by Nick Holt
8.6 CLUBS
Until the last thirty/forty years, most players who appear for their country played club football in that country. At the 1954 World Cup, for example, there was not a single player in the Finals tournament who played club football outside the country he represented.
These are the percentages of players in the World Cup squads for the Finals that played abroad than in their own country. For this purpose I have not counted Scottish, Irish or Welsh players playing in England as playing overseas, but I have counted English players playing in Scotland, as that has been far less common.
1930
1.21%
1934
0.88%
1938
0.94%
1950
0.35%
1954
0.00%
1958
2.56%
1962
1.70%
1966
1.99%
1970
2.01%
1974
8.24%
1978
6.25%
1982
10.98%
1986
16.80%
1990
22.54%
1994
32.95%
1998
42.19%
2002
44. 57%
2006
53.13%
2010
60.19%
As the competition expanded and featured more African countries and some of the European nations with less wealthy and prestigious leagues, like the Scandinavians and the former Yugoslav states, so these percentages increase rapidly.
The first year there was a noticeable increase was in 1974, when the number of players employed overseas rose from seven to twenty-nine, including six each from the squads of Argentina, Sweden and Uruguay. The following tournament saw the last time that number decreased; there was a steady climb through the eighties to eighty-five players in 1986, including fifteen of the Denmark squad, the first time a country had more than half its members playing abroad. The number topped 100 for the first time in 1990, as Brazilian and Argentinian players followed other South Americans off the continent for bigger rewards in Europe. Four years later, in the United States, Nigeria became the first country to pick an entire squad of expats.
There are only a tiny handful of countries who rarely have to call players back from far-flung shores. Inevitably these are the countries with the big wealthy leagues and high salaries. England, Germany, Italy and Spain are able to keep most of their best players close to home. Some clubs in Russia and Ukraine have spending power now they are owned by Eastern European oligarch sugar daddies. In 1994 and 2002 Russia had eleven and nine players from overseas, but in 2010 Ukraine (Russia didn’t qualify) had only three.
The number of players picked for World Cup Finals squad (not the Home Nations or Ireland) while registered with an English or Scottish club has risen from twenty in 1994 to ninety-nine in 2010. Arsenal and Chelsea lead the list overall with thirty-two (if a player, say Vieira, gets picked for two tournaments, that counts as two), Liverpool and Manchester United next with twenty-three. The most overseas players taking part in the Finals while with one club was twelve Arsenal players in 2006.
The first overseas player was the Chile winger George Robledo, who was at Newcastle in 1950. George was way ahead of his time – we had to wait until 1982 for any player based here to go the Finals as part of an overseas squad: Ossie Ardiles was registered with Tottenham but was actually in France because of the Falklands War, and Francky van der Elst was at West Ham. Four years later Rachid Harkouk was the first UK-based player to represent an African country when he appeared for Algeria. Gradually the numbers increased and the likes of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago filling their squad with lower division players has pushed the numbers up.
For Scotland the biggest contributor has been Celtic, closely followed not by Rangers but Aberdeen; ninety-four out of a total of 176 players picked for Scotland were with Scottish clubs, seventy-five were with English clubs and seven played overseas; the first to represent Scotland with a European club was Joe Jordan when he was at Milan in 1982. The first to represent any British side was John Charles of Wales, who was playing for Juventus when he appeared at the 1958 Finals; the first Englishman was Gerry Hitchens, who was at Inter in 1962.
Here are the clubs who have provided players for England squads (again, Bobby Moore in 1962, 1966 and 1970 counts as three for West Ham).
33 players Manchester United
31 Tottenham Hotspur
24 Liverpool
19 Chelsea
17 Arsenal
14 West Ham United
13 Wolverhampton Wanderers
11 Leeds United
9 Everton
8 Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion
7 Fulham, Newcastle United
6 Aston Villa, Blackpool
5 Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest
4 Ipswich Town, Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton
3 Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Huddersfield Town, Portsmouth, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United
2 Bayern Munich, Derby County, Milan, Sunderland
1 Brighton & Hove Albion, Cologne, Internazionale, Leicester City, Luton Town, Norwich City, Olympique de Marseille, Real Madrid, Stoke City, Watford
* Leboeuf was the only member of France’s starting line-up playing in France and he had only just gone back. Every one of Senegal’s players played in France until English and Italian clubs started hoovering them up after the tournament.
† A couple of writers point out that this is an honorific, not a forename, but, if it’s how everyone knows him, then it’s just wilfully perverse to use a name with which no one is familiar instead.
*First coach from a different country to manage a team in a World Cup Final
† First man to win the World Cup as both player and coach.
* Walcott was Sven’s “bold selection” as he had played little first team football at Arsenal. I had no problem with the selection, twenty-three is too many in a squad to use, so most are there just as injury cover and it seemed an idea to take the lad for experience. Some critics said it was unfair on Shaun Wright-Phillips but he had done nothing to deserve a berth and was a very similar player to Aaron Lennon.
WHAT THE
FUTURE HOLDS
9.1 WORLD CUP 2014
There has been a lot in the press about Brazil not being ready for the World Cup and about the amount of money spent on the tournament. The same was said of the Olympic Games in Athens and 2004 and the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. They will be ready, this always happens. And the protesters have a point; there is little indication that any lasting legacy is being created around the World Cup in Brazil. There was the same objection in Britain when the cost of creating the London Olympics started to escalate, but at least there was a legacy and an infrastructure left behind that could serve other purposes in the future. Although I have no doubt much of it will fall into disuse now it no longer represents useful political capital.
Brazil will be fun once it starts and the stadia should be full in a football and country – though that may mean desperate last minute ticket sales at lower prices than the current extortionate rate. It is a long haul for the European fans and ninety-nine per cent of Brazilians can’t afford these rates.
And it isn’t a bad thing that some of the negative press has reminded us that Brazil isn’t all mardi gras and samba parties on Copacabana beach. Not that you would think that if you had seen the brilliant 2002 movie City of God – changed my view of Rio forever. I shall be watching from the safety of my sofa, coward that I am.
2014
BRAZIL
Twelve cities have been announced as hosts for the 2014 World Cup Finals. The Maracaña in Rio de Janeiro will again host the Final, as it did in 1950, while five refurbished stadia and six new ones complete the twelv
e.
The new stadia will be in Manaus, capital of the Amazon region, Cuiabá in Mato Grosso, Salvador, Recife and Natal along the eastern seaboard and in the country’s biggest city, Sao Paulo, where the new Corinthians ground will be used.
In the capital Brasilia the old Mané Garrinch a stadium has been near-demolished and renovated for the World Cup, while existing grounds will be upgraded in Fortaleza to the north-east, Belo Horizonte north of Rio, as well as Curitiba and Porto Alegre to the south east.
Progress has been far from smooth, but these things tend to be ready on time, no matter how fraught and eleventh hour, and at the time of writing there is no reason to suppose this will be any different. Sceptics claimed London would fail to deliver the 2012 Olympics on time – they look a bit daft in hindsight.
Qualifying
In Asia two final groups of five yielded Iran, South Korea, Japan and Australia as four direct qualifiers – not even the whisper of a surprise there. Slightly more surprising were the two teams who contested the play-off for the opportunity to clinch an extra place against the fifth placed South American side. Jordan and Uzbekistan drew 1–1 twice, and a penalty shoot-out was finally won by Jordan 9–8, after all ten outfield players on each side had taken a kick. It’s a shame Ismailov missed – the two goalkeepers were up next; that would have made a great story. Jordan will probably lose their final eliminator against Uruguay, but any team has a chance over two legs, and Uruguay will need to watch their discipline in the away leg. Jordan are managed by Hossam Hassan, a striker who won 176 caps and scored sixty-eight goals for Egypt.
Argentina qualified easily from the South American section, so too Colombia. Chile came in third in the protracted group and Ecuador just pipped Uruguay on goal difference for the fourth spot. Uruguay’s early form was mystifying but they have improved and I suspect their forwards will make them more of a threat in the Finals than either Colombia or Chile.
The big surprise in the CONCACAF section was Mexico. A chronic shortage of goals left them in fourth place behind Costa Rica, the United States and Honduras. Mexico faced a play-off against New Zealand for a place in the Finals. The two-legged tie proved horribly one-sided.
The African zone came down to five final two-leg play-offs which took place in October, after ten groups whittled down the combatants. Burkina Faso, finalists in the last African Cup of Nations, won their last match against Gabon to clinch their place after Congo slipped up against bottom team Niger. Ethiopia did well, beating South Africa to overtake them in their penultimate match and finishing things off with an away win in the Central African Republic. The unluckiest team in the entire qualifying competition has to be Cape Verde Islands, who beat Tunisia 2–0 away to win their group – a mighty effort for a small country – only to have the result reversed because they fielded an ineligible player. Cruel luck, surely he wasn’t that good – they didn’t sneak Messi in as a ringer or anything . . . hey-ho, rules is rules.
Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Algeria (just) were the teams which prevailed.
Nine group winners have made the Finals from the UEFA section: Italy, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Switzerland (from a really easy group) all made it comfortably. England (phew! Would have killed my sales otherwise) and Russia did well to hold off Ukraine and Portugal respectively, while Bosnia-Herzegovina pipped Greece on goal difference in another lightweight group – deservedly so, they scored thirty goals in ten games compared with Greece’s twelve. It’s an impressive achievement for a nation of around four million people; they are managed by former Yugoslavia and Paris St Germain star Safet Susic.
FIFA seeded the play-offs between the second-placed teams according to official rankings, so Greece, Portugal, Croatia and Ukraine will avoid each other, as will the four lower-ranked sides, France, Sweden, Romania and, most interestingly, Iceland. Portugal and Ronaldo prevailed over Sweden and Ibrahimovic, while France did well to get by Ukraine after losing 2–0 in Kiev. Greece beat Romania, and Croatia ended Iceland’s hopes of a first appearance.
Full 2014 World Cup draw
Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon.
Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia.
Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan.
Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy.
Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras.
Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria.
Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA.
Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea.
Who will be the biggest let-down?
Belgium will struggle to cope with the expectancy and the heat.
Who will be the stars?
Paulinho, Sergio Agüero, Kevin Strootman, Mario Götze & Thomas Müller, Yaya Touré, Leonardo Bonucci, Danny Welbeck, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Gary Medel, Diego Godín. It is to be hoped Messi steps up, and, reluctantly, Suárez will be an influence; shabby as his behaviour has been, he remains a world-class footballer of the highest quality.
How far will England go?
Second round, maybe quarter-finals; after all, England are a quarter-final team.
Who will surprise everybody?
Chile are better than people realise. One of the African countries will revel in the conditions – probably Ivory Coast, if Manchester City don’t burn out Yaya Touré, but Nigeria also have a good squad, their best since the 1990s. Both will enjoy the conditions; Nigeria’s youngsters, if they play without fear, would be my tip to over-achieve and go deep into the competition.
Who will win?
Everybody assumes Brazil will win at home but the pressure will be huge. I think Argentina will win, hopefully with more grace than they have shown in the past. They have a class squad and aren’t managed by a lunatic.
That’s all pure conjecture, of course. By the time you read this, the draw will be made with a completely different set of teams and you will be laughing at the silly author. As Fergie once said, in his bluffest Glaswegian. “Football, eh? Bloody hell!”
9.2 BEST OF THE BEST
Here is my Brilliant Players You May Not Realise Were That Good XI
Borislav Mihailov (Bulgaria)
George Cohen (England) Marius Trésor (France)
Carlos Gamarra (Paraguay) Silvio Marzolini (Argentina)
Paul McGrath (Ireland)
Igor Chislenko (USSR) Téofilo Cubillas (Peru) Bruno Conti (Italy)
Flórián Albert (Hungary) Andrzej Szarmach (Poland)
Subs: Lee Woon-jae (South Korea), Albert Shesternev (USSR), Kazimierz
Deyna (Poland), Lakhdar Belloumi (Algeria), Enrique Borja (Mexico)
These have been the Best Ten Matches in the World Cup to date:
10. Portugal v North Korea (QF, 1966): silly goal fest and a remarkable comeback (and the genius of Eusébio).
9. England v West Germany (1966 & 1970): these two are almost one match – many of the same players, same managers, and very different results.
8. Denmark v Brazil (QF, 1998): goodbye to Denmark and the Laudrups in the best Finals game of the modern era.
7. Belgium v USSR (last 16, 1986): amazing technique and stamina from both sides in an unheralded classic.
6. Brazil v Italy (Final, 1970): a master class from the masters.
5. Argentina v England (last 16, 1998): tension you could butter your malt loaf with and one of the great backs-to-the-wall performances.
4. West Germany v Italy (SF, 1970): some have it at No.1, but the first ninety minutes was only good – extra-time was beyond special.
3. France v West Germany (SF 1982): drama, some unbelievably good play from the French, guts from the Germans and that tackle.
2. Hungary v Uruguay (SF, 1954): they blew the final, but the Hungarians in the semi against a top-notch side were simply sensational.
1. Italy v Brazil (2nd phase, 1982): effectively a semi-final, and Italy had to win so they couldn’t sit and soak. Mind-boggling skill levels and technique.
These are the Best Goals scored in the World Cup to date:
12. Long-range slaps are not normally the sort of goal I include in these lists as it involves too much chance. But Bobby Charlton made a habit of it, and his bazooka against Mexico in 1996 was top drawer. Moore nicks in to tackle and squirts the ball to Charlton who starts off in his own half. The defence retreat; the Bobster feints as if to switch into his famous left, then immediately switches the other way to exploit a tiny gap and belts it with his almost equally famous right.
11. The Dutch take a quick free-kick against Italy in 1978; you can see Dino Zoff screaming at his defenders to close Arie Haan down; alas, they ignore him, Haan lets rip and Zoff can only clutch vainly at thin air as the ball screams past him into the top corner.
10. A group game between Saudi Arabia and Belgium in 1994 wasn’t the most high-profile game in World Cup history. It was after this goal. Saudi midfielder Said Al-Owairan took the ball from his own half in the sixth minute, ran straight at the heart of the Belgian defence and just kept going. He took five defenders out of the game before toe-poking the ball past the goalkeeper (Michel Preud’homme, one of the best around).
9. In their first group game against Chile in 1974 West Germany are playing a bit of keep ball in the Chilean half, stringing passes together nonchalantly in front of a massed defence. Paul Breitner, ostensibly a left-back, pops up on the ball in the middle of the pitch; he is obviously getting a bit bored of the tiki-taki because out of nowhere he unleashes a monster right-footer that the goalkeeper can’t quite reach. In here just for nonchalance.
