“The hand of God” and World Cup iconic moments

The “Hand of God” goal, Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt, etc. are among the most famous and memorable moments in World Cup history. 

“The Cruyff turn”

The legendary Johan Cruyff made a turn against Sweden at the 1974 World Cup that has become known as “the Cruyff turn.”

The-Cruyff-turn

Cruyff’s victim on this ball, Jan Olsson, admitted: “I’ll never forget that victory over Cruyff as the happiest moment of my life. When I had the ball, I was sure I was going to win, but he tricked me. There was no shame in me at all. I know I’m hopeless. A man of intellect, Cruyff.”

The hand of God

The story of “Hand of God” revolves around a time when Diego Maradona was hit by a ball that bounced high above his head. Unable to witness the foul, the official gave Argentina the goal. With this goal, Argentina advanced over England in the quarterfinals. The following year, Maradona captained Argentina to its first-ever World Cup title.

The-hand-of-God

Robert Baggio’s Nightmare

It was “Roberto Baggio’s nightmare” when he missed the penalty kick in the 1994 World Cup final, according to Goal. Ahead of that, “Divine ponytail” performed superbly and helped Italy advance to the World Cup final. Baggio made a critical error right when it counted. Truthfully, he said: “I felt the effects of the ball for a long time. That was easily the lowest point of my professional life.”

Robert-Baggio's-Nightmare

David Beckham’s red card

The red card David Beckham received at the 1998 World Cup earned him a lot of vitriol from his countrymen. Beckham was shown a red card for an obvious red in the quarterfinal match against Argentina after he responded towards Diego Simeone.

David-Beckham's-red-card

Eventually, England lost in a shootout on penalties. It’s a shame, because the “Three Lions” are favored to win this tournament thanks to the prodigious play of Michael Owen.

Ahn Jung-hwan’s golden goal

The winning goal scored by Ahn Jung-hwan in overtime propelled Korea past Italy in the World Cup 2002 quarterfinals. The striker scored the winning goal, but was subsequently cut from the Perugia (Italy) team.

Ahn-Jung-hwan's-golden-goal

Even though they ended up in fourth place overall, Korea took a lot of heat because they were favored by the referee throughout the competition.

Zidane’s headbutt

The legendary French player Zidane was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy after he headbutted Marco Materazzi in the chest, leading to a penalty shootout that Italy won. Zidane claimed the opponent provoked and insulted him, and he promised to never apologize to Materazzi.

Zidane's-headbutt

The Hand of God Luis Suarez Version

“The hand of God’s version of Luis Suarez” appeared in the quarter-final match between Uruguay and Ghana in the 2010 World Cup. Suarez used his hand to block in the penalty area, causing Uruguay to take a penalty.

However, Asamoah Gyan kicked the ball into the sky. Then, the South American representative won the penalty shootout. Many people criticize Suarez’s unsportsmanlike actions, but to the people of Uruguay, he is a hero.

The-Hand-of-God-Luis-Suarez-Version

Flying Dutchman Robin van Persie

When the Netherlands played Spain in the 2014 World Cup, Robin van Persie scored with a fantastic header that helped the Dutch win 5-1. According to Goal, this spells “The demise of tiki-taka.”

Flying-Dutchman-Robin-van-Persie

The Spanish national team, playing in a style known as “tiki-taka,” won three major international tournaments between 2008 and 2012, including the European Championship twice and the World Cup once. Spain, however, was knocked out in the group stage that year due to the ineffectiveness of this strategy.