Which World Cup Was Your Favourite?

[Cork Evertonian]

The full Ireland and Italy game from USA 1994 is on Youtube.



I remember that evening clearly but while the nation was celebrating, little did we know that some Ireland fans, were brutally murdered by loyalist terrorist's in Loughisland County Down, whilst watching the game.

So there was a sadness to that evening as well really. Thank god those days are behind us now.

 

[Kev The Rat]

82, 94

 

[Mickey]

The full Ireland and Italy game from USA 1994 is on Youtube.



I remember that evening clearly but while the nation was celebrating, little did we know that some Ireland fans, were brutally murdered by loyalist terrorist's in Loughisland County Down, whilst watching the game.

So there was a sadness to that evening as well really. Thank god those days are behind us now.

Baggio, Maldini etc some of the best players in the world over-shadowed by the legend Paul McGrath. What a player.

 

[Mickey]

Yeah but 94 best World cup for me. Stoichkov, Balakov, Yordanov, Brolin, Dahlin, Romario, Bebeto pure magic. Was about 16 so probably the time I was most obsessed with football.

 

[carolinablue232]

02. Us was a competent referee away from making a semi final and possibly even a final. That team was fun to watch.

 

[peteblue]

Remember 1966 but for me 1970 was the absolute greatest.

66 was the best, but I really enjoyed 1970 until Bonetti….

 

[BlueStevie35]

1986 I have next to no recollection of being only 1 at the time

1990 - I remember bits, mainly England related but also the tackle on the Argentinian player in the opener but I wasn’t fully invested in football at the time

1994 - was too young to stay up for most of the games so relied on the news the next morning for goals

1998 - watching England’s opener in school as it was a Monday afternoon, being in awe at peak ‘O Fenomeno’ Ronaldo and co, Bergkamp’s goal against Argentina, Zidane destroying Brazil in the final

2002 - early morning kickoffs, watching England beat Argentina (Beckham’s redemption for 98), staying behind in the common room to watch South Korea knock out Italy, going into school heartbroken after THAT Ronaldinho goal

2006 - one of the best tournaments, every German ground sounded awesome, the tournament Rooney should have dominated but went into it injured then lost his head in the quarters then Zidane loses his in his final ever game in the final

2010 - great spectacle but remembered for every game sounding like there was a bee invasion thanks to them bloody vuvuzelas, England crashing out after barely scraping through what should have been a comfortable group, how different it could have been with VAR though

2014 - Brazil 1-7 Germany, says it all. Poignant from a personal POV as it was the last World Cup me and my Dad watched together, we stayed up after a family do to watch the England/Italy game together and pissed mum off who had not long gone to bed by cheering loudly when the equaliser went in

2018 - first tournament without dad, getting very emotional when England actually won a penalty shoot out because he would have liked this generation of the team, feeling empty after the Croatia defeat but not angry because it was not like your typical England exits like in 98, 06 and 4 years earlier

 

[Cool_Blue]

1st: Spain 1982
2nd: Mexico 1970

Both had incredible nail biting matches throughout. 82 though……Scotland taking the lead against Brazil then getting hammered. NI beating Spain. Italy v Brazil.

 

[mahermi1]

1970 the greatest Brazil team of all time and a very good England one to, Pele, Jairzinho, Gerd Muller, Beckenbauer, Alan Ball, Gordon Banks Bobby Moore and a superb Italian team, Rivera, boninsegna and Riva. Think it was the first World cup in colour to. Never been bettered in my view.

 

[SLAVEN BILIC]

Italia 90

It was the first WC I can remember. I was only 3 for Mexico so by the time this came around I was fully obsessed with footy.

It had everything that makes football the best sport in the world.

 

[Saint Domingo]

The first you can remember is always so exciting. Nothing beats that build up in school and then the emotion of the wins and losses. They’re still amazing as adults but you lose that sheer blind optimism you have as a child when you just assumed England were better than everyone.

I thought tournaments were having a really bad run from 08-12 but the last two world cups have been decent.

 

[Bohemian Toffee]

1986 is the first one I was aware of, but I have this idea that I watched some games while on holiday with grandparents in Weymouth, but the time difference doesn't work.

The Soviet Union in the CCCP kits were awesome.

1990 was football as theatre, the BBC went all in on their coverage, I was 12 and loved every minute of it. My favourite was 1994 though, possibly because England weren't there, you were free to select a team to follow. I went for Romania, really loved that team.

I remember more from the 1990 and 1994 world cups than the rest combined, but that says as much about my memory as it does the quality of the football.

 

[Cork Evertonian]

That really was an awesome shirt.

 

[Cork Evertonian]

I loved the Ireland shirt from that era as well. Adidas football shirts were and still are the best imo.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Italia 1990 for me although USA 1994 wouldn't be too far behind either. In that 1990 World Cup, we had Ireland achieving it's best ever result in an international tournament. That Ireland team only scored two goals from play though, and didn't actually win a game in normal play, but that penalty shoot out win over Romania was very memorable.

It was heart break for England against Germany in the semi finals, Gazzas tears and all that! USA 1994 was special as well, we had Ireland beating Italy in Giants Stadium, and Romania with Gheorghe Hagi and Bulgaria with Hristo Stoichkov had boss sides as well.

Italia 1990 is number one for me though. The final was a very boring affair by all accounts but i love that 1990 Germany shirt. 1990 and 1994 were the last world cups, before football really started to change for the worse imo.

Both of those were very good World Cups. 1990 is the first one I watched, and the one big problem with it was the back passing. The games were extremely high quality, though, in the sense that they were contested at an extremely high level. I didn't think 1994 was played at quite that kind of level, but it was a solid World Cup overall.

2010 was another very good one, despite the vuvuzelas. The games prior to the martial arts contest in the final were great. Suarez's handball off the line, Muller's guile, Argentina's stunning obliteration by the Germans, Spain's stunning loss to open the affair, the semifinals - lot of memorable stuff. And, of course, there's Donovan slotting at the death, which is by far the most fun I've ever had watching the game given where I'm from.

I think it's 1990 for me since it was the first one, but 2010 is in the frame.