Italians knew him affectionately as “Pablito”. In Brazil, he was known as the executioner.

Paolo Rossi, the former Italy striker who died aged 64 on Thursday, is seen in his homeland as the hero who led a previously discredited team to their 1982 World Cup title.

Brazilians remember him almost as well, for inflicting a defeat which became known as the Sarria Tragedy and which many feel changed the country’s football for good.

Rossi was the main protagonist in one of the best World Cup matches ever played — Italy’s 3-2 win over Brazil in a second round match at the Sarria stadium.

Brazil had delighted the world, playing with apparently careless abandon as they won their opening four matches with a goal aggregate of 13-3. Many regard the team, coached by Tele Santana, as the finest the country has ever produced.

Italy had crawled through the first group stage with draws against Peru, Poland and Cameroon before a surprising 2-1 win over Argentina.

Rossi, frail-looking and apparently out of shape, had just returned from a two-year ban linked to a match-fixing scandal and performed dismally until that point.

It was an epic match and clearly belonged to a very different era, from the classic strips, to the blaring horns, the stifling heat and the ramshackle Sarria stadium in Barcelona.