News of Paolo Rossi’s death at 64 has been confirmed on Thursday morning when Rossi’s wife, Cappelletti Federica, posted a photo of herself and her husband to her Instagram account along with the words ‘forever’.
The cause of the death of the man who won the World Cup with Italy in 1982 was not disclosed.
Rossi scored a hat-trick against Brazil before scoring two more against Poland in the semis and then one in the final against West Germany.
It was a memorable year for the striker, who in addition to the World Cup and Golden Boot, ended 1982 with the Ballon d’Or, too.
During his time out, Rossi signed for Juventus in a £1.75m deal, and when his ban expired he was instantly recalled by coach Enzo Bearzot, despite having played just a handful of games.
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Rossi also played for Vicenza and Milan and he is the second World Cup winner to die in recent weeks following Diego Maradona, who died of a heart attack in November.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
