A marching band are trooping across the pitch as the fierce blue Neapolitan sky shines under the roof of the San Paolo’s ring of stands and glistens off the tubas. The band’s…
Tag: world cup
France’s journey to the 2006 World Cup final was one of the last great stories of the competition. A bizarrely quixotic campaign had its origins in the return of three veterans, who…
The first Argentine World Cup winner to perish, José Luis Cuciuffo was an understated hero, and forgotten by so many in the wider game today
This feature is a part of Hot Bovril and Cold Terraces, a series looking at first-hand memories of football before the flash. If there is one single item that screams World Cup…
Brazil, boasting the world’s best playmaker in Zico, the enigmatic Sócrates, Éder, Falcão and Toninho Cerezo – there may never be a greater midfield
As diverse a topic as any within the world of football is whether a player should be required to inspire both club and country to victory in order to earn legend status.…
In what many believe may never happen again, the 1958 World Cup was unique for featuring England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Ghana has come to the end of its own golden era in football. Over the past two decades, they’ve boasted world-class players and been guided by well-known managers, and Asamoah Gyan represents…
Having retired from refereeing two years ago, Per-Anders Blind now divides his time between looking after his herd of reindeer and serving as the President of the Confederation of Independent Football Associations…
Few partnerships in football history have been as devastating, consistent and uplifting to an entire nation as Zamorano and Salas for Chile
To taste the sweet, you must first have faced the pain. The joy of finally achieving your goals, of succeeding where you’d previously floundered, makes the ultimate attainment all the more satisfying. When dreams…
These are heady times for the Egyptian national team. They have qualified for their first World Cup appearance in nearly 30 years and their talisman, Mohamed Salah, has been setting the world…
Quiz time. How many players can you name that have played in consecutive World Cup finals? Ten? Come on now. Twenty? Now you’re trying. Any more? In fairness, to play in successive…
Many European countries have enjoyed success in World Cup football. The tournament has been won by England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, while the Czechoslovakia, Holland and Hungary have played in a…
As part of the preparations for the 1986 World Cup, FIFA had arranged for the reception of each group, involving players and staff from all four participating teams. The reception of Group…
At this summer’s World Cup, Argentina will hope to end an international drought that stretches all the way back to 1993. It’s hard to imagine that it’s been 25 years since they’ve…
“You have entrusted us with the FIFA World Cup for 2018 and I can promise you will never regret it,” was the fateful proclamation of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov at…
SAUDI ARABIA WERE the kings of Asian football during the 1980s. Back-to-back Asian Cups in 1984 and 1988 cemented their dominance. However, despite such regional supremacy, the Green Falcons had never been…