FOOTY FAIR

Why Italia 90 Was Better Than You Remember

2015-06-14T16:00:00.000-04:00

This week marked twenty five years since the start of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, a competition that has been widely derided as being an overly defensive and cynical tournament lacking in quality.
But that's not how I remember it at all. Sure there were a lot of 1-0's and knockout matches going to penalties, but I remember the last tournament before football became the commercial beast it is now with a lot of fondness.

The 1990 World Cup featured a terrific West German side led by captain Lothar Matthaus lifting his country's third World Cup, after getting through a couple of epic encounters against rivals from the Netherlands and England, all while wearing some of the coolest kits to ever grace a World Cup.

Speaking of England, Italia 90 saw the Three Lions best performance at a World Cup since winning the trophy on home soil in 1966.

After a dire 1-1 draw with Ireland in their first group match, manager Bobby Robson changed around his tactics to allow for a sweeper and with that England surged on to the last four.

Despite the loss on penalties to the West Germans, a star was born in Paul Gascoigne and England left with their heads held high for once.

Elsewhere the side that England defeated in the Quarter-Finals, Cameroon, provided the surprise package of the tournament as they defeated the reigning champions Argentina in the tournament opener and then thrilled the world with their progress into the knockout stages, in no small part due to the swashbuckling exploits of the 38 year old Roger Milla.

As for the hosts, the emergence of Italy's Roberto Baggio was thrilling to witness and the wide eyed celebrations of the unlikely goal machine Toto Schillaci lives long in the memory.

Schillaci had been plying his trade at Messina in Serie B only a year before his surprising move to Juventus and had not even been capped until 1990. However the little man from Palermo would go on to win the tournament's golden boot with six goals for his country.

Alas all good stories have both heroes and villains, and Frank Rijkaard certainly fell into the latter category when he gobbed into the hair of Rudi Voller during an ugly confrontation between his Netherlands side and West Germany.

But the true villains of the piece were a sub par Argentina side that somehow kicked and scraped their into the World Cup Final. Their ugly and cynical play, which couldn't even be brightened up by Diego Maradona who was not 100% fit for the tournament, won them few admirers.

It was even rumoured that during Argentina's 1-0 win over Brazil in the Round of 16 that a water bottle spiked with tranquilizers was purposely given to the Brazilian left back Branco by Argentina's physio to nullify the player.

The notoriously ruthless Argentinian manager Carlos Bilardo later said "I'm not saying it didn't happen", when questioned about the incident.

Argentina also didn't endear themselves to the hosts in particular, when Maradona encouraged the people of Napoli to remember how badly the rest of the country thinks of them and back his side in the Semi-Finals over the Azzurri. The South Americans would win that match on penalties and send Italy into mourning.

In the end though the best team won the World Cup and after the spectacle of a tournament that Luciano Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma" had been the soundtrack, international football was on the edge of evolving into the global juggernaut it would become over the next two decades.

To Panenka or Not to Panenka, That is the Question

2015-03-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

When I was in my late teens and early 20's I used to get together with a bunch of guys every Sunday afternoon for a kickabout. It was a great way to run off any excess alcohol from the night before.

Anyhow, at the end of each kickabout we'd always wrap things up by having a penalty shoot out. Most of us would try to simply blast it past the keeper, but one or two braver or perhaps more arrogant souls would try a trick shot like the famous 'Panenka'.

What is a Panenka?

Heading into the 1976 UEFA European Football Championship, West Germany were the reigning World Champions and were also hoping to defend the European title they won in 1972. In their way stood a talented, but a decidedly underdog Czechoslovakian side.

With Czech's having dispatched the Netherlands by a score 3-1 in the Semi-Finals the West Germans should have perhaps been a bit more wary of their opponent, but after 25 minutes played in the final they would find themselves 2-0 down to the underdogs.

West Germany would eventually level the score and force extra time, before the match petered out into a penalty shootout. In subsequent decades German sides would become renown for being deadly from the penalty spot and virtually unbeatable at senior level in shootouts, however after three successful kicks for each side, Bayern Munich's Uli Hoeneß missed his sides fourth kick.

Up stepped midfielder Antonín Panenka with his side ahead 4-3 and a chance to win Czechoslovakia's first major international title. To say the pressure was on is putting it lightly.

Panenka strode up to the spot, shaped his body as if he was going to smash the ball into the corner, but as the West German keeper Sepp Maier dove to his left, Panenka delicately chipped the ball straight down the middle to win the Euros for his homeland.

It was an audacious bit of genius that Pele later said was the work of "either a genius or a madman".

Panenka himself later claimed that some of his teammates were upset that he had tried this at such an important moment, even though he was successful.

As a penalty of this type had never been seen before on such a big stage, Panenka's name would forever be attached to it.

Since that European Final in 1976 there have been several famous examples of successful Panenka style penalties, such as Zinedine Zidane's effort for France against Italy in the 2006 World Cup Final, Uruguay's Sebastián Abreu in the 2010 World Cup to eliminate Ghana and of course Andrea Pirlo with an immaculate Panenka for Italy as they eliminated England in Euro 2012.

Pirlo's penalty turned the tide in a shootout that England had initially led. He later said of his successful kick, "At the moment I saw the goalkeeper making strange movements, so I waited for him to move and hit it like that... It was easier for me to chip it at that stage. Maybe my effort put some pressure on England."

England would miss their two penalties after Pirlo's effort and crash out of yet another tournament on spot kicks.

The biggest factor when taking a Panenka is not just the technique of fooling the goalie into thinking you're going to strike a hard shot into the corner and then floating a chipped effort into the middle of the net, but it's the sheer balls it takes to attempt one.

If it goes in you look like a cool genius, if it doesn't work out you look like an arrogant numskull.

When I saw footage this week of Benfica teenager Romário Baldé's hilariously miscued Panenka that allowed the keeper enough time to dive the wrong way and then get up to save his tame effort anyway, I first thought that at least the kid had the guts to try it and then I thought back to some of my disastrous miscues from the spot, many years ago at a park in Preston.

5 Interesting Manager Facts - Jürgen Klinsmann

2015-01-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

US Men's National Team head-coach Jürgen Klinsmann is a well known former German international and a football icon with clubs such as VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Tottenham and Bayern Munich. But while his illustrious career has been documented time and time again, there may be still a few facts that may surprise some football fans that are perhaps not experts on everything Jürgen Klinsmann.

Scoring was never an issue

When Jürgen Klinsmann was just 8 years old, he joined a youth club for the first time. In his very first year with amateur club TB Gingen, Klinsman would go on to impress in one particular match, scoring 16 goals in that one game.

Who is Jay Göppingen of Orange County?

After retiring from professional football and moving to the United States, Klinsmann decided to get back in the game "for fun", so in 2003 the former German international icon joined a small club by the name of Orange County Blue Star in the USL Premier Development League. But instead of using his real name, the striker who was born in Göppingen, Germany decided to go by the pseudonym Jay Göppingen. 'Jay' would go on to score 5 goals in 8 matches for the Blue Star.

Wins double the losses

So far in his managerial career Klinsmann is enjoying a particularly impressive winning ratio. With every team he has managed thus far, Klinsmann has managed to lead his squads to at least double the amount of wins compared to the amount of losses. Sure, it may have not been as hard to do with the German national team and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, but even with the US Men's National Team Klinsmann has so far reached 33 wins and just 15 losses.

Klinsmann the muffin man?

Following in the footsteps of his baker father, Jürgen Klinsmann is designated a 'Journeyman' baker. In Germany a 'Journeyman' refers to a person who has completed an apprenticeship and is fully educated in a trade or craft. Klinsmann's family owns a bakery in the Botnang district of Stuttgart, Germany, so Klinsmann has appropriately been referred to in that vacinity as the "baker's son from Botnang"

Two scoreless years with Germany

Since being called up to the German national team in 1987 (West Germany then) and retiring from international football 11 years later at the age of 34 in 1998, Klinsmann had just two scoreless international seasons out of the eleven he had played. A young 23 year old Klinsmann could not find the net in his first and only two appearances for the team in 1987, and was unable to score a single goal in 1991, during which the striker appeared just 4 times for the 'Nationalelf'. In the other 9 years with the national squad Klinsmann would go on to score 47 times in 102 appearances, even managing an impressive 4 goals in 8 matches in his last year with the team at the age of 34.

Football's Mavericks - Günter Netzer

2014-11-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

For a player as outrageously gifted as Günter Netzer a paltry 37 caps for West Germany is scant reward for his terrific career.
In order to get the best out of this maverick genius though, you had to build the team around him and that wasn't something West German national team boss Helmut Schön was prepared to do. The notable exception of this was the 1972 European Championship in which Netzer played a key role in his side's victory in the tournament.

Born in Mönchengladbach on September 14, 1944, Netzer would go on to have his greatest success in club football with his hometown side.

Joining Borussia Mönchengladbach at age 19 from local rivals 1. FC Mönchengladbach, for whom he had played his youth football, Netzer debuted for the side in 1963 and quickly became a fixture in the first team squad.

Helping Mönchengladbach to promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965, Netzer was at the heart of one of the finest sides Die Fohlen (The Foals) have ever produced.

Ironically enough their future rivals for domestic supremacy, Bayern Munich would gain promotion in the same season and thus kick off a decade of intense competition between the two sides.

Under the attack minded coach Hennes Weisweiler, Mönchengladbach went on to win the title in 1970 and 1971 with Netzer complimented in the side with great players like Bertie Vogts and Jupp Heynkes.

With his dashing style on and off the pitch, his long hair, and love for fast cars Netzer was loved by female fans as much as he was admired by male supporters.

Although he didn't quite have the international career he perhaps should have had, thanks in part to the steadier Wolfgang Overath being often preferred to him in the West German midfield, a performance of his at Wembley in 1972 became that of legend.

Going into this European Championship Quarterfinal tie, no German national side had ever triumphed on English soil against the Three Lions. In a performance for the ages, Netzer tore England to shreds as West Germany triumphed 3-1.

Scoring one of the goals himself from the penalty spot, Netzer was at the heart of nearly everything positive that West Germany did that day.

As mentioned earlier he would help West Germany to the 1972 European title, but would play little part in his countries World Cup triumph in 1974.

A strongly opinionated character, which later surfaced even further in his media work, at club level Netzer eventually fell out with the equally strong willed Weisweiler and pushed for a move away from Mönchengladbach.

Before leaving his home town side though, there was an incident that forever defined him in the 1973 German Cup Final against Cologne.

With Netzer left on the bench and the score knotted at 1-1, he subbed himself on in extra time, telling his stunned coach "I'll go and play now" and promptly scored the winner against his club's arch rivals.

Netzer would leave that summer for Real Madrid where he would join up with West German teammate Paul Breitner and go on to win league titles in 1975 and 1976, before ending his career with Grasshopper Club Zürich.

Although his post playing career has seen him find success as a General Manager of Hamburger SV, a business man, and a media pundit, it's his impact as one of the first stars of the Bundesliga and a true brilliant maverick that people will always remember him for.

East German Internationals Who Also Played for Germany

2014-11-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend marked the twenty five anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, which directly led to the full reunification of Germany just over a year later.

During the partition of the country into West Germany and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany, both fielded international sides.

While the West was quite successful, with World Cup wins in 1954, 1974 and 1990, to go along with European Championship titles in 1972 and 1980, the East never quite hit those heights.

They did however win Olympic gold in Montreal in 1976, and rather infamously defeated West Germany 1-0 in a group match during the 1974 World Cup. In the only ever meeting between the two nations, Jurgen Sparwasser settled a politically charged encounter in Hamburg in the 77th minute.

Jurgen Sparwasser

Franz Beckenbauer and West Germany would of course have the last laugh in that tournament, as they picked themselves up after this shock defeat and went on to win the World Cup.

The East German's would meanwhile crash out of a very tough second group phase, where they found themselves against Brazil, Argentina and Netherlands, and would never play in another finals tournament.

East Germany played the final match of their international existence on September 12, 1990. They won their last encounter as a nation 2-0 over Belgium in a friendly with both goals coming from Matthias Sammer.

Matthias Sammer in his GDR days

If that name sounds familiar to you, it should as Sammer would later help lead a unified Germany to victory in Euro 96, later being named player of the tournament, and follow that up with helping his club side, Borussia Dortmund to a UEFA Champions League title just under a year later.

Although Sammer, would go on to make 53 appearances for Germany, to go along with his 23 appearances for East Germany, and would become the most successful player to come out of the former GDR, he's by no means the only one who played for both sides.

The following are seven other players who represented both East Germany and a unified Germany.

Dariusz Wosz (7 matches for GDR; 1 goal in 17 matches for Germany)

Heiko Scholz (7 matches for GDR; 1 for Germany)

Ulf Kirsten (14 goals in 49 matches for GDR; 20 goals in 51 for Germany)

Andreas Thom (16 goals in 51 matches for GDR; 2 goals in 10 for Germany)

Thomas Doll (7 goals in 29 matches for GDR; 1 goal in 18 for Germany)

Olaf Marschall (4 matches for GDR; 3 goals in 13 matches for Germany)

Dirk Schuster (4 matches for GDR; 3 matches for Germany)

Old School Football (Gallery)

2014-07-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

Despite today's wall to wall coverage, the massive salaries, big egos and pink neon boots, football is still a simple game played between twenty two men or women with the aim being to outscore the other side.

Beyond being just a game, football throughout the years has brought people, communities and even countries together. As a universal language, football can almost transcend sport and that's why I love it. Some of the best times I've had in my life have been centered around playing, watching, or even just talking about football.

Besides being an avid fan of the modern game, below are some of my favourite images from football's past. Former Stoke City manager Tony Waddington once described football as 'The Working Man's Ballet' and these wonderful, and occasionally weird, images definitely support that.

If you're interested in seeing more like this, I highly recommend following @AntiqueFootball on Twitter.

Ajax vs Liverpool in the Fog, 1966

Rangers vs Arsenal under the floodlights at Highbury, 1951

England's Dick, Kerr Women's team who defeated France 2-0 in 1921 in the first Women's International

Alfredo Di Stéfano, Denis Law, and Lev Yashin, 1963

Barcelona's players have a laugh at Kevin Keegan and Hamburg's pink kits, 1977

Czechoslovakia's Antonin Panenka scores the goal that still bares his name against West Germany, 1976

Dutch fans climb trees to get a better view of Netherlands vs. Belgium, 1913

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, 1965

Werder Bremen's Weserstadion, 1965

Pumas de la UNAM, 1976

Winning In America – Netherlands and Germany Chasing the Dream & Who Came Closest

2014-07-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Since 1930 in Uruguay, the World Cup finals were held in North, Central and South America on seven previous occasions. This year in Brazil, it is the eighth time the big show is being hosted in the Americas, and with two European countries in the semi-finals stage, could one of them become the first European nation to win the title on American soil? Both the Germans and the Dutch have been to the final match of a World Cup on an American continent before, but both nations failed to become the first European country to win it across the Atlantic.

We take a look back and see where it all went wrong for the Europeans in previous years, and how close exactly were European nations to win the World Cup title in the Americas.

1930 Uruguay

The first World Cup finals saw just one of the four European squads make it to the semi-final stage. It was Yugoslavia who overcame Bolivia and Brazil in their three team group, to reach the last four of the competition. But in their semi-final match they were outmatched by the eventual champions and hosts Uruguay, who basically destroyed the men from the Balkans by a final score of 6-1. While there was no match for third place, the Yugoslavs were awarded fourth overall, with the USA claiming the bronze medal because of a superior goal differential.

1950 Brazil

With the World Cup coming back to South America after two tournaments in Europe, which saw Italy claim both titles, it was an opportunity for the European sides to claim the prize on American ground. Seven European nations were to participate this time around, and although France and Turkey withdrew before the tournament, two of the remaining five European sides advanced to the final four. The format for the final four this time around was a bit different. The last four remaining teams which included hosts Brazil, past champions Uruguay and the two European sides Spain and Sweden, would have to play out a final group, matching up against one another once. It was not meant to be for the Europeans once again though, as Sweden managing to record just one victory (over Spain), and with Spain drawing once against Uruguay, the two European squads finished 3rd and 4th in the group, with Uruguay claiming the prize in South America yet again.

1962 Chile

With Chile hosting the World Cup in 1962 there was more pressure than ever for a European squad to win in South America; that was because four years earlier at the 1958 World Cup hosted in Sweden, Brazil would become the first South American team to win the world title in Europe. With ten of the sixteen participating teams being from Europe, it looked like there would never be a better opportunity to claim a European victory in South America. Of the eight teams advancing to the quarter finals, six were from Europe, with only Brazil and hosts Chile from South America; it seemed promising! Brazil would go on to knock-out England, while Chile claimed victory over the Soviet Union, and with the Chileans and Brazilians having to play each other in the semis, one thing was clear, there will be a European nation in the final match. The European country that made it to the finals that year was Czechoslovakia. After winning their all European semi-final showdown with Yugoslavia, the Czechs had a huge task at hand, having to face defending world champions Brazil in order to become the first European nation to claim the World Cup championship in South America. On the day of the final at the Estadio Nacional in Chile’s capital Santiago, and in front of almost 70,000 spectators, the Czechs got off to a flying start with a goal from midfielder Josef Masopust in just the 15th minute. But the defending champions would show the world why Brazilian football is superior, scoring three unanswered goals to win 3-1 and claim the World Cup title for the second straight time.

1970 Mexico

The year 1970 saw the World Cup leave Europe and South America for the first time in 40 years, which included 8 tournaments. With England winning the 1966 edition of the tournament, it seemed like a good chance for a European side to claim the World Cup over there, in the Americas. This time around nine of the sixteen participants were from Europe, but just four managed to advance to the quarter finals. With Uruguay defeating the Soviets and Italy knocking-out hosts Mexico, it was yet again all even in the semi-finals with Uruguay taking on Brazil and West Germany playing against Italy, guaranteeing a European finalist yet again. With Italy and Brazil winning their semi-final fixtures, the stage was set for an epic final match between two-time world champions. As before however, the European side looked amateur compared to the one from America. Pele scored the first goal of the match, and although the Italian managed to tie things up, the Brazilians would score three more times in the second half to come out with a dominating 4-1 victory.

1978 Argentina

Another South American host, and another ten participating nations from Europe. Five of the eight teams going through to second round were European this time around, a second round that saw the eight teams split up into two groups of four, with the winners of each group going straight through to the final match. With Group A having all four European nations, it was clear that a side from Europe will get another crack at a World Cup title in South America. It was the Dutch who were able to win their group, topping Italy, West Germany and Austria for a chance to meet hosts Argentina in the final match. Argentinian legend Mario Kempes opened the scoring in the final, giving his side a 1-0 lead. But the Dutch were not going to give up, with an equalizer in the 82nd minute from Dick Nanninga. With the match going into extra-time this was the closes the European nation would get, as in the extra-frame Argentina scored twice more, with Kempes putting the ball in the net for the second time in the match.

1986 Mexico

The World Cup came back to Mexico for the second time in 1986 and with 14 European nations participating this could have and possibly should have been the year when a European nation held the trophy on an American continent. The round of 16 saw 10 European nations qualify, 5 of which went through to the quarters and 3 of them into the semi-finals. The stage was set, with France and West Germany playing against each other in one semi guaranteeing another European spot for the final match, the pressure was on the Belgians to knock-out Argentina in the other. Argentina defeated Belgium by a score of 2-0, setting up a finals meeting with the West Germans, who defeated France by the same 2-0 score-line. In the final match Argentina started strong and by the 55th minute were 2-0 up on the Germans. But Germany pushed forward and with the help of Rudi Voller tied the game up at 2-2 with just 10 minutes remaining in the match. Again it was not meant to be for the Europeans however, as Argentina’s Jorge Burruchaga scored Argentina’s third and game-winning goal in the 83rd minute.

1994 USA

In 1994 the World Cup was hosted by the United States of America, completing the circle of all parts of the American continents hosting the major tournament. But even here, in a country where Spanish or Portuguese is not the first language, A European side (although coming extremely close) would not be able to claim the World Cup title. For the second consecutive time in an American continent World Cup, three European nations qualified to the final-four. Brazil was the only non-European side, facing Sweden in their semi-final fixture, while Italy and Bulgaria were contending for the other spot in the final to be played in Pasadena, California. Brazil won their semi-final match against the Swedes by a score of 1-0, while the Italians, looking strong, defeated Bulgaria 2-1. Again, it was a European side against a South American, playing for the World Cup title. Thus far (not including Brazil 2014), the tournament in the US was the last World Cup on an American Continent, and Italy would become the European nation who would get closest to winning the title across the Atlantic. After a scoreless draw in the final, Italy and Brazil were facing the penalty shootouts. Both teams could not score on their first attempt, but with Italian Daniele Massaro missing Italy’s fourth shot, all eyes were on Roberto Baggio to keep the Italians in the contest. Baggio, as most football supporters know, would put the ball high above the crossbar, to spoil more European hopes of winning the World Cup in America.

This year, the only guaranteed success for a European nation would come if both the Dutch and Germans win their semi-finals matches against Argentina and Brazil. But with the Brazilian home-crowd and an 84 year World Cup history against them, it is a much more difficult task than one may think it to be.

Top 5 World Cup Goals - Italy (Gallery)

2014-06-10T21:00:00.000-04:00

Italy has been a consistent performer at World Cups, so it is only natural that they have scored some amazing goals over the years. Here is a look at my favorite Italy top 5 goals.

Number 5 - Marco Tardelli (1982 World Cup) vs West Germany

Number 4 - Roberto Baggio (1994 World Cup) vs Bulgaria

Number 3 - Pirlo (2006 World Cup) vs Ghana

Number 2 - Del Piero (2006 World Cup) vs Germany

Number 1 - Roberto Baggio (1990 World Cup) vs Czechoslovakia

Top 5 World Cup Goals - Germany (Gallery)

2014-06-08T23:30:00.000-04:00

Germany has had a long winning tradition in World Cup history. We have assembled the top 5 goals from Germany in past World Cup tournaments.

Number 5 - Miroslav Klose (2006 World Cup in Germany) vs Argentina

Number 4 - Muller (2010 World Cup in South Africa) vs Australia

Number 3 - Klinsmann (1994 World Cup in USA) vs South Korea

Number 2 - Matthaus (1990 World Cup in Italy ) vs Yugoslavia

Number 1 - Torsten Frings (2006 World Cup in Germany) vs Costa Rica

World Cup Heroes - Dino Zoff

2014-06-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Dino Zoff is one of the world's greatest goalkeepers and without a doubt a true World Cup Hero.

He has set several records and has received several honors. He is the oldest player to win a World Cup, he did it in 1982 in Spain at the age of 40. He was voted by the IFFHS the 3rd greatest goalkeeper of all time, behind Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. He also holds the record for most consecutive minutes without allowing a goal in international play, that streak lasted 1142 minutes and it was set between 1972 & 1974. He was capped by Italy 112 times, making him the 4th most capped Italian player of all time.

In 1974 he played in his first World Cup and it wasn't a memorable one, he had an impressive run of no goals allowed leading into the tournament but Italy would not make it pass the group stages, defeating Haiti, followed by tie with Argentina and losing to Poland.

His second World Cup was in 1978, and Italy was one of the heavy favorites going in to the tournament. Zoff and Italy started the tournament well winning all three group stage games including the hosts and eventual winners, Argentina. In the second round playing a decisive match against Netherlands, Zoff was unable to stop Arie Haan's 40 yard shot and Italy was out of the final. They would also lose the third place match to Brazil by the scoreline of 2-1 after having the lead.

Zoff had his final chance at glory in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Italy had a very slow start, with ties in all three group stage games against Poland, Cameroon and Peru. They managed to score 2 goals and allow 2.
They would go on as the second place team in their group, and manage to defeat Argentina, Brazil, Poland and West Germany in a row and win the 1982 World Cup. For Zoff this was his moment of glory. To captain his country to a title is something incredible but to do it at the age of 40 is truly impressive.

Zoff was not just any keeper, he was now a World Cup Hero.

SEE THE OTHER HEROES IN THIS SERIES>

World Cup Heroes - Franz Beckenbauer

2014-06-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Not many players can be credited with creating a position on the field and revolutionizing the way the game is played. Franz Beckenbauer or "Der Kaiser", as he was known, is such a man.

He is credited with invented the sweeper or libero position and becoming one of the world greatest defensive attacking minded players, and changing the way defenders approach the game.

The Kaiser was a superstar in world football, he reached 103 caps for West Germany and scored 14 goals. During that time he won the European Player of The Year award twice.

He was a member of the World Cup West German squads that finished second place in 1966, third place in 1970 and champions in 1974, while being voted to the tournament All-Star team in all three editions.

His World Cup debut came in 1966 in England, where he played every match for West Germany. His first match of that tournament was against Switzerland and he scored 2 goals in a 5-0 victory. In the semi-finals they faced the USSR and he scored the second goal for West Germany in a 2-1 win. They were in the final against the host nation, which they would end up losing 4-2 in added time. The Kaiser finished the tournament in third in scoring with 4 goals, not bad for a non attacking player, and introduced himself to the world.

In Mexico 1970 World Cup, West Germany won their first three matches of the group stages setting up a rematch against England in the second round. England was up 2-0 but a goal from Beckenbauer in the 69th minute was the spark that his team needed to tie the match and eventually win it in extra time.
It would be the semi-final game against Italy that would re-enforce the legend/hero status for Beckenbauer. The match was dubbed the game of the century, and it was a heroic performance by Beckenbauer that fractured his clavicle and refused to leave the game at a time when his team add already used both allowed subs. He played the rest of the match with his arm in a sling. Italy would win the match 4-3 in extra time, and Germany would end up defeating Uruguay 1-0 in the Third place match.

The 1974 World Cup was hosted by West Germany, in what would be his final tournament. He was at his prime, and he put his country on his shoulders and carried them to victory in his final World Cup game. The most memorable game of this tournament was the final against the Netherlands of Johan Cruyff, that Germany won 2-1. His defensive play in that game is the main reason why the Netherlands weren't able to play their famous "Total Football" and why Cruyff was unable to shine as he had done up until that point of the tournament.

He is only one of two players in the World to have finished 3rd, 2nd and 1st at the World Cup. An amazing task by an amazing World Cup Hero.

SEE THE OTHER HEROES IN THIS SERIES>

World Cup Heroes - Gerd Muller

2014-06-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

The most famous goal scorer in the history of football, Gerd Muller is without a doubt a World Cup Hero.

Muller scored 68 goals in 62 matches for West Germany, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and 66 international goals in 74 European club games, he is without a doubt one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game.

He made his international debut on October 1966 against Turkey and quickly became a regular in the squad.
Most of his goals came from inside the box, he was a short but strong player that was able to out smart the defenders and create opportunities for himself to score from close range.

Muller's first World Cup with West Germany was in 1970. Mexico was the host country and Muller was determined to put his name in the history books. "Der Bomber", as he was known, was at his very best in Mexico 70 World Cup. He scored 10 goals in 6 matches, including consecutive hat-tricks against Bulgaria and Peru. He also scored in a 2-1 win against Morocco, Muller scored the winning goal in the 86th minute.

In the quarter finals he scored the winning goal in extra time to setup a semi-final match against Italy. In the semis he scored 2 goals against Italy but it wasn't enough to eliminate the Italian squad. West Germany lost the game 4-3 in extra time. He won the tournament Golden Boot for being the top scorer and later in the year he won the European Player of The Year Award.

In 1974 West Germany was hosting the World Cup and he knew that this would probably be his last chance at winning the trophy. He only scored 4 goals in this tournament which by his standards is a very subdued performance by him, but scoring the winning goal against the Netherlands in the final made up for it.

It was the end to his international career, the perfect ending if you had to script one.

Der Bomber will always be known as one of the most prolific World Cup goalscorers in the history of the game. A true World Cup hero.

SEE THE OTHER HEROES IN THIS SERIES>

6 Countries Who Won the World Cup at Home (Gallery)

2014-06-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

This summer Brazil will attempt to become the seventh side to win the World Cup on home soil.

Although there are certain advantages to playing at home, the weight of expectation if you are one of the favorites can be difficult to shoulder. I vividly remember the intense pressure the Italian side was under in Italia 90, as the country expected them to win the tournament. In the end it wasn't that much of a surprise when they wilted against a poor Argentina side in Naples and lost on penalties in the Semi-Final.

It's like finding yourself in the arms of a hot brunette, but finding your wedding tackle out of order and being fresh out of Viagra. What could have been a brilliant night of triumph ends up being a limp disaster that you'll struggle to erase from your mind forever. Or so I've been led to believe.

However, some sides have been able to rise to the occasion and have given their home fans a month to remember. The following are the teams that have won the World Cup at home:

Uruguay 1930 - The hosts defeated rivals Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup Final

Italy 1934 - In a politically charged World Cup the hosts triumphed 2-1 over Czechoslovakia in the Final

England 1966 - Geoff Hurst scored the first, and so far only, hat-trick in a World Cup Final as West Germany were beaten 4-2

West Germany 1974 - Franz Beckenbauer led the hosts to a 2-1 win over a stylish Netherlands side in the World Cup Final

Argentina 1978 - Ticker tape rained down as Mario Kempes led Argentina to a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the Final

France 1998 - France captured their first World Cup with a 3-0 win over Brazil in Paris

World Cup Heroes - Just Fontaine

2014-06-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

In the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, french footballer, Just Fontaine set a record that has stood the tests of time. He scored a record of 13 goals in a single World Cup.

Just Fontaine was born in Marrakesh, Marocco in 1933. He began his club career with Nice, and won the league and Cup Winners Cup before making his national team debut in 1956 against Hungary.

He was not a regular with the French national team leading up to the World Cup in Sweden. Due to an injury to Rene Biliard, he was called up to the team. He was partnered up with Raymond Kopa, and the two players formed one of the deadliest strike duos in footballing history. Fontaine would go on to score in every single game of that years tournament.

Scoring 13 goals in 6 matches at a World Cup is impressive but when you take in consideration that not only he scored in every single match he also scored four goals against defending champions West Germany. Those 4 goals against West Germany came in the third place match, that France won 6-3.
The 13 goals was more than enough to win him the Golden Boot of the tournament, and currently he sits fourth in the all time World Cup scoring list.

He finished his international career with France with 30 goals scored in 21 caps.

His professional career was cut short at the age of 28, with a recurring leg injury. He played his last professional match in July of 1962.

While he had a very short career he has managed to hold one of the greatest records in World Cup history, and for that he is a World Cup Hero.

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World Cup Heroes - Bobby Moore

2014-06-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

With seconds remaining in Extra Time, Bobby Moore chested a hopeful West German cross down on the edge of his own box. Jackie Charlton screamed at him to boot it into the stands.

Instead, he spotted Geoff Hurst making a run on the left hand side and sent a pinpoint ball over the top to him. As a few fans started to come onto the pitch, Hurst controlled the ball then rifled his third, and side's fourth, goal into the net to confirm that England were Champions of the World.

This piece of calmness under pressure demonstrated once and for all the type of player Bobby Moore was.

The Academy and England's Youngest Captain

A product of West Ham United's famed Academy, Moore had benefited from the tutelage of veteran teammate Malcolm Allison, who obviously saw the potential in the future England Captain when he broke into the first team in 1958. Allison took the young player under his wing and passed on the finer points of the game that would later serve Moore so well.

Playing under the innovative West Ham manager Ron Greenwood, the stylish defender quickly became known for his unique ability to read the opposition play, make timely interceptions and distribute the ball impeccably.

His terrific form for the Hammers led to a late call up for the 1962 World Cup in Chile for the 21 year old Moore and his solid play helped England to a Quarter Final berth against the eventual World Champions, Brazil. Despite a 3-1 loss, and an exit from the competition, the experience proved invaluable for the young defender as he cemented his place in the England starting eleven. Within a year, Moore captained his country for the first time following the retirement of Johnny Haynes, thus becoming England's youngest captain at 22. A year later he was given the armband permanently by new manager Alf Ramsey.

1966 and All That

The thing about the 1966 World Cup in England is that Bobby Moore almost wasn't a part of it. Locked in a contract dispute with West Ham, and angling for a move to Tottenham, Moore was without a signed contract prior to the tournament and according to the rules of the time would have been ineligible to play for England. Ramsey, who had predicted that England would win the tournament, had Greenwood visit Moore at the England training camp and locked them in a room until they hammered out a new deal.

Moore, with his new contract in hand, then went on to lead English football and perhaps English sport to it's finest hour. After a slow start to the tournament, the hosts progressed from their group and took on Argentina in the Quarter Finals at Wembley. A tense and often rough affair was settled by a goal from Moore's West Ham teammate Geoff Hurst.

In the Semi Final they faced a very talented Portuguese side featuring the scoring star of the tournament in Eusebio. With the Portuguese star shackled by the man marking of Nobby Stiles, and with Moore and Jackie Charlton keeping things tight at the back, two goals from Bobby Charlton saw England through to the World Cup Final on home turf.

On the eve of the final, Ramsey considered dropping Moore in favour of Leeds United hard man Norman Hunter as he feared the speed and physicality of the West German attack would be too much for his captain to handle. Fortunately he chose to keep faith with Moore and he was not let down. After going behind 1-0 thanks to a goal from Helmut Haller, a quick free kick from Moore to his club teammate Hurst led to an immediate reply.

The match went back and forth, with another West Ham player, Martin Peters, putting England ahead 2-1, but Wolfgang Weber found the net for the Germans with only a minute left in normal time. With Moore continuing to marshal the backline and Alan Ball doing most of the running in midfield in extra time, Geoff Hurst scored what is perhaps the most controversial goal in the history of the World Cup Final as his second goal bounced down from the crossbar and either on or just behind the line. In the final minute of the an exhausting 120 minutes the West Germans launched one last attack forward, but Moore cut it out and played in Hurst again for the final tally.

Amid all of the euphoria during England's triumph Moore, always the gentleman, worried about dirtying the white gloves of Queen Elizabeth II as he climbed the 39 famous steps of Wembley to collect the Jules Rimet Trophy. He wiped his hands clean on the velvet cloth underneath the trophy, before accepting the cup from Her Majesty and raising it in the air.

1970 and the Bogota Bracelet

After the World Cup win in 1966, Moore had become a national idol in Britain and his fame had spread around the world. However, prior to the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, Moore was accused of stealing a bracelet from a shop in Bogota, Columbia following a friendly there. After being arrested and held for questioning, diplomatic pressure and the lack of evidence led to his release. Moore rejoined the England squad in Mexico was notably involved in one of the most famous matches in the competitions history.

The first round match between England and Brazil in Guadalajara remains one of the biggest games in England's international history. The matchup featured the winner of the previous of the World Cup going up against the eventual winners of that years tournament and was arguably the toughest test that Brazil faced that year.

The match is remembered for three iconic moments: the match's only goal from Jairzinho, the famous Gordan Banks save on Pele and Bobby Moore's "Perfect Tackle" on Jairzinho. When recounting the great moments from football matches of the past, it's the goals or perhaps saves that are remembered. How often are tackles remembered or truly lauded? The tackle from Moore though was perfect in it's execution, emphasizing his calmness and brilliant technique. It epitomized who he was as a player and goes some way to explaining why Pele has called him the greatest defender he ever faced.

Following Brazil's goal, England had terrific chances through Jeff Astle and Alan Mullery to get back into it but the ball would just not go in and the Brazilian's had defeated the reigning Champions. After the match, captured in one of football's most famous photos, Pele and Moore swamped shirts in an iconic moment that was both a passing of the torch from one champion to another and a coming together of two wonderful sportsmen.

Despite the expectation that England and Brazil would meet again in the final, the Three Lions were knocked out by West Germany in the Quarter Finals after a 3-2 loss in Extra Time in Moore's last appearance on the World's greatest stage. Sadly, Bobby Moore died of bowel and liver cancer at the age of 51 in 1993, but he will always be remembered for the joy he brought to the Upton Park faithful and for giving English football it's greatest moment on a sun washed day at Wembley in 1966.

World Cup Heroes - Rudi Völler

2014-06-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Rudolf "Rudi" Völler, a German striker who was capped for his country 90 times, was instrumental to the German’s squad success during the 1980’s, and the very early 90’s. In his 12 years with the German squad he scored an impressive 47 goals, helping his nation to a World Cup win in 1990, and eventually became Germany’s national team manager in 2000.

Völler’s first call-up to the West German squad came in 1982, but he did not travel with the team to the World Cup in Spain that same year. But a year later, Völler was already a part of the West German’s qualifying campaign for the 1984 European Championships. In the qualifying matches Völler scored 5 goals and then 2 more in the final tournament group stages in France, but the Germans did not go through to the later rounds.

1986 World Cup

In 1986 Völler traveled with the West German squad to the World Cup in Mexico, scoring just twice in the qualifying stages. But in the final tournament, Völler would become key to the West German’s great run to the Final. In the first match of the group stage, Germany played against South American side Uruguay, Völler played the full 90 minutes and although he did not get on the score-sheet, the Germans managed a 1-1 draw. In their second match Germany was down 1-0 to Scotland in just the 18th minute, but four minutes after that Völler would score his first World Cup goal and tie the game up. An eventual 2-1 win over Scotland would prove very important, as Germany was not able to score against 3rd group match opponents Denmark and lost 2-0. But the Germans would scrape by to the next round, thanks to that 2-1 victory over the Scots.In the round of 16 Germany would play Morocco. In a match that saw Völler substituted in the 46th minute, Germany struggled to score and got through to the next round thanks to one free-kick goal scored by Lothar Matthäus in the 88th minute. Völler did not play in the quarter-final match at all, but did come on as a substitute in the semi-finals to score West Germany’s second goal, in a 2-0 victory over France. In the final match against eventual winners Argentina, Rudi Völler came on as a substitute again. When Völler stepped onto the pitch in the 46th minute the match was going Argentina’s way. With a goal in the first half, and another 10 minutes after Völler’s addition on the pitch, the Argentines were well on their way to a fairly easy World Cup Finals victory. But in the 74th minute Völler headed a corner-kick delivery towards the goal, where Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was standing and was able to slot the ball to the back of the net and provide the Germans with a lifeline. 7 minutes later Völler was a hero, when a very similar corner-kick situation played itself out, only this time it was Rudi on the doorstep, and he made no mistake slotting the ball past Argentine goalkeeper Nery Pumpido. Argentina would score again before full-time and would be crowned champions of world football, but Rudi Völler has made his mark on a tournament that he and his team would win the next time around.

Two years later West Germany hosted the European Championship. Rudi Völler managed to score two goals in the group stages, but the Germans would be eliminated by the eventual champions the Netherlands, in the semi-finals.

1990 World Cup

Leading up to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Rudi Völler was the top scorer in Germany’s qualifying group. Scoring 4 times, Völler and his team qualified for the 1990 World Cup 1 point behind group leaders, the Netherlands.

During the final tournament Völler would go on to score 3 goals, and although all three came in the group stages of the competition, West Germany would go on to win the World Cup title beating Argentina four years after they lost to that same team in the final in Mexico. In the round of 16 match against the Dutch, Völler got into an altercation with Frank Rijkaard which saw both players sent off in just the 22nd minute of the match. Völler would go on to miss the quarter-final match; the only match he did not start in the whole tournament.

Later Years

Rudi Völler would again be a part of the German squad for the 1994 World Cup in the United States. At the age of 34 Völler’s presence was mostly on the German bench, but he managed to score two more World Cup goals; both would prove to be crucial in a 3-2 round of 16 victory over Belgium. Germany were eliminated in the following round after a 2-1 loss to Bulgaria.

Völler retired from professional football two years later, at the age of 36. Four years after that he was named manager for the German national team, and managed to lead his squad to the final match of the 2002 World Cup. After a first round exit in the 2004 Euros, Völler resigned from his position.

Along with fellow Franz Beckenbauer, Rudi Völler hold the title of losing in the World Cup finals both as a player and manager.

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World Cup Heroes - Maradona

2014-05-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

We could not have a World Cup Heroes series leading up to this years World Cup in Brazil without talking about Diego Maradona. For my generation he is without a doubt the best player that has ever laced a pair of cleats.

His performances at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico play a huge role on his iconic status in the footballing world, and make him an unconditional World Cup Hero.

Born in Lanus, Buenos Aires, Diego Maradona was the 5th child and first boy of his family. Poor family and very humbling beginnings, Diego Maradona had a very hard up bringing, and he credits his mother with his desire to succeed so he could provide her with a better life.

Maradona played in 4 World Cups, from 1982 to 1994, but it was in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where he had his best performances and by himself carried his country on his shoulders. In one game he managed to score the two most iconic goals in World Cup history, but we will look into that later on.

Argentina was drawn with Italy, Bulgaria and South Korea in group A. Maradona was the Argentinian captain for this tournament and he would prove to be a true leader, and that leadership would have to start on their first group match against South Korea.
Maradona had a huge impact in this first match, not with goals but with 3 assists that resulted in the three Argentinian goals. The South Koreans fouled Maradona almost everytime he touched the ball, they took a page out of the Portuguese team that played Brazil of Pele in 1966, and massacred him with fouls. It wasn't enough to stop him and Argentina won the game 3-1.

Second group game would have them face Italy. This was without a doubt the hardest game of the group stage, and would put Maradona against a country that he was now calling home. Playing for Napoli in Serie A he was an idol of the young italians, but this was the World Cup and it was all about the results and advancing. Italy took an early lead at the 7th minute but Maradona tied the game in the 34th minute and that would be the final result. It was a very even game between two strong sides that had a lot of respect for each other.

Last group game was against Bulgaria. This was a fairly easy match for Argentina, they had a better team and after 3 minutes of play they were up 1-0. Burruchaga scored in the 77 minute after a pass from Maradona to make it 2-0 and that would be the final result.
Argentina finished first in Group A with 5 points, and Maradona had 4 assists and 1 goal, but his best was yet to come.

During the 2nd sound (knock out stages), Argentina was going to be faced with a good Uruguayan side. Both teams new each other well from qualification stages and were very even on the field. Argentina won 1-0 and Maradona had one of his more quiet performances in the tournament. Uruguay held him in check for most of the game and he really had a hard time making the difference, but perhaps that gave him extra motivation for the upcoming quarter-final game against England.

This is one of the most iconic matches in World Cup history. This match was held 4 years after the Falklands War between Argentina and UK and added even more intensity to an already intense rivalry between these 2 countries. The quarter-finals match between Argentina and England has the ability to have the 2 most talked about goals in World Cup history, and both goals were scored by Maradona. These two goals and his performance in this game cemented his status as a World Cup legend.

The first goal is known as the "Hand of God" goal. Due to a Steve Hodge missed clearance, the ball cork screwed into the box, Peter Shilton came out to punch the ball, but a shorter Maradona jumped and with his hand punched the ball in the net.

The referee didn't see it and validated the goal, even most of the commentators that were covering the game didn't see it at first glance. So the goal stood. Maradona later said "I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came...i told them, 'Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it.'".

The second goal is know as "The goal of the century". Maradona picks up the ball in Argentina's midfield and dribbles through an English team, that is unable to stop him, and scores a magnificent goal.

Maradona had just handed a 2-0 lead to Argentina by scoring 2 goals 4 minutes apart, and not just any goals, two epic goals that have indeed become part of footballs folklore. England would score a goal to make it 2-1 but Argentina was going to the semi-finals.

The semi-final game had Argentina facing Belgium. It would be another Diego Maradona show. He completely dominated the game and once again showed the world all his class.
It was a case of Maradona vs Belgium more than Argentina vs Belgium.

His 2 second half goals were enough for a 2-0 win and a ticket to the finals against West Germany. The Belgium defense wasn't strong enough to last 90 minutes against the genius of Maradona, not even when you park the bus in front of the net.

Franz Beckenbauer was the coach of a very experienced West Germany side that included Lothar Matthaus, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Rudi Voller and Andreas Brehme. So this was going to be a very difficult final for both teams.
Maradona saw an yellow card only after 17 minutes and this influenced how he approach the rest of the game, but a goal in the 22nd minute and one in the 56th minute gave the Argentinian team a 2-0 lead and it looked like this was going to be another walk in the park. When you are playing a West Germany side this talented nothing is easy, and West Germany subbed in Rudi Voller and he completely turned this game upside down. He assisted Rummenigge in the 74th minute and later scored in the 81st minute to tie the game 2-2. It looked for a minute that Voller was preparing to take the spotlight away from Maradona and crown himself as the hero, but Maradona wouldn't have any of that.
Maradona had a wonderful assist in the 84th minute to Burruchaga that gave Argentina the late 3-2 lead and that would be the final result.

Maradona was Argentina, and the captain took his country on his shoulders all the way to the final. Now that the cup was won, it was time for his country to carry him on its shoulders.

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The World Cup's 5 Worst Tackles

2014-05-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

For all of the fantastic goals, saves and magic moments in the World Cup, let's spare a thought for the less talented or the mentally unstable players who left their mark on someone's legs, chest or head in this great tournament. The following are the five worst incidents of ultra-violence in World Cup history:

Benjamin Massing on Claudio Caniggia

If at first you don't succeed in kicking someone up into Row Z, make like Cameroon and try, try, try again. Trailing 1-0 in their 1990 World Cup opener, Argentina's Claudio Caniggia made the mistake of running straight through the Indomitable Lions midfield, before he was clipped twice by wild lunges and then put out of his misery by a flying Benjamin Massing. Some x-rated tacklers are known for "leaving a boot in" and Massing literally did that here, as his shoe came flying off when he assaulted Caniggia. The referee didn't see the funny side and showed him a straight red.

Nigel de Jong on Xabi Alonso

Some old school managers in Britain would shout at their players to "get stuck in" before taking to the pitch and Nigel de Jong certainly did that in the 2010 World Cup Final. The only problem was, instead of putting in some extra effort, he literally got stuck into Xabi Alonso's chest. The fact that he unleashed a kick that Bruce Lee would be proud of only warranted a yellow card is still hilarious.

Toni Schumacher on Patrick Battiston

It may be an old football stereotype, but some goal keepers are clearly insane and Germany's Toni Schumacher was as mad as they come. In a classic 1982 World Cup Semi Final against France, future political hack... I mean UEFA President Michel Platini, sent a delightful ball forward for Patrick Battiston deep into extra time. As the French defender went to bring it down though, the big hairy lunatic Schumacher decided that the best defence is a good offence and smashed him right in the face. Battiston was knocked out cold and stretchered off the pitch. Schumacher wasn't even booked and the West German's won on penalties. Sometimes there's simply no justice in the world, folks.

Jose Batista on Gordon Strachan

Needing only a draw to see themselves through at the expense of Scotland, Uruguay decided that rather than grinding out a dull 0-0 draw, they'd make things a bit more interesting by going down to ten men. Just 56 seconds after the kickoff, Jose Batista went straight through the back of Gordon Strachan for a straight red card. With Scotland's main creative force hobbled, Uruguay then proceeded to kick, elbow and time waste their way to the 0-0 result they needed to progress in the competition. After the match Scottish FA Secretary Ernie Walker called Uruguay, "the scum of world football", while Strachan was presumably left icing his legs and thanking his lucky stars it wasn't his ginger nuts that caught the full force of Batista's lunge.

The Battle of Santiago

When a match is labeled as "The Battle of Santiago", you just know that it wasn't played like a fun kickabout in the park. Prior to the match, some Italian journalists had labeled Chile's capital Santiago as a backwater filled with illiterate drunks and prostitutes. Needless to say, the hosts were not impressed and the anti-Italian sentiment in the country led to what is considered the dirtiest match in World Cup history. It's impossible to pick out one tackle from this descent into anarchy, but the neck high tackle on Mario David has to be up there. The highlights from this encounter should be viewed when your kids have gone to bed by the way.

World Cup Heroes - Johan Cruyff

2014-05-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

In the history of football, how many people have had a move named after them and, on top of that, have had their name become synonymous with an entire system of play?

As a result of Johan Cruyff, and the brilliant Dutch side he led to the 1974 World Cup Final, the Cruyff Turn and Total Football have entered into the football lexicon.

Prior to the late 1960's, the Netherlands were considered to be minnows of European football. With the advent of a professional league in 1954, and the emergence of Feyenoord and Ajax as top European sides, the Dutch National side began to emerge in the early 1970's as a major player on the world stage.

Total Football, as it was later coined, involved the flexible movement of players all across the pitch, moving and covering for each other to fill spaces and confuse opposition markers. This system, which was heavily influenced by the great Hungarian side of the 1950's, required players to be comfortable with taking on different roles and to have the intelligence to adapt as the teams shape could change at any time during a match.

In order for this system to truly work, it needed an orchestrator and there was no one more suited to this role than the great Johan Cruyff. Joining Ajax's famous youth academy at the age of ten, Cruyff was already a three time Ballon D'Or and European Cup winner by the time he led Holland into the 1974 World Cup.

A strong, vocal presence on the pitch, Cruyff served as coach Rinus Michels on pitch general, along with effortlessly floating between wings, into a withdrawn midfield role and then upfront to finish off attacks. He was the perfect model of the "Total Footballer", as he was comfortable in taking on different roles.

Cruyff has often been compared to a dancer in the way he gracefully moved on the pitch, and this was clearly evidenced in Holland's first round match against Sweden when he unveiled the move that still carries his name. Facing defender Jan Ollsson, Cruyff shaped as if he was going to cross the ball, but instead he dragged it behind his planted leg, pivoted 180 degrees and left the defender for dead.

Playing some thrilling football, Holland easily progressed through the first round of the World Cup with wins over Uruguay and Bulgaria, either side of a draw with Sweden.

In the second group stage, Cruyff found the net twice in a thrilling 4-0 demolition of Argentina. After a 2-0 win over East Germany, Holland defeated the defending champion Brazilians 2-0 with Cruyff on target again.

In the World Cup Final against the hosts, West Germany, Cruyff took the ball from the kickoff and displaying the type of football that won this great Dutch side so many fans, the Oranje pass the ball around 13 times, before Cruyff burst into the box and was upended for a penalty. Without a single German player touching the ball, Johan Neeskens scored from the spot to give Holland the lead. Unfortunately for Cruyff and company, West Germany got back into the match through Paul Breitner and Gerd Muller, while Berti Vogts and Franz Beckenbauer shackled Cruyff for the remainder of the match.

Despite their loss in the final, and the fact that Johan Cruyff never played in another World Cup, the impact he and his side had in 1974 will never be forgotten.

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World Cup Heroes - Ferenc Puskas

2014-05-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ferenc Puskas is one of the top 25 footballers of all of time, and while his better performances came with the Real Madrid jersey, he also helped his Hungary national team to international glory.

He didn't have the look of most footballers at that time or even now, but his qualities on the field are undeniable and for what he has done for club and country he has carved his place in footballing history.

He made his debut for Hungary in 1945 at the age of 18, in a match against Austria. This was Hungary's first post war match.
Puskas also played in the incredible Hungary team that defeated England 6-3 at Wembley, becoming the first team outside of Britain to defeat England at home.

Hungary & Puskas were undefeated in 4 years when they arrived at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. That streak looked to continue when they defeated South Korea 9-0 in the groups opening game. Puskas scored 2 goals in the match, the first at the 12th minute to give Hungary a 1-0 lead and his 2nd goal made it 9-0 in the 89th minute.

During the second game of the group Hungary defeated a strong West German side 8-3 with Puskas scoring the 2nd goal for his team at the 17th minute mark. After two games and 4 years undefeated leading into this tournament, Puskas and Hungary looked set at making history.

Due to an injury that had been with him since the end of the club season and was aggravated during the first two games, he wasn't able to help his Hungary during the QF match against heavy favorites Brazil.
His team mates rallied around him and made of this weakness a strength and in a match commonly know as "Battle of Berne", Hungary defeated Brazil 4-2 and advanced to the semi-final.

The semi-final pinned Hungary against the defending champions Uruguay, still without Puskas, Hungary looked right for the picking, but in football sometimes the variables play a role. To many his presence with the team, and his willingness to win gave his team mates the strength to push on and try to overcome this massive obstacle. Uruguay was defeated 4-2 in AET, and the stage was set for a final between Hungary and West Germany whom they had defeated 8-3 earlier in the tournament.

Puskas forced the coaches hand and put his name on the lineup, despite not being fully fit. Hungary took an early lead with Puskas scoring the first goal only after 6 minutes of play. By the 8th minute of the game Hungary lead 2-0 and look to be set at winning the tournament. The West Germans weren't undone and made a remarkable comeback, and won the game 3-2. It was a shocking result, and one that ended Hungary's unbeaten streak of 4+ years.

This was Puskas only World Cup appearance, but in 84 caps for Hungary he scored 83 goals. Nobody in history has ever scored those many goals for a national team. The thoughts always linger, what would this 1954 World Cup have been, had Puskas been fully healthy for the duration of the tournament? That is something we will never know.

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The World Cup's Maddest, Meanest and Ugliest Moments

2014-05-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

“The most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game." Those were the words of BBC commentator David Coleman upon introducing the highlights of the 1962 World Cup meeting between Chile and Italy. Although football has been described by Pele as “the beautiful game”, there are times when it can be anything but beautiful and it can descend into farce or madness. Below are a few examples of World Cup moments when things turned ugly:

1962 – The Battle of Santiago

England Striker Jimmy Greaves thought he had it bad during the 1962 World Cup when a stray dog on the pitch he grabbed hold of, during his side’s Quarter Final loss to Brazil, unleashed a soupy stream of piss all over his jersey. But at least the Tottenham marksman was nowhere near the notorious Battle of Santiago.

In a stunning example of how to win friends in foreign lands, the Italian media had questioned why Chile were hosting the finals and had this to say about Santiago, "the phones don't work, taxis are as rare as faithful husbands, a cable to Europe costs an arm and a leg and a letter takes five days to turn up. Its population is prone to malnutrition, illiteracy, alcoholism and poverty". One journalist went as far as to describe Chile’s capital as a backwater that was teeming with prostitutes. Understandably the locals were incensed and several Italian journalists had to flee the country under the threat of violence. Santiago sounds like my kind of town.

Under this climate, Italy took on the hosts in the second match for each side in the tournament. The Chileans tore into the Italian’s straight from the kickoff and when they weren't kicking or poking at the Azzurri players, they were spitting in their faces. The Italians reacted in kind and the game quickly descended into a scene from Apocalypse Now. The first sending off occurred after four minutes as the Italian, Giorgio Ferrini was sent off for retaliating. He refused to leave the pitch however and the match was held up for ten minutes. That was only the starting point, as the players decided to forget about the ball and just concentrate on kicking or punching each other. Chile’s Leonel Sanchez was the chief villain as he threw a vicious left hook at Humberto Maschio, breaking his nose, and then throwing another punch at Mario David. David reacted and was unfairly sent off by the English referee Ken Aston, who had no control over the wild proceedings.

Against nine men, the Chileans prevailed 2-0 and would go as far as the Semi Finals before eventually losing in another bad tempered affair to Brazil.

1982 - Disgrace of Gijón

Have you ever wondered why the final group matches, of the four teams in a particular group, at a World Cup are played simultaneously? Well, we can blame the Austrians and the Germans for that one. I’m not terribly happy about it to be honest, as I had to order some weird channel called the Outdoor Life Network during the last World Cup in order to see the match I wanted, as the main network was showing the other fixture.

In the 1982 World Cup, West Germany opened their group stage against Algeria and to say that they underestimated the African side is putting it lightly. The German’s didn't bother watching any videos of Algeria and assumed they would win in a rout. One player even said, “We will dedicate our seventh goal to our wives, and the eighth to our dogs”. Charming attitude, eh?

In one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets, the Algerian’s defeated the reigning European Champions 2-1. However, with West Germany winning their next match over Chile 4-1 and Algeria losing to Austria 2-0, it all came down to the final match for each side to see who would progress into the second round.
With Algeria winning their final match against Chile 3-2, West Germany had to beat Austria the next day to assure themselves of a place in the next round.

With everything at stake, West Germany came out of the blocks on all cylinders and took a 1-0 lead after ten minutes. For the remainder of the half some football was played, but not a heck of a lot happened. At half time though, despite the continued denials of the players involved, a non-aggression pact was agreed between the two countries to let the result stay as it was. The two sides then played out the latter part of the second half at a snail’s pace. They knocked the ball around a bit and treated the rest of the match like a practice session. The last fifteen minutes were particularly pathetic, and had Algerian’s seeing red. The thousands of Algerian supporters in the crowd screamed “Fix” and actually burned money in the stands.
German commentators were also not impressed with one saying, "What's happening here is disgraceful and has nothing to do with football. You can say what you want, but not every end justifies every means."

Not caring a lick about what anyone thought of their dubious deal, Austria and West Germany played out the rest of their charade, the match finished 1-0 and both advanced to the second round.

Despite seeing their side progress, many West German fans were not happy and some confronted the team later at their hotel. The players responded by chucking water balloons at their supporters. Needless to say, most neutrals and perhaps even some Germans were pleased to see this side eventually lose to Italy in the World Cup Final.

1986 - The Hand of God

Following on the heels of the Falklands War, and with a contentious World Cup match twenty years earlier still on some minds, the 1986 World Cup Quarter Final between England and Argentina had what the hacks refer to as a “narrative”. The match, played out in the blazing midday sun in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, featured the best and worst of Diego Maradona.

After a non-eventful first half, in the 51st minute Maradona made a surging run towards the England box and attempted to play in Jorge Valdano. It was cut off by Steve Hodge, but the Aston Villa man was only able to clumsily slice the ball up in the air behind him. As Peter Shilton trudged through quicksand off of his line and lazily came out to collect the ball, Maradona leaped in front of him. The Argentinian got a fist to the ball and knocked it over the English keeper and into the net. It was an obvious handball and how a player who was nearly a foot shorter than the keeper challenging him, could possibily head a ball over him was lost on the useless officials.

As the England players screamed their objections at the hapless referee, Maradona encouraged his teammates to join him in celebration to complete the perfect con.

Four minutes later, with England still feeling like they had just had their wallet stolen, Maradona pulled their pants down in front of a million viewers, as he slalomed past five players and scored the greatest individual goal in the history of the World Cup.

Although they pulled a goal back through Gary Lineker with nine minutes to go, England bowed out of the competition. As a result of his trickery and, later moment of genius, Maradona won himself a few friends in Scotland to go along with his growing legendary status in Argentina.

1990 - Rijkaard and Voller

It’s no great secret that Holland and Germany have a little bit of history, and if you weren't dozing off or passing “do you like me: yes, no, or maybe” notes to freckly faced Pamela Lulubridgita during 20th Century History class, then you’ll know that Holland was occupied by the Germans during World War 2.

The football rivalry first kicked into gear though during the 1974 World Cup Final. That summer, the wonderful “Total Football” side of Johan Cruyff was so concerned with humiliating the host West Germans that they forgot to score a second goal, after their early opener, and crashed to a 2-1 defeat.

Since then, matches between the two sides have been a bit prickly, as the two sets of players and their fans have attempted to one up each other in terms of unpleasant behavior. For example, after beating West Germany in their own backyard in the 1988 European Championships, Ronald Koeman pretended to wipe his ass with Olaf Thon’s shirt which enraged German supporters.

The 1990 World Cup is remembered as a tournament that featured diving, time wasting, fouling and a lot of general douchebaggery, but the second round clash between Holland and West Germany may be the pick of a rotten bunch.

Both sides started into each other with some crude tackles straight from the kick off, but one incident was about to overshadow all of it.

Normally a classy player for both AC Milan and Holland, Frank Rijkaard came into this match in a particularly foul mood and in the 21st minute took down Rudi Voller with a horrible tackle. After receiving a fully justified yellow card, an angry Rijkaard walked past Voller and gobbed straight into his luxuriously permed locks. Perhaps thinking it was raining at first, Voller didn’t react right away, but then realizing what had happened he pointed out the hanging spittle to the referee and started yelling at Rijkaard. The German was booked for his troubles and the match continued.

From the resulting free kick, Voller clashed with Dutch keeper Hans van Breukelen and then threw himself to the floor clutching his shin. At this point the red mist had enveloped Rijkaard entirely and he attempted to drag Voller up by his ear. The referee had seen enough and sent both men off.

As Rijkaard walked past Voller on the way to the tunnel he hawked back and fired the gloopiest blob of slimy spit into Voller’s hair that would be the envy of cheeky nine year old boys everywhere. It actually hung in Voller’s perm for a while like some misapplied Soul Glow and then slowly dripped down his back. It was absolutely disgusting and the curly haired striker would have been well within his rights to deck the Dutchman. He held his cool though, and so did his compatriots as they emerged as 2-1 victors on their way to an eventual World Cup title.

2010 – Holland and Spain

Heading into the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa, fans and pundits alike wondered how Holland would be able to counter Spain’s Tiki-taka short passing and movement game. Their answer to the problem was violence, and a lot of it.

Right from the start Holland made their intentions known as they steamed into one heavy tackle after another, as they tried to break up Spain’s rhythm and also play on their notion that English referee Howard Webb would be lenient.

The former Police Sergeant from Yorkshire did his best to keep the match under control as he handed out yellow cards like candy, a World Cup Final record of 14 in total. But if it wasn't bad enough that Mark van Bommel and company were running around fouling anyone with a hint of a Spanish accent, Nigel de Jong then attempted open heart surgery on Xabi Alonso with a vicious kung-fu kick to the chest.
It was the clearest red card you’re ever likely to see, but bizarrely Webb only issued a yellow card for an outrageous assault that left Alonso sore for days.

It was a disastrous mistake from the normally assured referee and the violent play escalated as a result.

Understandably Spain started to mix it up a bit as well and the match teetered on the brink of an absolute farce. Locked at 0-0 after 90 minutes, those of us watching at home braced ourselves for 30 more minutes and were not surprised when John Heitinga was shown a second yellow card, with a resulting red, after 109 minutes.

With only four minutes remaining until penalties, Andres Iniesta took a through ball from Cesc Fabregas and fired in the winner to give Spain their first world title in what was probably the ugliest final ever.

Throwback Thursdays - Wolves vs. Honved and the Birth of the European Cup

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On December 13, 1954, at a packed Molineux Stadium, the mighty Hungarian Champions, Honved, played a match against English Champions Wolverhampton Wanderers that many argue provided the final push towards the creation of a European Cup of Champions.

As the finalists Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid go through the final preparations for their 2014 Champions League Final clash on Saturday, this week in Throwback Thursday's we take a look back at the birth of the European Cup and a pivotal friendly that proceeded it.

The European Cup, the predecessor of the Champions League, was first contested in the 1955/1956 season and was won, incredibly, for the first five years by Real Madrid. Prior to the birth of this knockout tournament of champions, there had been no way to decisively determine the best side in Europe.

As early as 1897 though, a Challenge Cup had been contested by the top club sides from within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following World War 1, and the resulting political shifts across Europe, a new cup competition was created called the Mitropa Cup that included clubs from Central and Eastern Europe. The main countries, whose clubs featured in this tournament, were Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania and Italy. The Mitropa Cup was first contested in 1927 and did much to develop the level of play in the countries involved.

In Western Europe however, clubs had to be content with high profile friendlies in order to test themselves against sides from other countries. Although a Latin Cup between clubs from Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy had started after World War 2, a need for a Europe wide tournament was still there. The European Cup just needed a final push to get it off the ground.

The Magical Magyars

In the early 1950's the strongest National side in Europe, and perhaps the world, was Ferenc Puskas' Hungary. The Magical Magyars, won Olympic Gold in 1952 and then went on to smash England 6-3 at Wembley, becoming the first side from outside the British Isles to triumph on the Empire Stadium's hallowed turf.

Deploying a deep lying centre-forward in Nándor Hidegkuti, and playing with a fluid formation that would heavily influence the Dutch "Total Football" of the 1970's, Hungary made the England defense look "like a fire brigade rushing to put out the wrong fire."

Hungary went into the 1954 World Cup as firm favourites, and only an injury to Puskas and a questionable offside call kept them from glory, as they fell 3-2 to West Germany in the Final.

In December of 1954, the Hungarian club side Honved, which contained the future Real Madrid star Puskas, along with future Barcelona ace Sándor Kocsis and most of the Hungarian National side, came to Wolverhampton to play in a high profile flood-light friendly against Wolves. The English Champions, managed by Stan Cullis, were known for their direct wing play and were thought to be no match for the sophisticated Hungarians.

Although, Wolves enjoyed a golden period in the 1950's matching Manchester United with three league titles, and playing several other high profile matches against top European sides, many like my Grandmother who were privileged to be there that night, have said that there's never been a match like it at the Molineux. The ground was bursting beyond capacity, with many only seeing the ball when it went up the air, but the atmosphere was electric as the West Midlands crowd strained to see what their side could do against mighty Honved. The match was also carried live on the BBC, which was extremely rare in those days.

Predictably, Honved took a two goal lead in the first half with goals from Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Macho. But after what was no doubt a stirring halftime team talk by the volatile Cullis, Wolves got back into it with a goal from Johnny Hancocks early in the second half. With fifteen minutes to go, Roy Swinbourne headed an equalizer and then within 100 seconds he had scored the winner, sending the 55,000 strong crowd into raptures on what is arguably the most famous night in the clubs history.

After the match, the British press raved about Wolves brave comeback and said that they drew on the "Spirit of Lord Nelson" in order to overcome the Hungarians. Some papers went as far as to call Wolves the "Champions of the World".

Over in Europe, the British reaction to Wolves victory did not go down so well. Gabriel Hanot, the editor of L'Equipe had this to say:

"Before we declare that Wolverhampton are invincible, let them go to Moscow and Budapest. And there are other internationally renowned clubs: AC Milan and Real Madrid to name but two. A club world championship, or at least a European one – larger, more meaningful and more prestigious than the Mitropa Cup and more original than a competition for national teams – should be launched. "

Impressed by the success of the Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones (South American Championship of Champions) in Chile in 1948, Hanot had already put forward a proposal to UEFA for a tournament between European football's Champions. Spurred on by the reaction to Wolves victory, Hanot pressed the issue further until UEFA agreed during their congress in March of 1955 to the formation of a European Cup.

The tournament would begin play in the fall of that year, eventually morphing into the Champions League in 1992, and has arguably become the greatest prize in club football.

This Saturday, as Real Madrid seek their tenth "Cup With the Big Ears", supporters of Wolves and Honved can be proud of the part their clubs played in prompting a determined French editor to get this great tournament off the ground all those years ago.