With crucial goals and a tendency to elevate Spain to new levels, David Villa’s zenith would come at the 2010 World Cup – and where better?
Tag: world cup
In 2010, Mesut Özil was untouchable for Werder and Germany. He was elegant, audacious and daring. He was, and always will be, unapologetically, Özil
When George Raynor retired, he knighted in Sweden but barely remembered in England. But why? After all, he’s the first Englishman to reach a World Cup final
France 98 had the drama, controversy and excitement which makes the World Cup so special, with more than a fair dose of scandal thrown in for good measure
Boasting spectacular natural talent, Enzo Scifo could’ve been one of his generation’s greatest, but was often misunderstood at the highest level
Hammering Poland’s goal in one of the most one-sided games ever wouldn’t be enough for a gifted England outfit as they missed out on the 1974 World Cup
When Italy and Germany met in the semi-final at Mexico 70, they played out unquestionably the greatest 30 minutes in World Cup – perhaps football – history
In the midst of his nation changing beyond recognition, Tomáš Skuhravý would become a national hero at Italia 90 and later a legend at Genoa
A powerful striker, hardly in the mould of Totaalvoetbal, Dick Nanninga watched the 1974 World Cup final as an amateur. Four years later, he’d score in it
As another member of England’s 1966 World Cup team sadly passed away, football remembers Martin Peters, one of the great midfield visionaries
Despite ultimately failing, the Netherlands rarely fail to entertain at the World Cup. In 1998 they came mighty close with a brilliant squad
Marcel Desailly sat down with These Football Times to look back on his career – the highs and the lows – and his greatest memories
Between Cubillas, Chumpitaz and Sotil, Peru in the 1970s boasted some of the world’s greatest players – but it was against a backdrop of national tragedy
For a decade at the top, no referee in world football compared to the intensity and integrity with which Pierluigi Collina went about his business
Blessed with world-class vision and passing, Yordan Letchkov is one of Bulgaria’s greatest footballers, even if his club career was largely underwhelming
Romário’s divine partnership with Bebeto must be seen to believed, as stats alone could never do justice to the beautiful art they created on the pitch
Sharing a surname with his generation’s best player meant Dino Baggio was living in someone else’s shadow, but he deserves to be remembered in his own right
It may have all been theatre but Nike’s 2002 Secret Tournament left a legacy well beyond its intended purpose as a pre-World Cup advert