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Favourite World Cup...

Only 1 week since the World Cup 2018 ended but already miss the World Cup. Wish we can have the World Cup more often like every 2 years. Thanks to Russia, World Cup 2018 will be remembered as one of the best organized and most exciting in history.

One good thing about the World Cup is you get to know the culture and history of the host countries more. In every World Cup, there are games being played in at least 3 uncommon cities which you normally won't hear or read about anywhere else. In this World Cup 2018, we had games in cities like Saransk, Samara and Rostov-On-Don which we will never come across in our life time unless we have a certain interest there. In World Cup 2014, we heard about Fortaleza, Cuiabá and Belo Horizonte which we have never heard about before or since then. It is interesting to list down these uncommon cities in the World Cups over the years :

2018 (Russia) = Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don
2014 (Brazil) = Fortaleza, Cuiabá, Belo Horizonte
2010 (South Africa) = Nelspruit, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg
2006 (Germany) = Gelsenkirchen, Hanover, Nuremberg
2002 (South Korea/Japan) = Daegu, Suwon, Gwangju, Saitama, Miyagi, Niigata
1998 (France) = Saint-Denis, Lens, Nantes
1994 (USA) = Pontiac, East Rutherford, Foxborough
1990 (Italy) = Bari, Udine, Cagliari
1986 (Mexico) = Zapopan, Irapuato, Monterrey
1982 (Spain) = Elche, Gijon, Alicante
1978 (Argentina) = Cordoba, Mar Del Plata, Rosario
1974 (West Germany) = Gelsenkirchen, Düsseldorf, Hanover
1970 (Mexico) = Puebla, Toluca, Leon
1966 (England) = Sheffield, Sunderland, Middlesbrough
1962 (Chile) = Vina Del Mar, Rancagua, Arica
1958 (Sweden) = Helsingborg, Eskilstuna, Norrköping
1954 (Switzerland) = Basel, Lausanne, Lugano
1950 (Brazil) = Porto Alegre, Recife, Curitiba
1938 (France) = Strasbourg, Le Havre, Reims
1934 (Italy) = Trieste, Bologna, Florence
1930 (Uruguay) = Montevideo

I first found these uncommon cities interesting during the 1982 World Cup in Spain where cities like Elche, Gijon and Alicante hosted a few matches.
American cities are mostly popular world wide but I am sure most people have never heard about cities like Pontiac, East Rutherford and Foxborough from the 1994 World Cup in US before or since then. Even cities like Sheffield, Sunderland and Middlesbrough from the 1966 World Cup in England are not very famous world wide unless people are following their football clubs, studying there or have business deals there.

So, World Cup should be credited with making popular the names of these uncommon host cities around the world. Without the World Cup, don't think the world would have known if these cities even existed !
 
  • Tournament - 1990. My first World Cup I can remember so perhaps nostalgic
  • Player - Zidane 2006. The artist, the craftsmanship, the dominating of games, the romance, the headbutt...
  • Team - Can I have two? I'm going to have two. 1. West Germany 90 squad, so efficient and full of technique and talent. 2. Brazil 2006 squad. Should have been even better than the squad that won the previous WC but didn't happen for them. On paper just a majestic team. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Carlos, Juninho, Ze Roberto, Cafu.....
  • Match - England v West Germany, 90 semi-final. Before Skinner and Baddiel, I was dreaming and believing as a young boy. In the script to avenge 86 against Argentina and Maradona in the final, penalty heart-break in the end...
  • Goal - Michael Owen against Argentina 98. Special mentions to Platt v Belgium 90 and Lineker v West Germany 90
  • Moment - Gazza's tears. Nuff said.
 
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