Do we like them?

Do we like Roberto Baggio?

Our score: 8 out of 10. Decent and on the right side, with a quiet record of charity and no harmful words of his own turning up, though some sources would not open.

Baggio is the bloke Italy still loves despite, or because of, one kick. His missed penalty in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil is what he's remembered for, and it has followed him for decades. He told a Dubai summit that his love of the game and his effort to be the best person he can be built his lasting legacy.

The faith is a big part of the story. According to Religion Unplugged, he was raised Catholic and later converted to Buddhism, which the article says brought him inner peace. In his new book he says he has never skipped a day of prayer, once in the morning and once in the evening. Faith alone is never a fail here, and his reads as quiet and personal rather than preachy.

On the harm test we went looking for the usual red flags: anything on LGBTQ+ or trans people, women, race, migrants, vaccines or the climate, and any dodgy company on recent projects. We opened nothing from his own mouth on any of it, and no search turned up harmful words or acts. That is an absence of evidence rather than a deep audit, and we'll say so plainly.

The good stuff is real. He was given the 2010 World Peace Award by the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates for his long-time charity work, and he was known for fundraising for Haiti earthquake victims and for backing Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. His take on the prize was that it was better than the Golden Ball. It's a modest, steady record rather than a showy one.

On the latest, Baggio's commentary on Italy's World Cup failure was that there is a lot to fix and that the team must trust younger players. He has also said publicly that a robbery at his home changed his life, which he has said he now carries into worry about the future of Italian football. A gentle, thoughtful veteran, then, and a pretty easy one to cheer for.