Favourite World Cup

NorthStandUltra

1966 & all that but it was 13 years before I was born so, what’s your favourite World Cup finals?

For me, Italia 90 is up there because of England’s run but it wasn’t a great tournament, terrible final. I loved Mexico 86, I was 7 & it was everything to me, the time difference, England v Argentina, the Brazil team losing to France - brilliant tournament & I completed the Mexico 86 sticker album!

iainment

1970. Brilliant tourney that England might have won.

se9addick

So mines is probably 1998, I was 12/13 years old so it's the first one that I really remember completely and the time zone meant that every day there was a match kicking off at 4pm - perfect for a young lad getting back from school!

I think I may have watched every match in that World Cup and thoroughly loved it, plus there were some truly fantastic players involved and the final was pretty dramatic too.

I'm not sure any of the competitions that have come since have compared, but that could be major rose tinted spectacles on my part.

LennyLowrent

1974. Holland brought something fresh. Way ahead of their time. I was 14 and I wanted to be Johann Cruyff so much...
Cried when they lost to the. ...Germans.... in the final

CharltonKerry

1966 still remember Nobby Stiles dancing around Wembley with his teeth out, the great Bobby Moore, the second greatest Wembley hat trick, watching an action reply on the tele, my mum getting annoyed as she thought Germany had scored two goals very quickly. Some great games in the tournament, being able to watch football on the tele. These are just some of my memories, add in the great ‘60’s music, the youth revelation, the student power that was building, what an age.

The Red Robin

se9addick said:

So mines is probably 1998, I was 12/13 years old so it's the first one that I really remember completely and the time zone meant that every day there was a match kicking off at 4pm - perfect for a young lad getting back from school!

I think I may have watched every match in that World Cup and thoroughly loved it, plus there were some truly fantastic players involved and the final was pretty dramatic too.

I'm not sure any of the competitions that have come since have compared, but that could be major rose tinted spectacles on my part.

Same for me. Some really great teams and players in that tournament.

RodneyCharltonTrotta

1990

Chizz

Football.

Then cricket and rugby.

AddicksAddict

'66. I don't think I understood what the tournament was, I certainly didn't know others had taken place and that we'd lost to the septics in '50.

However, the England games were great except for the borefest that was the first game against Uruguay. What that game did bring home to me was that the nation of Nelson and Wellington, of besting Kaiser Bill and worsting Hitler, wasn't guaranteed to beat everyone else at everything.

Gravesend_Addick

France 98 for me

CharltonMadrid

98 or 90 for me, although the latter tournament was poor looking back but I have good memories it - Gazza's tears, the England-Cameroon match, Nessun Dorma and World in Motion.

Charlton_Stu

1982 was the first one i remember and probably my favourite, used to rush home from school as iirc there was games kicking off at 4.15pm that was the tournament where Robson scored in under a minute and Paolo Rossi was top scorer, also was brilliant watching Brazil.

NorthStandUltra

CharltonMadrid said:

98 or 90 for me, although the latter tournament was poor looking back but I have good memories it - Gazza's tears, the England-Cameroon match, Nessun Dorma and World in Motion.

Saw a programme on History HD about England in Italia 90, very good & essentially covers your post!

North Lower Neil

For personal reasons, 2002 - was 18 so drinking age and on summer shift work before Uni so could fit work around games and the pub.

A real feeling England could win it, a couple of great nights out after the Argentina and Denmark wins, interesting pieces on the two countries all the time and the hosts' enthusiasm was infectious.

Big shocks like Senegal v France in the very first game, and a lovely story in the final with Ronaldo making up for 4 years earlier.

Remember really getting into USA 94 as the first World Cup I really remember too, but looking back it wasn't the best!

In terms of the quality, 1998 and 2014 were really good.

Karim_myBagheri

Due to my age I guess 98 was probably my favourite. Loved getting back from school and watching the afternoon game. Some great teams in that year.

It also seemed that everyone was interested. Real buzz that year.

MrLargo

Italia '90. Loved the England team at that tournament.

paulie8290

Chizz said:

Football.

Then cricket and rugby.

Darts??

shirty5

1982

Hastingsaddick

Charlton_Stu said:

1982 was the first one i remember and probably my favourite, used to rush home from school as iirc there was games kicking off at 4.15pm that was the tournament where Robson scored in under a minute and Paolo Rossi was top scorer, also was brilliant watching Brazil.

I walked out of a maths o level at 3.30 to get home for the England v France game....I got a u.

ricky_otto

1986 - because it’s the first one I remember from game 1 - final. And I finished the panini sticker album. I remember bits of 1982 but lost interest when England went out. I seem to remember Ollie Ardiles wearing Number 1 outfield and the keeper wearing number 7.

1990 - For England

NorthStandUltra

I had my final A Level exam on the day of England v Tunisia at France 98which was an earlier kick off, maybe 2pm - got home midway through the first half

NorthStandUltra

Oh & the Adidas Tango is the greatest football of all time

creepyaddick

90 for me, first tournament I had my proper drinking boots on for, also a shout out for 2002, i was working nights and finished at 6am, my mate run a nightclub that opened at 630, free breakfast and beer til i went home 1130ish, same thing nearly every day for a month, nearly killed me

ChicagoAddick

1974 because it was my first and the reason I fell in love with football. 78 because I was so attached to it. Cried when the Dutch lost in the final. 86 for the occasion and 90 for England.

blackpool72

Not a world cup I'll admit.
But euro 96 was my favourite tournament since the world cup in 1970.

Manicmania

I think you always have a special place in your heart for your first world cup - mine was 1994 when I was 10 (I remember very little from 90) even though England weren't in it I recall very fondly following the republic and i'll never forget that Houghton goal against Italy and that massive shock win - indeed it was a world cup where the underdogs really came through Romania beating Argentina, Bulgaria beating Germany and making the semi's.

Italy of course going all the way to the final thanks to the imperious Roberto Baggio (him of the mighty mullet) then the heart break of missing the pen - which was very harsh on the player of the tournament.
Maradona and THAT goal celebration (off his tits on coke weren't he?) and then getting kicked out of the tourney, Klinsmann at his best, the likes of Bebeto, Romario, Cafu, Dunga, Stoichkov , Hagi, Batistuta, Finide George Bergkamp first entering into my football consciousness.

Plus who can forget Diana Ross missing that open goal from about 2 foot away in the opening ceremony!

Plus every time I hear that "everythings free in America" song I get transported right back to being a ten year old watching this world cup

Hastingsaddick

Is it just me.....I get less interested as I get older, don't get me wrong if there is a game on and I'm in I'll watch, no matter who is playing, but I won't arrange my life around it like I used to.

nth_london_addick

Italia 90

JaShea99

France 1998. Old enough to appreciate what was going on, but young enough to naively think we had a decent chance. I was Michael Owen in the playground for months afterwards.

Goonerhater

1970.What a team Brazil had and Pele was at his best. Some great games amongst some true zzzzzzz.

LennyLowrent

Hastingsaddick said:

Is it just me.....I get less interested as I get older, don't get me wrong if there is a game on and I'm in I'll watch, no matter who is playing, but I won't arrange my life around it like I used to.

Well it certainly isn't as orgasmic as watching a Jordanian tv brodcast fron over the border inside the kibbutz's bomb shelter, screaming instructions at the poor bastard who's left outside turning the 8meters long irrigation pipe with indoor aerial taped on top, trying to convince ourselves that the indistinguishable snowy sound and vision on screen is the packed stadium...