Your favourite World Cup Final ever

[SydneyToon]

What was your favourite World Cup Final?

My favourite final would have to be my first. The 1986 final between Argentina and West Germany.

As an 11-year old, it had been an exciting month; the Hand of God, Mexican waves, Negrete's fantastic goal for Mexico, France-Brazil, Josimar, a Zidane scoring for Algeria against Northern Ireland, and that weird spider thing in the middle of the pitch at Mexico City.

The final itself was one of the most exciting ever. It didn't start off that day, the very Argentinian-sounding Brown opening the scoring with a header from a free-kick after Germany's goalkeeper Schumacher had gone walkabout (and didn't end up almost decapitating someone) and then Valdano making it 2-0 early in the second half. The fightback courtesy of Rummenigge and Voeller scoring from corners to make it 2-2 had me jumping up and down and cheering for Germany!
Then Maradona finally made his mark. He got a yard of space to make his pass and sent Burrachaga through on goal to clinch with 6 minutes left.

The 1998 and 2002 finals were entertaining but this one is the one that stands out for me.

How about you?

[Cal Alamein]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

That was a good one, but from 1974 to present, my favorite was the 1998 3-0 thrashing of Brazil by France. Despite playing at home I did not expect such a completely dominant victory.

One of the last times I cheered for France as well.

[jason voorhees]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

Live, it would be:

1) 1982 - My first. Big screen with the 1982 big screen technology (giant red, blue, and yellow traffic lights showing some large image that may or may not be humans) at the Scanticon Hotel in Princeton. Tardelli's volcanic eruption will be the be-all and end-all of all goal celebrations for life, especially at the expense of that bastard West German team.

2) 1998 - My first trip to the Ironbound for a live match. Andres Cantor pumped on huge stage stereos throughout the streets. Seeing the premier talent who was my age at the time win a World Cup while pinned against the wall of thousands of depressed Brazilians, watching with Ivo Cuzzi, a Hajduk Split player who played against the great 95 Ajax team in the Champions League and Romario and Barcelona.

3) 1994 - By default. I only saw 1990 and 2006 live. It was with my band in the drummer's basement. We had one of our best shows ever on a Sunday matinee during the Brazil-Netherlands Q-final. I sat outside of Giants Stadium watching the game with some Welsh dude on a small tv, but couldn't really hear the crowd inside. We all saw the Colombia-USA match in my bedroom, and I remember screaming at Andres Escobar "they're gonna kill you !" after the first goal. That August we played CBGBs, were set to do a few shows with Quicksand and Shades Apart, then our guitarist decided to leave the band.

With videos, it would be:

1) 1974 - By far the most enthralling match, characters, styles, and plot. All of these years hearing how the Dutch were better than the Deutch, and seeing that Germany damned well had every right to win that game with their awesome football. Seeing how Beckenbauer could run a game from his own penalty area.

2) 1982

3) 1970 - It amazed me, watching the entire set of Brazil 1970, how Pele was great in a way I wouldn't have thought. You always hear legends about someone, but you don't know about how far and he could drop his shoulder at a full sprint before exploding the other way. You don't know how similar he was to Maradona, in that they were both fireplugs who could run through kicks at the knees if they wanted.

4) 1986 - I really hated Maradona at the time, as I was at summer camp and we had great English counselors. Finally, my soccer abilities could be appreciated at the fullest with these Liverpool fans and Nottingham Forest fans and former youth team players who'd build teams around me. I remember the looks on the counselors faces when Maradona beat them. Their pain became my hate.

I got home and put the ENG-ARG and ARG-WGR games on that were taped the weeks before. I remember thinking "who cares that Maradona dribbled through the whole team, I do that shit all the time." His final pass for the game-winner against Germany was "who cares he passed it, if he was all that he'd do what he did against England again."

5) 1998

[G-Man]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

1954. The underdog comes back from 2-0 down to win against the greatest side ever. The German commentator freaking out, and the course of the country's history changes.

1974. Two of the best sides ever to compete in any World Cup in a tight match.

1998. Nelson Muntz fiesta.

[Hot Orange]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

I enjoyed watching the 1998 final in a pub in Exeter with a crowd of happy French kids peering in through the window.

I remember thinking the 1986 final was fantastic drama - 2-0 to 2-2 and then a late winner, but it never seems to have been viewed as the classic I thought it was.

And 1982 was good, because I wanted West Germany to lose after the Schumacher semi-final.

I also enjoyed 1982 and 1986 because I had become aware that there had never been a 0 in a World Cup Final, and both finals maintained that. 1990 let me down.

[Gerontophile]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

1998. Vieira's pass to Petit, then the goal, and myself and about 6 mates all leaping as one in the air shouting 'GOOOOOOOONNNNEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSS'. (OK, that was a bit twattish.)

1974 taught me that I loved football, and it could be cruel.

The 2006 final was part of a double header (along with the 'windy' Federer v Nadal Wimbledon final) which I watched while in Amsterdam. Apart from the results (of both), that was one of the best days of my life.

[ad hoc]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

86 without a doubt. Great match, great result.

Then 82 - likewise, but not quite as good as 86

Then 78, just for the whole atmosphere of the thing and the ebbs and flows of the match

The rest of the finals I've seen (I mean live on TV and that) have been fairly tedious - 90 was awful, 94 almost as bad, 02 also pretty dull and a headbutt aside 06 wasn't that great either - though it was better than the other 3. I missed 98 live, but watching it on replay it didn't strike me as all that either. 74 was the other one I saw and while the football might have been good with hindsight, at the time I was an 8 year old boy having the goodness of the world stripped from before my eyes and seeing the true horror beneath. So, no.

G.Mandoza wrote:

1954. The underdog comes back from 2-0 down to win against the greatest side ever. The German commentator freaking out, and the course of the country's history changes.

Arguably the course of two countries' history changed, though of course the other one - as the loser - always gets overlooked in the "Miracle of Berne" wankfest.

[Gangster Octopus]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

Funnily enough, of all the ones that I've watched live ('74->), '82 is the one that I remember most fondly...

[G-Man]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

Arguably the course of two countries' history changed, though of course the other one - as the loser - always gets overlooked in the "Miracle of Berne" wankfest.

It isn't really obvious to me how the defeat changed Hungary's history. Would a victory have led to the liberation from Soviet imperialism? Perhaps the lack of obviousness (even you preface your sentence with the word "arguably") explains it is overlooked. I'd be interested in hearing you theory.

And why is the notion of West Germany's victory in Berne being a "miracle" a "wankfest"? Not a single person had West-Germany down as a favourite. And the effect of the victory on German society was tremendous. I reckon the phrase "Miracle of Berne" is suitably evocative of what happened on that day.

By the way, if memory serves, today is the 36th anniversary of the 1974 final.

[E10 Rifle]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

1986 wasn't that great a game until the last 15 minutes, but by the wretched standards of those that have followed, it has been the best I've seen. I watched the 98 final in a tatty beach bar in Cuba so have fond memories of that, but we've not been over-blessed in the past 24 years have we?

[ad hoc]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

G-Man: I understand the side of the narrative that has West Germany beating Hungary as a massive surprise and underdog victory and amazing moment in football terms. If it was left at that, I'd be fine with it.

The problem I have with it is the way it is presented as this moment that rescued (West) Germany from the tragedy of the twentieth century up to that point. Which is fine as it goes but it is a massive example of presenting history from the winner's perspective. Hungary arguably had a much shitter 20th century than Germany up to (and after) that point. Like Germany it suffered mightily from treaties signed at the end of the first world war, though Hungary's loss was vastly greater than Germany's. Like Germany it elected a fascist leadership in the 1930s, and like Germany it found itself defeated in 1945 (thank fuck in both cases). Unlike (West) Germany, it found itself under Soviet domination after 1945, while West Germany got bailed out under the Marshall Plan. I realise that this was a big event in the post war history of West Germany, but there is NEVER any mention of what it meant to Hungary, which, let us not forget, only 2 years later saw a nascent uprising smashed under the tracks of Soviet tanks. I just hate the whole "Oh it was so great for the Germans" thing with no reference to the fact that anybody else was involved.

(PS the quotes around "The Miracle of Berne" were merely there because that's the name of the film, not for any other reason)

[Defensive minded]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

What always goes unmentioned is that Germany were the first team equipped with screw-in studs, which was a huge advantage on the wet pitch in the 1954 final.

[Uosdwis R Dewoh]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

MyOldMansADutchman wrote:

1998. Vieira's pass to Petit, then the goal, and myself and about 6 mates all leaping as one in the air shouting 'GOOOOOOOONNNNEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSS'. (OK, that was a bit twattish.)

Were you saying 'Goners' or 'Gooners'?

[Torcida]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

1990: Boring
1994: Very boring
1998: Random
2002: Boring
2006: Violent

The last five World Cup finals have been boring, random or violent.

[Gerontophile]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

PGZV: I support The Arse.

*(Anyone who says: 'You are a girdle and I claim my £5', will be sherricked.)

[Tony C]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

1970 because I realised how great the game could be.

1966 because I was young kid with no attached cynicism or other agenda than football and I wanted my team to win and they did.

I'm sure 1950 would be a big favourite of mine if any extensive footage was available. Uruguay's win in that game is easily the best against-the-odds win in WC final history.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

1982 for the simple reason that I was in Italy for the 1/4 onwards and watching the small seaside town I was staying descend into madness left a big impression on me, that's when I realised what a powerful mean to release mass joy football was.

[Hot Orange]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

I'm sure 1950 would be a big favourite of mine if any extensive footage was available. Uruguay's win in that game is easily the best against-the-odds win in WC final history

But it wasn't a proper final, so it shouldn't count

[SydneyToon]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

MyOldMansADutchman wrote:

1998. Vieira's pass to Petit, then the goal, and myself and about 6 mates all leaping as one in the air

I watched the 1998 Final in a backpackers in Cairns, Australia.

In my chat with Barry Davies, he said that although he wasn't commentating that day, and was instead watching the game at the stadium in Paris, he came up with one of his best ever commentary lines.

As the ball broke just outside the French penalty area, Davies said he leaned over to fellow commentator Jon Champion and said "Petit fancies this!". 30 seconds later Petit was up the other end, stroking the ball into the corner of the net to put the cherry on the cake - 3-0.

[historyman]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

My first WC experience was 1982, but I didn't see the final so I'll have to plump for the 1986 final. There hasn't been a more dramatic one since.

I watched it at my aunt's house and recall that we had to leave at a certain time, which meant that we would have missed the extra-time had Burruchaga not popped up to score the winner with a few minutes left.

My lasting memory of that final was Schumacher's mistake which led to Argentina's first goal. Being in my early teens at the time and quite impressionable, I assumed that Schumacher was invincible.

[matt j]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

Of the ones I've seen "at the time", I'd probably say the '98 final. At the time, I saw it as a great piece of justice (having joined the ABB for that tournament).

'02 was a good game, but I wanted Germany to win.

'06 was just madness. So memorable for that.

I really don't think the '94 final was very good at all, but I haven't really revisited it since.

[Guest]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

Always wish i had been around to watch 1970, more so than 1966. I love everything about the 1970 World Cup, even though I was 2 years away from being born, I like the grainy pictures, crackly commentary, the fact that this was probably the first time people had seen advertising hordings around the pitch and then of course there was Brazil.
In my time 1986 Final takes some beating, the ones since haven't had the spark that did. 1990 and 1994 were probably the worst WCFs I've seen

[SydneyToon]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

The MB Shrew wrote:

Always wish i had been around to watch 1970, more so than 1966. I love everything about the 1970 World Cup, even though I was 2 years away from being born, I like the grainy pictures, crackly commentary, the fact that this was probably the first time people had seen advertising hordings around the pitch and then of course there was Brazil.
In my time 1986 Final takes some beating, the ones since haven't had the spark that did. 1990 and 1994 were probably the worst WCFs I've seen

I saw a really nice interview with Gerson who scored Brazil's second goal in the 1970 final, recently.

Also saw an excellent documentary on the Jules Rimet Trophy. Many Brazilians believe that when the trophy was stolen in 1983 and presumably melted down, the robbers took a piece of every Brazilian's heart with it.

[historyman]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

The MB Shrew wrote:

I love everything about the 1970 World Cup, even though I was 2 years away from being born, I like the grainy pictures, crackly commentary, the fact that this was probably the first time people had seen advertising hordings around the pitch and then of course there was Brazil.

And also it was the first WC to be broadcast in colour, for those who had colour sets at that time. That seems to be another reason why that Brazil side was so mythologised - the cameras capturing the sunlight reflecting off their bright yellow shirts.

It must have been a thing of wonder to watch the matches live by satellite too, as the technology was still in its infancy.

There was a live CL commentary on 5Live a couple of years ago - I can't remember which match - and there was a technical glitch which meant that the commentary had to be relayed down a telephone line. It sounded fantastic and loads of people texted in afterwards to say so. It reminded me of the 1970 WC.

[G-Man]

Your favourite World Cup Final ever

Uruguay's win in that game is easily the best against-the-odds win in WC final history.

Call me biased, but surely 1954 topped that.