Last June, your correspondent had reason to interview Enzo Bearzot, the coach who guided Italy to World Cup glory in Spain in 1982. We fixed the appointment for the Hilton hotel in downtown Milan and I promised to wait in the foyer.
By coincidence, a variety of soccer managers, coaches, agents and players were gathered in the hotel that day for end-of-season transfer business. As Bearzot walked into the foyer, he was immediately recognised and surrounded by old friends and acquaintances. Among those to greet him was Gabriele Oriali, the former Inter Milan midfielder who was a member of the 1982 World Cup winning team. The two men embraced and after some small-talk, Oriali, only half in jest, said: "I have to be eternally grateful to you boss. You won me a World Cup winner's medal."
The 70-year-old Bearzot smiled broadly at his former player and shook his head: "What do you mean? No, no, you lot won it, I won nothing."
To those unfamiliar with the story of Italy's 1982 World Cup triumph, the exchange between Bearzot and Oriali might mean little. Yet, that little exchange bore witness to the "us against them" team spirit which underpinned Italy's success.
In a week when Italy prepare for a decisive World Cup clash with England at the Olympic Stadium in Rome next Saturday, it is worth recalling Enzo Bearzot, his methods and his ideas. After all, Bearzot not only won the '82 World Cup, but he also kept England out of the Argentina finals in '78, largely thanks to a 2-0 win at the Olympic Stadium in Rome in November '76. Furthermore, sitting at Bearzot's side throughout those glory days was Cesare Maldini, then his assistant and now the Italian coach.
In many senses, Maldini has taken over where Bearzot left off. Unlike his immediate predecessor, Arrigo Sacchi, Maldini shares two fundamental footballing beliefs with Bearzot - the need to continue picking your international side from the same small group of players and the quintessential value of a side based on one brilliant striker, a combative midfield and a sound defence, complete with libero.
Last summer, Bearzot reminded me of his gamble in recalling Paolo Rossi to the Italian side for Spain. Rossi had been out of soccer for nearly two seasons prior to Spain and had played only three league games on the eve of the finals because of his involvement in a matchfixing scandal (Rossi always claimed he was an innocent victim, but that's a story for another day).
Bearzot, however, remembered what Rossi had been able to do for him in an inspirational Italian side at the Argentina World Cup four years earlier. He waited for Rossi, kept in contact with him during the long, lonely days of his ban, and then waited for him again as he struggled during Italy's unimpressive first round games in Spain. The rest is soccer history, of course, with Rossi exploding into life against Argentina, Brazil, Poland and West Germany to end up the tournament's leading goalscorer.
In the same vein, Cesare Maldini is unlikely to ring dramatic changes as he prepares for the most difficult game of his nine months as Italian coach. Not only will he look to players, tried and trusted, but he will also recall his match-winner at Wembley last February - Chelsea's Gianfranco Zola.
Therefore, Angelo Peruzzi (Juventus) remains first choice goalkeeper, behind a central defensive triangle of Fabio Cannavaro (Parma), Alessandro Nesta (Lazio) and Alessandro Costacurta (AC Milan). Cannavaro and Nesta will, in all probability, man-mark England's strikers Teddy Sheringham and Ian Wright, with Costacurta standing a few yards behind them ready to sweep up should the first line of defence falter. In Bearzot's day it was the late Gaetano Scirea who roamed imperiously behind such as Fulvio Collovatti, Antonio Cabrini and Claudio Gentile, ready to pick anything they missed, or in Gentile's case, any famous shins (Zico, Maradona) he had failed to kick.
In midfield, Maldini will look to Dino Baggio (Parma) and Demetrio Albertini (AC Milan) to plug up the centre and contain the athleticism of Paul Ince and the creativity of Paul Gascoigne. In short, they will take over the historical role of Oriali and Marco Tardelli.
Up front, Zola will lead the strike force, flanked by either Christian Vieri (Atletico Madrid) or Pierluigi Casiraghi (Lazio) It is a classic case of an attack based on a twinkle toes alongside a big blunderbuss. Zola will provide the sparkle, while Vieri or Casiraghi will get stuck in. If Zola is the modern day Rossi, then Francesco Graziani was the 1982 Vieri.
Missing from the historical comparison is one key figure: Giancarlo Antognoni, a classic playmaking midfield general of the old school. Such players have become almost extinct and in their absence, Maldini may well resort to the blinding pace and accurate finishing skills of Enrico Chiesa (Parma), normally an out-and-out striker, but versatile enough to play wide in midfield.
And here we come to the final historical comparison. Enzo Bearzot always reckoned that to beat England it was necessary to keep the ball on the ground and run at square English defences, forcing them to turn. In that context, Zola and Chiesa (or just possibly Alessandro Del Piero of Juventus) carry a great burden of Italian expectation. Will history repeat itself? Tune in next Saturday night.
