First World Cup you followed

[unclesox]

Thought I'd find out just what age group is on here the most. :p

Which World Cup tournament was the first one you followed and what is your biggest memory from it?



I started following the sport around Spring of 1978 and was a bit aware of the World Cup then but didn't really follow it. I only remember watching the Brazil-Sweden and Argentina-Italy matches. No recollection of watching the Final.
After watching all of Euro1980 I couldn't wait for Spain '82 to come round and eagerly followed all the qualifying matches.
I ended up ditching a couple of finals during my sopomore year at high school in order to watch the Brazil-USSR and Hungary-El Salvador matches. :D
Biggest memory is of the way Brazil played. For me, no team has entertained me the way that side did. Very disappointed when they lost to Italy.

[unclesox]

Damn, I forgot to put 2006.
So stupid. :(

[wolfp10]

1994- I was in the 4th grade, and have been watching ever since.

[Milos]

I became a proper football fan when I stated watching the 1990 world cup at the age of 13. I remember turning on the tv during a game of the 1986 world cup(can't remember which) but I just flicked straight over:eek:

[england66]

I must be one of the few oldies on these threads....I watched the 1958 finals on a black and white "telly" that couldn't have had more than a 10" screen.. (I was 10 at the time) after the final me and me' mates were outside playing the game and everyone wanted to be Vava or Didi or Pele or Garrincha....I went to every game (except one, my dad wanted to go to the Brazil-Bulgaria opener, so I gave him my ticket) in 1966 played at Goodison Park in Liverpool (The Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, Bulgaria group)...I was also at the 1/4 final Portugal-N.Korea game (one of the best, if not the best, WC knock-out faze games of all time)....great memories....

[kotto_bass]

I must be one of the few oldies on these threads....I watched the 1958 finals on a black and white "telly" that couldn't have had more than a 10" screen.. (I was 10 at the time) after the final me and me' mates were outside playing the game and everyone wanted to be Vava or Didi or Pele or Garrincha....I went to every game (except one, my dad wanted to go to the Brazil-Bulgaria opener, so I gave him my ticket) in 1966 played at Goodison Park in Liverpool (The Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, Bulgaria group)...I was also at the 1/4 final Portugal-N.Korea game (one of the best, if not the best, WC knock-out faze games of all time)....great memories....
Interesting man. I wish I'd watched all the games from back then. How would you compare football back in the days with today's football? Defense/midfield/attack, pace, style etc?

[IASocFan]

Being one of the old guys who first played soccer in 66 at the age of 22, I probably have a much different perspective. I was aware of the World Cup from '58 until '90, but with so little coverage it was impossible to follow. I knew about Pele and Maradona, but rarely was able to see them - even when I got seriously involved in soccer in '76 (coach, referee, and club administrator). I answered '90 because that's when the American press started some soccer coverage. Even in the days of NASL, soccer was difficult to follow.

[essie_majedi]

i was 8 at france 98

[ShaRule]

started from 98' I was also 8-9 yrs old...so 2006 will be my third :)

[Buschkauz]

in 1990 i watched the final but 1994 was the first "real" world cup for me to watch.

[gaijin]

USA 94. And England didn't even qualify! :eek:

Euro96 probably captured most people's imaginations in the country I think. It took the national game away from its violent and ugly past in some circumstances and turned it into a more family friendly affair - where all people could get behind the team.

[glennaldo_sf]

Damn, I forgot to put 2006.
So stupid. :(

??? Did it already pass??!!! I know time flies but whew...

Just kidding. Nah, my first WC was 1990. I think I was something like 11 years old at the time and living in Oman. Watched every match. Stayed up all night every night (we're +3/4 hours GMT). Drove my parents bananas. I thought that it was an absolutely fascinating tournament - it wasn't until later that I realized that it didn't compare to others very well. I think I cired when the US played Czechslovakia. Ironically, the UAE also qualified for this tourney.

[england66]

Interesting man. I wish I'd watched all the games from back then. How would you compare football back in the days with today's football? Defense/midfield/attack, pace, style etc?

No question the game is faster paced today and for the most part the players are better "athletes" and the skill set is a little better too, although not by as much. Tactically the game has changed also (can't really say it's improved) as there were more goals scored back in the day (1958-66) the biggest change for me is that the Goalkeeping is so much better, across the board, than it was then....if you look at some of the "old" goalkeeping then it's friggin' laughable if you get a chance get the 6 dvd set "The History of Football" (Soccer)....you will piss yourself at some of the "goalkeeping" from those days...

[unclesox]

I was aware of the World Cup from '58 until '90, but with so little coverage it was impossible to follow.

I answered '90 because that's when the American press started some soccer coverage. Even in the days of NASL, soccer was difficult to follow.
Didn't you have spanish language tv available to you back then?
Spanish International Network (SIN - changed name to Univision in 1987) had World Cup coverage from as far back as 1970 from what I've heard. They used the Mexican Televisa feed from 1970-1982, though they didn't start showing every match until '82.
The American english networks were terrible with their coverage. I think they had a policy of placing 6 one-minute commercials throughout each half. :eek: ESPN did a few matches from the '82 and '86 competitions. Remember when TNT did the 1990 tournament? Mick Luckhurst, the ol' Atalanta Falcons kicker was brought in as an analyst I guess because of his British accent.
Ah, the memories. :rolleyes:

[england66]

As recently ?? as 1978 a few of my friends and I rented a plane (single prop job, one of the lads had a pilots licence) and flew down to San Antonio for the weekend. Rented a motel room and watched the WC on the Spanish channel which wasn't available in Dallas in those days..

[IASocFan]

I was aware of the World Cup from '58 until '90, but with so little coverage it was impossible to follow.

I answered '90 because that's when the American press started some soccer coverage. Even in the days of NASL, soccer was difficult to follow.

Didn't you have spanish language tv available to you back then?
Spanish International Network (SIN - changed name to Univision in 1987) had World Cup coverage from as far back as 1970 from what I've heard. They used the Mexican Televisa feed from 1970-1982, though they didn't start showing every match until '82.
The American english networks were terrible with their coverage. I think they had a policy of placing 6 one-minute commercials throughout each half. :eek: ESPN did a few matches from the '82 and '86 competitions. Remember when TNT did the 1990 tournament? Mick Luckhurst, the ol' Atalanta Falcons kicker was brought in as an analyst I guess because of his British accent.
Ah, the memories. :rolleyes:

Are you kidding me! :eek: I've never had Spanish channels until I got cable - sometime in the 80s! Spanish wasn't that popular in Raleigh and Des Moines during the 70s and 80s. I don't remember when I finally did get Spanish channels, but with no coverage, it was impossible to know when games were on. I saw my first World Cup Live TV coverage in '94..

[england66]

its a young mans game....and judging by the votes so far a young mans thread too....

[The Cold Sea]

I started watching in 1974. It seemed so exotic to a Nebraska farm boy. I remember seeing parts of that cup, even though I was 7. I think ABC's Wide World of Sports covered it. It was odd seeing this dark, rainy place (Germany) while it was already sunny and hot in Nebraska. It was like another world or something.

[tomas_brolin]

for me it was 94.. i was 9 years old and i had been playing soccer in one of those kiddie leagues for a few years now... and it was good timing i guess.. i pretty much followed the whole tournament...

[King-James]

1994... although I was 8 and had no one to explain the pro game to me. I don't really remember any details... I'd just catch on tv "ohh, a soccer match. "World Cup"? Sounds neat". Of course I had no friends or family that ever followed the game. I missed the actual final - watched highlights on SportsCenter the next morning before school.

But then I didn't follow the game in 1998 and 2002. So 2006 will be the first, really.

I was also at the 1/4 final Portugal-N.Korea game (one of the best, if not the best, WC knock-out faze games of all time)....great memories....

What was the general feeling amongst the crowd after Portugal came back?
Korea seemed to be widely supported by the English. Even hundreds of English from Middlesbrough (or was it Birmingham? Don't remember) traveled to Liverpool to support NKorea for that match.

I watched the match on b/w video months ago, and was really entertained. Must have been incredible to watch it in the stadium!