When East faced West in a torn Germany- the only time the two teams met in Football’s highest stage
After the terrific heat of Mexico during the 1970 World Cup, it was a relatively cooler but rainy West Germany that welcomed one and all for the 1974 edition. Having being the reigning European Champions, West Germany came a long way after their upset 1954 World Cup win. They progressed a lot in terms of professionalism and were a...
Brazilian hurricane swept Mexico throughout to own Jules Rimet trophy in Pele’s final bow
1970 World Cup had seen many ‘firsts’- substitutions were allowed (previously, teams could not replace injured or tired players), red and yellow cards were introduced and matches were broadcasted in colours. But these reasons were eclipsed by a bigger and more important occasion for which this edition is remembered. The host nation of Mexico danced to the samba rhythm as...
The famous yet ‘infamous’ hat-trick of Geoff Hurst that gave England their only World Cup
The only man to have scored a hat-trick in the final of a World Cup remains Geoff Hurst since 1966- the year in which England became world champions for the first and last time till date. In front of a strong Wembley crowd, the hosts defeated West Germany by 4-2 in which Hurst scored three goals- of which the...
Threats, thefts, recovery, demolition- the mystery behind non-existence of Jules Rimet trophy
A trophy made of gold-plated sterling silver on a white-yellow marble base was manufactured following the design of French sculptor, Abel Lafleur. It depicted Nike, the Greek Goddess of victory holding a cup. This came to be known as the ‘World Cup’ and later nicknamed ‘the Golden Goddess’. The first Football World Cup tournament was held in Uruguay in 1930. The...
Vava keeps his name in record book- the only person to score in the consecutive World Cup final
Edvaldo Isidio Neto, better known to the world as Vava, has a unique record set against his name. Among the four players who have scored in two FIFA World Cup finals, Vava is the only one who has managed it in successive editions. The dynamic Brazilian scored twice in the 1958 final in Sweden and a single goal in...
‘Lucky 13’ of Just Fontaine- the record of highest goal in a single Cup that still remains untouched
The 1958 World Cup belonged to the Brazilian great Pele. But there was another man; a lesser-known Frenchman who created history. Just Fontaine set a record for the most goals in a World Cup that still remains untouched. Only Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo and Gerd Muller have scored more goals than Fontaine at the tournament but they all needed two...
A promise in 1950 fulfilled in 1958; how Pele won the Cup for Brazil and his father
There could be no other more important event in the 1958 World Cup rather than Pele’s mercurial performance at the age of 17. As Brazil lifted the World trophy, a new era of Football started; it was the day when the story of Pele and Brazil began. Brazil had been so near to win the Cup. They were placed third...
So close yet so far; Hungary’s ‘Mighty Magyars’ famously lost the 1954 Cup, and never won it again
A legendary Hungarian Football team was formed in the 1950s comprising the greats like Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis, Nandor Hidegkuti, Zoltan Czibor, Gyula Grosics and Jozsef Bozsik. The team that successfully implemented the ‘Sebes Method’, the concept of ‘Total Football’ that was later adopted by the Dutch, went into the 1954 World Cup on a 32-game unbeaten run. Hungary was...
The ‘Maracanazo’ of 1950- when Uruguay brought ‘National Tragedy’ to Brazil
It was Maracanazo on 16th July 1950 at Maracana when Brazil was handed a sombre loss by Uruguay in the final of the World Cup. It was regarded as a ‘National Disaster’ in Brazil often compared to the bombing of Hiroshima. The Maracanazo impacted on the country’s self-esteem and effectively paralysed the country emotionally and psychologically. Brazil and Football are...
It was then as Dutch East Indies, Indonesia played the World Cup- the first from Asia in 1938
The World Cup moved from Italy to its neighbour France in 1938. Four of the globe’s continents had participated in the tournament in 1934. It was left for Asia and Oceania to be a part of the Football extravaganza. The team that brought the world’s largest continent into the World Cup was Indonesia, known as Nederlandsche Indiesche or Dutch East...