Cristiano Ronaldo

Full Name : Cristiano Ronaldo weight : 75kg
Birth of Date : February 5,1985 age : 25 years
Birth place : Madeira position : forward
Hight : 1.85m squad no : 9
Strengths: Fast and tricky, Ronaldo possesses a thunderous dipping, swerving shot and is one of the most dangerous set-piece exponents in the game.
Weaknesses: Goes to ground far too easily which attracts the ire of supporters.
Career high: Winning the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008, and subsequently being named FIFA's World Player of the Year.
Career low: The negative publicity about his "simulation" cost him the best young player gong at Germany 2006.
Style: Ronaldo will take on any defender with searing pace, and mesmerising footwork to boot. His ability to beat a player and whip in crosses makes him a feared opponent. Add to that the way his free-kicks swerve with pace and power and this winger would be an asset to any team, past and present.
Quotes: "I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. He is better than Kaka and better than Messi. He is streets ahead of them all. His contribution as a goal threat is unbelievable. His stats are incredible. Strikes at goal, attempts on goal, raids into the penalty box, headers. It is all there. Absolutely astounding." Sir Alex Ferguson, July 2009.
Just in case you were worried about Cristiano Ronaldo suffering a momentary lapse in overwhelming self-confidence, rest assured -- he hasn't. In an interview with Spanish TV, Ronaldo was asked about everything from Real Madrid's upcoming match against Barcelona to the World Cup before ending with this.
Title still in the balance
The Spanish Primera Division title race will go to the final week after Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Real Madrid to a 5-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao and Lionel Messi starred in Barcelona's 3-2 win at Sevilla.
Story | Conversation
Trivia: Cristiano's name Ronaldo came from his father's favorite actor, Ronald Reagan.
Soccernet says: It is time for Ronaldo to truly live up to his star billing on the world stage.

FIFA WORLD CUP2010 INFORMATION of Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium ,Port Elizabeth

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium :his stadium in the Eastern Cape will host seven matches, including one of the semi-finals. It is a new stadium, being built especially for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Name Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Year completed 2009
Cost US$150,000,000
Capacity 48,000
Home to Bay United, Southern Kings (to be confirmed)
Trivia The capacity will reduce to 44,000 after the tournament when temporary seating is removed. The first international game staged at the ground was a rugby match between Southern Kings and the British & Irish Lions in June 2009
Such is the influence of the iconic Nelson Mandela in these parts that there was only one person the city's brand-new World Cup stadium could be named after and the 48,000 capacity venue, built at a cost of $150 million, certainly does him proud. Functional, pleasing on the eye and in an utopian setting in the North End of Port Elizabeth on the shores of North End Lake, it really is pretty as a picture when the lights come on.
A light and airy three-tier design with two rings of sky boxes and a trademark wave-like roof design, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was the first of the 2010 new-builds to be completed and will play host to five first-round matches, a second-round tie, a quarter-final and the third-place play-off. An arena constructed specifically for football, it will be all the better for not boasting an athletics track. The closer you get to the action, the more exciting the games should be.
Close to the N2 motorway, the stadium is a short bus or cab ride from the vast range of B&Bs, self-catering accommodation and hotels on the beachfront. Driving direct to the ground is a further option, though you will have to be snappy to grab one of the 1,280 general parking bays.
The city's official Fan Park will be held at the sport stadium in St George's Park in the suburb of Park Drive. It will have room for up to 30,000 supporters of the beautiful game.

FIFA WORLD CUP2010 INFORMATION Of Green point Stadium in Cape Town,

Green point Stadium in Cape Town, Western Cape, is to be specially built for 2010, with a retractable roof and a capacity of 68 000.Name Cape Town Stadium
Year completed 2009

Cost US$330,000,000
Capacity 68,000 (13,000 temporary)
Home to To be confirmed
Trivia During the planning stage, it was referred to by some as the African Renaissance Stadium and was then called the Green Point Stadium. The 37,000 sq m roof weighs 4,500 tons
The Cape Town Stadium, one of several venues built specially for the World Cup, has not had an easy birth. From the off, the project was mired in controversy, with protests that it was located in a predominantly white part of the city, and work was delayed several times by strikes over low wages paid to builders. Nevertheless, it was completed well ahead of schedule.
The stadium itself is touted by the hosts as one the most modern in the world, with the centrepiece a retractable glass roof that allows more natural light onto the pitch, and 360 inner spotlights. The façade is made of stretched fibre-glass mesh, and the entire venue adheres to strict green conditions regarding reusability of resources and light pollution. It will be surrounded by a 60-hectare urban park.
Cape Town Stadium will host five first-round matches, one second-round game, one quarter-final and one semi-final.

FIFA WORLD CUP2010 INFORMATION OF Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Located in KwaZulu Natal in the beautiful City of Durban, Moses Mabhida Stadium is named after a hero of the working class. The Moses Mabhida Stadium is located adjacent the ABSA Stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct - a site located in Stamford Hill, is a world class multi-purpose stadium set to make possible successful history in the making of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Name Moses Mabhida Stadium
Year completed 2009
Cost US$200,000,000
Capacity 70,000 (54,000 post-tournament)
Home to To be confirmed
Trivia The stadium is built on the site of the old Kings Park Soccer Stadium, which was demolished in 2006 using 126kg of explosives. The multi-purpose venue includes an indoor arena, football museum, sports institute and a transport hub
The Moses Mabhida Stadium, the venue for five group matches, one second-round game and a semi-final, is a sumptuous, newly-built 70,000 arena close to the Indian Ocean in the Stamford Hill district to the north of downtown. Along with the Green Point in Cape Town, this three-tier wonder is the most visually breathtaking of the World Cup 2010 venues, with its focal point being the Wembley-like arch, along which a cable car will run.
Frequent buses will shuttle back and forth between the city centre and the Moses Mabhida - named after an anti-apartheid campaigner - on match days, while park-and-ride facilities will be sited at a number of Durban's main shopping malls.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 INFORMATION OF Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Peter Mokaba Stadium has been built to a capacity of 46 000 and currently serves as both a football and athletics stadium in line with modern upgrading of the stadium it will have world class technological equipment, lighting and fire detection. This stadium is in Polokwane which is located in the enchanting province of Limpopo.
Name : Peter Mokaba Stadium
Year : completed 2010
Cost : US$154,000,000
Home to None designated
Trivia The design is inspired by the iconic Baobab tree. The stadium will house 5,000 VIPs
The Peter Mokaba Stadium, named after a late local anti-apartheid campaigner and government minister, is an attractive 46,000-seater arena built in Polokwane especially for the World Cup. Adjacent to the old Mokoba arena - which held only 18,000 fans - the ground is 5km south of the city centre along Dorp Street. Shuttle buses will offer services between the stadium and downtown.
Peter Mokaba Stadium Ticket Information
Have you heard a rumor that an event at Peter Mokaba Stadium is sold-out? At Vividseats.com we have a large selection of tickets to all events at Peter Mokaba Stadium and we sell them at a discount! Don't believe us? View the upcoming schedule of Peter Mokaba Stadium and click on "Find Your Seats" and you will find the tickets you want to fit almost any budget. In addition to providing tickets to Peter Mokaba Stadium events, we also information such as seating charts, venue information, maps, and directions. When buying tickets for an event at Peter Mokaba Stadium always use Vividseats.com.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 INFORMATION OF Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein , Free State Stadium south africa

Year completed 1952
Cost US$33,000,000 (upgrade)
Capacity 45,000
Home to Central Cheetahs, Free State Cheetahs (rugby), Bloemfontein Celtic (football)
Trivia Building work was dogged by a series of strikes, the longest of which lasted a fortnight. It is also known as Vodacom Park
Bloemfontein / Mangaung certainly doesn’t lack when it comes to sports facilities and there’s a fine assortment – the 48 000-seater Free State Stadium is companion to an international standard athletics stadium, the Goodyear Park cricket grounds which is used for international matches, an artificial turf hockey stadium and great tennis facilities.
The 1995 Rugby World Cup brought about a significantly improved stadium with seating bordering the field. Bloemfontein Stadium has also hosted international football events – some of the 1996 African Cup of Nations matches were played here. Improvements are completed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the seating capacity enlarged to accommodate 48,000 people and upgrades to other facilities.
Bloemfontein is a wonderful stopover between Cape Town and Durban and the closest city to the Kingdom of Lesotho. Its biggest secret is that it's the birthplace of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Bloemfontein offers some reasonable and very good accommodation, restaurants, art galleries and museums.

World Cup Information of Royal Bafokeng Stadium,

Name Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Year completed 1999
Cost US$48,000,000 (renovation)
Capacity 42,000
Home to Platinum Stars (football)
Trivia The original construction was completely funded by the Royal Bafokeng community, who in 1999 won the legal right to 20% of the income from platinum mined on their land
The Royal Bafokeng Stadium is located in the town of Rustenburg in the North West province.
It has previously served as a venue for various sports including rugby, soccer and football.The 2010 match dates have been set and
the Royal Bafokeng Stadium will be the host venue to t
he first and second round matches of the Soccer World Cup.
The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a rugby union, football (soccer) and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa. It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation[1].Royal Bafokeng Stadium – RustenburgRustenburg Stadium, Capacity and Who Will Play
Rustenburg's stadium is called the Royal Bafokeng Stadium with a capacity of over 40,000. The stadium is named after the Bafokeng people
who live there. The Bafokeng community built and financed this stadium, they are one of the wealthiest tribes in Africa, their land happens to be right on top of world's richest platinum mines. 6 matches of the 2010 World Cup will be played in the Royal Bafokeng Stadium:
• 12 June 2010 -- Matches: England – USA -- Time: 20:30
• 15 June 2010 -- Matches: New Zealand – Slovakia -- Time: 13:30
• 19 June 2010 -- Matches: Ghana – Australia -- Time: 16:00
• 22 June 2010 -- Matches: Mexico – Uruguay -- Time: 16:00
• 24 June 2010 -- Matches: Denmark – Japan -- Time: 20:30
• 26 June 2010 -- Matches: Team 1C - Team 2D -- Time: 20:30

FIFA WORLD CUP INFORMATION OF Mbombela Stadium

Name Mbombela Stadium
Year completed 2009
Cost US$145,000,000
Capacity 46,000
Home to To be confirmed
Trivia Work was delayed on the project as the land used was occupied by a school that had to be relocated first. The stadium has 1,030 toilets. Spectators at the front of the stands will be closer to the pitch than anywhere else at the tournament
The new Mbombela Stadium is a 46,000-seater arena located 5km west of town in Mataffin. The Mbombela - which means 'many people in a small space' - has been nicknamed the 'Giraffe Stadium' because of the 18 roof supports designed to look like the inhabitants of Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest game reserves.
Just off the N4, access by car or bus should pose no problems. Organisers have designated four park-and-ride sites: Nelspruit Rugby Club, Nelspruit High School, Bergvlam High School and the Agricultural Research Centre. The Fan Park is set to be housed up at the Agricultural Showgrounds.

FIFA world cup 2010 information of Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Loftus Versfeld Stadium of Pretoria

Year completed 1906 (renovated 2008-09)
Cost US$12,000,000 (estimated)
Capacity 50,000
Home to Blue Bulls (rugby), Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United (football)
Trivia The stadium hosted matches during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The first stand, accommodating 2,000 spectators, was erected in 1923
Altitude: 1,214 metres
Sightseeing: Church Square is located in the middle of the city and this former marketplace for farmers is considered the cradle of the city. The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa is the largest zoo in the country. The imposing Union Buildings served as the venue for Nelson Mandela's historic inauguration as President in 1994. Freedom Park is a 52-hectare heritage site that offers a panoramic view of the city.
Here's an interesting fact: Located in a sheltered and fertile valley, Pretoria is known for its Jacaranda trees, and when in bloom they make the entire city look blue. The sheer abundance of them has resulted in Pretoria earning the nickname, the Jacaranda City.
Local soccer clubs: Mamelodi Sundowns and Supersport United (Premier League); Pretoria University (First Division).
World Cup climate: Dry season temperatures averaging 20C during the day, and 5C at night.
World Cup stadium: Completed in 1903, Loftus Versfeld Stadium is one of the oldest in South Africa. With a capacity of 50,000 spectators, it has staged a variety of sporting events over the years, including matches at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 1996 African Cup of Nations and the 2009 Confederations Cup. It is also the home stadium of two Premier League soccer clubs, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United, and to one of the country's top rugby teams, the Blue Bulls.
2010 World Cup matches: Serbia vs. Ghana on June 13; South Africa vs. Uruguay on June 16; Cameroon vs. Denmark on June 19; United States vs. Algeria on June 23; Chile vs. Spain on June 25; and one second-round match.

fifa world cup2010 informatin of Ellis Park Stadium

Ellis Park Stadium
Name Ellis Park (Coca-Cola Park)
Year completed 1928 (rebuilt in 1982)
Cost US$63,000,000 (renovations)
Capacity 62,567
Home to Orlando Pirates (football), Lions (rugby)
Trivia In 1955, over 100,000 watched the rugby match between South Africa and British Lions and, in 2005, it became the first black-owned stadium in the country
________________________________________

Ellis Park Stadium is located in the centre of Johannesburg and has hosted many epic sporting events including the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup between Brazil and the United States. The ground was given a significant face-lift before the Confederations Cup finals and now seats 62,000 fans, increasing its capacity by almost nine per cent from the previous 57,000.

Ellis Park was first built in 1928 as a rugby union stadium. It was demolished and rebuilt in 1982, again exclusively for rugby. It was named after JD Ellis, a Johannesburg city councilor who approved the use of the land for a stadium, setting aside a full 13 acres.

The ground will always occupy a special place in the hearts of the country's sporting fans after the South African rugby team shocked New Zealand to lift the 1995 Rugby World Cup trophy soon after being allowed back onto the world sporting stage. It was a moment that brought the people of South Africa together in celebration as the iconic scenes of Nelson Mandela holding aloft the trophy at Ellis Park were beamed around the world.

The largest piece of construction has been the new tier on the north stand which has increased the seating capacity to 62,567. With state-of-the-art media facilities, team whirlpools, top-class VIP areas for dignitaries, accessibility for disabled fans, a new pitch and a top-notch audio-visual setup to keep the fans informed during the game, no one will be left disappointed.

Ellis Park is home to one of the country's most popular clubs, Orlando Pirates FC.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 INFORMATION OF Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg,

Soccer City stadium (FNB Stadium) is located in the Soweto area of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the largest stadium in Africa with a capacity of 94,700. The stadium will hold the opening match South Africa vs. Mexico, 4 more first-round matches, 1 second-round match, 1 quarter-final, and the final of the world cup 2010. Soccer teams drawn from Johannesburg municipal workers listen to the South African national anthem as they get ready for a friendly match, the first, at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium, Friday March 26, 2010. The city of Johannesburg invited all non-essential services staff to participate in an Employee Soccer Day at Soccer City. For most employees this will be a chance to see first hand the completed Soccer City Stadium which was rebuilt to house 8 of 15 FIFA World Cup matches
The ground's design is inspired by the iconic African pot known as the calabash, and its aesthetic appeal will be heightened when the stadium is lit at night. Soccer City is located in Johannesburg's southwest and is only a short distance from one of the country's football-crazy townships, Soweto. About 40 per cent of Johannesburg's population live in Soweto and this proximity is bound to make the stadium a hub of activity throughout the 2010 finals.
The stadium is widely regarded as the heart of football in South Africa as it has hosted many important matches through history. In the mid 1980s, officials came together to build the first international football stadium in the country and the construction was funded from the football fraternity's coffers. Soccer City hosted the first mass rally of Nelson Mandela after his release from prison in 1990. Thousands of mourners lamented Chris Hani's assassination at the stadium in 1993. It was also the venue for the 1996 CAF African Cup of Nations final, with South Africa eventually triumphing 2-0 over Tunisia.
The original stadium, which was known as the FNB Stadium, had a capacity of 80,000. Upgrades involved extending the upper tier to increase the capacity to 94,700; adding 99 more suites to bring the number to 184; constructing an encircling roof; adding new changing room facilities and installing new floodlighting.

GUIDE TO FIFA WORLD CUP STADIUM 2010

FIFA World Cup History 2006

Winners Italy
Teams 32
Teams in qualifiers 198
Notable Absentees Cameroon, Nigeria
Surprises Angola, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago
Golden Boot Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 5
Stats A total of 147 goals were scored (2.30 per match); Germany (14) scored the most
Format Eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16
Number of matches 64
Innovations
• For the first time, the holders (Brazil) did not gain automatic entry to the tournament
• Fan zones, showing matches on giant screens in open urban areas, were introduced and subsidised by sponsors. An estimated 750,000 fans packed the zone at the Brandenburg Gate for Germany's second-round match against Sweden
Controversies
• FIFA ordered a replay after Uzbekistan beat Bahrain 1-0 in the first leg of an Asia play-off, citing a "refereeing error" - the goal had come from a illegally-taken penalty. Bahrain eventually won the two-legged contest
• In the group match between Croatia and Australia, English referee Graham Poll mistakenly issued three yellow cards to Croatian Josip Simunic before sending him off
• FIFA forced spectators to remove Leeuwenhosen - orange-colored, lion-tailed overalls distributed by a Dutch brewery - ahead of a Netherlands match because the brewery concerned was not an official tournament sponsor. As a result, some fans watched the game in their underwear
Trivia
• The final attracted an estimated audience of 715.1 million people
• There were a record-breaking 326 yellow cards and 28 red cards issued, with Russian referee Valentin Ivanov handing out 16 yellows and four reds in the game between Portugal and Netherlands
• To banish evil spirits, a priest from Ecuador visited all the World Cup stadia ahead of the tournament
• Switzerland became the first team to be knocked out after not conceding a goal in the first two rounds - they lost on penalties to Ukraine in the second round

FIFA World Cup History 2002

Winners Brazil
Teams 32
Teams in qualifiers 199
Notable absentees Netherlands
Surprises Senegal, South Korea, Turkey
Golden Boot Ronaldo (Brazil) - 8
Stats A total of 161 goals were scored (2.52 per match); Brazil (18) scored the most
Format Eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16
Number of matches 64
Innovations
• This was the first tournament to be hosted by two countries and the first held in Asia
Controversies
• FIFA banned Cameroon from wearing the sleeveless shirts they had used throughout the 2002 African Nations Cup as they were deemed to be 'vests'
Trivia
• Three countries pre-qualified - France as holders and South Korea and Japan as co-hosts
• On the same day as the final, the two lowest-ranked FIFA teams - Montserrat (203rd) and Bhutan (202nd) - met in Bhutan. The hosts won 2-0 in front of 15,000
• Ronaldo changed his hairstyle after the quarter-finals when his wife told him their young son kissed the TV screen shouting "daddy" when he saw Roberto Carlos
• South Korea's Cha Doo-Ri was booked 20 seconds after coming in as a substitute during injury time in a match against Poland
• Bora Milutinovic was a coach at his fifth successive finals with his fifth different country.

FIFA World Cup History 1998

Winners France
Teams 32
Teams in qualifiers 174
Notable absentees Russia
Surprises Jamaica, Japan, South Africa
Golden Boot Davor Suker (Croatia) - 6
Stats A total of 171 goals were scored (2.67 per match); France (15) scored the most
Format Eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16
Number of matches 64
Innovations
• An increase in the number of teams from 24 to 32
• For the first time, the South American qualifiers were held in a single group
• Electronic boards showing the amount of added time at the end of each half were introduced
• The golden goal was brought in - the first team to score in extra time would win the match
Controversies
• The final was blighted by the absence of Brazil's Ronaldo from the team-sheets handed to the media, only for him to be included shortly before the kick-off. The rumours continue to circulate to this day
Trivia
• The first player to score a golden goal in World Cup history was France's Laurent Blanc in the 113th minute of the second round match against Paraguay
• Australia failed to qualify despite a record of six wins, two draws and no defeats, losing to Iran in the play-off on away goals
• For the first time in FIFA's history, the draw for the finals took place in a football stadium - Stade Vélodrome in Marseilles
• It is estimated the cumulative TV audience for the tournament was 37 billion

FIFA World Cup History 1994

Winners Brazil
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 147
Notable absentees England, France
Surprises Greece, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia
Golden Boot Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Oleg Salenko (Russia) - 6
Stats A total of 141 goals were scored (2.71 per match); Sweden (15) scored the most
Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16, plus four best 3rd place finishers
Number of matches 52
Innovations
• Three points for a win in group matches as opposed to two in a bid to encourage more attacking play
• Yellow cards accumulated in the group stage were wiped clean after its completion
• Referees were allowed to wear colours other than black to avoid a clash with the two competing teams
• Players had names above their numbers on shirts
• The USA v Switzerland match in the Pontiac Silverdome was the first to be played indoors in World Cup history - although it was still on grass
Controversies
• Chile were banned from the 1994 tournament after their goalkeeper Roberto Rojas pretended to have been hit and seriously hurt by firecrackers thrown by Brazilian fans in a successful bid to get a 1989 qualifier abandoned. FIFA subsequently used TV evidence to prove Rojas' deceit and Brazil were awarded a 2-0 win
• Diego Maradona tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine but the Argentinean FA withdrew him from the tournament before FIFA could ban him and, amazingly, he remained in the USA as a commentator
Trivia
• Colombian defender Andrés Escobar scored an own goal against USA that helped knock his team out of the competition. A few days after he and his team-mates returned to Colombia, Escobar was shot dead by gangsters amid speculation his error had cost drug barons millions in gambling losses
• Germany's Stefan Effenberg was sent home by coach Berti Vogts after showing the finger to fans when substituted against South Korea
• Russia's Oleg Salenko shared the Golden Boot with six goals, but five of them came in one match against Cameroon. In the same game, 42-year-old Roger Milla broke his own record, set four years previously, as the oldest man to score in a World Cup finals. He also established a record as the oldest player
• The overall attendance of 3,587,538 - an average of 68,991 per match - was a World Cup record

FIFA World Cup History1990

Winners West Germany
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 116
Notable absentees Denmark, France, Portugal
Surprises Costa Rica, Republic of Ireland, UAE
Golden Boot Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) - 6
Stats A total of 115 goals were scored (2.21 per match), which was the lowest goals-per-match ratio in World Cup history; West Germany (15) scored the most
Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16, plus four best third place finishers
Number of matches 52
Innovations
• Lots were used to separate teams with identical records in the group stage
• World Cup Italia 90 was the first officially licensed tournament PC game
Controversies
• The referee added an unwarranted eight minutes of first-half injury time to the semi-final between Italy and Argentina because he forgot to check his watch
• Argentina's Pedro Monzón became the first player to be sent off in a World Cup final - followed 22 minutes later by team-mate Gustavo Dezotti
Trivia
• Nigeria's 23-year-old Samuel Okwaraji died of heart failure during the qualifier between Angola and Nigeria
• Mexico were banned from participating in the tournament after being found guilty of deliberately fielding over-age players in an Under-20 event
• Cameroon became the first African team to reach the last eight
• Republic of Ireland reached the last eight without winning a match (other than on penalties), scoring just two goals in the process
• Argentina were the first team in a World Cup final not to score
• West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer became the first man to win the World Cup as a captain (1974) and coach
• Roger Milla's goals for Cameroon against Colombia in the second round made him the oldest player ever to score in the World Cup finals, at 38 years and 20 days. He beat his own record four years later

FIFA World Cup History 1986

Winners Argentina
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 121
Notable absentees Netherlands
Surprises Canada, Iraq
Golden Boot Gary Lineker (England) - 6
Stats A total of 132 goals were scored (2.54 per match); Argentina (14) scored the most
Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16, plus four best third-place finishers
Number of matches 52
Innovations
• The group-style second round was scrapped and replaced with a straight knockout tournament
Controversies
• Colombia were the original choice as hosts but economic chaos meant they in effect had to withdraw. Hopes of an open system for finding a replacement were all but ended when FIFA president João Havelange headed straight from the 1982 final to Mexico
• The sometimes brilliant, sometimes disgraceful Diego Maradona's handball to score against England stirred passions on both sides of the Atlantic. Afterwards, he smiled and said it was "a bit with the head of Maradona and another bit with the hand of God"
Trivia
• Iraq qualified without playing a home match because of the Iran-Iraq war
• A total of 308 qualifying matches were played and 801 goals scored
• Bulgaria and Uruguay qualified for the second round without winning a group match
• Portugal's players went on strike, refusing to train between their first and the second games, and were knocked out after a loss to Morocco in the final group match
• Iraq defender Samir Shaker Mahmoud was banned for a year by FIFA after spitting at the referee during his team's 2-1 loss to Belgium
• Paraguay's Cayetano Ré became the first coach to be sent off after repeatedly encroaching onto the pitch during the first-round game against Belgium
• Uruguay's José Batista was sent off after 56 seconds of the group match against Scotland

FIFA World Cup History1982

Winners Italy
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 109
Notable absentees Netherlands, Mexico
Surprises Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kuwait, New Zealand
Golden Boot Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 6
Stats A total of 146 goals were scored (2.81 per match); France (16) scored the most
Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the second round, where they split into four groups of three. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals
Number of matches 52
Innovations
• A complete overhaul of the structure and an expansion to 24 teams in the finals to allow more teams from Africa and Asia
• Penalty shoot-outs to decide semi-final and final matches
Controversies
• In the game between France and Kuwait, the Kuwaitis protested about a goal, claiming they had stopped because of a whistle. Prince Fahid, the Kuwaiti FA president, walked onto the pitch to argue with the referee and threatened to withdraw his team. The referee reversed his decision, but France still won 4-1. The referee was suspended, and Fahid was fined US$14,000
• The format meant that England and Cameroon were knocked out despite not losing a match
• West Germany and Austria went into their last group game knowing a German win would mean both qualified for the next round and, to the disgust of the vociferous crowd, neither made any attempt to score after Germany took an early lead. Algeria, who had beaten West Germany in the opening game, were the real victims as they went out as a result
• In the semi-final, German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher was responsible for one of the game's most appalling fouls when he charged out his area and poleaxed France's Patrick Battiston. To the astonishment of players and spectators, the referee took no action and Schumacher showed not a jot of concern for the unconscious Battison, who was stretchered off with a damaged spine and missing teeth
Trivia
• Italy's captain, Dino Zoff, was 40 when he played in the final and remains the oldest man to receive a winner's medal
• France's Alain Giresse scored the first goal in a penalty shoot-out. France lost the semi-final to West Germany 4-5
• Hungarian substitute László Kiss scored a hat-trick in eight minutes in a record 10-1 rout of El Salvador
• Italy's Giampiero Marini was booked inside a minute in the game against Poland
• Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside, at the age of 17 years and 42 days, became the youngest player to appear in the finals
• Algeria's captain, Salah Asad, was executed during a government crackdown on Islamic fundamentalists in 1992
• England's Bryan Robson scored against France after 27 seconds, a record at the time
• Peru's 67-year-old coach Elba de Pádua Lima, better known as Tim, had appeared in the World Cup 44 years earlier as a player for Brazil
• The total attendance figure of 2,109,723 was the first time it had topped two million

FIFA World Cup History 1978

Winners Argentina
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 107
Notable absentees England, Czechoslovakia, USSR
Surprises Iran, Tunisia
Golden Boot Mario Kempes (Argentina) - 6
Stats A total of 102 goals were scored (2.68 per match); Argentina and Netherlands (15) scored the most
Format Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group into a second round of two groups of four, the top side in each progressing into the final
Number of matches 38
Innovations
• None
Controversies
• In 1976, Argentina had undergone a military coup and, in the build-up to the tournament, a number of teams debated whether they ought to take part. In the end there were no boycotts
• All of Argentina's games kicked off at night, giving them the advantage of already knowing other results in their group ahead of their own games. As a result, FIFA changed the rules ahead of the 1982 event
• Argentina needed to beat Peru by four clear goals in their last second-round match to reach the final. They won 6-0 with what some commentators noted was "suspicious ease", prompting suggestions the game had been rigged. Conspiracy theorists pointed out Peru's keeper Ramon Quiroga had been born in Argentina. Nothing was ever proved
• Netherlands refused to attend the post-match ceremonies after the final because of what they claimed were deliberate stalling tactics by the Argentineans before the start
• In the dying seconds of a first-round match between Brazil and Sweden, Brazil's Zico headed home a corner-kick. But referee Clive Thomas disallowed the goal, insisting he had whistled to end the match while the ball was in the air. The final score remained at 1-1
Trivia
• Against Hungary, France wore the shirts of a local squad from Club Atletico Kimberley. Argentinean TV was only black and white and the standard strips of the two sides were indistinguishable
• Brazil failed to reach the final despite not losing a match
• Netherlands' Ernie Brandts scored at both ends, an own goal for Italy and later a goal for his country, in their 2-1 win
• A nun was arrested in Frankfurt when she tried to strangle a man who had been cheering Austria's 3-2 win over West Germany

FIFA World Cup History1974

Winners West Germany
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 99
Notable absentees England, France, Hungary, Spain, USSR
Surprises Australia, Haiti and Zaire
Golden Boot Grzegorz Lato (Poland) - 7
Stats A total of 97 goals were scored (2.55 per match); Poland (16) scored the most
Format Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group going into a second round of two four-team groups and the winners facing each other in the final
Number of matches 38
Innovations
• FIFA commissioned a new trophy after Brazil were allowed to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy
Controversies
• The USSR were knocked out in the final qualifying round after refusing to play in Chile, where there had recently been a military coup, with thousands of supporters of Marxist president Salvador Allende executed in the football stadium. Chile kicked off, kicked the ball into an empty net and were awarded the game
• Haiti, under the horrific regime of François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, played their final qualifying match against Trinidad at home - the visitors had no less than four goals disallowed. FIFA subsequently suspended the referee
• Haiti defender Ernst Jean-Joseph became the first player in the World Cup to fail a dope test. He was taken back to the team hotel and beaten up by his own squad officials
Trivia
• Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be shown a red card in a World Cup match
• Poland's Leslaw Cmikiewicz set a record when he made six appearances as substitute
• The start of the final was delayed when the referee noticed the corner and centre-line flag-posts were missing as the teams lined up

FIFA World Cup History 1970

Winners Brazil
Teams16
Teams in qualifiers 75
Number of matches 32
Notable absenteesArgentina, France, Portugal, Spain
Surprises Morocco, the first African qualifiers since World War II
Golden Boot Gerd Muller (Germany) - 10
Stats
A total of 95 goals were scored (2.97 per match), including five penalties and one own goal; Brazil (19) scored the most; 54 individual players scored, while Pelé and Uwe Seeler scored in their fourth World Cup tournament
Format
Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group into the quarter-finals
Innovations
• This was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe
• It was the first to be televised in colour
• Substitutes were allowed for the first time (two per team)
• Red and yellow cards were introduced, although no player was sent off during the tournament
• Fair Play Award introduced
• Teams level on points at the end of the group stage were separated by goal difference (replacing play-offs and goal average).
Controversies
• Before the event, England's captain, Bobby Moore, was arrested and held in Colombia on charges of theft. He was released on the eve of the competition after England had travelled on without him
• To fit in with European viewing schedules, some matches kicked off at noon. This was unpopular with many players and managers because of the intense heat in Mexico at that time of day
• On the eve of the England-Brazil match, Brazilian fans gathered outside the England hotel and chanted and sang all night in a deliberate bid to disrupt the team's sleep.
Trivia
• Zambia and Sudan both won 4-2 at home in their qualifying play-off matches. Sudan went through because of a quickly-scrapped rule that the team scoring more goals in the second match would win. However, they finished bottom of their final qualification group and did not reach the finals
• Rioting marred qualifying matches between El Salvador and neighbours Honduras, and in July 1969 war broke out between the two in what historians dubbed "The War of Soccer"
• Brazilian Mário Zagallo became the first man to win the tournament as a player (1958) and coach.

• Pelé became the first man to play in three World Cup-winning teams
• During the post-final celebrations, the lid of the trophy went missing. Brazilian reserve Davio retrieved it from a young spectator at the stadium exit.

FIFA World Cup History 1966

Winners England
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 70
Notable absentees None
Surprises North Korea
Golden Boot Eusébio (Portugal) - 9
Stats A total of 89 goals were scored (2.78 per match); Portugal (17) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 32
Innovations
• Doping controls were introduced
• FIFA banned the naturalisation of players
Controversies
• Sixteen African nations boycotted the tournament in protest at a 1964 ruling that required the champion team from the African zone to enter a play-off round against the winners of either the Asian or the Oceanian zone
Trivia
• The Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from a public display three months before the tournament and found under a hedge a week later by a mongrel dog called Pickles
• The draw was the first to be televised
• World Cup Willie was the first World Cup mascot
• One match between Uruguay and France was played at London's White City, not a traditional football venue, because there was greyhound racing scheduled for Wembley and the owners refused to cancel it
• The opening match between England and Uruguay was delayed because several of the England players left their ID cards at the team hotel. A police motorcyclist was sent to collect them
• As a security measure, the FA had a replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy made for post-match celebrations. It was bought by FIFA at auction in 1997 for £254,500

FIFA World Cup History 1962

Winners Brazil
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 56
Notable absentees Sweden
Surprises Colombia
Golden Boot Garrincha, Vavá (Brazil), Leonel Sánchez (Chile), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia), Flórián Albert (Hungary), Valentin Ivanov (USSR) - 4
Stats A total of 89 goals were scored (2.78 per match); Brazil (14) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 32
Innovations
• For once, FIFA resisted the temptation to tinker
Controversies
• Brazil's Garrincha was sent off in the semi-finals and should have missed the final but the Brazilian FA managed to get his ban overturned by FIFA, who justified its decision on the grounds the player had been provoked by the crowd
• The tournament was marred by a string of ill-tempered games in the group stage, the worst being the infamous 'Battle of Santiago' between Italy and hosts Chile. "I wasn't reffing a football match," referee Ken Aston said. "I was acting as an umpire in military manoeuvres"
Trivia
• Two years before the start, Chile was hit by a massive earthquake. The president of the organising committee said: "Because we don't have anything, we will do everything in our power to rebuild." And they did
• This World Cup was the last that was not televised live in Europe, just predating the arrival of the Telstar satellite

FIFA World Cup History 1958

Winners Brazil

Teams 16

Teams in qualifiers 45
Notable absentees Italy, Uruguay
Surprises Wales, Northern Ireland
Golden Boot Just Fontaine (France) - 13
Stats A total of 126 goals were scored (3.60 per match); France (23) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals

Number of matches 35

Innovations
• If teams tied for second and third in the group stages, there would be a replay
• A record of 12 cities hosted matches

Controversies
• Israel qualified because teams refused to play them, but FIFA intervened and insisted they play at least once in order to progress to the finals. Wales, non-qualified runners-up in their UEFA group, were chosen and won 2-0 home and away to qualify instead
• Turkey withdrew from qualifying after refusing to be included in the Asian group
• Only 2,823 spectators watched the play-off game between Hungary and Wales. People boycotted the match to show sympathy with Imre Nagy, the Prime Minister of Hungary at the time of the Russian invasion in 1956, who had been executed the previous day. The official attendance, which FIFA still endorses, was 20,000
• The semi-final between Sweden and West Germany was almost abandoned because the president of the German football association threatened to withdraw his team unless the Swedes stopped refusing to seat some of the German fans. The organisers relented

Trivia
• Brazil's Pelé was 17 when he played in the final, the youngest person to do so
• Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals for France, remains the record holder for one tournament
• The Northern Irish FA told their squad that it was against Irish law to play two of their first-round matches on a Sunday. After player protests, the FA relented
• Hungary only retained three players from their 1954 final squad, many of the others choosing to flee the country after the Russian invasion of 1956
• This was the only occasion all four UK 'home nations' qualified together
• Argentina, who finished bottom of their group, were pelted with rubbish on their return home to Buenos Aires

FIFA WORLD CUP History1954

Winners West Germany
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 45
Notable absentees Spain
Surprises Korean Republic
Golden Boot Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11
Stats A total of 140 goals were scored (5.38 per match); Hungary (27) scored the most
Format Four groups of four with two seeded and two unseeded teams in each group. However, the teams played just two matches per group rather than the usual three, with the seeded sides facing unseeded sides. Where teams ended up tied for the second qualifying position by points, they required a play-off. The two teams finishing at the top of their group went through to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 26
Innovations
• For the first time, the tournament was televised
• All matches level after 90 minutes went to extra time. Only if the scores were still tied after 120 minutes were they deemed drawn
Controversies
• The draw for the finals took place before the end of the qualifying. Spain were seeded but had to be replaced after they were knocked out by Turkey following a replayed match that had eventually been settled by the captains drawing lots
• Three players were sent off in the match between Hungary and Brazil, which went down in history as the Battle of Berne. Even after the game, the fighting continued as the Brazilians burst into the Hungarian dressing room and a pitched battle ensued
• It has been claimed the German team were doped for the second half of the final, accounting for their much stronger showing
Trivia
• Korean goalkeeper Hong Duk-Yung conceded 16 goals in two matches
• Fritz and Ottmar Walter of West Germany became the first brothers in a winning World Cup side. In the semi-finals, they had become the first brothers to score in the same World Cup game
• The Hungarians went into the final unbeaten in 29 matches over a four-year spell
• The German team were amateurs as there was no professional league there at the time

FIFA World Cup History 1950

Winners Uruguay
Teams 13
Teams in qualifiers 34
Notable absentees France, Germany, Hungary
Surprises Bolivia
Golden Boot Ademir (Brazil) - 9
Stats A total of 88 goals were scored (4.00 per match); Brazil (22) scored the most
Format Four groups, with the winners of each progressing to a four-team round-robin final group. Withdrawals meant there were two groups of four, one of three and one of two
Number of matches 22
Innovations
• The British Home Championship was the qualifying tournament for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Scotland, runners-up to England, qualified but refused on the grounds they were not champions of Britain
Controversies
• Germany and Japan, defeated in World War II, were barred
• India qualified for the finals but refused to travel after FIFA banned them from playing barefoot
• France withdrew after Brazil had refused to reschedule their two first-round matches, which were 3,000km apart
• The organisers refused to geographically seed the groups, meaning some teams had arduous traveling between matches
Trivia
• The tournament had originally been scheduled for 1949
• Two players - Erik Nilsson of Sweden and Alfred Bickel of Switzerland - appeared in the finals either side of the war
• The trophy was officially renamed the Jules Rimet Trophy to mark Rimet's 25-year tenure as FIFA president. It had spent the war under a bed after Dr Ottorino Barassi, an Italian sports official, smuggled it from the bank in Rome in 1940
• Eight of the Italian national side had died in a plane crash in May 1949 when Torino's entire side was wiped out
• Yugoslavia's Rajko Mitic had his head badly gashed by an iron girder as he left the dressing room before the game against Brazil. The referee refused to delay the match, and Yugoslavia kicked off with ten men
• The final round-robin game was played in front of an official crowd of 199,850, the largest attendance at a football match

FIFA World Cup History 1930

Winners Uruguay
Teams 13
Teams in qualifiers N/A
Notable absentees Of the major European countries, only France took part
Surprises USA, who finished third
Golden Boot Guillermo Stábile (Argentina) - 8
Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (3.89 per match); Argentina (18) scored the most
Format One group of four and three groups of three in the qualifying stage, with the top from each group going into the semi-finals
Number of matches 18
Innovations
• This was the first World Cup
• Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and USA were seeded (USA because they had a professional league)
Controversies
• Eight weeks before the start, there were no European entries and the fact that four finally took part was only down to an offer from FIFA president Jules Rimet to underwrite all their costs
• The group match between Argentina and France ended six minutes early because of an error by the referee, with Argentina leading 1-0. After a half-hour delay, the game resumed but there were no more goals
• Peru's captain, Placido Galindo, became the first player to be sent off after a series of fights in the group match against Romania, one of which had to be broken up by the police
Trivia
• There were two balls used in the final - one picked by Uruguay in the first half, one by Argentina in the second
• Alex Villaplane, France's captain, was executed in 1944 for collaborating with the Germans
• The USA physio knocked himself out when he ran onto the pitch to treat a player, dropped a bottle of chloroform and inhaled the fumes as he bent over to pick it up. He had to be stretchered off
• Uruguay goalkeeper Antonio Mazzali became the first person to be expelled from a team after he was found to have sneaked out of the hotel to visit his family
• The attendance of 300 in the group match between Peru and Romania remains a World Cup low
• The trophy, originally called 'Victory', was designed by French sculptor Abel Lafleur

FIFA World Cup History1938,

• France 1938
Winners Italy
Teams 15
Teams in qualifiers 37
Notable absentees Argentina, England, Spain, Uruguay
Surprises Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), Cuba
Golden Boot Leônidas (Brazil) - 7
Stats A total of 84 goals were scored (4.67 per match); Hungary (15) scored the most
Format Straight knockout, replays for drawn matches
Number of matches 18
Innovations
• The host and holders automatically qualified for the first time
• Numbered shirts were used for the first time
Controversies
• Austria qualified but had to withdraw after they were annexed by Germany in March 1938
Trivia
• Ernst Loertscher of Switzerland became the first player to be officially credited with an own goal, playing against West Germany
• Italy captain Giuseppe Meazza's shorts fell down after he scored a penalty in the semi-final. He took the kick with one hand holding them up
• On the eve of the final, the Italian players reportedly received a telegram from Benito Mussolini that simply said: "Win or die." The Hungarian goalkeeper is reported to have said after the match: "I may have let in four goals, but at least I saved their lives."

FIFA World cup History 1934

Winners Italy
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 32
Notable absentees Holders Uruguay, England
Surprises Egypt
Golden Boot Oldrich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia) - 5
Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (4.12 per match); Italy (12) scored the most
Format Straight knockout, replays for drawn matches
Number of matches 17
Innovations
• The host team had to qualify
• Replays were introduced for drawn matches
Controversies
• Uruguay refused to enter the competition in retaliation for Italy not participating in the first tournament four years earlier