Baresi was the keystone of an Italian defence that went into the tournament having conceded only one goal in their previous nine games, and maintained their form through the early stages.

The calm distributor in a back line that also included Giuseppe Bergomi, Paolo Maldini and Riccardo Ferri, Baresi’s unflustered reading of the game helped bring clean sheets against Austria, USA, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay and the Republic of Ireland.

When they finally conceded a goal, following a misjudgement by Walter Zenga in the semi-final, it proved terminal, as Italy lost to Argentina on penalties, despite Baresi coolly despatching the first kick of the shoot-out.