In October 2022, the World Cup will officially kick off in Qatar. If you’re like most football fans, you’ll be counting down the days.
It’s a little unusual to host a World Cup around wintertime, but it’s still going to be a classic – especially when you consider the quality of the national teams this year.
With the World Cup fast approaching, this article provides a lighthearted look back at some of the most iconic moments from World Cup history.
Truth be told, there are too many to count, as the World Cup has been around since 1930 (almost 100 years ago…)!
Maradona’s ‘Best Goal’ vs England (1986)
When people think of Maradona, the first thing that usually comes to mind is his controversial ‘hand of God’ goal versus England. Secondly, they think of his other goal against England, which is widely regarded as one of – if not the – best goal ever!
In the build-up to this goal, Maradona essentially ran from the halfway line, taking on multiple England players before skilling them on when he arrived at their box. From there, he slipped it past Pete Shilton (England GK) before celebrating in front of the cameras. It was truly an iconic World Cup goal.
At the 2022 World Cup, there are unlikely to be goals of similar quality. But with talented forwards like Harry Kane, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, anything can happen in this tournament. If you want to place a bet on who you think will win the Golden Boot, or any other type of World Cup bet, use FIFA world cup betting – you can click here to get started.
Zidane’s Chip Penalty and Headbutt
The 2006 World Cup final (France vs Italy) was Zidane’s last ever professional football game – and he certainly went out with a bang.
In this game, he scored a penalty in an unusual fashion, deciding to chip the keeper, hit the crossbar, and watch the ball just go over the line. To chip any goalkeeper takes confidence when taking a penalty – but to do it in a World Cup final was insane!
Then, not too long after this, Zidane decided to headbutt Marco Materazzi, which led to him receiving a red card. When people talk about Zidane’s career, this infamous headbutt always comes up in the conversation.
France Win 2018 World Cup
For a decade, France had been chasing their 1998 World Cup win in an attempt to repeat it. Exactly 20 years later, they managed to do this with the help of star players like Paul Pogba. France won the tournament in style, stamping their authority on the world’s stage.
Miroslav Klose Becomes the World Cup’s Number 1 Goal Scorer
When Germany took part in a shock 7-1 win over Brazil in the 2014 World Cup, nobody could believe it. Then, when Klose – Germany’s main striker – went on to score and overtake Ronaldo as the World Cup’s number 1 ever goal scorer, it was crazy. Now, Klose has a total of 16 World Cup goals, which will likely never be surpassed in the modern era.
England Win the World Cup (1966)
England is known as a football-mad nation. This is why their only World Cup win in 1996 has gone down in the history books. To this day, England fans still hope that they can win their second World Cup, but the team haven’t looked like doing so since, which is why they ironically sing “it’s coming home” at every major tournament event.