Off the soccer field, Brazil's Romario and Italy's Roberto Baggio couldn't be more different.
Baggio, a disciple of Buddha, at times seems almost embarrassed by his stature as one of the elite players in the world.Romario, the brash, self-described "street cat," possesses an arrogance seemingly exceeded only by his skillful brilliance.
About the only thing they have in common is the uncanny ability to make magic happen on a soccer field.
"I don't know (Baggio) personally, but I hear he's a great person," Romario said. "Certainly, I don't need to say anything about him as a player."
The same could be said - or rather, left unsaid - about Romario.
Baggio was the 1993 World Football Player of the Year. Romario was runner-up.
When Brazil and Italy meet in the 15th World Cup championship game Sunday at the Rose Bowl, Romario and Baggio likely will have a lot to say about which of these soccer-rich nations will be the first to become a four-time World Cup champion.
"Without a doubt, we've been the two players who have scored the most decisive goals in the World Cup," Romario said. "The team that emerges as the champion will probably have the top scorer and top player of the tournament."
On Wednesday, it was Baggio who scored two first-half goals as Italy advanced to its first final since 1982 with a 2-1 victory over Bulgaria.
Criticized harshly by the rabid Italian press for going scoreless in the first round, Baggio has put Italy on his venerable shoulders and carried it to the final.
He has scored five of the Italians' last six goals.
"I can describe Baggio in one adjective - exceptional," Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi said.
Although his recent performance has stirred comparisons to the remarkable goal-scoring binge Paolo Rossi went on to lead Italy to the 1982 title, the 27-year-old Baggio has been quick to qualify them.
"Let us not forget that Rossi won the World Cup," Baggio said. "We're just in the final."
Baggio suffered a hamstring injury in the victory over Bulgaria and team doctor Andrea Ferretti listed his chances of playing Sunday at 50-50. But Baggio said he would play.
Although his deeds on the field have proved otherwise, Baggio doesn't accept his role as savior of Italian soccer.
"I am neither a rabbit nor a savior," Baggio said after his two late goals gave Italy a victory over Nigeria. "I am simply Roberto Baggio."
Romario, 28, has no such reservations about carrying the banner for Brazil. Only a player as brash as he would refer to Pele as an antiquated museum piece.
Going into the tournament, he boasted, "This would be Romario's World Cup." With five goals, he's on his way to making it his.
"Strikers are egotists - selfish," Romario said. "I must consider that the ball belongs to me."
Romario's header in the 81st minute Wednesday ended 24 years of frustration for Brazil as it defeated Sweden, 1-0, to advance to its first final since 1970.
Baggio and Romario still trail Russia's Oleg Salenko and Bulgaria's Hristo Stoichkov by a goal for the coveted Golden Boot title as the World Cup's leading scorer.
If either Baggio or Romario does win the award, it is likely to just be a personal sidebar to a much more glorious triumph.
"There is one game left to become the top goal-scorer," Baggio said. "But the important thing is for the team to win. I hope to score, but as with the heart, it is not always easy."