Beyond The Beautiful Game: How Roberto Baggio’s Buddhist Journey Delivered Resilience
(REVIEW) Even 22 years after he retired, Italian soccer star Roberto Baggio remains an icon among fans around the world. Two decades after scoring his last goal, Baggio has penned a new book that invites readers to look beyond one of soccer’s most celebrated careers and discover the inner life that sustained him through triumph, failure, injury and personal transformation.
In “A Light in the Darkness” (available now for pre-order with a Sept. 29 release date), Baggio tells all — specifically about himself — in what turns out to be an introspective and raw look into the soul of a pro soccer star.
Richly illustrated with previously unpublished photographs and accompanied by reflective commentary, the book is neither a conventional sports autobiography nor a coffee-table tribute. Instead, it is an intimate meditation on faith, spirituality, resilience and the search for meaning behind a life lived under the spotlight.
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Baggio’s career achievements need little introduction. Revered as one of Italy’s greatest players, he enchanted fans with his creativity, technical brilliance and elegant style while playing for clubs including Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Bologna and Brescia. A movie, “Baggio: The Divine Ponytail,” about the player’s life was released by Netflix in 2021.
His crowning individual honors — the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 1993 — cemented the striker’s place among the game’s all-time best. Baggio remains the only Italian to score in three World Cups and still holds the record for most goals (with nine) scored in World Cup tournaments for Italy.
Nonetheless, his career was equally defined by adversity: Recurring knee injuries, controversial transfers and the unforgettable penalty miss in the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, ultimately won by Brazil. Rather than treating these episodes merely as milestones, the book reinterprets them as moments of spiritual formation, revealing how setbacks became opportunities for inner growth.
This perspective distinguishes the 240-page book from the countless memoirs written by former athletes. Baggio, now 59 and a longtime practitioner of Buddhism, does not present success as the ultimate measure of a meaningful life. Instead, he argues that character is shaped most profoundly in moments of disappointment and suffering. Throughout the book (translated from the original Italian that was released earlier this year), soccer becomes a metaphor for the human condition.
The book’s title serves as a fitting summary of this philosophy. Darkness symbolizes not only disappointments but also the loneliness, doubt and emotional pain that can accompany a life lived in public.
But Baggio, who was born and raised a Catholic, found inner peace after his conversion to Buddhism. In fact, central to Baggio’s life, is his faith, which the book portrays as the foundation of his emotional resilience.
“I have never skipped a day of prayer, once in the morning and once in the evening,” Baggio writes. “I cannot imagine a day without it.
Rather than discussing religion in abstract theological terms, Baggio (he had been put of the public eye for two decades) shows how spiritual practice shaped his response to life’s greatest challenges. Meditation, prayer and disciplined self-reflection emerge not as escapes from reality, but also as practical tools that enabled him to face immense pressure with humility and composure. Whether recovering from devastating injuries or coping with criticism after a defeat, his faith offered stability when external success proved fragile.
Sunday’s were also special to Baggio’s life and not because of church. Baggio played in Serie A, Italy’s top soccer league, every Sunday, facing off against some of the world’s best teams. Nowadays, his Sundays are filled with family time and nature walks. Hobbled by injuries, Baggio writes that he can no longer kick a ball.
“Sports, for me now, can only be watched,” he confesses.
Another of the book’s most compelling aspects is its refusal to separate athletic excellence from personal growth. Many sports biographies celebrate determination solely as a pathway to winning. Instead, Baggio argues that true achievement lies in becoming a better human being. His remarkable performances — the sublime passes and unforgettable goals — are presented alongside quieter moments of introspection.
Baggio’s words are both sincere and warm. They are also universal. This is where the book takes on a self-help tone. Baggio’s life is an invitation for readers to consider their own responses to success, disappointment and forgiveness. His story demonstrates that faith does not eliminate suffering, but can transform the way suffering is understood and endured.
Clemente Lisi serves as executive editor at Religion Unplugged.