The number 91 is a special one for Diego Maradona who won 91 caps for Argentina and helped La Albiceleste win the 1986 FIFA World Cup™.

The number 91 is a special one for Diego Maradona who won 91 caps for Argentina and helped La Albiceleste win the 1986 FIFA World Cup™.

It may surprise the casual fan or those new to the sport to learn that Hungary were once, bar none, the greatest team in all the lands. In fact the Aranycsapat – the Magnificent, Magical, Marvellous or Mighty Magyars – still reign as a team of such hushed majestic legend you wonder if they existed in reality at all. They were tactical revolutionaries, the brainchildren behind Brazil’s dash to prominence and much of the modern game in general, and football’s unparalleled juggernaut; within a frame of six years, they lost one solitary football game.

That one game happened to be the 1954 World Cup final, Das Wunder von Berne (The Miracle of Bern).

To understand the scope of this “miracle”, it takes understanding their years of dominance and impact on the sport.

They hadn’t entered the World Cup in 1950, but on May 14th of that year they begun their streak of games which landed, six years later, at 46-6-1, and saw them tear through some of the greatest sides of the time. They won the 1952 Olympic gold medal with a squad that, as was the case with many communist sides of the time, featured top-class players as amateurs. They beat, by a score of 6 to 3, an England side at Wembley which hadn’t lost on home soil to a foreign team since 1901 – though the Irish have a bone to pick with that – in what was dubbed the Match of the Century. They confirmed their superiority later that year in Budapest with a 7 to 1 return win. They are, even after the World Cup, still the highest ranked team in the history of the Elo rankings. They did all this with a revolutionary 4-2-4, a blueprint to Total Football, which unleashed on the world a new weapon now known as the deep-lying playmaker, in the form of Nandor Hidegkuti (not forgetting, of course, the legendary Ferenc Puskas, Jozsef Bozsik, Sandor Kocsis or Zoltan Czibor). They beat two-time defending champions Uruguay, the prized jewel of South America, in the extra time of semifinal, a game which you’ll often find in the annuls followed by “one of the greatest games ever played”.

And then came West Germany.

The Magyars had already beaten West Germany in the groups by a very comfortable 8 to 3 scoreline, taking their totals over the two group games to 17 goals scored. And despite the heavy loss, this is where West Germany laid the groundwork – as the legend goes – for one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. Six of the eleven who would play in the final hadn’t featured in the group stage, because Sepp Herberger sat them, famously saying,

“I believe we would have lost today, even with our strongest team.”

He surmised they could beat Turkey again in the playoff, as they had in the first group game, and they did, by 7 to 2. This meant Gusztav Sebes, Hungary’s coach, was only afforded a half-look at West Germany, whilst Herberger was afforded the magicians in their entirety.

West Germany would go the European route through Yugoslavia and Austria to the final as Hungary preferred a more South American flavor, dispatching of Brazil, a brutal “battle”, and Uruguay.

There were mix fortunes for Hungary going into the game. Jonathan Wilson describes it in his book Behind the Curtain:

Hungary’s sleep was disturbed by brass bands practising in the street for the Swiss national championship and their team bus was prevented by police from entering the stadium, forcing the players to battle their way through the crowds to the dressing room. And then there was the weather. It rained throughout the day before the final, and then it rained heavily during the game, transforming an already soft pitch into a quagmire that hampered Hungary’s passing game. On the positive side – or at least, so it seemed at the time – Puskas* was declared fit and played.

* – Puskas had an ankle fracture.

Hungary, as they’d done in every match of the tournament thus far, stampeded out of the gates to an lightning quick 2-0 lead in the 8th minute. West Germany, as Uruguay had done before them, answered back to equalize – only West Germany did so by the 18th, whereas it took a last dash in the 86th for Uruguay to force extra time. Helmut Rahn, scorer of the West German second, then unchained his inner hero, cut to the left, and filled the back of the Hungarian net in the 86th minute, hardly enough time for the world to believe what had just happened.

And then the controversy began.

While this is regarded as easily one of the greatest upsets, it’s also remembered as one of the most controversial finals in World Cup history. The hobbled and wasteful Puskas, the historic face of a historic giant, scored to take it to 3-3 in the 89th, only to see it controversially called offside. As written in Wilson’s book, Ferenc was seething:

“I couldn’t believe it. It was almost a minute afterwards when he raised his flag. I could have murdered him. To lose a World Cup on such a decision just isn’t right.”

There were also rumblings of a penalty in injury time and, as you’ll see in the video, claims Rahn’s first involved a touch of foul on Gyula Grosics, the Hungarian keeper.

Yet it was not to be, and West Germany, who’d lost by five goals to the same side not weeks before, had pulled off the miracle of miracles. Enough to spawn a movie, to cement Rahn as a goal goal-scoring legend, and to see Sepp Herberger placed on the shelf with war’s greatest strategists.

West Germany, having been banned from the 1950 World Cup on the back of World War II, had won their first World Cup of three, while one of history’s greatest teams was left without a trophy and then left to rubble in the wake of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. Neither of these instances would turn to be coincidence: West Germany, and furthermore Germany, have dug themselves in a sporting superpower since that first World Cup back and Hungary have reversed from superpower to afterthought on the global scene. They would manage two quarter-final runs in ‘62 & ‘66, but in the 11 World Cups since, they’ve qualified for three, none since 1986, and exited in the groups each time.

When speaking on the 1954 World Cup final, Das Wunder von Bern, the focus must shift almost entirely to convey how utterly brilliant the Mighty Magyars were: Rahn, Herberger and West Germany stopped the unstoppable.

With local volunteers starting their training this weekend, South African embassies around the world are busy conducting interviews to select 3000 international volunteers that will take part in the World Cup.

With local volunteers starting their training this weekend, South African embassies around the world are busy conducting interviews to select 3000 international volunteers that will take part in the World Cup.

Lubomir Moravcik played in an international squad at Parkhead and sees the pressure of time rather than the make up of the squad as being the problem for Tony Mowbray Lubomir Moravcik does not think that Celtic finding themselves in their current predicament has anything to do with the multi-national make up of their squad...

Though hardly a stellar name in European football, Swiss international Albert Bunjakuhas made a real impact in the Bundesliga this term.

Sean O'Connor is not rushing things as he tests his troublesome knee Sean O’Connor is still officially retired from football despite playing for Annan Athletic as a trialist on Saturday in their 3-3 game with Elgin...

The furore over how Scottish pitches have been affected by the weather continues to rage...

Marek Hamsik is in the form of his life, an undisputed first choice in the light blue of Napoli and a certain starter in the dark blue of Slovakia.

Jim Jeffries is happy, although you may have trouble proving it, to see players getting back ready for action...

Australia coach Pim Verbeek says he has yet to make a decision on whether he will stay with the Socceroos beyond the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Australia coach Pim Verbeek says he has yet to make a decision on whether he will stay with the Socceroos beyond the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Fabio Capello says he wants England to reach "the semi-finals – minimum" at this summer's World Cup. Is this a realistic target?

Today we’re taking a look at the home and away jerseys of France, as modelled by Karim Benzema to the left there.

All World Cup 2010 jerseys are available to see and buy in our World Cup 2010 store, but the idea here is that we take an honest and semi-critical look at the home and away shirts of all 32 teams at World Cup 2010. Remember, everything below is just personal opinion / kneejerk reaction and I’ve got no fashion credentials other than accidentally seeing about four episodes of Project Runway. So whether you agree of disagree I’d love to get your reaction to these shirts in the comments.

France Home Shirt

- Want one? Find the France home jersey in our World Cup store.

The royal blue colour of the France jersey always looks good in my opinion, but it’s the red and white around the mid-section that I’m not fond of here. I know it’s meant to represent the blue, white and red of the French flag, but the pattern just seems a bit… random. Unfinished even, like the two sections were meant to meet in the middle but didn’t quite make it. If I was feeling cheeky the I’d suggest an alternative pattern. Like maybe Thierry Henry’s handprints. But I’m not, so I won’t.

A much more successful attempt to incorporate the tricolore can be found if you look a little higher up. All adidas jerseys carry three stripes on the shoulders, and this one is no exception. But there’s a band of red running between the second and third stripe, producing a subtle but clear pattern of blue, then white, then red on the shoulder. I love seeing examples of team specific design within the standard template, and the shoulders of the French home jersey are a perfect example.

France Away Shirt

- Like it? Find your France away jersey in our World Cup store.

The white away jersey allows the three striped tricolore on the shoulders to stand out even more. Definitely a good thing. Meanwhile the thin grey vertical stripes on the body prevent the white from being too white and making you go blind. I quite like the collar too, with a nice mix of blue and gold. It’s somewhat rare for the away shirt to trump the home shirt, but I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happened here. Hopefully France will wear the away shirts vs Uruguay in Group A, and then find themselves facing another blue team in the knockout rounds.

What do you think of France’s home and away shirts for World Cup 2010?

• National broadcaster says Hiddink will take job for two months
• Coach's agent believes he needs to end contract with Russia

The Dutch national broadcaster NOS says that Guus Hiddink has agreed to coach Ivory Coast in this year's World Cup.

NOS says the Dutchman will lead Ivory Coast from 15 May to 15 July before taking over as Turkey coach. In its report but he that before signing with Ivory Coast, Hiddink must first confirm that his contract with Russia has been ended.

The Dutch daily De Telegraaf quotes Hiddink's agent, Cees van Nieuwenhuizen, as saying that the negotiations with Russia are a barrier to the Ivory Coast deal.

Hiddink coached Holland to the World Cup semi-finals in 1998, South Korea to the same stage four years later and led Australia at the World Cup in Germany four years ago.

• Guus Hiddink
• Ivory Coast
• World Cup 2010

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Guus Hiddink has agreed to coach Ivory Coast at this year's World Cup, according to Dutch broadcaster NOS.

Because today is David Beckham’s much talked about return to Old Trafford, it seems the perfect time to relive one of the key moments in Beckham’s career. At World Cup 1998 the man not yet known as Goldenballs was just 23 years old and competing with Darren Anderton to play right wing back for England. After scoring a trademark free kick vs Colombia in the group stage, Beckham was given the start for the Second Round knockout game vs Argentina. But then it all went a bit wrong.

After being fouled by Argentina midfielder Digeo Simeone (who’s still playing today at the age of 39, by the way) Beckham lashed out while lying on the floor, giving Simeone a not very cleverly disguised kick to the calf. The result was a red card for Beckham and England playing the rest of the game with ten men, eventually losing the penalty shootout.

Simeone later admitted he had over-reacted, and certainly the kick looks almost gentle with 12 years hindsight. But it was still a stupid thing to do and referee Kim Milton Nielsen had no choice but to get out his red card. Here’s the video of David Beckham’s sending off vs Argentina in 1998:

Then came the Beckham backlash.

I think it’s fair to say that the English media (and to some extent the English public) went a bit mental, and made Beckham the scapegoat for England’s World Cup exit. The Mirror’s headline the following day was “10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy”. The tabloid also went on to publish a David Beckham dartboard for fans to “take their fury out on”. (Said dartboard is – unsurprisingly – impossible to find on the internet today, although the article has been archived by various media archive organizations.)

The Mirror weren’t alone, as pretty much all newspapers took their frustrations out on Beckham. An effigy of Man Utd’s #7 was hanged outside a pub in London, and Beckham faced boos around Premier League grounds the following season.

The incredible thing is that Beckham managed to overturn his gargantuan unpopularity and win back public support with excellent performances for both Man Utd and England. In 1999 he was a key part of Man Utd’s Champions League success, by 2000 he was England captain and in 2001 he had that career defining game vs Greece where he almost single handedly qualified England for World Cup 2002. I’d argue that Beckham’s trial by fire that was being Public Enemy #1 in 1998 forced Beckham to mature as a player and as a man and it’s probably not too much of a stretch to say it’s a big part of what makes Beckham the mega-celebrity he is today.

England manager Fabio Capello insists the Football Association's target of reaching the semi-finals at the World Cup in South Africa is achievable.

• Frenchman set to replace Vahid Halilhodzic for South Africa
• Led the co-hosts Japan to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup

The Ivory Coast have turned to the Frenchman Philippe Troussier to take charge of the side for this year's World Cup in South Africa. Currently acting as general manager for the Japanese side FC Ryukyu, Troussier has been offered the job until the end of the World Cup, his Okinawa-based club confirmed today.

Troussier, the former Japan coach, was dubbed the "White Witch Doctor" after successful spells in Africa with Nigeria, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Ivory Coast among others teams.

The 54-year-old led Japan to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup when they were co-hosts with South Korea.

The Ivory Coast, drawn with Brazil, Portugal and North Korea at the World Cup, sacked the Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic last month after failing to reach the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. Guus Hiddink had been linked with taking over as their manager.

• Ivory Coast
• World Cup 2010

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