A BRAZILIAN and an Italian, both short in height but giants in stature, have captured the imagination of the world as they prepare for the classic showdown that Hollywood had not yet dreamt of.
The stars are arguably the best of their generation; the pony-tailed Italian Roberto Baggio and handsome Brazilian Romario.
The scene is the Pasadena Rose Bowl in glamorous Los Angeles. The script calls for an epic battle, but not of pitchers, nor quarterbacks. This is soccer and the shootout is for the World Cup - sports greatest prize.
The superstars of this blockbuster have equal billing so far: both have five goals to their credit and both command the respect of millions. Between them they have accumulated 54 international goals in 101 matches.
Baggio - a devout Buddhist - is a year younger than his rival at 27. He was last year's FIFA Player of the Year and European Player of the Year . . . finishing ahead of Romario in both polls.
His world record GBP8 million (HK$96.64 million) transfer from Fiorentina to Juventus in 1990 sparked days of riots.
