Top 5 unforgettable moment in my World Cup experience

March 27th, 2006 | by: Luis Paulo | Comments(7)

Euler wrote about it at the Brazilian Blog and so did Afshin Afshar at the Iranian and Daniel at the Paraguayan. So I wanted to join them too. I won’t be talking about any Portugal’s unforgettable moment, after all, their latest appearance at the World Cup should be forgotten. However I won’t be talking only about Brazil (yes, I’m Brazilian) either, although some of those moments might seem unforgettable only to me. But I guess that’s the idea, right?

Unforgettable Moment #5: The 1990 World Cup was the first one I watched. I was only 9 but I recall most of the games. It was also the first time I saw Maradona playing and I was stunned. My first unforgettable moment was when he took the ball in his field, pulled the attention on him and then with a fine pass put Caniggia with only Taffarel ahead. Argentina scored and we lost to our biggest rival. Until today I blame Muller for missing a clear chance at the last minute.

Unforgettable Moment #4: In 1998, Spain was supposed to be the real deal. They were World Cup favorites like never before, but lost just as they usually do. It was actually after their last game that my unforgettable moment #4 happened. Spain scored 6 goals, defeating Bulgaria, but it wasn’t enough for them to qualify. It was the last game for the Spanish goalie Zubizarreta and he didn’t want to say goodbye like that. Many hours after the game, when the stadium was already empty, he went back to the field and stayed several minutes just staring at his goal. After 4 World Cups, it was one sad goodbye for one of Spanish football’s greatest legends.

Unforgettable Moment #3: When we talk about the 1994 World Cup we talk about Brazil and Romário. However, after the first two rounds it was Argentina that was showing the best game. Maradona was back, or at least we though he was. After the game against Greece he was suspended for doping and without him Argentina lost its pace. After the defeat to Bulgaria they stepped against Romania to show the world that they wouldn’t give up that easily. They were warriors and they deserved a better fate. They fought until the end but Romania won for 3-2. That day I was Argentinian.

Unforgettable Moment #2: Ok, I’m cheating. This moment hasn’t actually happened during a World Cup. It was during the qualifies. In 1993, the Brazilian were for the first time afraid that they wouldn’t be at the World Cup. So we claimed for Romário. Parreira held as much as he could, but by the last game (against Uruguay) there was nothing else he could do but to call him. And he came, as a savior. He played one of his finest matches and scored twice. We were at the World Cup and Romário was our god.

Unforgettable Moment #1: One of the oldest memories of my life is the match between Brazil and France at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. I was only five years old and there was 48 people standing in my living room, three of them sitting on my coffee table. Every time Brazil scored, the people close to the TV would stand up and celebrate, blocking the view of the people behind. We had to leave my bedroom TV on, so the poor folks who got a back seat could run up there to catch the replay. That day I realized how important a World Cup is for us Brazilians. No other game seemed so grand to me. Maybe because I ain’t 5 anymore.

Unfortunately there was no unforgettable moment to me at the 2002 World Cup. All the favorites fell before the finals and I didn’t feel that excited to see South Korea and Turkey among the last four. I promise to write about Portugal next time but at least now you can know some of my football background.