World Cup

Another World Cup come and gone. This year I limited myself to watching not more than one match per day. This was not difficult to do as I no longer have the motivation to wake up extra early or stay up extra late, thereby defining which matches I actually watch. Traveling complicated matters; some days I didn’t watch any of the matches. As the years go by, my memory of significant World Cup moments fades faster and faster. I can tell you who won the 2014 World Cup and where it was played, but nothing else more significant. I know I enjoy watching, but very little sticks in the memory any more.

I’ve watched many fine games this World Cup. Maybe I just got lucky with the games that matched my sleep-wake cycle. The opening game between Russia and Saudi Arabia was a feast of goals. The second game I watched was the nail-biting Spain versus Portugal that ended in a 3-3 draw. The France-Argentina match in the knockout rounds was wild. And the actual Final had everything: the plucky underdogs attacking throughout the match, an inadvertent own goal, amazing volleys from afar, controversial penalty requiring replay consultation, a crazy goalkeeping blunder, and even a pitch invasion. Croatia played their hearts out, but France still had the victory. And since I was watching via Telemundo, I was swept up with the excitement of famous commentator Andreas Cantor, with his signature yells of GOOOOOOOLLLL! (Learning Spanish several years ago was very handy in this regard.)

The first time I watched World Cup was Espana 82. I didn’t know Spanish then, and don’t recall if I knew that Spain was the host country. I probably thought Espana was a brand name. Like FIFA. We didn’t have a TV back then so I was only able to watch a match if I went to a friend’s house over the weekend. Even though it was 36 years ago, I can still tell you the mascot without looking it up – an orange. (Actually, back then I thought it was an orange-colored apple!) I don’t recall the mascot of any other World Cup. I can also tell you from memory that Italy defeated West Germany 3-1, that Paolo Rossi scored Italy’s third goal, and that Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was the captain of the German team. But not much else.

When we finally had a TV in time for Italia 90, I watched a lot of games even though I was sitting for national exams that year. I don’t remember any of the games although I recall that Roger Milla of Cameroon was much talked about. The vivid moments I do remember are probably ones that were replayed in some venue repeatedly over the years. Baggio’s missed penalty in 1994. The bizarre headbutting incident by Zidane in 2006. You’d have thought I would remember watching Maradona’s infamous Hand of God in 1986, but I don’t. Instead the two most vivid scenes I recall come from the Brazil-Holland match in 1994. Branco blatantly pushes Marc Overmars in the face, and somehow gets away without being sent off. Then he goes on to score the winning goal from an amazing free kick. Now that was a wild match.

Four years from now I will have forgotten most of what I watched in World Cup 2018. Maybe even a year from now I won’t remember. But now thanks to the Internet, I can go back anytime and look at the World Cup highlights of yesteryears. I’ve never done so though. Perhaps watching once (live) is enough.