I started similar threads once every 5 to 10 years here. Okay, let's make it the summer of 1995, instead of May, 1995. If you go back in 1995 and look at 2015, what kinds of things that you would find surprising in the world of football today? In the summer of 1995: -- Brazil won the World Cup a year ago. They had not received the huge Nike sponsorship. That would be 1996. -- Ajax won the CL with a young team. -- Uruguay just won the Copa America. -- In England, Cantona assaulted a Crystal Palace fans in January of 1995. Blackburn Rovers won the Premiership in 1994-1995. Aresenal lost to Real Zaragoza in the Final Cup Winners' Cup after a wonderful goal by Nayim. Klinsmann moved to England in the summer of 1994 and finished as the Player of the Year. In the summer of 1995, Ginola, Bergkemp, Juninho Paulista and Gullit joined the league The foreign players' invasion probably began in England. -- In Germany, Borussia Dortmund just won their first league since the 1960's. In France, Nantes won the league and Loko was the top scorer. -- In Italy, AC Milan's dominance of the league ended. they also lost the Champions' league to Ajax. Juventus was the new champion. Baggio moved to AC Milan. Buffon had not made his debut yet. that would be somehwhere in the 1995-1996 season. -- In Spain, Romario left Barcelona in January for Brazil. Real Madrid ran away with the title. Deportivo was second. Michael Laudrup moved to Real Madrid from Barcelona in the summer of 1994 and helped them beating Barcelona 5-0. In the summer of 1995, Barcelona signed Figo, Prosinecki and Popescu. Stoichkov went to Parma. -- Elsewhere, in Europe, George Weah had not won the FIFA World Player of the Year yet. Ronaldo just finished his first season at PSV. Bosman ruling was in December, 1995. -- The US upset Argentina 3-0 and the MLS was less than a year away. Lalas had a great season in Italy. --- Michael Jordan unretired from basketball. Schumacher was winning his second F-1 title. OJ Simpson was the hot topic. --- Internet started to catch on.
My take: --- Nike's Good vs Evil ad had not happened yet. I noticed Brazilian players were wearing Nike boots around that time. Nike was still a newcomer in 1995. In previous posts, I could easily say Nike as one of the biggest sponsorship of the sport was one of the surprise. For 1995 and 2015, i am not so certain. --- Ronaldo and Messi are among the highest paid athletes in the world and they are soccer players. Bosman was a hot topic in 1995, but I am not sure if people predicted the pay scale would go up dramatically. http://www.topendsports.com/world/lists/earnings/athletes-paid-1995.htm --- Spain had won the WC and two European Championship. --- The best basketball players in the world starred in Nike ads, but as sidekicks.
Nottingham Forest had just finished 3rd in the PL and tried to sign Roberto Baggio! So that's a bit different to being mid-table in the 2nd tier and being under an FFP embargo I suppose!
Biggest one is that Liverpool have still not won a league title in the last 25 years. That would have been utterly unbelievable 20 years ago. Manchester City and Chelsea as two of the richest clubs in the world. AC and Inter Milan both in the doldrums.
The ups and downs of Portsmouth and Southampton would have seem a hard to believe story at that time (with all the financial richness/poorness plus the extent of their travels up and down the leagues).
1995 marks the rise of a fantastic generation of footballers for both Argentina and Brazil, arguably amongst the top three greatest for each nation in their history, although only the latter would reap trophies from it. Ortega, Gallardo, Ayala, Zanetti, Veron, Crespo, Lopez, Almeyda, Samuel, Sorin, Burgos, etc. brought Argentina back to the fore of football but could not match the success of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Emerson, Gilberto Silva, Elber, Juninho.
Perhaps even more unbelievable: Liverpool are no longer the record holder for winning the English top flight. You don't have to win the domestic league to compete in the "UEFA Champions League". In fact, depending on the league you can finish fourth in the table and still qualify (!) Domestic cup winners in Europe no longer have their own exclusive tournament. It would be 19 years and five World Cups before (1) the western hemisphere would host another World Cup and (2) Argentina would finally get past the quarterfinal stage. Of those five future World Cups, two countries would lift the trophy for the first time. The other three would be won by Brazil (their 5th), Italy (4th) and Germany (4th), ho hum. Five Olympics later and Brazil still have not won futebol gold?!
10 of the 22 players in the 1994 World Cup final played on Nike shoes. Including Romario, Bebeto and Maldini. Ronaldo was already courted by Nike in 1993 and possibly/maybe it helped to get in the squad without playing a minute. They announced and finalized their deal with Brazil pretty late, in December 1996 while Brazil started to wear it since the start of 1997, less than a month later. Today such changes become usually announced between one and two years prior (i.e. 1995). Talking about that, Diadora and Lotto were back then considerable shoe suppliers. Almost all of the Italian players had them like Baggio, Albertini and Donadoni (with Maldini as notable exception, who starred in adverts). Baresi played with Reebok. The biggest change is though the increased dominance of the big leagues in the club competitions. In that respect, Belgium hasn't made a final since 1993. Netherlands only one after 1995. Between 1975 and 1995 Belgium had eleven finalists. Former Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe is the same, except when they rely on eight to ten foreigners (Shaktar Donetsk). That brings me to two other changes: oil money and Third Party Ownership models. Manchester United was sponsored by Sharp (Consumer Electronics), Juventus by Sony (Consumer Electronics), Real Madrid by Teka (Bathing and Kitchen), Milan and Bayern by Opel (cars). All in the top 10 richest clubs had an European or Japanese sponsor. Today many big clubs are sponsored by the Arabian world, or by gambling companies and 'non-manufacturing' firms - service firms like Fly Emirates. Oil money and betting money has brought many changes.
Between 1975-1995 the countries without a World Cup win had 10 finalists in the EC/UCL. Between 1995-2015 just one. Between 1975-1995 the countries without a World Cup had 13 finalists in the Uefa Cup (Cup Winners Cup had btw 19). Between 1995-2015 exactly 13 finalists as well. The richest clubs are now sponsored by airliners. Real Madrid. Barcelona, Manchester City, PSG, Arsenal are all in the top 10 of the Money League and all sponsored by airliners.
Umbro the main sponsor of Brazil up til 95 was a daughter company of Nike So we could say that Nike had its foot already in the Brazilian camp well clinched before 1995 The first Brazilians to sign a major sponsorship contract with Nike was Romario & Bebeto in Summer of 93. He changed from Lotto to Nike when he signed Barcelona that summer. The first Italian to sign a major sponsorship contract with Nike was Maldini, also in Summer of 93. Romario, Bebeto & Maldini were Nikes first superstar signing. They were the first to wear the legendary classic Nike Tiempo boots, albeit that most Brazilian players of the WC94 also wore Nike boots. After the successes of Romario, Bebeto and Maldini, Nike quickly signed the following players in the summer of 1995 Eric Cantona Ronaldo R9 The following is a copy of an article promoting Nike's first boots http://www.soccerbible.com/performance/football-boots/2009/10/nike-tiempo-94-football-boots/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE NIKE TIEMPO 94 FOOTBALL BOOTS ARE A CELEBRATION OF NIKE'S FOOTBALL HERITAGE! Nike have launched these Special Edition Tiempo 94 football boots. Inspired by the original Nike Tiempo worn during the 1994 World Cup, and utilising modern materials and techniques while maintaining the clean traditional look. 1994 was the year of the World Cup in the USA, and it was also the year Nike announced themselves to the world of football boots. During the prestigious 1994 World Cup Final, Nike supplied the boots for no less than ten of the players on the pitch, all wearing the Nike Tiempo! And more importantly, Nike managed to get two of the biggest stars in world football at the time - footballing legends Paolo Maldini and Romario. '94 World Cup final - Nike Tiempo wearers Maldini and Romario battle for the ball Nike have recreated the classic Tiempo from 1994, a boot that was created for players who demand the ultimate in ball touch and feel from their football boots. Since '94 the Tiempo range has gone from strength to strength, and are now the benchmark for finesse and touch football boots. The Nike Tiempo's can boast such footballing greats as Eric Cantona, Romario, Ian Wright, Andy Moller, Paolo Maldini, Ian Rush, Ronaldinho, Cesc Fabregas, Andrea Pirlo and Sergio Aguero! A key feature of the Nike Tiempo football boots is the soft quality leather upper, and the Special Edition 94 football boots are no different. The upper is made from an extremely comfortable supersoft kangaroo leather, which recreates the same vamp pattern of the 1994 boots. And the throwback design continues with the retro Tiempo Premier folding tongue, with stitched Nike logo and '94' gold printed. The insoles of the Nike Tiempo 94 soccer cleats compliment the comfort of the upper due to the molded sockilner, which has Poron cushioning and is finished with "Limited Edition" detailing. The outsole is composed of lightweight TPU with a glass-fibre shank and forefoot flex grooves. Whilst combination conical and bladed studs provide traction and pressure dispersion on firm, natural surfaces. These new limited edition Nike Tiempo 94 football boots celebrate a great chapter in football history, when Nike and the US announced themselves onto the world stage. For this reason they are sure to be popular with players (and also boot collectors!) in the United States, but they also celebrate all the great Nike Tiempo wearers of the past. You can be sure supporters will be looking to get their hands on this memorable piece of footwear! The Nike Tiempo 94 football boots have been specially crafted in Italy to the highest quality, and this exclusive boot comes with a commemorative shoe bag. Available for pre-order from today (17th November), these iconic football boots are expected to retail around £100GBP. Also, as an extra incentive for any serious boot collector, you can also get a super-limited edition numbered pair from selected retailers! Featuring a numbered box (out of 1994 pairs), the boots have an additional stitched panel underneath the folded down tongue revealing the unique number of your pair! **UPDATE 19/11** Check out the special presentation box our friends at Nike have given to the SoccerBible! This massive wooden chest contains pair 0001 of 1994, the ultimate collectors edition of this iconic boot! This solid keeps the boots pristine and would be perfect for display, but only if you can resist playing in these superb boots. The boots fit snugly into a drawer that slides out of the main box, which has gold Tiempo 94 logos and the desireable "Limited Edition 0001" pair inscription. "Step into Maldini's boots and lace up a legend. It's the classic re-crafted, designed to give you the edge. With world class innovations at your feet you're in game changing form. So make like Maldini, wear it and be part of football history." Tuesday 20 October 2009 @ 17:00
Don't forget that Umbro was a Nike's daughter company. Hence Brazil was indirectly already in the grasp of Nike way back in 93 Maldini, Eric Cantona, Jorge Ramos, Ian Wright, and a few other non-Brazilians were also signed in 95 Here is Nike's first big commercial ever in the world of football It came right after WC94 After this, football was never the same again
But it was also the year of Colombian and Mexican players to emerge into the scene in masses Jorge Ramos (colourful Mexican goalie) Rodolfo "El Tren" Valencia (signing Atletico Madrid)
That was also interesting. They introduced overage players for Atlanta 1996. In 1995, Olympic soccer suddenly looked much more interesting and Brazil wanted that medal.
Reebok is no longer a power in sports. Back in 1990's, Nike and Reebok engaged a shoe war. Both also started to move into the soccer. Before USA 1994, I only saw Puma, adidas and Umbro. At USA 1994, Bergkemp was wearing Reebok boots and Russia was wearing Reebok jersey. As mentioned, a number of Brazilian players were wearing Nike boots, but no team was wearing Nike Jersey at the WC Finals. Twenty years later, Reebok almost disappeared from football. At the time of writing, I do not know if any team is now sponsored by Reebok.
Frankly I'm not sure anybody assessing football in 20 years time would have given a shit about what shirt manufacturers and sponsors there were in 2015.
What would they think of? Or "find surprising" as the starting post says. "If you go back in 1995 and look at 2015, what kinds of things that you would find surprising in the world of football today?" As a guess, I think that people will notice major clubs wearing Chinese signs, if that will happen in the future. Also, I think with the commercialism there has been an increasing anticipation of clubs changing kits, and the manufacturer + sponsor is often a main determent of the appearance. The casual observer will not notice the accelerated role of the oil money (betting money) and third party ownership (and big clubs like Chelsea have 20-25 senior players out on loan), that is right I think.
Well like I said, the relative fortunes of Liverpool, City and Chelsea. Beyond that type of thing I would say Qatar being awarded the World Cup, the decline in fortunes of leagues other than England, Spain and Germany. Maybe Spain winning three in a row but even that wouldn't be a big shock. I'm actually surprised how little has changed. So far the emergence of Africa and Asia hasn't really materialised.
That is not surprising with the knowledge of 1995? What was there to know in 1995? The emergence of genuine super clubs perhaps, though that is more something from the last 10 years (last 7 years in particular) and the steepest in Spain (and France). http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads...do-as-best-ever.2016490/page-31#post-31876748 http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads...-a-1-team-league.2017224/page-4#post-31876370 Seen from 1995, and the 10 years prior at that time, that is maybe sort of surprising.
Well, they have always been regarded as dark horses and have boasted many excellent players. Would it be a huge surprise if England or the Netherlands won three tournaments in a row in the next twenty years? Not particularly to me, though equally I wouldn't expect it. Basically twenty years is a sufficiently distant timeframe that a great deal of things are possible.
I think the surprise is that no other country in the post war period did the same. In terms of the long term structural factors going for Spain it is maybe not a surprise (as well as that they became richer in 1995 and all the things they did since getting the 1992 Olympics). The same would be true for England in 20 years time. Which has about the same structural factors going for them, and perhaps some more. But on the other hand, Spain was really quite a non-factor in UEFA and FIFA before ~1998 (and ~2002 in particular). Between 1947 and 1994 their national team Elo rating was always between 6 and 17 at the start of the year (with the exception of 1987 when they were #4). And in the leagues the star policy of the Italian league was in part more successful because they had the (native) Italian players to support the stars once they opened their borders for two foreigners in 1982 (the complete Spanish league entered a massive debt restructuring in 1984-85). That is as well related to the facilities (which were better in Italy), the relative protection of the stars too, and some other things, but Italy had a marked advantage in depth. The recent 'miracle' is both about the top end of the Spanish players, as well as the reasonably good depth they have (though the growth from 8 expatriates to more than 50 has arguably an effect on the depth of their own league). I think with the glasses of 1995 it would be regarded as more likely to think Brazil, Germany, Italy would win three in a row.
That being said, Spain was ofc unlucky in the 1986 and 1994 World Cups, though not really in 1982 (when they were hosts, Honduras and Yugoslavia matches). In 1986 and 1994, as those two tournaments in particular, they had good reasons to complain.
From a footballing perspective - 1) Milan wouldn't appear in another European Cup/Champions League final for almost a decade and win only four Serie A titles during the next two decades. 2) Greece would win a Euro championship beating France, the Czech Republic and Portugal along the way 3) Argentina wouldn't win another international trophy for the next two decades 4) Germany would win international trophies only at the beginning and end of a two decade period starting in 1995, going trophy-less for 18 years 5) Four European club teams, one each from England, Spain, Italy and Germany would complete season trebles while winning the Champions League but no team would win back to back Champions Leagues 6) After another year, Cruyff would more or less retire as a team manager 7) Brazil would suffer a greater heartbreak than the Maracanazo 8) A winter World Cup in the middle-east would be planned 9) Once Caldas would win a Copa Libertadores 10) Ajax would make their last appearance in a European semifinal by 1997 and none afterwards for 18 years These are the ones from the top of my head. There should be quite a few more though ...