Italy's former football player Antonio Cabrini (right) and the son of Paolo Rossi, Alessandro Rossi (left), help carry the coffin of the late Italian football player. AFP
Italy's former football player Antonio Cabrini (right) and the son of Paolo Rossi, Alessandro Rossi (left), help carry the coffin of the late Italian football player. AFP
Italy's former football player Antonio Cabrini (right) and the son of Paolo Rossi, Alessandro Rossi (left), help carry the coffin of the late Italian football player. AFP
Italy's former football player Antonio Cabrini (right) and the son of Paolo Rossi, Alessandro Rossi (left), help carry the coffin of the late Italian football player. AFP

Burglars target Italian football hero Paolo Rossi's home as family attend his funeral


Simon Rushton
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The home of Italy's 1982 World Cup hero Paolo Rossi in the Tuscan countryside was burgled during his funeral service.

Rossi's wife Federica Cappelletti returned from Saturday’s ceremony in the north-eastern Italian city of Vicenza to discover the home they shared near Bucine, south-east of Florence, had been broken into, Italian news agency AGI reported.

Items stolen included a watch belonging to the football legend and cash.

Rossi and his family lived in a farmhouse in Poggio Cennina, a hill overlooking the Val d'Ambra, where he ran an organic farming company and agri-tourism resort.

All players in Italy on Saturday took to the pitch wearing black armbands in memory of Rossi who died on Wednesday, aged 64.

A minute's silence was observed before kick-offs with Rossi's photo projected on large screens with the words "Heroes never die" and "Ciao P".

Thousands of mourners gathered for the funeral and some of his World Cup-winning team-mates carried the coffin into the cathedral.

Marco Tardelli, Antonio Cabrini, Giancarlo Antognoni, Alessandro Altobelli, Franco Causio, Fulvio Collovati and Giuseppe Bergomi were among the pallbearers.
"I have not only lost a team-mate but also a friend and a brother," said Cabrini, who provided the cross for Rossi to score the opening goal against Brazil.

"Together we fought, we won and we sometimes lost, always picking ourselves up even in the face of disappointment. We were part of a group, that group, our group. I didn't think he would leave so soon."

Ms Cappelletti announced Rossi’s death at 64 with a post on Instagram alongside a photo of the couple, accompanied by the comment "Forever," followed by a heart.

  • Italy's Paolo Rossi gets away from Brazil's Junior Football during the 1982 World Cup. Reuters
    Italy's Paolo Rossi gets away from Brazil's Junior Football during the 1982 World Cup. Reuters
  • Paolo Rossi celebrates his goal in the 1982 World Cup final against West Germany. Getty
    Paolo Rossi celebrates his goal in the 1982 World Cup final against West Germany. Getty
  • French midfielder Michel Platini shakes hands with Italian Rossi prior to the 1978 World Cup in Argentina in 1978. AFP
    French midfielder Michel Platini shakes hands with Italian Rossi prior to the 1978 World Cup in Argentina in 1978. AFP
  • Rossi was a big hit in Toronto when Juventus went to play Blizzard in Toronto. Getty
    Rossi was a big hit in Toronto when Juventus went to play Blizzard in Toronto. Getty
  • The Italian football team poses before the World Cup first round match against France in 1978. From L to R: 1st row: Franco Causio, Paolo Rossi, Antonio Cabrini, Gaetano Scirea, Giancarlo Antognoni, Marco Tardelli. 2nd row: Romeo Benetti, Dino Zoff, Mauro Bellugi, Roberto Bettega, Claudio Gentile. AFP
    The Italian football team poses before the World Cup first round match against France in 1978. From L to R: 1st row: Franco Causio, Paolo Rossi, Antonio Cabrini, Gaetano Scirea, Giancarlo Antognoni, Marco Tardelli. 2nd row: Romeo Benetti, Dino Zoff, Mauro Bellugi, Roberto Bettega, Claudio Gentile. AFP
  • Paolo Rossi in Australia with Juventus in 1984. Getty
    Paolo Rossi in Australia with Juventus in 1984. Getty
  • Diego Maradona and Rossi watch an AC Milan training session in Istanbul in 2005. EPA
    Diego Maradona and Rossi watch an AC Milan training session in Istanbul in 2005. EPA
  • Bernd Foerster of Germany fights for the ball with Paolo Rossi during a replay of the 1982 World Cup final in Stuttgart in 2007. Reuters
    Bernd Foerster of Germany fights for the ball with Paolo Rossi during a replay of the 1982 World Cup final in Stuttgart in 2007. Reuters
  • Paolo Rossi in Pachuca, Mexico in 2016. EPA
    Paolo Rossi in Pachuca, Mexico in 2016. EPA

Tributes were paid to 'Pablito', the star who was banned for three years for his part in a betting scandal but returned to win the World Cup in Spain and the Ballon d'Or in the same year.

Rossi won the hearts of Italian fans during the summer of 1982, when his six tournament goals dragged Enzo Bearzot's Azzurri to what was then a third World Cup.

After his career as a footballer, Rossi also worked as a TV pundit.