1) Zidane headbutts Materazzi (World Cup 2006):
Who doesn’t remember Zidane’s fury against Italian player Mazeratti during extra time of the 2006 final? It was one of the most unexpected and extraordinary moments in football history – and was the French footballer’s final act in football.
2) Maradona’s ‘Hand Of God’ (World Cup 1986):
Having increased his hair by a hand’s width to ‘head’ Argentina into the lead in the Quarter Final of the World Cup 1986 in Mexico, football legend Maradona scored one of the greatest World Cup finals goals.
His slaloming run past half the England team in has become forever etched in our collective memories.
3) Home victory for England (World Cup 1966)
Geoff Hurst scored twice in extra time, beating West Germany and giving England their first and only World Cup title. Sadly, no English team has even reached the final since but there is hope…
Highlights of the game also include Kenneth Wolstenholme’s iconic comment: ‘They think it’s all over, it is now’.
4) Diana Ross, penalty miss (World Cup 1994)
The Opening Ceremony saw one of the most talented soul divas in the world performing – unfortunately, she is not exactly remembered for her vocal skills on this occasion, but for the huge penalty miss, which still remains nowadays one of the worst misses ever.
5) Luis Suarez Handball (Wold Cup 2010)
Urugay secured a place in semi-finals against Ghana, thanks to Suarez’s handy contribution. The injustice match that kicked Ghana out of the game has been set in stone, displaying Suarez as a villain and dishonourable cheat.
Suarez later admitted that he acted out of instinct to help his team and would certainly do it again.
6) The greatest team that ever played in final (World Cup 1970)
The 1970 World Cup in Mexico will be remembered forever for featuring the greatest team to take the pitch at a World Cup finals tournament, as the Brazil team won their third title with Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivelino and Tostão.
The game also remains notable for Jeff Astle’s miss, Jairzinho’s goal, Bobby Moore’s tackle on Pele and, of course, Gordon Banks’s remarkable save from the planet’s greatest player, as well as the mutual respect on show after the game.
7) Gascoigne’s tears (World Cup 1990)
Italia 90 saw the most iconic tears in football history when Paul Gascoigne got his booking on the semi-final against the Germans, evicting him from the final game. Everyone remembers the pictures of Gary Lineker pointing at the bench.
8) Rivaldo’s humiliation (World Cup 2002)
Supposedly the ambassador of the game, Rivaldo humiliated himself in front of a global audience when the ball kicked by his Turkish opponent struck him on the thigh.
Although he fell to the ground clutching his face seemingly in agonising pain, slow motion images were broadcasted worldwide, showcasing his fairly poor acting skills.
9) Zaire’s one and only World Cup appearance (World Cup 1974)
Zaire holds to date the weirdest behaviour in the football history and World Cup’s funniest moment. Ilunga Mwepu achieved fame by clearing a Brazil free-kick before they had actually taken during the game against Brazil. He earned a yellow card and was forever after known as a figure of fun.
10) The Cruyff Turn (World Cup 1974)
One of the most magnificent football moments is when Dutchman player Cruyff planted his left foot and feinted to cross with his right but instead, curled the ball under him with his right foot leaving his opponent baffled. This memorable tactic projected them to the final, where they lost 2-1 against the hosting team, West Germany.
This article was brought to you by Mexicana cheese. Oooh, spicy!
Image credit: YouTube
