Development Of The Game

Champions: Manchester United Runners-up: Arsenal Champions League places: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool UEFA Cup places: Leeds United, Chelsea, Ipswich Town, Aston Villa (Intertoto Cup) Promoted (from 1999/2000): Charlton Athletic, Manchester City, Ipswich Town Relegated: Bradford City, Coventry City, Manchester City Leading Scorer: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 23 goals Premier League Table 2000 – 2001 Pos … Read more

It was no easy task. America and Europe were suffering from the consequences of the 1929 economic crisis, which led to high unemployment rates and the bankruptcy of several small companies and big banks. Football, officially organized by FIFA since 1904, was still taking baby steps as a sport and did not have anything resembling … Read more

For Brazilians, only the 1950 World Cup is more traumatic than the 1982 World Cup, hosted by Spain. The World Cup in Brazil went into football history books for coining the expression Maracanazo, or the Maracanã blow, referring to the 2-1 defeat suffered by the hosts to Uruguay in a packed-out Maracana Stadium. The 1982 … Read more

Closely watched by dictator Benito Mussolini, Italy fulfilled the double mission of projecting itself onto the international and political stage by winning the 1934 World Cup. The second World Cup organized by FIFA triggered the interest of 32 national teams. Therefore, for the first time, teams had to qualify. Despite being the host nation, even … Read more

The 1986 World Cup saw the rise of another football immortal. Until that year, Diego Armando Maradona was only an excellent Argentine midfielder with rare skill, a track record of indiscipline, and a controversial figure. However, after June 1986 in Mexico, Dieguito became a myth. For everyone, a genius with his left leg; for many, … Read more

Fascism was spreading through Europe, and the imminence of war was felt in all corners of the continent when France hosted the 1938 World Cup. The Second World War would only start in 1939, but in June the year before, a series of problems threatened the staging of the tournament. The Spanish Civil War started … Read more

When the 1990 World Cup was again hosted in Italy, 56 years after the Azzurra’s first title, a lot had changed in the country and the world too. If in 1934, winning the title under the watchful eyes of Dictator Benito Mussolini was practically a matter of life and death, the Italians were favorites in … Read more

Once more, the unthinkable reared its head at the World Cup. Four years after Brazil watched stunned as the world title slipped away to Uruguay, it was time for one of the strongest teams in football history to crumble when faced with German determination and physical strength in the 1954 World Cup. Hungary had won … Read more

Pelé was just a seventeen-year-old boy and practically unknown when he arrived in Sweden in 1958 to play in the 1958 World Cup in history. However, Brazil’s 5-2 convincing win over the hosts in the final and Pelé’s outstanding performance, playing alongside another football genius, Garrincha, were enough to draw the world’s attention to the … Read more

Two years after suffering the biggest earthquake of the 20th Century, Chile staged the 1962 World Cup with four host cities: the capital Santiago, charming Viña del Mara, Racangua, and Arica. The National Stadium in Santiago was quite a picture, with the snow-covered mountains of the Andes in the background setting the scene. Brazil went … Read more