These are good examples of class defenders... By the way, I think Gamarra was one of the best defenders I've ever seen playing... I know that, and I agree! Good defenders are very necessary. So, how fun the game would be if it was easy to score? But there is also a big difference between avoid opponent's play through good tackling and through breaking legs... There should be good defenders so that strikers see their job worth! But defenders with hard, but fair play...
I agree with that. Gentile was a thuggish player but his ball skills weren't as bad as most people think. In some games for Juve and Italy, he played like a full-back and he did set up the first goal in the 1982 World Cup Final. A great shame about most of the thuggish Italian players is that most of them don't really have bad ball skills yet they just choose to be thuggish (or the coaches force them to). Gentile was the most thuggish of them all but his ball control wasn't too bad, Materazzi used to be a dead-ball specialist at Perugia and Romeo Benetti was good at advancing from midfield. He was also capable of getting many goals from long-range. Not to forget Salvatore Schillaci, leading goalscorer with 6 goals. Matthaeus was finally able to run the West German team and really control the play. A worthy winner of the Golden Ball. Milla's story was just remarkable. He was a 38 year old super-sub who didn't play regular football (not since 1988) yet he made an entertaining Cameroon side even more unpredictable. When I really think about it, Belgium did get carried by Preud'homme. Despite having players like Enzo Scifo and Marc Degryse, that team struggled to score goals and despite having Philippe Albert and Georges Grun in defence, the opposition were able to test the keeper many times. Stoichkov was great at USA 94. If Berbatov wants to emulate his fellow countryman, he needs to do something similar, which I doubt he can do. Suker was great but one wonders how good that Croatia side would have been if Boksic was fit. Suker and Boksic could have been unstoppable.
I agree with that. Gentile was a thuggish player but his ball skills weren't as bad as most people think. In some games for Juve and Italy, he played like a full-back and he did set up the first goal in the 1982 World Cup Final. A great shame about most of the thuggish Italian players is that most of them don't really have bad ball skills yet they just choose to be thuggish (or the coaches force them to). Gentile was the most thuggish of them all but his ball control wasn't too bad, Materazzi used to be a dead-ball specialist at Perugia and Romeo Benetti was good at advancing from midfield. He was also capable of getting many goals from long-range. Not to forget Salvatore Schillaci, leading goalscorer with 6 goals. Matthaeus was finally able to run the West German team and really control the play. A worthy winner of the Golden Ball. Milla's story was just remarkable. He was a 38 year old super-sub who didn't play regular football (not since 1988) yet he made an entertaining Cameroon side even more unpredictable. When I really think about it, Belgium did get carried by Preud'homme. Despite having players like Enzo Scifo and Marc Degryse, that team struggled to score goals and despite having Philippe Albert and Georges Grun in defence, the opposition were able to test the keeper many times. Stoichkov was great at USA 94. If Berbatov wants to emulate his fellow countryman, he needs to do something similar, which I doubt he can do. Suker was great but one wonders how good that Croatia side would have been if Boksic was fit. Suker and Boksic could have been unstoppable.
I agree with that. Gentile was a thuggish player but his ball skills weren't as bad as most people think. In some games for Juve and Italy, he played like a full-back and he did set up the first goal in the 1982 World Cup Final. A great shame about most of the thuggish Italian players is that most of them don't really have bad ball skills yet they just choose to be thuggish (or the coaches force them to). Gentile was the most thuggish of them all but his ball control wasn't too bad, Materazzi used to be a dead-ball specialist at Perugia and Romeo Benetti was good at advancing from midfield. He was also capable of getting many goals from long-range. Not to forget Salvatore Schillaci, leading goalscorer with 6 goals. Matthaeus was finally able to run the West German team and really control the play. A worthy winner of the Golden Ball. Milla's story was just remarkable. He was a 38 year old super-sub who didn't play regular football (not since 1988) yet he made an entertaining Cameroon side even more unpredictable. When I really think about it, Belgium did get carried by Preud'homme. Despite having players like Enzo Scifo and Marc Degryse, that team struggled to score goals and despite having Philippe Albert and Georges Grun in defence, the opposition were able to test the keeper many times. Stoichkov was great at USA 94. If Berbatov wants to emulate his fellow countryman, he needs to do something similar, which I doubt he can do. Suker was great but one wonders how good that Croatia side would have been if Boksic was fit. Suker and Boksic could have been unstoppable.
I agree with that. Gentile was a thuggish player but his ball skills weren't as bad as most people think. In some games for Juve and Italy, he played like a full-back and he did set up the first goal in the 1982 World Cup Final. A great shame about most of the thuggish Italian players is that most of them don't really have bad ball skills yet they just choose to be thuggish (or the coaches force them to). Gentile was the most thuggish of them all but his ball control wasn't too bad, Materazzi used to be a dead-ball specialist at Perugia and Romeo Benetti was good at advancing from midfield. He was also capable of getting many goals from long-range. Not to forget Salvatore Schillaci, leading goalscorer with 6 goals. Matthaeus was finally able to run the West German team and really control the play. A worthy winner of the Golden Ball. Milla's story was just remarkable. He was a 38 year old super-sub who didn't play regular football (not since 1988) yet he made an entertaining Cameroon side even more unpredictable. When I really think about it, Belgium did get carried by Preud'homme. Despite having players like Enzo Scifo and Marc Degryse, that team struggled to score goals and despite having Philippe Albert and Georges Grun in defence, the opposition were able to test the keeper many times. Stoichkov was great at USA 94. If Berbatov wants to emulate his fellow countryman, he needs to do something similar, which I doubt he can do. Suker was great but one wonders how good that Croatia side would have been if Boksic was fit. Suker and Boksic could have been unstoppable.
sure...but france situation against brasil was dificult too after a french player broke his leg from a brasilian foulplay,..this handicap has affected the game and has affected and limited the frenchs and fontaines offensive actions .this was the point brasil has taken over the game...it was a very close game up this broken leg action and fontaine has scored allready a nice goal, outscoring pele 1:0.. kocsis 1954 has scored against a half reserve german team severall goals too in the grouphase and korea unquestionable was cannonfooder...but anyway kocsis in quarter and semis without puskas against very strong teams has scored decisive goals ...
sure...but france situation against brasil was dificult too after a french player broke his leg from a brasilian foulplay,..this handicap has affected the game and has affected and limited the frenchs and fontaines offensive actions .this was the point brasil has taken over the game...it was a very close game up this broken leg action and fontaine has scored allready a nice goal, outscoring pele 1:0.. kocsis 1954 has scored against a half reserve german team severall goals too in the grouphase and korea unquestionable was cannonfooder...but anyway kocsis in quarter and semis without puskas against very strong teams has scored decisive goals ...
Your point being? Are you saying that if Vincent didn't get injured, there's a good chance Fontaine would have got a chance to score more goals anyway? You have made some valid points in regards to Kocsis' performances in 1954. Compared to Muller's 1970, Kocsis did face a weak side like South Korea whereas teams like Morocco and Bulgaria in 1970 were better teams. West Germany did beat Bulgaria 5-2 but who would rate South Korea 1954 higher than Bulgaria 70?
in this days substituts wasnt allowed so i believe this as affected the game..a logical consequence playing with a teamate where became a passenger put normally the most teams in a dificult situation....i dont know fontaine would have scored one more but i strongly believe pele would not have scored 3 goals in the second half ..
I should correct myself. It was Jonquet that picked-up an injury, not Vincent. France's defence went from 3 down to 2 after 30 or 35 minutes.
Mario Kempes, in the second round and the final: Argentina 2 Poland 0: 2 goals. (Plus a diving handball save at the goal line that combined with goalkeeper Fillol's save on the ensuing penalty shot helped ensure the win) Argentina 0 Brazil 0: no goals obviously. Argentina 6 Peru 0: 2 goals (with Argentina needing 4 goals to move to the final) Argentina 3 Netherlands 1: 2 goals and an assist. I think he was possessed. He looked unstoppable every time he got the ball.
I've only seen the final in full and he played very well. I haven't watched it in a while though and I've only seen highlights of the others.
Maybe I'm a little biased, but who's not? Cruyff 74: headed a mess to look like a revolution Pelé 58: has already been talked about his age Maradona 86: did England lose? Garrincha 62: red card not properly punished Romário 94: most important goal might have been scored before penalties Mentions Varela 50: one man screaming, 200000 people mute Fritz Walter 54: most unexpected final Passarella 78: where was the revolution? Zidane: the only time Brazil was massacred in WCs
Something I've never really seen mentioned that much was this. Kempes should really have been sent off in this game for that handball. I wonder what impact that might have had on Argentina's chances.
Pele 1958 Maradona 1986 Cruyff 1974 Baggio 1994 Jairzinho 1970 Close would be Garrincha 1962, Milla 1990, Zidane 2006, Kempes 1978, Bergkamp 1998, M.Laudrup and Elkjaer 1986, Pele 1970. If we were saying performance in single World Cup matches rather than the whole tournament then I'd say: Pele v Sweden 1958 Cruyff v Brazil 1974 Maradona v Belgium 1986 Cruyff v Argentina 1974 Kempes v Holland 1978 Maradona v England 1986 Bobby Moore v West Germany 1966 Eusebio v North Korea 1966 M. Laudrup v Uruguay 1986 Littbarski v France 1982 Rossi v Brazil 1982 Zidane v Brazil 2006 They are the ones that spring to mind anyway
Good picks! I'd just replace Baggio 1994 for Garrincha 1962, and add Romario 1994 to your 'close' list (imo, he was better than Baggio in that WC). Also, I'd add Zico v N. Zeland 1982 to the list of individual matches.
Thanks Uamiranda. Actually Zico and also Socrates probably ought to be in the close list. Maybe Zico's form was sporadically brilliant rather than consistently and perhaps he played better for Flamengo but his free-kick v Scotland and his assist for Socrates v Italy were definate examples of his quality in 1982. I remember World Cup 1994 pretty well and I think it's hard to say who was better out of Romario and Baggio - Baggio did miss the penalty but I think his quality moments were easier on the eye than Romario's although Romario along with Bebeto was crucial for Brazil just like Baggio was for Italy (with aid of Signori and co).
That more than anything else played into FIFA's decision to make a card automatic for a handball. Possibly the most blatant ever in a cup.
1. Maradona 1986 2. Garincha 1962 3. Baggio 1994 4. Ronaldo 1998 5. Ronaldo 2002 honorable mentions Romario 1994 Cruyff 1974 Franz 1974 Pele 1958, 1970 Zico 1982 Rossi 1982 Matheuse (sp?) 1990 Gazza 1990
That's right. IMO, Zico was not as consistent as Sócrates and Falcão at that WC. Even though, as a genius he was (and also the best brazilian player at that moment in Brazil), it was always expected he had a flash genius moment and did something memorable. That's what happened to him in that WC, specially the ones you cited (goal against Scotland and assist against Italy), but also against Argentina, with one goal and one assist. In these matches, he might have seemed 'asleep', but suddenly he woke up and magic was done (common to geniuses). But when I refered to the match against New Zeland, he (and all that wonderful team as well) played his best match in that WC, not only for his 2 goals + 2 assists, but in the overall match itsef. That was his most consistent match imo. BTW, imo, his best match ever might have been the Intercontinental Cup against Liverpool in 1981.
I actually think Romario or Stoichkov maybe should be put above Baggio in 94 and Ronaldo 98? I think he was actually kind of a disapointment that year - especially in the final. Rivaldo, Suker, Zidane + the entire French backline probably deserve more credit imo for carrying their teams.
beckenbauer 66 is as good as 74, because as an unknown 20 year old he played in attacking midfield, scored 4 goals and out of nowhere finished 3rd in the ballon d'or awards behind eusebio and charlton. im shocked nobody has mentioned gerd mueller 1970