A case study of the breakdown of sport skill under pressure : Roberto Baggio’s 1994 World Cup Final penalty

Abstract

This case study attempted to elucidate the psychological underpinnings behind a moment in time of Roberto Baggio’s life. There are many theories which could explain Baggio’s response to pressure at the moment he choked under pressure during the Italy vs Brazil 1994 World Cup where his final penalty of the tournament ‘punched a hole in the sky’. The Biopsychosocial theory, neuroendocrine theory and the Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes transactional theories were chosen given the years of consistent robust published research. The breakdown of the skill which led to the penalty shot going wide over the crossbar was described through the reinvestment theory; deautomization of skill which happens when attentional focus shifts from external to internal, due to the heavy demand on declarative memory. Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) was the chosen therapy for Baggio’s hypothetical psychological intervention given the positive evidence it has over other psychotherapies and the role new Rational beliefs play in positively altering the perception of the player under stress.