There have been many iconic World Cup moments throughout the cup’s history that we feel could be considered some of the greatest moments in World Cup history. This is down to their historical importance, the context in which they occurred, and the skill of those involved. We focus on the five most iconic moments that people may remember or recognize
The ‘Hand of God’
In 1986, England played against Argentina in a World Cup quarter-final match. The score was 1-1 when the game went into extra time. Maradona had scored Argentina’s goal, and they were leading 2-1 when he decided to cheat.
Maradona used his hand to get past the English goalkeeper and score the goal that ultimately won Argentina’s game. Maradona was given a yellow card for his actions but no further punishment.
England fans still talk about this moment as one of the most heartbreaking moments in soccer history because it was so clearly cheating, yet nothing was done about it.
Zidane’s Headbutt to Materazzi
There’s nothing like a good headbutt to get the blood pumping. The 2006 World Cup Final was no exception. Zidane’s final game before retiring. The stage was set for one final memorable moment, and memorable it was, though for all the wrong reasons.
First, the former Real Madrid man opened the scoring with a ‘panenka’ penalty before leaving us with this image as he headbutted Italy defender Marco Materazzi after a provocation from the former Everton man.
Brazil’s Historic Defeat
Brazil has played more in the World Cup finals than any other country and has won the trophy five times. But they’ve also suffered some of the biggest disappointments in the tournament’s history.
One such disappointment came in 1950 when Uruguay beat Brazil at home. The loss lives on as one of the most famous in Brazil’s history—and it was so painful that when Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in 2014, many fans felt like it was happening again.
Rijkaard’s Spit
If you weren’t aware of the rivalry between Holland and Germany in 1990, then Frank Rijkaard soon cleared things up as he was caught spitting at the back of Rudi Voller’s head.
It’s unclear what caused the incident, but after the two were involved in a heated exchange, Rijkaard was seen aiming a gob of spit at his German opponent.
Voller went on to score two goals in their 4-1 victory over Holland, but Rijkaard’s actions left an indelible mark on one of football’s most memorable World Cup matches.
De Jong’s Kung-Fu Kick
Football fans were left stunned when, in the 2010 World Cup final, Nigel De Jong took drastic measures to stop Xabi Alonso’s creative influence.
The Dutchman caught the playmaker plum in the chest with what can only be described as a kung-fu kick. It remains a mystery that Howard Webb only produced a yellow card for the challenge.
