An absolute legend of both Italian and international football, Paolo Rossi made his professional debut for Juventus in 1973, ending his career at Hellas Verona in 1987. During that period, he broke multiple records, led Italy to the 1982 World Cup title, won several Serie A titles, and quite a few personal awards. His speed and ability to read the game, made him an extremely effective centre-forward. He passed away in late 2020, from lung cancer, after a late career as a TV pundit, and remains a much-loved figure in Italian football.

We don’t often see coins issued for individual sports persons, producers tending to stick to major tournaments and events for inspiration, but the Mint of Gdańsk recently kicked off (no pun intended…) a new multi-year Robert Lewandowski series, so the issue today of this Paolo Rossi coin, should be a welcome sign for football fans. The reverse face depicts Rossi celebrating scoring a goal, over a world globe. There are 22 stars on this face, each representing one of the players in a World Cup squad.

The obverse shows a football going into a goal, no doubt meant to be the one that Paolo Rossi is celebrating on the other face. Three stars are picked out in the colours of the Italian flag, and there’s an inscription marking the 1982 World Cup that brought Rossi increased fame. The coin is struck to a special uncirculated finish in 18 grams of sterling (0.925) silver, and is 35 x 26.3 mm in size. While we don’t have an image of it, unfortunately, it comes in a box shaped like a football, and with a Certificate of Authenticity. Available to order now, for €60.00.

LINKS: Buy from the Italian Mint