Through his staunchly Catholic beliefs, Jules Rimet conceived the idea of a football World Cup that would spread his values of integration
Tag: world cup
Argentina’s night of shame: when Colombia went to a feisty Buenos Aires and won 5-0
In one of South American football’s greatest shocks, the verve and vigour of a splendid Colombia in 1993 would destroy Argentina on their own patch
Kevin-Prince Boateng: the gifted, abused and unpredictable star who forged a unique path through the game
He been racially abused, mocked by his own fans and called a traitor, but Kevin Prince-Boateng has carved a unique career worthy of respect
How a humble Lilian Thuram rose from nothing to become the world’s best right-back
The son of a single mother and migrant from Guadeloupe, Thuram was raised in Paris and became Les Bleus’ record cap holder and a legend in calcio
When Zinedine Zidane reminded us of his genius against Brazil in 2006
This feature is part of Virtuoso If only they’d waited. In 2005, a film crew led by Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon decided to study Zinedine Zidane’s every movement during a game.…
Diego Maradona and the incomparable show of individual brilliance against Belgium in 1986
This feature is part of Virtuoso It is a testament to the brilliance of Diego Maradona that, when considering his finest performances on the grandest of all stages, more than one springs to…
Oliver Kahn and the heroics against the USA in 2002 that saved Germany and laid a future blueprint
This feature is part of Virtuoso The sign of a good goalkeeper is they save the shots they’re supposed to save. The sign of a great goalkeeper, however, is when they save…
Victory in defeat: how Franco Baresi’s 1994 World Cup final performance elevated him to the realms of the greats
This feature is part of Virtuoso The punishing Pasadena heat had taken its toll – the lactic acid had built up and no amount of fluids taken on board could address the…
Geoff Hurst: the stand-in whose hat-trick won England the 1966 World Cup
This feature is part of Virtuoso Some players go into major tournaments believing they are fated to play well, while others settle for just expecting to play at all. For some, however, there…
James Rodríguez and one of the great individual World Cup showings of all-time
This feature is part of Virtuoso The story of James Rodríguez’s career following the 2014 World Cup is an intriguing one. It’s a tale of an incredible talent ravaged by injury but…
How Paolo Rossi put Brazil to the sword in 1982 in a goalscoring masterclass few predicted
This feature is part of Virtuoso Few things in sport are as sad, are as poignant, as watching an adored individual or team suffer a historic fall. To this day, there persists…
How Pelé, at just 17, dominated the 1958 World Cup final
This feature is part of Virtuoso When Maria Callas strode onto the stage as Elvira to perform at the magnificent Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1949, her breathtaking vocal range…
Paul McGrath and the ultimate display of defensive resilience against Italy at USA 94
This feature is part of Virtuoso In the summer of 1994, a 34-year-old Paul McGrath travelled to the United States to play in Ireland’s second ever World Cup. To say that the…
The speed, flair and drugs of Claudio Caniggia, an icon who lived on the edge of greatness
The first stanza of the Argentine national anthem had barely concluded on a balmy summer night in Rome when the camera panned to Diego Maradona. “Hijos de puta,” Argentina’s captain uttered in…
Can Roberto Mancini right the wrongs of a tricky decade and usher in a new era for Italy?
It was in November 2017 at the famed San Siro in Milan that Italy suffered one of their most humbling defeats. The scoreless draw in a World Cup qualification playoff, after a…
The decorated, destructive and damned career of Robert Prosinečki
In February 2002, over 12,000 fans packed themselves into Fratton Park to see former Real Madrid and Barcelona maestro Robert Prosinečki score a scintillating hat-trick against Barnsley. What should have been an easy three…
A cry for a new dawn, a betrayal of Total Football, and a harmful legacy now being overcome: how 2010 shaped Dutch football
“I have no words, I just have to thank Real Madrid because they sold him to us … he is absolutely crucial.” José Mourinho was emotional in his praise for Wesley Sneijder in…
Sepp Maier: the man whose brilliant blueprint later gave us Kahn, Lehmann and Neuer
During the late 1960s and early 70s, West German football was the dominant force in the game. As well as Die Mannschaft lifting the World Cup in their homeland in 1974, Bayern…