TOP FIVE ICONIC MOMENTS IN THE WORLD CUP
PELE TAKES A BOW
• Sweden 1950 A 17-year-old from Brazil named Pele burst onto the scene with the winner against Wales in the quarter-final and a match-winning hattrick over France in the semis and then a decisive brace in the final against hosts Sweden.
It was the first of his record three World Cup wins with follow-ups in 1962 and 1970. But he wasn’t as prolific in front of goal in the latter two tournaments, only scoring one in 1962 and four in 1970, which was much more of a team effort.
THE CRUYFF TURN
• West Germany 1974 Dutch legend Johan Cruyff first pulled off the move — a look to pass that is then dragged back behind his own standing leg ready to turn and run on to — in Holland’s goalless group game against Sweden.
Jan Olsson was the victim of that initial trick but there have been many more since with Cruyff making it his trademark, and countless others attempting to copy the famous feint.
THE HAND OF GOD
• Mexico 1986 In this encounter between Argentina and England, a poor interception played the ball enticingly up into the air between England keeper Peter Shilton and the Argentinian geniu us Maradona who got to the ball first, and used h his hand – rather than his head – to punch the ba ll into the net. Despite the protests of the Englan nd players, the referee had n ot seen the incident and the goal stood d. Maradona the en went on to score his wonder goal, and Argentina a went all the wayw to win the fina al against West Germany.
BEBETO ROCKS THE CRADLE
• USA 1994 Brazil’s Bebeto ran over to the touchline with teammates Romario and Mazinho swinging their cradling arms in tandem after he scored the second goal in a 3-2 quarter-final win over Holland. The celebration was in reference to his newborn son who was born just days before the game, and guess what, that boy – Mattheus Oliveira – grew up and now plays for Portugal’s Vitoria Guimaraes on loan from Sporting Lisbon, a club he joined last year after spells with Brazil’s Flamengo and Portugal’s Estoril.
GAZZA’S TEARS
• Italy 1990 An entire nation wept with Paul Gascoigne in England’s semi-final against West Germany when he cried after realising his yellow card for a foul on Thomas Berthold would rule him out of the final if the Three Lions had won as he had already picked up a caution against Belgium in the second round. England went on to lose on penalties anyway but Gazza’s reaction, twinned with Gary Lineker’s “keep an eye on him” look across to Bobby Robson, became one of the most enduring images in English football.