I believe next year could be interesting for FIFA if Riquelme has the year at BOCA many are expecting coupled with what's already been some fantastic performances for the camisita. I've factored in that he won't be playing in Europe which will really put FIFA to the fire. But I do believe these awards, at least the ones FIFA puts their name on are generally nothing more than a good chuckle.
It´s good to remember too that this fantastic team beat Real Madrid (0-4) in the Ramon de Carranza Trophy final and also Barcelona (1-4) in the Tereza Herrera Trophy final in 1992. Also, Sao Paulo reached 3 Libertadores Cup finals in a row (won 1992 and 1993, as Cool Rob said, but was beaten at home (+/- 120.000 supporters) by Argentinian Velez Sarsfield in 1994.
São Paulo and Flamengo as a matter of fact were the big villains of Real Madrid in the 90's. See this sequence of videos. The 1st, Fla 3 x 0 RM, in Spain (Fla with Sávio, Gilberto, Lúcio, Rodrigo Souto, Maurinho) - that same year, RM, with Sávio, would become CL and World Champion agst Vasco. The 2nd, Fla 5 x 2 Benfica in Belo Horizonte. The third, Fla 3 x 1 Valencia (with Romário), at the Naranja Trophy, in Spain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAAO36zdsOc&feature=related
As I mentioned in this thread: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1087389 I think the Yugoslavia during the 50s were really underrated. Everybody remembered the Magical Magyars and Pele, Didi's Brazil; but that team actually had lots of good players. Too bad as lanman pointed out, they just had to face some bad luck or tough opponents...
The Reims team of the 50s and early 60s seem to have been somewhat forgotten despite their great success, mainly because the club's no longer in the spotlight, having not played in Ligue 1 for 30 years now. They had fantastic players like Fontaine, Jonquet, Kopa and Marche and between 1949 and 62 won 6 league titles and made the final of the European Cup twice. Had it not been for the dominance of the Real team throughout this period they would have undoubtably had a great deal more success in Europe and would be more fondly rememberd today. They still hold a number of Ligue 1 records such as wins in a season and have something like the best win ratio of any team who has played in the topflight in France.
yes it is kind of like ivan lendl not getting the love he deserves now. There is one record federer is still trying to overtake of his - 20 straight grand slam finals
Before the advent of regular professional teams in America, amateur clubs were still competing against paid players in interleague and cup play. During this period one the greatest amateur clubs was Brooklyn Celtic. They played and beat many of the professional clubs like Bethlehem Steel and Fall River. Though they only existed from 1909 to 1917 they won 10 trophies in 8 seasons and were runners up in 2 Open Cups and the American Cup. A fantastic record for any team. They had several early US Internationals including Charles Ellis, James Robertson and George Tintle. They also had an array of excellent Irish players who represented Ireland in the annual international tournament known as the NYS Footballers Protective Association (1912 - 1923). This was a preview of international matches which became more organized in the Olympic games of the next decade. Many of the players that represented "America" later wnt on the play for the USA in full international matches. Source: International Soccer Archives
The Real Sociedad side of the early 80's is virtually unknown outside Spain, which is a damn shame - their trophy haul included back-to-back league titles in 1981 and 1982 and European Cup semi-final appearance in 1983 (which they lost to eventual champions Hamburg). The squad featured legendary goalkeeper Luis Arconada, the speedy Jesús María Satrústegui, and midfielders Txiki Beguiristain and Jose Maria Bakero, who would go on to win the 1992 European Cup with Barcelona.
Great call. Perhaps even more forgotten was their 1979/80 campaign when Real Sociedad led the league for much of the season while going unbeaten. But on the penultimate week they suffered their first defeat, 2-1 away to Sevilla. That lone defeat cost them dear as Real Madrid won the title by one point. Combined with the end of the 1978/79 season, Real Sociedad went a total of 38 league matches unbeaten which remains the Spanish league record to this day.
I don't know too much about La Liga around that time but it seems that the title races were the most interesting that era. Sociedad went back-to-back in in 1981 and 1982, Bilbao went back-to-back in 1983 and 1984 and Barca won in '85 until sadly Real Madrid won the league from '86-'90 (how boring and normal).
That's not true at all, Lendl only played 19 finals but not in a row http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Lendl
yeah i was mixed up there. federer has 21 semis and 20 finals, overtaking lendl's 19...bloody awesome record!
Some of you old school heads might remember Dinamo Tbilisi. Soviet Georgian team renowned for their attractive football. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptnw4C7iAjw"]YouTube - Dinamo Tbilisi West Ham United[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShgZ35ErCwQ&feature=related"]YouTube - ??????-????-????[/ame]
Yes, I remember them. They first raised eyebrows when they knocked Liverpool out of the first round of the 1979/80 European Cup before losing to Kevin Keegan's Hamburg in the next round. The following year they went on a great run to capture the Cup Winners Cup. Unfortunately the final in Düsseldorf against Carl Zeiss Jena was poorly attended (Soviet Bloc teams weren't too fancied back then) and Dinamo perhaps didn't gain as much credit as they deserved. Strong favorites to retain the Cup Winners Cup, they were surprisingly beaten by Standard Liege in the semi-finals of the 1982 competition. David Kipiani was the veteran of that Dinamo side, a hard working midfielder who probably should have gained more than the 19 Soviet international caps that he earned. Captain Aleksandr Chivadze, defender Tengiz Sulakvelidze and striker Ramaz Shengelia were other notable players on that squad. The second video you posted is the goal scored by Vitali Daraselia against Jena with four minutes remaining. Daraselia's life was cut short a year or two later when he was killed in an auto crash. Promising player who couldn't have been over 25 at the time of his death.
Looks like you know a thing or two about Soviet football. Yes Darselia's life was cut far too short like many Soviet athletes. that goal of his is one of the best in European Cup final history.
Sporting Clube de Portugal 1940s and 50s "5 violins" team which refers to the forward line of Peyroteo (best goal per game average in football history scoring 331 goals in 187 games with Sporting) Jose Travassos (First Portuguese player to be called to the World/European XI) Albano, Jesus Correia, and Manuel Vasques. The team established a number of records that still stand today in Portuguese football. Sporting to this day has 18 league titles, 10 of them were won during this period of Sporting's history. at its peak the team averaged over 5 goals a game. wikipedia sample: The forties and fifties had where fabulous years for Sporting. Ten of eighteen National Football Championships where won during these 20 years, along with four of thirteen Portuguese cups that figure in the clubs role of honour. From the 1946/47 season to the 1953/54 season Sporting won seven of the eight championships contested, including becoming tri- and tetra-champion, losing only in the 1949/1950 season. This was the age of the famous Cinco Violinos (Five Violins) that became infamous on both the national and international levels, alongside with head coaches like Joseph Szabo, Robert Kelly, Randolph Galloway, Cândido de Oliveira, Armando Ferrira, Enrique Fernandez and others. The name "Cinco Violinos" was given by the journalist and trainer Tavares da Silva in order to refer to the forward line composed by Jesus Correia, Vasques, Peyroteo, Travassos and Albano. These men where said to play as an orchestra together in the manner of their collective spirit and efficiency on the field.
Hi all!!! Dear friends on http://fanpictures.build2.ru/ me and my collector-friends loaded very many teams group photos (~2000 pics). And rare ad new too...
Great link!... Now take a look at that one: http://terceirotempo.ig.com.br/index_quefimlevou Click on a name or add one (& you'll have tons of pics of Brz famous & forgotten teams).. Have fun!...
[Christ, that was a deep side: Billy Wright, Bert Williams, Peter Broadbent, Jimmy Mullen, Johnny Hancocks, Roy Swinbourne, etc. Unfortunately, I saw them dismantle the Toon several times @ St. Jms. Pk. back in the 50s. ]
Not sure if this is what you guys meant for this thread but.... Torino FC in the 40s was a powerhouse in Serie A, something which many people no longer remember. During that time, they collected 5 scudetti (42-43, 45-46, 46-47, 47-48, and 48-49) and were runner-ups twice (41-42 and 43-44), often beating out the likes of Juventus, Milan and Inter for the crown. Their success ended in tragedy. In 1949, an airplane carrying Torino FC crashed, with nearly the entire team being killed. In recent years, they have seem to be a bottom-table club in Serie A, bouncing between Serie A and Serie B. Though I feel this team is well-remember in Italy it is often forgotten elsewhere. See Further... "Il Grande Torino" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torino_F.C.
Great team but Wiki links do have some flaws. Toro always played in a WM formation. This was the regular XI: Bacigalupo A Ballarin --- Rigamonti --- Maroso Grezar --- Castigliano Loik --- V Mazzola R Menti --- Gabetto --- P Ferraris II Danilo Martelli and Franco Ossola were other regular players for Torino in the 40s.
Kind of crazy when you think about it that a championship-winning team with such talent is gone now. Makes you think if they would be up there Milan, Inter, Juventus, Roma, etc. as a main Serie A contender if the Superga crash never happaned...