Best side ever to grace a football pitch? Pffff

A superb little video of Brazil’s lighter moments and to whoever put this together the music just tops it all off brilliantly.

Thanks to ‘Lincoln Fan’ for sending this over.

Ok here we go again. After last week’s Italia 90 collection, here is the complete album from the greatest World Cup of them all.

What I really love about this, is if you look at the modern Panini albums all the players look pretty much the same to me, with their Tony & Guy haircuts, matching templated football shirts and well lit digital photos. Looking at this Mexico album brought the memories flooding back to a time when footballers were still ugly, had bad facial hair (yes you Poland) and more importantly looked like their national stereotype.

A few notes: Rogelio Delgardo looks like an absolute proper bastard, I would not fancy trying to get past him with the ball in a hurry. What is going on with Mark Wright’s neck, that can only be the result of growth hormones. Those two bearded gentlemen from Hungary, there is no way I would go up for a corner against those two. Rodolfo Rodriguez, he looks like he has turned up for the casting of Carlito’s Way and where is Josimar who scored those two amazing goals? Also missing is Belanov and Vasiliy Rats who smashed in that mega goal against France. Just looking at that Russian side in fact reminds me how good they were. Those boys knew how to play. So did the Danes, its good to see Michael Laudup in there, one of the great players of the tournament.

One of the best Phoenix From The Flames and it’s good to see Ilunga laughing about it now. Their story is actually quite sad, Zaire were then the first sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the World Cup finals but during the tournament the players discovered they would not be paid. Beyond the  laughable incident against Brazil there was a lot of despair: according to Ilunga, in an interview with Brazilian FourFourTwo magazine, the president’s guards (who were getting the promised money) threatened the players if they lost by more than 3 goals.

This is from Ruy Castro’s biography – Garrincha. The triumph and tragedy of Brazil’s forgotten footballing hero.  (p.119-120). It really doesn’t need any pictures.

“Monsieur Guigue, a gendarme in his spare time, blow his whistle to start the match. Didi quickly pushes the ball out to the right: 15 seconds of the game gone. Garrincha takes the ball with his instep: 20 seconds. Kuznetov goes towards him. Garrincha feints left, but goes right. Kuznetzov falls to the ground to become the first João of the World Cup: 25 seconds: Garrincha takes the ball round Kuznetzov again: 27 seconds. And again: 30 seconds. And once more. The fans are on their feet. A startled Kuznetzov is on the ground: 32 seconds. Garrincha advances. Kuznetzov goes after him once more, this time supported by Voinov and Krijveski: 34 seconds. Garrincha pulls the ball this way, then that, and sets off with it down the right. The three Russians are scattered on the ground, Voinov with his backside in the air. The stadium explodes with laughter: 38 seconds. Garrincha fires in a powerful shot from a tight angle. The ball rockets off Yashin’s left-hand post and goes out for a goal-kick: 40 seconds. The fans go mad. Garrincha returns to the middle of the park, as ungainly as ever. He is applauded.

‘The fans are on their feet again. Garrincha moves forward with the ball. João Kuznetzov takes another tumble. Didi asks for the ball: 45 seconds. He sends a curved pass over Igor Netto and the ball falls at Pelé’s feet. Pelé gives it to Vavá: 48 seconds. Vavá to Didi, to Garrincha, back to Pelé. Pelé shoots, the ball hits the bar and goes over: 55 seconds. The place is mind-boggling. As is Garrincha’s rhythm. Yashin’s shirt is soaked in sweat, as if he’s already been on the field for hours. The wave of attacks continues. Time after time Garrincha decimates the Russians. There is hysteria in the stadium. And an explosion when Vavá scores after exactly three minutes.

‘That was how reporter Ney Bianchi, writing in the Manchete Esportiva, described the start of the game, as if he had one eye on the ball and another on the clock. Another journalist, the Frenchman Gabriel Hannot, would say later that they were the greatest three minutes in the history of football – and at more than 70 years old he had been witness to much of it. The onslaught was so impressive that as soon as Brazil scored Yashin congratulated the first Brazilian to come near him – which happened to be Pelé.

And there were still 87 minutes to go …”

You’ve got to hold and give but do it at the right time – You can be slow or fast but you must get to the line – They’ll always hit you and hurt you – defend and attack – There’s only one way to beat them – Get round the back.

One of England’s greatest goals. 10 June 1984, Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro.

Although this is not as famous as Carlos Alberto’s all time favourite at the 1970 World Cup there is a sudden turn of pace from Brazil which makes this almost as delicious. Not to mention that yellow kit in the brilliant sunshine.

The Snake, the Flipflap, the Elastico.  Whatever it’s called just look at this piece of beautiful chicanery in motion. From a standing start via a nutmeg and four utterly bewildered defenders to the ball in the back of the net in just five seconds. You won’t ever see Ronaldinho do this, not even in one of those CGI Nike Adverts.

Despite playing from midfield Zico still stands as O Mengão’s leading all-time goalscorer but it’s his vision and playmaking skills for which he is most revered in Brazil. The background music is pretty naff but it does seem to add to the sense of ease at which Zico could work the ball.