The inaugural World Cup in 1930 was the only tournament to invite all members of FIFA, the governing body of football, to participate. Hosted by Uruguay, a mere 13 national teams made the trip to that tiny country. Uruguay emerged victorious in an all-South American final, beating Argentina 4-2.
Because many European teams did not compete in the previous World Cup, defending champions Uruguay refused to travel to Italy to do so in 1934. Yet many nations wanted to compete and the final 16 emerged after qualification rounds that have remained since. Hosts Italy won to the delight of Benito Mussolini, giving this fascist dictator a propaganda coup to boost nationalism, militarism and racism.
Italy regained the trophy, beating Hungary 4-2 in the final and making Vittorio Pozzo the only coach to win the tournament twice. Mussolini was charming as ever and reportedly sent a telegram to his players saying, “Vincere o morire!” It translates to “win or die.” No wonder Hungarian goalkeeper Antal Szabó famously quipped, “I may have let in four goals, but at least I saved their lives.” An almost unknown fact from that year is that the English team gave the Nazi salute in a friendly against Germany in the run-up to the tournament.
In 1939, World War II began. Naturally, organizing the World Cup was out of the question. Countries competed on the battlefield instead of the football field, leading to tragic bloodshed and terrible destruction.
After World War II ended, it took five years for FIFA to organize the next World Cup. In the final, Brazil needed a draw to lift the trophy. Instead, they lost 2-1 to Uruguay. The 200,000 people who had turned up to salsa at the newly-built Maracana Stadium left with tears in their eyes. Brazilians treated the loss as a national tragedy, while a skillful young boy promised his inconsolable father that he would bring the trophy home one day.
Many regard the Hungarian team of the 1950s as the greatest team to never win the World Cup. It was stylish, it pioneered total football and it had one of the greatest players of all time. West Germany lost 8-3 to Hungary in a group match, but won the final in an upset that has since been called the “Miracle of Bern.” For Hungarians, 1954 was followed by Soviet oppression in 1956 and the destruction of a legendary team that played most beautifully.
This was the first time a mixed-race team arrived in Sweden to pick up the mantle of Hungary and play beautiful football with a South American twist. Players with fast legs, sashaying hips and quick minds mesmerized the world. And 17-year-old Edson Arondes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, a poor black kid from the favelas, emerged as the sport’s first global superstar. He scored two goals in the final and fulfilled the promise he made to his father after the loss of 1950.
Brazil won again in Chile, defeating Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final. Garrincha, another poor black kid from the favelas, was the superstar this time. But it is the infamous “Battle of Santiago” that has gone down as one of the ugliest spectacles of the beautiful game. Chile played Italy in a game where fouls, punches and kicks dominated, forcing the police to intervene. As a result, FIFA introduced yellow and red cards to the game.
England, the birthplace of football, hosted the tournament. Unfortunately, a London gangster stole the trophy before the World Cup kicked off. Luckily, the trophy was recovered and England won in a pulsating final. They beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley, the spiritual home of football. The black spot for the tournament was all African teams boycotting the World Cup because of a dispute with FIFA, the first and only time an entire continent has done so.
Brazil and Pelé won a historic third World Cup, retaining the Jules Rimet trophy forever. Held in Mexico, this was the first World Cup broadcast on color television. It became a global spectacle and another great Brazilian team played what Pelé called “la jogo bonito,” which translates as the beautiful game. Captain Carlos Alberto scored a spectacular goal that has since been voted the best team goal of all time.
Like Hungary, another great team playing beautiful football lost. This Dutch team made total football famous. Led by Johan Cruyff, a peerless player, inspirational captain and profound philosopher of the game, the Netherlands lost 2-1 to gritty West Germany but still left their mark in football history.
Argentina controversially hosted the World Cup. General Jorge Rafael Videla was the military dictator and took a leaf out of Mussolini’s book, using this tournament for propaganda purposes. After being held at gunpoint in Barcelona before the tournament, Cruyff did not play in this World Cup. Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the final, but suspicions of sympathetic refereeing for the hosts have never gone away.
A great Brazilian team playing beautiful football lost to a pragmatic Italian team in the semi-finals because it forgot to defend. In the other semi-final, West Germany beat France 5-4 on penalties in what Michel Platini described as his “most beautiful game” ever. Italy beat West Germany in a dull final, matching Brazil to win the tournament a third time.
Like Garrincha in 1962, Diego Maradona shone like a bright sun in this World Cup. He dribbled magically, ran speedily and scored beautifully. As a result, Argentina beat West Germany 3-2 in the final. In the quarter-finals, Argentina beat England through two Maradona goals. The tiny genius scored the first using his hand and then danced past half the English team to score the second, now known as the goal of the century.
West Germany reached its third consecutive final and won this time around. They beat old foe Argentina with an off-color Maradona in a drab final. German reunification followed a year later. This tournament is remembered more for Cameroon’s dancing Roger Milla and England’s crying Paul Gascoigne, better known as Gazza.
For the first time, the US hosted the World Cup. Soccer, as the Americans call football, hit the US consciousness in a big way. Brazil, a familiar team from the Americas, won playing in an unfamiliarly ugly fashion, beating Italy in a penalty shootout. This World Cup is also remembered for the shooting of a Colombian player who was killed because he made a mistake in a match.
France hosted the World Cup and won 3-0 in the final. Ronaldo Luis Nazario, dubbed “Il Fenomeno,” translated as the phenomenon, fell mysteriously ill before the match. Zinedine Zidane emerged as the star of the tournament scoring two goals in the final, while a multiracial team ignited hopes of a new era of a more inclusive France.
Asia hosted the World Cup for the first time. Hearteningly, it was two historic enemies who joined hands. South Korea and Japan combined to put up a good show, although there were allegations that referees had favored the former. Brazil beat Germany 2-0 with Ronaldo redeeming himself after defeat in 1998, scoring twice in the final and eight in the tournament.
This World Cup marked the coming of age of a united Germany on the global stage. Germans welcomed people from around the world to their homes, put on a spectacular party and even played beautiful football. They lost to Italy in the semi-finals, who went on to win the tournament after French legend Zidane was sent off for headbutting an opponent who had been needling him relentlessly. It marked a sad end to a glorious career.
The World Cup was controversially held in South Africa with allegations that bribery was involved. The deafening noise of the vuvuzelas made this tournament an entirely new experience. Italy bowed out in the first round and perennial international underachievers Spain finally won a big tournament with Andrés Iniesta scoring in extra-time. His goal-winning celebrations revealed the words “Dani Jarque -- Always with us,” a tribute to Iniesta’s late friend by this gentleman of the game.
Brazil hosted the World Cup again after 1950. This time they lost not 2-1, but 7-1 in the semi-finals to eventual winners Germany. Yet this footballing disgrace paled in comparison to the national humiliation Brazil suffered because of the staggering level of corruption in this tournament. One stadium in Brasilia cost an astronomical $900 million. No wonder football-mad Brazilians came out on the streets in mass protests instead of football celebrations.
Russia hosted the World Cup in characteristically spectacular style even as the sentiment of the great powers of the West turned against it. As in the previous three tournaments, the defending champions were kicked out in the first round itself. Whilst the Germans lost early, a young French team won. At 19, Kylian Mbappe became the first teenager since Pelé to score in the final. Croatia’s Luka Modrić was on the losing side in the final, but the midfield maestro won the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player in the World Cup.
For years, Lionel Messi lived under Diego Maradona's shadow. Despite Messi's genius, Argentina lost many finals and never achieved glory. Many questioned this Barcelona man's loyalty to the nation. This time, Messi turned into a bit of a bad boy, especially against the Dutch team. In an iconic final against France in which Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick, La Albiceleste won a penalty shootout to bring relief and joy to thier football-mad nation.
Credits
Written by Atul Singh & Samantha
Mendiguren
Produced by Abul-Hasanat
Siddique
Art and design by Lokendra Singh
Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Creative Commons