Mexico 70: what we loved FFT offers 25 items of curiosity from a sensational tournament
Brazil’s defining tournament was also one of many glorious firsts – and arguably the most colourful World Cup finals of all time. FFT celebrates its movie star goalkeepers, amateur pyro and baffling forgotten soundtrack
01 GREAVSIE’S WORLD CUP RALL Y
Jimmy Greaves retired from international football after being left out of the 1966 World Cup Final and watching all of Euro 68 from the sidelines as an unused substitute, but he still travelled to Mexico – in a Ford Escort. The 1970 World Cup Rally was a 16,000- mile dash from London to Mexico City, and the new West Ham forward – paired with professional rally driver Tony Fall – motored for Springfield Boys’ Club. The duo came a highly creditable sixth in their modified Escort 1850 GT.
02 GOALS... EVERYWHERE
There may have been only 32 games and 16 nations at Mexico 70, but they managed to hit the back of the net 95 times between them. The tournament average of 2.97 per game has never been bettered since. Brazil blasted home 19 goals in six matches, including four against Czechoslovakia, Peru and Italy. West Germany smashed 17 before losing to the Azzurri, who somehow topped their group after scoring one goal, then netted nine more in the knockouts. El Salvador were the only team not to register at all, defeated 2- 0, 3- 0 and 4- 0.
03 THE TELSTAR IN ORBIT
Named after the communications satellites that helped to beam coverage around the globe, Adidas’ Telstar reinvented the subdued brown sphere forever. Inspired by a revolutionary design by Danish shot- stopper Eigil Nielsen, it featured 32 panels in black and white to increase visibility on television. Adidas only supplied 20 to Mexico for the tournament, but soon sold 600,000 replicas after the finals. The style lasted for decades and was revisited for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
04 THE HISTORY BOY
USSR frontman Anatoliy Puzach was the World Cup’s first- ever substitute, appearing at half- time in the opening game against Mexico.
Before the match, the Soviets sneakily sent out their reserve players to endure the welcoming formalities in the blazing sun, while the hosts wilted. The teams drew 0- 0 and later finished dead level at the top of their group, so had to be separated by the drawing of lots. Both went out in the next round anyway.
05 GLORIOUS TECHNICOLO UR
Mexico 70 was the first World Cup to be broadcast in colour, although very few viewers actually had colour TVS at that time. Footage of the tournament looks vividly beautiful now, however, partly due to the radiant midday sun with kick- off times arranged for the benefit of European audiences. Grass has never seemed greener, and those classic kit shades – Italy’s azure blue, Brazil’s canary yellow – are a feast for the retinas. Phwoar.
06 ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP ALBUM
Back Home became a football anthem, but it was just one huge hit among 12 on The World Beaters Sing the World Beaters: a record featuring covers of popular hits. Bobby Moore provided passable lead vocals on the Beatles’ Ob- La- Di, Ob- La- Da, while Moore and Franny Lee joined forces for a jaunty version of Sugar, Sugar by The Archies. But while several of the squad had shaggy pop star haircuts, very few had the voices to match.
07 AWESOME AZTECA
Arguably football’s grandest stage – the giant Azteca ( below) was dazzlingly futuristic in 1970 and is still revered now. Built ahead of the 1968 Olympics, it was expanded to hold a gargantuan crowd of 107,412 for the Mexico City final. It hosted another nine games in 1986, including the Hand of God fixture, and the famous venue – which has a more modest capacity of 87,523 today – is expected to feature at a third World Cup in 2026.
08 HOLEY SHIRT
Holders England wore specially- designed jerseys ( above) made from perforated Aertex fabric to help them cope with the searing heat in Mexico, with matchday temperatures often exceeding 30C. Sir Alf Ramsey’s men ended up donning three different coloured shirts during the finals: white, red and blue. England sported the red number for their quarter- final against West Germany in a repeat of the 1966 finale, but this time the Germans prevailed after extra time following a 2- 2 draw.
09 PERU’S COMEBACK
The Peruvians were gearing up for their opening game of the tournament when news came through that a catastrophic earthquake in their country had killed up to 70,000 people. The overwhelmed Incas, wearing black ribbons on their red shirts, went 2- 0 down to Bulgaria in Leon – but heroically fought back to win 3- 2. The great Teofilo Cubillas belted in the clincher after 73 minutes before saying, “The goal gave hope back to our country.”
ITALY WON THEIR GROUP DESPITE SCORING A SOLITARY GOAL, THEN STRUCK NINE IN THE KNOCKOUTS
10 THAT TACKLE BY MOORE
Bobby Moore was released on bail to play at Mexico 70 after being arrested for allegedly pinching a bracelet in Colombia ahead of the tournament. His country were very glad of it – the skipper’s exquisite tackle on a goal- bound Jairzinho in England’s valiant group- stage loss to Brazil is recalled in the lyrics to Three Lions, while he also had an epic battle with Pele. The mutual respect between the two legends was clear when they famously exchanged shirts at the end of the game in Guadalajara.
11 ESSO WORLD CUP COINS
The popular collectors’ items, given away free with petrol purchases, depict the England squad in shiny minted metal. Thirty coins were created but only 22 men made the final party, so the likes of Peter Shilton, Henry Newton and Alan Oakes featured on coins for a tournament they never played in. They’re not worth a mint, mind: you can pick up a complete set on ebay for about a tenner.
12 SAVE OF A LIFETIME
Gordon Banks’ remarkable stop from Pele’s downward header is perhaps football’s best- ever, in an all- time great encounter. “I was ready to celebrate,” the Brazilian said following Banks’ death last year. “Even now, when I watch it, I can’t believe it.” Banks helped England qualify from the group stage, but was struck down by illness – conspiracists claim he was deliberately poisoned – and could only watch as the holders bowed out against West Germany in Leon.
13 LANCE WYMAN ARTWORK
The 1970 World Cup emblem is a design classic that has echoed through the game for decades, its acclaimed typeface adapted from creator Lance Wyman’s 1968 Mexico Olympics project. Paired with a simple negative football graphic, it gave Mexico 70 an iconic aesthetic imitated for countless sports motifs ever since. Wyman was also responsible for the arrival of Pico, a big- beaked eagle who divided mascot duties with Juanito, the sombrero- wearing boy showing off his belly.
“I WAS READY TO CELEBRATE SCORING AGAINST ENGLAND – EVEN NOW, IF I SEE IT, I CAN’T BELIEVE BANKS SAVED IT” 40 July 2020 Fourfourtwo
14 GERD’S GOLDEN BOOT
‘ Der Bomber’ hit two hat- tricks in Mexico, plus an extra- time clincher against England in the quarter- finals ( right) and two goals in the semis. He finished with 10 for West Germany, ahead of Jairzinho who scored in all of Brazil’s six games. Muller netted another four during West Germany’s victorious 1974 tournament, taking his overall World Cup finals tally to 14. Only Ronaldo ( 15) and fellow Germany striker Miroslav Klose ( 16) have struck more.
15 EL SALVADOR’S SECOND W AR
The Salvadorans said they “fought a war to be here” following the 1969 Football War [ FFT 306], which erupted after a controversial World Cup qualifier with Honduras. But things kicked off again during a 4- 0 loss to the hosts, when Mexico bizarrely scored from a free- kick awarded to El Salvador. The referee refused to disallow Javier Valdivia’s 45th- minute effort, however, so the infuriated underdogs refused to restart proceedings and then launched the ball into the Azteca crowd. Have it!
16 S OMBREROS AND STREET P ARTIES
Several thousand England fans travelled to the World Cup, as did those of other nations, but it was the exuberance of home supporters which gave Mexico 70 its carnival atmosphere. Sombrero- wearing locals waved flags, twirled rattles and created flares from burning papers, haunting would- be health- and- safety officers everywhere. They held a national street party upon reaching the knockout stages with a 1- 0 win over Belgium, parping trumpets, jumping on cars and swinging from monuments while chanting “Mex- i- co! Mex- i- co!”
17 PUNDIT P ASSION
Mexico 70 gave birth to football punditry as we now know it, as ITV assembled fiercely opinionated triumvirate Paddy Crerand, Derek Dougan and a cigar- chewing Malcolm Allison, refereed by noted wallflower Jimmy Hill. Their discussions became must- watch television as the panel proved unrestrained in their criticism – particularly of England. That prompted chief scapegoat Alan Mullery to confront Allison live on air, the midfielder saying, “I’m better than you ever were.”
18 PANINI’S 1970 ALBUM
Panini’s very first World Cup sticker collection created a new craze. Covering the 16 competing countries and past World Cup winners, the Mexico 70 album contained nearly 300 swap- tastic stickers, featuring classic shirts, colourful badges and tremendous haircuts. Now, it’s easily the most sought- after football sticker compilation on the planet. In May 2020, an avid collector purchased a completed book on ebay for £ 2,995 – double the previously- reported record fee from two years earlier.
19 PELE’S MAD MISS
He scored four goals and set up another seven en route to an incredible third World Cup win. Still, Pele’s best- remembered moment of Mexico 70 is his ingenious dummy around the Uruguay goalkeeper in the semi- finals, before placing the ball agonisingly wide of the target. It could have been the goal of the tournament, as could his outrageous chip from the halfway line against Peru, which landed a foot past the right- hand post.
20 THE MOVIE ST AR KEEPER
Mexico keeper Ignacio ‘ Nacho’ Calderon set a World Cup record in 1970 after keeping three consecutive clean sheets and going 295 minutes unbeaten, before conceding an own goal in a 4- 1 defeat to eventual- finalists Italy. The mutton- chopped pin- up was a movie idol in his homeland, featuring in comedy musical
¡ Adios Cuñado! ( Bye Bye Brother- in- Law!). He went on to become a popular romantic lead in Mexican fotonovela photo strips, appearing in more than 200 of them.
21 THE WORLD A T THEIR FEET
Several of FIFA’S official World Cup films are a bit weird, and this one is undoubtedly that as it follows danger- averse young runaway Martin and his mental plan to hitchhike across Mexico and see Pele in action at the Azteca. The comedy sound effects add little to the events, but the sumptuous game footage slipped into the 90- minute flick is magical. The brassy salsa soundtrack provided by the John Shakespeare Orchestra was also ITV’S triumphant 1970 World Cup theme tune.
22 JULES RIMET’S LAST GLEAMING
Brazil’s third tournament victory entitled them to keep the famous Jules Rimet Trophy, so Mexico 70 witnessed Carlos Alberto become the final captain to hoist the cup. Having been hidden from the Nazis in a shoebox during the Second World War and then discovered under a bush by Pickles the dog in 1966, it was nicked from the Brazilian FA’S base in December 1983 and has never been recovered.
23 GAME OF THE CENTURY
Italy were leading West Germany 1- 0 in a gripping semi- final until defender Karl- Heinz Schnellinger grabbed an unlikely 90th- minute leveller. There were five goals in an end- to- end extra time, while Franz Beckenbauer played on with an arm taped to his chest after dislocating a shoulder. Both sides scored twice before the sublime Gianni Rivera found space to sidefoot a 111th- minute winner. “It still drives me crazy thinking about it,” sighed Gerd Muller in 2016.
24 REFS DIDN’T SEE RED
Red and yellow cards were introduced at the 1970 finals, having been created by referee Ken Aston after the 1966 tournament. But no reds were shown in Mexico, despite there being no shortage of vicious tackles – most notably in England’s group- stage battle against Brazil. Franny Lee went in late on keeper Felix, before Carlos Alberto clobbered Lee and forced Pele to ‘ have a word’ with his captain. Simpler times.
25 THE GREATEST GOAL
Brazil’s unforgettable fourth strike in the final against Italy begins with Tostao winning possession inside his own half, and Clodoaldo slaloming through the Italian midfield. Rivelino knocks the ball down the line to Jairzinho, who plays it inside to Pele, who rolls it into the path of the onrushing Carlos Alberto... who whacks a low screamer into the far corner. Game over. The greatest team had just scored the greatest goal to become champions in a 4- 1 thumping.