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Since odds were first listed in 1966, the eventual champion that had the longest odds to win the World Cup was Italy at 18/1.
Essam El-Hadary (Egypt) was the oldest player ever to appear in a World Cup match - 2018 against Saudi Arabia at 45 years, 161 days old.
Roger Milla (Cameroon) is the oldest player to score in a World Cup - in 1994 against Russia at 42 years, 39 days old. Pepe (Portugal) is the oldst player to have scored in a World Cup Knockout game, in 2022 against Switzerland at 39, 283 days old
Peter Shilton has made the most amount of World Cup appearances for England at a World Cup, 17, (82, 86, 90). Incidentally, Shilton holds a joint record with Barthez for most amount of World Cup clean sheets (10)
If Jordan Henderson plays any part of this World Cup, he'd have played in the most amount of World Cup editions for England (2014, 2018, 2022, 2026), more than any other England player. Charlton appeared in 4 squads but only played in 3 World Cups, not featuring in 1958.
Ronaldo, Messi, Modric and Ochoa (Mexico keeper) are the only surviving players from the 2006 World Cup in Germany to make it to the 2026 World Cup for their respective countries.
From the 2006 World Cup 20 years ago, there were 736 players registered among the 32 squads, only 6 of those 736 players are still officially playing professional football, another 2 are 'free agents', Sergio Ramos (40) and Oscar Ustari (Argentina, 39). The six still going are Ronaldo, Messi, Modric, Ochoa, Fabianksi and Roque Santa Cruz.
Messi holds the record for most World Cup matches played, 26, which he can extend in 2026, only Ronaldo, 22, could realistically match or beat this record and even that's unlikely, Modric and Neuer, are both on 19 matches played.
Messi is the only player to have scored in a World Cup in his his teens, 20's and 30's.
Germany have won the World Cup four times, finished runners up 4 times and finished in 3rd place 4 times.
Only two countries have made 3 World Cup finals in a row, : Brazil in 1994, 1998 and 2002 and Germany in 1982, 1986 and 1990.
France are looking to become the third team having made the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals. Incidentally Mexico will become the first country to host the World Cup 3 times, after 1970 and 1986.
Two of the managers at the 2026 World Cup have previously won the World Cup as a captain, Deschamps in 98, Cannavaro in 2006.
The last time DR Congo appeared at a World Cup in 1974, they were called Zaire.
Hakan Şükür scored the fastest ever goal at a World Cup, 10.8 seconds, in 2002 against South Korea
Johan Neeskens scored the fastest ever goal in a World Cup final, Holland v Germany in 1974
Jesús Gallardo (Mexico), holds the record for the fastest ever yellow card at a World Cup vs Sweden in 2018, 11 seconds.
José Batista (Uruguay), holds the record for the fastest ever red card at a World Cup v Scotland in 1986, 56 seconds.
Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored in the knockout stages of a World Cup despite making 5 World Cups thus far, scoring all of his 8 goals in the groups stages, Messi has 13 goals in total chasing the record of Klose, 16 goals, Mbappe has 12. Incidentally, Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in 5 different World Cups.
Only Paolo Rossi (1982) and Salvatore Schillachi (1990), Italy, have won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot award at the same World Cup.
Only 3 people have won the World Cup as both a player and a manager, Deschamps (France, 1998 & 2018), Mario Zagallo (Brazil, 1970 & and 1994), Franz Beckenbauer (Germany, 1974 & 1990).
The Ballon d'Or and World Cup have been won in the same season 7 times - Bobby Charlton (1966, England), Paolo Rossi (1982, Italy), Lothar Matthäus (1990, Germany), Zinedine Zidane (1998, France), Ronaldo (2002, Brazil), Fabio Cannavaro (2006, Italy), Lionel Messi (2022-23).
Marcus Coll (Colombia) scored the only ever goal from a Corner kick at a World cup against the Soviet Union in 1964, with the match finishing 4-4.
Taremi (Iran) scored the latest ever goal in a 90 minutes match at a World Cup, 113th minute v England at the 2022 World Cup.
Luxembourg hold the record for most failed attempts to qualify for the World Cup, 22. (1934 - 2026).
Zidane and Rigobert Song (Cameroon) hold the record for most red cards received at a World Cup, both being sent off twice. Zidane in 1998 and 2006, Song in 1994 and 1998.
– Josip Šimunić, 61', 90', 93', holds the record for the most amount of yellow cards received in a single game (3)
Croatia v Australia in 2006, good ol' Graham Poll.
Mascherano (Argentina), holds the record for most amount of yellow cards at a World Cup (2006 - 2018)
Helmut Schön, (West Germany) holds the record for most amount of World Cup matches managed (25), and won (16)
No coach over 60 years old has ever won the World Cup, Del Bosque being the oldest in 2010 at 59 years, 200 days.
Since odds were first listed in 1966, the eventual champion that had the longest odds to win the World Cup was Italy at 18/1.
Essam El-Hadary (Egypt) was the oldest player ever to appear in a World Cup match - 2018 against Saudi Arabia at 45 years, 161 days old.
Roger Milla (Cameroon) is the oldest player to score in a World Cup - in 1994 against Russia at 42 years, 39 days old. Pepe (Portugal) is the oldst player to have scored in a World Cup Knockout game, in 2022 against Switzerland at 39, 283 days old
Peter Shilton has made the most amount of World Cup appearances for England at a World Cup, 17, (82, 86, 90). Incidentally, Shilton holds a joint record with Barthez for most amount of World Cup clean sheets (10)
If Jordan Henderson plays any part of this World Cup, he'd have played in the most amount of World Cup editions for England (2014, 2018, 2022, 2026), more than any other England player. Charlton appeared in 4 squads but only played in 3 World Cups, not featuring in 1958.
Ronaldo, Messi, Modric and Ochoa (Mexico keeper) are the only surviving players from the 2006 World Cup in Germany to make it to the 2026 World Cup for their respective countries.
From the 2006 World Cup 20 years ago, there were 736 players registered among the 32 squads, only 6 of those 736 players are still officially playing professional football, another 2 are 'free agents', Sergio Ramos (40) and Oscar Ustari (Argentina, 39). The six still going are Ronaldo, Messi, Modric, Ochoa, Fabianksi and Roque Santa Cruz.
Messi holds the record for most World Cup matches played, 26, which he can extend in 2026, only Ronaldo, 22, could realistically match or beat this record and even that's unlikely, Modric and Neuer, are both on 19 matches played.
Messi is the only player to have scored in a World Cup in his his teens, 20's and 30's.
Germany have won the World Cup four times, finished runners up 4 times and finished in 3rd place 4 times.
Only two countries have made 3 World Cup finals in a row, : Brazil in 1994, 1998 and 2002 and Germany in 1982, 1986 and 1990.
France are looking to become the third team having made the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals. Incidentally Mexico will become the first country to host the World Cup 3 times, after 1970 and 1986.
Two of the managers at the 2026 World Cup have previously won the World Cup as a captain, Deschamps in 98, Cannavaro in 2006.
The last time DR Congo appeared at a World Cup in 1974, they were called Zaire.
Hakan Şükür scored the fastest ever goal at a World Cup, 10.8 seconds, in 2002 against South Korea
Johan Neeskens scored the fastest ever goal in a World Cup final, Holland v Germany in 1974
Jesús Gallardo (Mexico), holds the record for the fastest ever yellow card at a World Cup vs Sweden in 2018, 11 seconds.
José Batista (Uruguay), holds the record for the fastest ever red card at a World Cup v Scotland in 1986, 56 seconds.
Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored in the knockout stages of a World Cup despite making 5 World Cups thus far, scoring all of his 8 goals in the groups stages, Messi has 13 goals in total chasing the record of Klose, 16 goals, Mbappe has 12. Incidentally, Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in 5 different World Cups.
Only Paolo Rossi (1982) and Salvatore Schillachi (1990), Italy, have won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot award at the same World Cup.
Only 3 people have won the World Cup as both a player and a manager, Deschamps (France, 1998 & 2018), Mario Zagallo (Brazil, 1970 & and 1994), Franz Beckenbauer (Germany, 1974 & 1990).
The Ballon d'Or and World Cup have been won in the same season 7 times - Bobby Charlton (1966, England), Paolo Rossi (1982, Italy), Lothar Matthäus (1990, Germany), Zinedine Zidane (1998, France), Ronaldo (2002, Brazil), Fabio Cannavaro (2006, Italy), Lionel Messi (2022-23).
Marcus Coll (Colombia) scored the only ever goal from a Corner kick at a World cup against the Soviet Union in 1964, with the match finishing 4-4.
Taremi (Iran) scored the latest ever goal in a 90 minutes match at a World Cup, 113th minute v England at the 2022 World Cup.
Luxembourg hold the record for most failed attempts to qualify for the World Cup, 22. (1934 - 2026).
Zidane and Rigobert Song (Cameroon) hold the record for most red cards received at a World Cup, both being sent off twice. Zidane in 1998 and 2006, Song in 1994 and 1998.
– Josip Šimunić, 61', 90', 93', holds the record for the most amount of yellow cards received in a single game (3)
Croatia v Australia in 2006, good ol' Graham Poll.Mascherano (Argentina), holds the record for most amount of yellow cards at a World Cup (2006 - 2018)
Helmut Schön, (West Germany) holds the record for most amount of World Cup matches managed (25), and won (16)
No coach over 60 years old has ever won the World Cup, Del Bosque being the oldest in 2010 at 59 years, 200 days.
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On the day of the first World Cup matches, it snowed in Uruguay. Lucien Laurent of France scored the first World Cup goal during a 4-1 victory over Mexico, although whether his celebration involved shushing the 4,000 in attendance at Estadio Pocitos, in the capital of Montevideo, is unknown.
AI assisted.
AI assisted.
The first player to score a hat trick in a World Cup match was American forward Bert Patenaude. He achieved this historic feat on July 17, 1930, by scoring all three goals in the United States' 3-0 victory over Paraguay
The french referee for the first world up final Georges Balvay travelled
on the SS Conte Verde, which also took Jules Rimet and the French,
Belgian, Romanian and Brazilian teams to the first World Cup;
picking up the teams en route from Genoa to Rio de Janeiro before
disembarking at Montevideo harbour.
while Egypt, the lone African team to enter, was delayed due to a storm in the Mediterranean, and the ship intended to take them to Uruguay departed without them.
on the SS Conte Verde, which also took Jules Rimet and the French,
Belgian, Romanian and Brazilian teams to the first World Cup;
picking up the teams en route from Genoa to Rio de Janeiro before
disembarking at Montevideo harbour.
while Egypt, the lone African team to enter, was delayed due to a storm in the Mediterranean, and the ship intended to take them to Uruguay departed without them.
Not really world Cup but he did play in a world cup final
and it's a great story.
Oliver Kahn once took part in a charity penalty shootout against a group of 9-year-old kids.
The rules were simple:
Every goal the kids scored would generate money for charity.
Most goalkeepers would probably let a few in.
Kahn's response?
Save. Every. Single. Penalty.
He was Diving, Saving, Intimidating.
Charity money raised from goals: €0.
Then came the plot twist.
After turning into prime Oliver Kahn against a bunch of kids, he donated €100,000 of his own money.
and it's a great story.
Oliver Kahn once took part in a charity penalty shootout against a group of 9-year-old kids.
The rules were simple:
Every goal the kids scored would generate money for charity.
Most goalkeepers would probably let a few in.
Kahn's response?
Save. Every. Single. Penalty.
He was Diving, Saving, Intimidating.
Charity money raised from goals: €0.
Then came the plot twist.
After turning into prime Oliver Kahn against a bunch of kids, he donated €100,000 of his own money.
1 was 7 in 66 remember everyone in front room watching the game,but in all the films /documentary,s that followed it all seemed to be about eusibio,and very little about PELE and brazil
were Brazil favs to win in 66 ?
were Brazil favs to win in 66 ?
Pele got kicked out of it. Different game then.
we had nobby stiles, Jack Charlton, can you imagine
card prices if we had them now. Ramsey called aries animals.
we had nobby stiles, Jack Charlton, can you imagine
card prices if we had them now. Ramsey called aries animals.
Norway arriving for world Cup, brilliant picture
During the opening 1974 FIFA World Cup match against West Germany, Carlos Caszely (Chile) was given a red card becoming the first player to be sent off in this manner.
Red and yellow cards had already been introduced in the past World Cup (1970).
I know because I was born on the same day as Carlos Cezely.
Red and yellow cards had already been introduced in the past World Cup (1970).
I know because I was born on the same day as Carlos Cezely.
Here's some interesting Trivia on all 48 managers at the world cup, the most interesting being is that the England and Scotland manager share the same birthday! And Ralf Rangnick was born on the same day as the 1958 World Cup final.
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No foreign manager has ever won the World Cup, and only two have reached the final are George Raynor of England, with Sweden in 1958, and Ernst Happel of Austria, with the Netherlands in 1978
14 of the 48 managers have previously managed at the World Cup.
They’ll be 6 Argentinian managers at the world Cup managing Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Uruguay,Colombia and the USA. There will be 5 French managers and 4 Spanish managers.
Dick Advocaat (Curacao) will be the oldest ever manager at a World Cup (78)
Nagelsmann (Germany) will be the youngest manager at the World Cup (37) - still 10 years older than the youngest ever manager. The youngest coach at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup is Juan José Tramutola (Argentina, b. 21 October 1902) aged 27 years 267 days when he co-managed Argentina at the 1930 World Cup in their opening game versus France in Parque Central, Montevideo, Uruguay on 15 July 1930. Argentina reached the final in the inaugural World Cup - the only other coach under 30 years old at a World Cup is Hungarian Gyorgi Orth who was in charge of Chile at the 1930 World Cup aged 29 years 77 days.
There are 4 managers at the World Cup who have never played Professional football.
-Julian Nagelsmann (Germany)
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco)
-Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
-Sebastián Beccacece (Ecuador)
The average age of all 48 managers is 57.3 years old.
Most common birth year for all managers is 1973 (6 managers), 1963 (5) and 1966 (4)
2 sets of the 48 managers share a birthday
-Graham Arnold, 1963 & Hajime Moriyasu, 1968, (3rd August)
-Thomas Tuchel, 1973 & Steve Clarke, 1963, (29th August)
August is the most popular birth month for the 48 managers with a total of (9), followed by September (6), February and October (5)
18 managers were born in the first 6 months of the year, 30 managers were born in the last 6 months of the year.
5 managers will celebrate their birthdays during the World Cup
-Vincenzo Montelal, (Turkey), 18-Jun-74
-Luis de la Fuente, (Spain), 21-Jun-61,
-Ralf Rangnic, (Austria), 29-Jun-58-
Tony Popovic, (Australia), 04-Jul-73
-Roberto Martínez, (Portuga), 13-Jul-73
Tony Popovic was born on the same day as the World cup final in 1954 (July 4th), albeit 21 years layer
Roberto Martínez celebrated his 41st brithday on the same day as the 2014 Brazil World Cup final (July 13th)
Austrian Coach Ralf Rangnick was born on the same day as the World Cup final on the 29th June, 1958. He also celebrated his 28th birthday on the same day as the 1986 World Cup final (June 29th),in which his country, West Germany, lost to Argentina.
Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente celebrated his 9th birthday on the same as the 1970 World Cup final
Carlo Ancelotti was born on the same day as the 1934 World Cup final, albeit 25 years later, his country Italy beat Czchoslovakia 2-1 after extra time.
Of the 1248 players at the World Cup, there were only 8 days of the year where nobody had a birthday, July 10th, August 2nd, August 30th, October 13th, October 28th, November 19th, December 9th, December 28th - however, one of the 48 managers does have a birthday that falls on one of these 8 missing dates, Sébastien Desabre, (DR Congo), 02-Aug-76
Of the 44 ex Pro players, 3 were Goalkeepers, 15 were defenders, 20 were midfielders and 6 were forwards.
29 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have been capped for their countries, 19 managers have never been capped - which include the four who never play Pro football.
21 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have scored for their countries, the remaining 8 managers who were also capped, never managed to score.
Only 4 managers played over 100 times for their country
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 177 caps
-Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), 136 caps
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 136 caps
-Didier Deschamps (France), 103 caps
Only 6 managers scored 10 or more goals for their countries
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 69 goals
-Graham Arnold (Australia), 19 goals
-Sergej Barbarez (Bosnia), 17 goals
-Ronald Koeman (Holland), 14 goals
-Javier Aguirre (Mexico) , 14 goals
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 10 goals.
The longest serving coach is Didier Deshcamps - closing in on 14 years (08-Jul-12), second to Deschamps is Zlatko Dalić of Croatia (07-Oct-17) and third longest is Hajime Moriyasu of Japan (26-Jul-18)
Seven managers have been hired within one year or the World Cup starting date of June 11th 2026
-Fabio Cannavaro, (Uzbekistan), 06-Oct-25
-Graham Potter (Sweden), 20-Oct-25
-Miroslav Koubek, (Czech Republic), 19-Dec-25
-Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia), 14-Jan-26
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco), 05-Mar-26
-Carlos Queiroz (Ghana), 13-Apr-26
-Georgios Donis (Saudi Arabia), 23-Apr-26
The two English managers at the World Cup, Darren Bazeley (New Zealand) and Graham Potter (Sweden), brings the total number of Englishmen at the world Cup to 35 including officials.
----
No foreign manager has ever won the World Cup, and only two have reached the final are George Raynor of England, with Sweden in 1958, and Ernst Happel of Austria, with the Netherlands in 1978
14 of the 48 managers have previously managed at the World Cup.
They’ll be 6 Argentinian managers at the world Cup managing Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Uruguay,Colombia and the USA. There will be 5 French managers and 4 Spanish managers.
Dick Advocaat (Curacao) will be the oldest ever manager at a World Cup (78)
Nagelsmann (Germany) will be the youngest manager at the World Cup (37) - still 10 years older than the youngest ever manager. The youngest coach at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup is Juan José Tramutola (Argentina, b. 21 October 1902) aged 27 years 267 days when he co-managed Argentina at the 1930 World Cup in their opening game versus France in Parque Central, Montevideo, Uruguay on 15 July 1930. Argentina reached the final in the inaugural World Cup - the only other coach under 30 years old at a World Cup is Hungarian Gyorgi Orth who was in charge of Chile at the 1930 World Cup aged 29 years 77 days.
There are 4 managers at the World Cup who have never played Professional football.
-Julian Nagelsmann (Germany)
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco)
-Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
-Sebastián Beccacece (Ecuador)
The average age of all 48 managers is 57.3 years old.
Most common birth year for all managers is 1973 (6 managers), 1963 (5) and 1966 (4)
2 sets of the 48 managers share a birthday
-Graham Arnold, 1963 & Hajime Moriyasu, 1968, (3rd August)
-Thomas Tuchel, 1973 & Steve Clarke, 1963, (29th August)
August is the most popular birth month for the 48 managers with a total of (9), followed by September (6), February and October (5)
18 managers were born in the first 6 months of the year, 30 managers were born in the last 6 months of the year.
5 managers will celebrate their birthdays during the World Cup
-Vincenzo Montelal, (Turkey), 18-Jun-74
-Luis de la Fuente, (Spain), 21-Jun-61,
-Ralf Rangnic, (Austria), 29-Jun-58-
Tony Popovic, (Australia), 04-Jul-73
-Roberto Martínez, (Portuga), 13-Jul-73
Tony Popovic was born on the same day as the World cup final in 1954 (July 4th), albeit 21 years layer
Roberto Martínez celebrated his 41st brithday on the same day as the 2014 Brazil World Cup final (July 13th)
Austrian Coach Ralf Rangnick was born on the same day as the World Cup final on the 29th June, 1958. He also celebrated his 28th birthday on the same day as the 1986 World Cup final (June 29th),in which his country, West Germany, lost to Argentina.
Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente celebrated his 9th birthday on the same as the 1970 World Cup final
Carlo Ancelotti was born on the same day as the 1934 World Cup final, albeit 25 years later, his country Italy beat Czchoslovakia 2-1 after extra time.
Of the 1248 players at the World Cup, there were only 8 days of the year where nobody had a birthday, July 10th, August 2nd, August 30th, October 13th, October 28th, November 19th, December 9th, December 28th - however, one of the 48 managers does have a birthday that falls on one of these 8 missing dates, Sébastien Desabre, (DR Congo), 02-Aug-76
Of the 44 ex Pro players, 3 were Goalkeepers, 15 were defenders, 20 were midfielders and 6 were forwards.
29 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have been capped for their countries, 19 managers have never been capped - which include the four who never play Pro football.
21 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have scored for their countries, the remaining 8 managers who were also capped, never managed to score.
Only 4 managers played over 100 times for their country
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 177 caps
-Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), 136 caps
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 136 caps
-Didier Deschamps (France), 103 caps
Only 6 managers scored 10 or more goals for their countries
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 69 goals
-Graham Arnold (Australia), 19 goals
-Sergej Barbarez (Bosnia), 17 goals
-Ronald Koeman (Holland), 14 goals
-Javier Aguirre (Mexico) , 14 goals
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 10 goals.
The longest serving coach is Didier Deshcamps - closing in on 14 years (08-Jul-12), second to Deschamps is Zlatko Dalić of Croatia (07-Oct-17) and third longest is Hajime Moriyasu of Japan (26-Jul-18)
Seven managers have been hired within one year or the World Cup starting date of June 11th 2026
-Fabio Cannavaro, (Uzbekistan), 06-Oct-25
-Graham Potter (Sweden), 20-Oct-25
-Miroslav Koubek, (Czech Republic), 19-Dec-25
-Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia), 14-Jan-26
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco), 05-Mar-26
-Carlos Queiroz (Ghana), 13-Apr-26
-Georgios Donis (Saudi Arabia), 23-Apr-26
The two English managers at the World Cup, Darren Bazeley (New Zealand) and Graham Potter (Sweden), brings the total number of Englishmen at the world Cup to 35 including officials.
Fastest World Cup goals
1st) Hakan Sukur – 11 seconds in 2002
2nd) Vaclav Masek – 15 seconds in 1962
3rd) Ernest Lehner – 25 seconds in 1934
4th) Bryan Robson – 28 seconds in 1982
5th) Clint Dempsey – 30 seconds in 2014
6th) Bernard Lacombe – 31 seconds in 1978
7th) Arne Nyberg – 35 seconds in 1938
7th) Emile Veinante – 35 seconds in 1938
9th) Florian Albert – 50 seconds in 1962
9th) Adalbert Desu – 50 seconds in 1930
9th) Seung Zin Pak – 50 seconds in 1966
12th) Celso Ayala – 52 seconds in 1998
13th) Mathias Jorgensen – 55 seconds in 2018
On 29 June 2002, Suker scored the fastest ever goal in a FIFA World Cup, netting against South Korea 10.8 seconds into the third-place play-off, which Turkey went on to win 3–2.
1st) Hakan Sukur – 11 seconds in 2002
2nd) Vaclav Masek – 15 seconds in 1962
3rd) Ernest Lehner – 25 seconds in 1934
4th) Bryan Robson – 28 seconds in 1982
5th) Clint Dempsey – 30 seconds in 2014
6th) Bernard Lacombe – 31 seconds in 1978
7th) Arne Nyberg – 35 seconds in 1938
7th) Emile Veinante – 35 seconds in 1938
9th) Florian Albert – 50 seconds in 1962
9th) Adalbert Desu – 50 seconds in 1930
9th) Seung Zin Pak – 50 seconds in 1966
12th) Celso Ayala – 52 seconds in 1998
13th) Mathias Jorgensen – 55 seconds in 2018
On 29 June 2002, Suker scored the fastest ever goal in a FIFA World Cup, netting against South Korea 10.8 seconds into the third-place play-off, which Turkey went on to win 3–2.
Here's some interesting Trivia on all 48 managers at the world cup, the most interesting being is that the England and Scotland manager share the same birthday! And Ralf Rangnick was born on the same day as the 1958 World Cup final.
----
No foreign manager has ever won the World Cup, and only two have reached the final are George Raynor of England, with Sweden in 1958, and Ernst Happel of Austria, with the Netherlands in 1978
14 of the 48 managers have previously managed at the World Cup.
They’ll be 6 Argentinian managers at the world Cup managing Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Uruguay,Colombia and the USA. There will be 5 French managers and 4 Spanish managers.
D*ck Advocaat (Curacao) will be the oldest ever manager at a World Cup (78)
Nagelsmann (Germany) will be the youngest manager at the World Cup (37) - still 10 years older than the youngest ever manager. The youngest coach at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup is Juan José Tramutola (Argentina, b. 21 October 1902) aged 27 years 267 days when he co-managed Argentina at the 1930 World Cup in their opening game versus France in Parque Central, Montevideo, Uruguay on 15 July 1930. Argentina reached the final in the inaugural World Cup - the only other coach under 30 years old at a World Cup is Hungarian Gyorgi Orth who was in charge of Chile at the 1930 World Cup aged 29 years 77 days.
There are 4 managers at the World Cup who have never played Professional football.
-Julian Nagelsmann (Germany)
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco)
-Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
-Sebastián Beccacece (Ecuador)
The average age of all 48 managers is 57.3 years old.
Most common birth year for all managers is 1973 (6 managers), 1963 (5) and 1966 (4)
2 sets of the 48 managers share a birthday
-Graham Arnold, 1963 & Hajime Moriyasu, 1968, (3rd August)
-Thomas Tuchel, 1973 & Steve Clarke, 1963, (29th August)
August is the most popular birth month for the 48 managers with a total of (9), followed by September (6), February and October (5)
18 managers were born in the first 6 months of the year, 30 managers were born in the last 6 months of the year.
5 managers will celebrate their birthdays during the World Cup
-Vincenzo Montelal, (Turkey), 18-Jun-74
-Luis de la Fuente, (Spain), 21-Jun-61,
-Ralf Rangnic, (Austria), 29-Jun-58-
Tony Popovic, (Australia), 04-Jul-73
-Roberto Martínez, (Portuga), 13-Jul-73
Tony Popovic was born on the same day as the World cup final in 1954 (July 4th), albeit 21 years layer
Roberto Martínez celebrated his 41st brithday on the same day as the 2014 Brazil World Cup final (July 13th)
Austrian Coach Ralf Rangnick was born on the same day as the World Cup final on the 29th June, 1958. He also celebrated his 28th birthday on the same day as the 1986 World Cup final (June 29th),in which his country, West Germany, lost to Argentina.
Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente celebrated his 9th birthday on the same as the 1970 World Cup final
Carlo Ancelotti was born on the same day as the 1934 World Cup final, albeit 25 years later, his country Italy beat Czchoslovakia 2-1 after extra time.
Of the 1248 players at the World Cup, there were only 8 days of the year where nobody had a birthday, July 10th, August 2nd, August 30th, October 13th, October 28th, November 19th, December 9th, December 28th - however, one of the 48 managers does have a birthday that falls on one of these 8 missing dates, Sébastien Desabre, (DR Congo), 02-Aug-76
Of the 44 ex Pro players, 3 were Goalkeepers, 15 were defenders, 20 were midfielders and 6 were forwards.
29 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have been capped for their countries, 19 managers have never been capped - which include the four who never play Pro football.
21 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have scored for their countries, the remaining 8 managers who were also capped, never managed to score.
Only 4 managers played over 100 times for their country
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 177 caps
-Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), 136 caps
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 136 caps
-Didier Deschamps (France), 103 caps
Only 6 managers scored 10 or more goals for their countries
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 69 goals
-Graham Arnold (Australia), 19 goals
-Sergej Barbarez (Bosnia), 17 goals
-Ronald Koeman (Holland), 14 goals
-Javier Aguirre (Mexico) , 14 goals
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 10 goals.
The longest serving coach is Didier Deshcamps - closing in on 14 years (08-Jul-12), second to Deschamps is Zlatko Dalić of Croatia (07-Oct-17) and third longest is Hajime Moriyasu of Japan (26-Jul-18)
Seven managers have been hired within one year or the World Cup starting date of June 11th 2026
-Fabio Cannavaro, (Uzbekistan), 06-Oct-25
-Graham Potter (Sweden), 20-Oct-25
-Miroslav Koubek, (Czech Republic), 19-Dec-25
-Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia), 14-Jan-26
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco), 05-Mar-26
-Carlos Queiroz (Ghana), 13-Apr-26
-Georgios Donis (Saudi Arabia), 23-Apr-26
The two English managers at the World Cup, Darren Bazeley (New Zealand) and Graham Potter (Sweden), brings the total number of Englishmen at the world Cup to 35 including officials.
----
No foreign manager has ever won the World Cup, and only two have reached the final are George Raynor of England, with Sweden in 1958, and Ernst Happel of Austria, with the Netherlands in 1978
14 of the 48 managers have previously managed at the World Cup.
They’ll be 6 Argentinian managers at the world Cup managing Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Uruguay,Colombia and the USA. There will be 5 French managers and 4 Spanish managers.
D*ck Advocaat (Curacao) will be the oldest ever manager at a World Cup (78)
Nagelsmann (Germany) will be the youngest manager at the World Cup (37) - still 10 years older than the youngest ever manager. The youngest coach at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup is Juan José Tramutola (Argentina, b. 21 October 1902) aged 27 years 267 days when he co-managed Argentina at the 1930 World Cup in their opening game versus France in Parque Central, Montevideo, Uruguay on 15 July 1930. Argentina reached the final in the inaugural World Cup - the only other coach under 30 years old at a World Cup is Hungarian Gyorgi Orth who was in charge of Chile at the 1930 World Cup aged 29 years 77 days.
There are 4 managers at the World Cup who have never played Professional football.
-Julian Nagelsmann (Germany)
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco)
-Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
-Sebastián Beccacece (Ecuador)
The average age of all 48 managers is 57.3 years old.
Most common birth year for all managers is 1973 (6 managers), 1963 (5) and 1966 (4)
2 sets of the 48 managers share a birthday
-Graham Arnold, 1963 & Hajime Moriyasu, 1968, (3rd August)
-Thomas Tuchel, 1973 & Steve Clarke, 1963, (29th August)
August is the most popular birth month for the 48 managers with a total of (9), followed by September (6), February and October (5)
18 managers were born in the first 6 months of the year, 30 managers were born in the last 6 months of the year.
5 managers will celebrate their birthdays during the World Cup
-Vincenzo Montelal, (Turkey), 18-Jun-74
-Luis de la Fuente, (Spain), 21-Jun-61,
-Ralf Rangnic, (Austria), 29-Jun-58-
Tony Popovic, (Australia), 04-Jul-73
-Roberto Martínez, (Portuga), 13-Jul-73
Tony Popovic was born on the same day as the World cup final in 1954 (July 4th), albeit 21 years layer
Roberto Martínez celebrated his 41st brithday on the same day as the 2014 Brazil World Cup final (July 13th)
Austrian Coach Ralf Rangnick was born on the same day as the World Cup final on the 29th June, 1958. He also celebrated his 28th birthday on the same day as the 1986 World Cup final (June 29th),in which his country, West Germany, lost to Argentina.
Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente celebrated his 9th birthday on the same as the 1970 World Cup final
Carlo Ancelotti was born on the same day as the 1934 World Cup final, albeit 25 years later, his country Italy beat Czchoslovakia 2-1 after extra time.
Of the 1248 players at the World Cup, there were only 8 days of the year where nobody had a birthday, July 10th, August 2nd, August 30th, October 13th, October 28th, November 19th, December 9th, December 28th - however, one of the 48 managers does have a birthday that falls on one of these 8 missing dates, Sébastien Desabre, (DR Congo), 02-Aug-76
Of the 44 ex Pro players, 3 were Goalkeepers, 15 were defenders, 20 were midfielders and 6 were forwards.
29 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have been capped for their countries, 19 managers have never been capped - which include the four who never play Pro football.
21 Managers from the 48 at the World Cup have scored for their countries, the remaining 8 managers who were also capped, never managed to score.
Only 4 managers played over 100 times for their country
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 177 caps
-Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), 136 caps
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 136 caps
-Didier Deschamps (France), 103 caps
Only 6 managers scored 10 or more goals for their countries
-Hossam Hassan (Egypt), 69 goals
-Graham Arnold (Australia), 19 goals
-Sergej Barbarez (Bosnia), 17 goals
-Ronald Koeman (Holland), 14 goals
-Javier Aguirre (Mexico) , 14 goals
-Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), 10 goals.
The longest serving coach is Didier Deshcamps - closing in on 14 years (08-Jul-12), second to Deschamps is Zlatko Dalić of Croatia (07-Oct-17) and third longest is Hajime Moriyasu of Japan (26-Jul-18)
Seven managers have been hired within one year or the World Cup starting date of June 11th 2026
-Fabio Cannavaro, (Uzbekistan), 06-Oct-25
-Graham Potter (Sweden), 20-Oct-25
-Miroslav Koubek, (Czech Republic), 19-Dec-25
-Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia), 14-Jan-26
-Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco), 05-Mar-26
-Carlos Queiroz (Ghana), 13-Apr-26
-Georgios Donis (Saudi Arabia), 23-Apr-26
The two English managers at the World Cup, Darren Bazeley (New Zealand) and Graham Potter (Sweden), brings the total number of Englishmen at the world Cup to 35 including officials.
I posted that twice, the first time it went to the moderators because of Advocaats first name 
which means that post may be posted later on again at some time randomly by the mods.
which means that post may be posted later on again at some time randomly by the mods.
On 29 June 2002, Suker scored the fastest ever goal in a FIFA World Cup, netting against South Korea 10.8 seconds into the third-place play-off, which Turkey went on to win 3–2.
That was posted in the opening post of the thread, it was 10.8 seconds exactly apparently, though always rounded up to 11 seconds.
Forgot to post Johan Neeskens goal time - which was the fastest ever in a World Cup final - which was 90 seconds
That was posted in the opening post of the thread, it was 10.8 seconds exactly apparently, though always rounded up to 11 seconds.
Forgot to post Johan Neeskens goal time - which was the fastest ever in a World Cup final - which was 90 seconds
Michel Platini is the only player to score on his birthday twice in 1982 and 1986
Yes, here's the others that scored on their birthday as well.
o.g. ✅️ Antonio Roma 1966 (13th July)
o.g. ✅️ Antonio Roma 1966 (13th July)
Yes, here's the others that scored on their birthday as well.
Antonio Roma 1966 (13th July)
Roger Hunt 1966 (20th July)
Dinko Dermendzhiev 1970 (2nd June)
Michel Platini 1982 (21st June)
Michel Platini (again) 1986 (21st June)
Aldo Serena 1990 (25th June)
Miroslav Klose 2006 (9th June)
Patrick Vieira 2006 (23rd June)
Antonio Roma 1966 (13th July)
Roger Hunt 1966 (20th July)
Dinko Dermendzhiev 1970 (2nd June)
Michel Platini 1982 (21st June)
Michel Platini (again) 1986 (21st June)
Aldo Serena 1990 (25th June)
Miroslav Klose 2006 (9th June)
Patrick Vieira 2006 (23rd June)
1st time poster05 Jun 26 14:42Joined: 25 Dec 05 | Topic/replies: 59,612 | Blogger: 1st time poster's blog
1 was 7 in 66 remember everyone in front room watching the game,but in all the films /documentary,s that followed it all seemed to be about eusibio,and very little about PELE and brazil
were Brazil favs to win in 66 ?
Rate reply:
| reportblock user
I found some website with the following odds for 1966 , not sure of accuracy -
Brazil 7/4 England 9/2 Italy 8/1 Argentina, Russia 10/1 Germany 12/1 Portugal 20/1 Spain, Hungary 25/1 33/1 bar
apparently Fred Done and his brother had £25 on England at 8s with some bookie , the winnings were used to help buy their first betting shop......
1 was 7 in 66 remember everyone in front room watching the game,but in all the films /documentary,s that followed it all seemed to be about eusibio,and very little about PELE and brazil
were Brazil favs to win in 66 ?
Rate reply:
| reportblock user
I found some website with the following odds for 1966 , not sure of accuracy -
Brazil 7/4 England 9/2 Italy 8/1 Argentina, Russia 10/1 Germany 12/1 Portugal 20/1 Spain, Hungary 25/1 33/1 bar
apparently Fred Done and his brother had £25 on England at 8s with some bookie , the winnings were used to help buy their first betting shop......
Gianfranco Zola is the only player to be sent off on his birthday
1 was 7 in 66 remember everyone in front room watching the game,but in all the films /documentary,s that followed it all seemed to be about eusibio,and very little about PELE and brazil
were Brazil favs to win in 66 ?
Coral odds
were Brazil favs to win in 66 ?
Coral odds
| 9/4 | Brazil | 25/1 | West Germany | |
| 9/2 | England | 28/1 | Spain | |
| 7/1 | Argentina | 40/1 | Uruguay | |
| 8/1 | Italy | 50/1 | Chile | |
| 8/1 | USSR | 100/1 | Bulgaria | |
| 16/1 | Portugal | 100/1 | Mexico | |
| 20/1 | Hungary | 100/1 | Switzerland | |
| 25/1 | France | 200/1 | North Korea |
I was 16. I remember that Argentina were probably the best team in the tournament but they played like animals ! Without the sendings off etc England may have lost the semi.
cheers dixie
think eusibio played at goodison got kicked off the park ,did pele play there ?
think eusibio played at goodison got kicked off the park ,did pele play there ?
The great man certainly did play at Goodison in 66 1tp.
Brazil played all 3 group games there, they beat Bulgaria 2-0 with Pele scoring a free kick , but he got merciless treatment from the thug Bulgarian defenders and as a result was rested for the second match against Hungary which the Magyars won 3-1, playing out of their skin.
This meant that Brazil had to get a result against Portugal in their last game to progress from the group. Pele played although he was not really fit do do so, so we had Pele v Eusebio at Goodison ! Unfortunately Pele was again given the rough house treatment and from about the half hour mark was reduced to hobbling throughout the rest of the game as there were no substitutes allowed of course. Portugal won 3-1 with the brilliant Eusebio scoring twice. There was a full house of 62,000 that day with a reported 10,000 plus locked out.
Pele described his experience at the 66 World Cup as his toughest experience in football and decided he did not want to play for the national team again. However he thankfully reversed that decision a couple of years later and as we know played the starring role in the greatest national team ever winning the 1970 tournament
Brazil played all 3 group games there, they beat Bulgaria 2-0 with Pele scoring a free kick , but he got merciless treatment from the thug Bulgarian defenders and as a result was rested for the second match against Hungary which the Magyars won 3-1, playing out of their skin.
This meant that Brazil had to get a result against Portugal in their last game to progress from the group. Pele played although he was not really fit do do so, so we had Pele v Eusebio at Goodison ! Unfortunately Pele was again given the rough house treatment and from about the half hour mark was reduced to hobbling throughout the rest of the game as there were no substitutes allowed of course. Portugal won 3-1 with the brilliant Eusebio scoring twice. There was a full house of 62,000 that day with a reported 10,000 plus locked out.
Pele described his experience at the 66 World Cup as his toughest experience in football and decided he did not want to play for the national team again. However he thankfully reversed that decision a couple of years later and as we know played the starring role in the greatest national team ever winning the 1970 tournament
cheers Dixie great write up ,nothing better than a full house at the originally designed goodison, my dad saw the north Koreans and Italy at ayresome park,my 1st games were the last 2 games of the following season when boro got promoted aged 7,beat peterbrough 2 v 1 ,on the at and Oxford 4 v 1 on the Tues night to clinch promotion
Gianfranco Zola is the only player to be sent off on his birthday
that's a great stat
that's a great stat
Great memories of those days 1tp, you can't beat those old grounds for atmosphere.
After the North Korean's heroics at Ayresome Park in the group stages, they moved on to Goodison to play Portugal in the QF in that most memorable of matches where they were amazingly 3-0 up after 25 minutes before Portugal's stunning comeback to win 5-3, courtesy of Eusebio' four goals.
Eusebio revisited Goodison in 2009 when Benfica played the toffees in the Europa League, when interviewed he said "This stadium for me is the best stadium in my playing life". I think he meant it as well
Today's new stadiums can seem rather soulless but we have to move with the times i suppose.
After the North Korean's heroics at Ayresome Park in the group stages, they moved on to Goodison to play Portugal in the QF in that most memorable of matches where they were amazingly 3-0 up after 25 minutes before Portugal's stunning comeback to win 5-3, courtesy of Eusebio' four goals.
Eusebio revisited Goodison in 2009 when Benfica played the toffees in the Europa League, when interviewed he said "This stadium for me is the best stadium in my playing life". I think he meant it as well
Today's new stadiums can seem rather soulless but we have to move with the times i suppose.
Believe it or not String it was to protect opposition goalkeepers from being pelted with various objects (often toilet roll) !
This frequently happened in the 50s and early 60s , the fans had a poor reputation with the print media, the News Of The World called them "the roughest rowdiest rabble who watches British soccer". Quite an accolade, Millwall fans must have been outraged at being overlooked
allegedly Bill Brown the spurs keeper had a dart thrown at him
and so the club decided to introduce those semi circles behind the goals.
they also were keen to ensure Goodison was chosen to host World Cup games in 66 and didn't want any further trouble to maybe prevent them missing out.
This frequently happened in the 50s and early 60s , the fans had a poor reputation with the print media, the News Of The World called them "the roughest rowdiest rabble who watches British soccer". Quite an accolade, Millwall fans must have been outraged at being overlooked
allegedly Bill Brown the spurs keeper had a dart thrown at him
and so the club decided to introduce those semi circles behind the goals.they also were keen to ensure Goodison was chosen to host World Cup games in 66 and didn't want any further trouble to maybe prevent them missing out.
Alot of Millwall fans got stabbed at goodison early 70.s ,, its still not forgotten at the Den
the old elland Rd also used to have lots of space behind goal between fans and the pitch,those semi circle/arc shapes at goodion were iconic ,should have kept them because that fenced in away end btm tier behind goal was the worst viewing terrace ever,horrendous
I noticed that BBC Scotland have sent an Irish Rugby player to the States to cover Scotland's campaign. Great use of tv license fee payers' money there. Mind you, he's more coherent than some of the actual football pundits, tbf.
Mind you, he's more coherent than some of the actual football pundits, tbf.
Carlo Ancelotti was Italy's assistant manager at the World Cup in 1994 in which they reached the final, I didn't actually know this til I heard it today. They lost to Brazil, and of course 32 years later he's managing Brazil.
https://www.reddit.com/r/classicsoccer/comments/ydx09r/who_can_recognize_italys_cool_assistant_coach_in/#lightbox
https://www.reddit.com/r/classicsoccer/comments/ydx09r/who_can_recognize_italys_cool_assistant_coach_in/#lightbox
Susquehanna,
Noticed that you'd been posting photos recently on the thread I use myself over on the Labs Chat Forum.
Hope you don't mind me raising it but something caught my eye this morning on your latest one, namely the Mauricio Pochettino's 'Hired' date.
According to a couple of other sources he wasn't appointed USA boss until exactly four years later.
Noticed that you'd been posting photos recently on the thread I use myself over on the Labs Chat Forum.
Hope you don't mind me raising it but something caught my eye this morning on your latest one, namely the Mauricio Pochettino's 'Hired' date.
According to a couple of other sources he wasn't appointed USA boss until exactly four years later.
yeah, must have been a simple admin error, Ancelotti has also been corrected, original date was his first game, now it's his actual appointment date, the rest all correct as well.
, Ancelotti has also been corrected, original date was his first game, now it's his actual appointment date, the rest all correct as well.
Scotland fans were going to travel to Argentina on submarine ,to win World Cup with legendary Scottish bookmaker Jim Tait in 1978, unfortunately neither happened.
Still beat Hollland though and Archie Gemmil scored one of greatest World Cup goals ever.
Still beat Hollland though and Archie Gemmil scored one of greatest World Cup goals ever.
England's preparations for 1950 World cup...
Before flying to Brazil, the FA had deemed it too costly to leave early for the players to acclimatise to the high temperatures and humidity of South America. A kick-about in an empty Wembley Stadium was followed by three days of training at Dog Kennel Hill, the home of Dulwich Hamlet, where they were not allowed to use the first-team pitch because it was being reseeded.
On arrival in Rio after 24 hours plus of sitting on a plane
which made several stops en route...
The players were banned from visiting the beach during the day, for fear of getting sunstroke, and the heavy traffic and the firecrackers set off throughout the night by fans made it virtually impossible to sleep. “It was like Hyde Park Corner at four o’clock on a Friday afternoon,” one player recalled.
Built in 1917, the Luxor was a cheap, 10-storey edifice facing the ocean. It lacked air conditioning (the daytime temperature rarely dipped below 80F, 27C) and, while the players were used to sharing rooms, the catering was a disaster. Nobody at the FA had bothered to visit the hotel in advance, so it fell to Winterbottom to intercede.
Years later he remembered feeling “physically sick” when he inspected the kitchens and had to lay down a new set of rules for the chefs to follow. “All the food was being cooked in reams of black oil and garlic,” he recalled, “and the smell of it was dreadful and carried all through the hotel. Nearly all the players went down with tummy upsets at one time or another.”
“The food was terrible,” recalled Finney. “I remember the cold ham and fried eggs swimming in black oil. We were eating bananas, mostly.” Stan Mortensen put it more bluntly: “Even the dustbins had ulcers.”
It's going well....
Newcastle’s Jackie Milburn remembered the first morning of training. “Walter Winterbottom came and started talking to the press. He left us with three bags of balls. Normally when a bag of balls is left with a football team you’re lucky if you can get one. Everybody wants one, two, three of his own if he can possibly get them. But the whole bunch of us played cricket. What I’m trying to say is once the season is finished it doesn’t matter how willing you are, there’s nothing left.”
Missing from those early sessions was Matthews. At 35 it was widely thought the Blackpool wizard’s best days were behind him and he had not played for the national side for a year (though he would play for his country until 1957). The job of picking the team in Rio effectively fell to one man, the FA chairman Drewry, who ran a fish business in Grimsby and had been chairman of the local football club between the wars.
The FA would pay each player £20 per game, plus £2 a day expenses in Brazil. Even the referees earned £70 a week. The Sunderland defender Willie Watson was persuaded to give up a lucrative summer playing cricket for Yorkshire (he went on to play for England) to join the World Cup party. He would have earned more than £300 with the bat but fared less well with the ball.
“On my return from Rio,” he later said, “I received a cheque for £60 from the FA, being my fee for the trip – I didn’t play in any of the three games – and included in the letter was a note saying that I had overcharged my expenses by 16 shillings and three pence. I don’t think I have ever been so hopping mad.”
More at...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/jun/01/englands-first-world-cup-adventure-1950-brazil
Very enlightening,.. England's first world Cup experience.
Before flying to Brazil, the FA had deemed it too costly to leave early for the players to acclimatise to the high temperatures and humidity of South America. A kick-about in an empty Wembley Stadium was followed by three days of training at Dog Kennel Hill, the home of Dulwich Hamlet, where they were not allowed to use the first-team pitch because it was being reseeded.
On arrival in Rio after 24 hours plus of sitting on a plane
which made several stops en route...
The players were banned from visiting the beach during the day, for fear of getting sunstroke, and the heavy traffic and the firecrackers set off throughout the night by fans made it virtually impossible to sleep. “It was like Hyde Park Corner at four o’clock on a Friday afternoon,” one player recalled.
Built in 1917, the Luxor was a cheap, 10-storey edifice facing the ocean. It lacked air conditioning (the daytime temperature rarely dipped below 80F, 27C) and, while the players were used to sharing rooms, the catering was a disaster. Nobody at the FA had bothered to visit the hotel in advance, so it fell to Winterbottom to intercede.
Years later he remembered feeling “physically sick” when he inspected the kitchens and had to lay down a new set of rules for the chefs to follow. “All the food was being cooked in reams of black oil and garlic,” he recalled, “and the smell of it was dreadful and carried all through the hotel. Nearly all the players went down with tummy upsets at one time or another.”
“The food was terrible,” recalled Finney. “I remember the cold ham and fried eggs swimming in black oil. We were eating bananas, mostly.” Stan Mortensen put it more bluntly: “Even the dustbins had ulcers.”
It's going well....
Newcastle’s Jackie Milburn remembered the first morning of training. “Walter Winterbottom came and started talking to the press. He left us with three bags of balls. Normally when a bag of balls is left with a football team you’re lucky if you can get one. Everybody wants one, two, three of his own if he can possibly get them. But the whole bunch of us played cricket. What I’m trying to say is once the season is finished it doesn’t matter how willing you are, there’s nothing left.”
Missing from those early sessions was Matthews. At 35 it was widely thought the Blackpool wizard’s best days were behind him and he had not played for the national side for a year (though he would play for his country until 1957). The job of picking the team in Rio effectively fell to one man, the FA chairman Drewry, who ran a fish business in Grimsby and had been chairman of the local football club between the wars.
The FA would pay each player £20 per game, plus £2 a day expenses in Brazil. Even the referees earned £70 a week. The Sunderland defender Willie Watson was persuaded to give up a lucrative summer playing cricket for Yorkshire (he went on to play for England) to join the World Cup party. He would have earned more than £300 with the bat but fared less well with the ball.
“On my return from Rio,” he later said, “I received a cheque for £60 from the FA, being my fee for the trip – I didn’t play in any of the three games – and included in the letter was a note saying that I had overcharged my expenses by 16 shillings and three pence. I don’t think I have ever been so hopping mad.”
More at...
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/jun/01/englands-first-world-cup-adventure-1950-brazil
Very enlightening,.. England's first world Cup experience.
I posted this so many times in the past it is not news.
All the goals in the 1986 final in Mexico City (3-2 Argentina v West Germany) were scored by players wearing odd numbered shirts (Brown 5, Valdano 9, Burruchaga 7, Rummenigge 11, Voller 17)
Alessandro Altobelli was a substitute in the 1982 final (3-1 Italy v West Germany), came on, scored in the 81st minutes, and was substituted.
Altobelli scored the last goal (81 min) in the 1982 World Cup and scored the first goal (44 min) in the 1986 World Cup (1-1 Bulgaria v Italy).
All the goals in the 1986 final in Mexico City (3-2 Argentina v West Germany) were scored by players wearing odd numbered shirts (Brown 5, Valdano 9, Burruchaga 7, Rummenigge 11, Voller 17)
Alessandro Altobelli was a substitute in the 1982 final (3-1 Italy v West Germany), came on, scored in the 81st minutes, and was substituted.
Altobelli scored the last goal (81 min) in the 1982 World Cup and scored the first goal (44 min) in the 1986 World Cup (1-1 Bulgaria v Italy).
Andreas Brehme is the only player to score penalties with his left foot and his right foot , 1986 and 1990
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