I’ve always loved stats and rankings.
There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing things lined up, ordered, judged. Sure, it might be a bit unfair - football is emotion, not a spreadsheet. But sometimes, numbers do tell a story. And in the days before FIFA rankings and internet debates, the Ballon d’Or was the closest we had to a definitive scoreboard for greatness.
Back in 1990, only European players were eligible. The prize was awarded solely on calendar year performance, as judged by 29 journalists across the continent. And what a year it was - Italia ’90, tears in Turin, German triumph, and Italian heartbreak.
But while West Germany lifted the World Cup, it was Italy that dominated Europe at club level. AC Milan, led by their Dutch trio, retained their European Cup with a 1-0 win over Benfica. Sampdoria, powered by Mancini and Vialli, won the Cup Winners’ Cup against Anderlecht in extra time. And Juventus, with a rising Salvatore Schillaci, claimed the UEFA Cup in an all-Italian final against Fiorentina and Roberto Baggio.
So how about we relive that iconic year… with a good old-fashioned Top 10 countdown?
Let’s go.
10. Guido Buchwald (29) VfB Stuttgart / West Germany
6 points
Quiet. Ruthless. Underrated. Guido Buchwald was the last of four Germans in the Ballon d’Or top 10 - and perhaps the most surprising. But his 1990 speaks for itself: the man who erased Diego Maradona in the World Cup final.
He was nicknamed “Diego” by fans - not for his flair, but because he shadowed Maradona so relentlessly that the Argentine genius barely touched the ball. Buchwald didn’t seek headlines. He just hunted opponents, won duels, and did his job with stoic precision.
He’d been with Stuttgart since 1983 and would eventually help them win the Bundesliga in 1992. But 1990 was his defining year - the summer he became the unsung hero of a world-conquering machine.
9. Frank Rijkaard (28) AC Milan / Netherlands
7 points
You can’t build empires without architects, and Frank Rijkaard was Milan’s master planner. While Gullit and Van Basten dazzled, Rijkaard patrolled - breaking lines, starting attacks, dictating rhythm. In 1990, he scored the winning goal in the European Cup Final against Benfica with a late, darting run into the box.
For the Netherlands, however, 1990 was turbulent. Rijkaard’s most infamous moment came when he spat at Rudi Völler during a bad-tempered last-16 clash against West Germany - an act he later apologised for, and which overshadowed his otherwise excellent tournament.
He had joined Milan in 1988 after a short spell at Zaragoza, having been loaned there due to Ajax’s refusal to transfer him to rivals PSV. That Milan team would become legendary. Rijkaard - calm, tactically supreme, unshakeable - was the anchor at its heart.
8. Roberto Baggio (23) Juventus / Italy
8 points
It was the year of his coronation - and his curse.
In 1990, Roberto Baggio was sold from Fiorentina to Juventus for a world-record £8 million. Florence erupted. Riots broke out. 50 people were injured. Baggio, visibly torn, refused to take a penalty against his old club, declaring: “I was forced to leave.”
At the World Cup, he announced himself to the world with a slaloming run against Czechoslovakia - still considered one of the greatest solo goals in tournament history. He wasn’t a guaranteed starter, but every touch had magic. He played alongside Schillaci with chemistry that Italy never fully exploited.
Baggio would later win the Ballon d’Or in 1993 and lead Italy to the final in 1994. But in 1990, he became “Il Divin Codino” - the Divine Ponytail - a symbol of genius, fragility and poetry in motion.
6. Jürgen Klinsmann (26) Inter Milan / West Germany
12 points
Athletic, unorthodox, and fearless in the air - Jürgen Klinsmann was the unpredictable spearhead of the German machine. At Italia ’90, he scored a brilliant diving header against Yugoslavia and bullied defenders with relentless pressing and off-the-ball movement.
At Inter, he formed a feared German trio with Matthäus and Brehme. While Matthäus ran the midfield and Brehme roamed the flanks, Klinsmann was chaos up front. His arrival from Stuttgart in 1989 was a masterstroke. He scored 13 league goals in his first season.
In the years that followed, he’d become a fan favourite at Tottenham, dive into advertising fame, and eventually coach the German national team. But in 1990, he was raw and raging - the perfect third piece in the German war engine.
6. Enzo Scifo (24) AJ Auxerre / Belgium
12 points
Silky. Subtle. Criminally underrated.
Enzo Scifo was Belgium’s playmaker at Italia ’90 - and arguably one of the most technically gifted midfielders in Europe. He glided across the pitch with elegance, vision and a wicked long-range shot. His performances earned him a spot in the tournament’s All-Star XI.
After a frustrating spell at Inter Milan, he had revived his career under Guy Roux at Auxerre. In a youthful team, Scifo stood out like an old soul in a jazz band - calm, cultured, precise. Belgian fans often argue that he never got the recognition he deserved. The Ballon d’Or voters gave him a shared 6th. It should have been higher.
In a different generation, perhaps he’d have been a superstar. In 1990, he was Europe’s forgotten magician.
5. Franco Baresi (30) AC Milan / Italy
37 points
He didn’t shout. He didn’t dive. He didn’t chase. He just… read.
Franco Baresi was the conductor of Milan’s symphony - and the mind behind Italy’s famously stingy defence at the 1990 World Cup. Italy kept five clean sheets in seven games. Baresi was never dribbled past. He was elegance in defence, geometry with shinpads.
Alongside a young Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta, Baresi captained Milan to Serie A dominance and later to European glory. He stayed with the club his entire career, amassing over 700 appearances. But 1990 was his purest year - a masterclass in anticipation and authority.
No goals. No headlines. Just silent perfection.
4. Paul Gascoigne (23) Tottenham Hotspur / England
43 points
Gazza. The boy genius. The joker. The one who cried.
Italia ’90 was Paul Gascoigne’s World Cup. Every game was a firework. Every touch was risky, joyful, electric. He set up David Platt’s wonder goal against Belgium, jinked past giants, played with fearless abandon. Then came the yellow card in the semi-final - and the tears seen around the world.
That moment, more than anything, shifted English football’s image. From hooligans to heartbreakers. From thugs to theatre.
At Spurs, he was chaos and brilliance rolled into one. He’d go on to sign for Lazio in 1992 and become a cult hero in Italy. But in 1990, he was pure, untamed joy.
3. Andreas Brehme (30) Inter Milan / West Germany
68 points
He was the man who stepped up in the 85th minute of the World Cup final. With the game on the line, penalty awarded, and Matthäus refusing to take it due to a halftime boot change, Andreas Brehme kept his cool - and smashed it home.
Right foot. Bottom corner. World champions.
What made it even more remarkable is that Brehme was naturally left-footed. In 1986, he’d scored a shootout penalty with his left. In 1990, he buried the winner with his right.
He was a true two-footed player, capable of playing left-back, right-back or midfield. Franz Beckenbauer once said: “I’ve known Andy for 20 years and still don’t know which is his strong foot.” Matthäus called him the best teammate he ever had.
They won the UEFA Cup together at Inter in 1991. But nothing would ever top Rome.
2. Salvatore Schillaci (26) Juventus / Italy
84 points
The most unexpected sensation in World Cup history.
Schillaci, known as “Toto”, had been a solid striker for Messina in Serie B. Juventus paid around £3 million for him in 1989 - a move few expected to shake the world. But at Italia ’90, he did just that. Off the bench in the opening match, he scored. Then again. And again. He finished with six goals, the Golden Boot, and the Golden Ball.
His bulging eyes, electric runs and instinctive finishes made him a national obsession. In the 3rd place play-off, Baggio handed him the penalty so he could seal the top scorer award. A gesture that showed just how much Toto had captured Italian hearts.
He never repeated that form. But in 1990, he burned like a meteor.
1. Lothar Matthäus (29) Inter Milan / West Germany
137 points
The undisputed ruler of 1990.
Lothar Matthäus was everywhere. Destroying. Creating. Leading. He scored four goals at the World Cup, including a stunning solo effort against Yugoslavia. He bossed the midfield, harassed opponents, linked defence and attack. He was captain, enforcer, and engine in one.
At Inter, he had already won the Scudetto in 1989. In 1990, he added the World Cup - and the Ballon d’Or. A year later, he’d become the first-ever FIFA World Player of the Year.
He didn’t take the final penalty because he’d changed boots at half-time and didn’t trust the fit. That’s how meticulous he was. He trusted Brehme instead - and won the world.
Even Maradona, at the peak of his own mythos, admitted Matthäus was his greatest rival.
1990 belonged to him.
Conclusion: The Poetry of Rankings
A ranking can’t capture football’s essence. It flattens emotions, ignores context, and risks injustice. But like a photograph, it freezes time. And sometimes, that’s enough.
And this particular snapshot - 1990 - was something special. A great Germany, a glorious Serie A. The spine of that German World Cup-winning team was also the spine of an Inter side that had recently conquered Italy, but wouldn’t win another Scudetto for over a decade. A time when a Sicilian benchwarmer could become the world’s best, and a German general could rule over Maradona.
Years later, I still love rankings. Not for their authority - but for the stories they bring back.
So this was 1990, as a football ranking.
