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“Sweden’s Yasin Ayari has a Tunisian begetter and chose not to observe his first extremity against Tunisia (he couldn’t defy celebrating erstwhile he scored later, though). Declan Rice did thing akin aft scoring against nan Republic of Ireland successful 2024, but what is nan earliest illustration of a subordinate not celebrating a extremity astatine world level because of a relationship to nan opposition?” asks Michael Pilcher.
“I retrieve Breel Embolo, nan Swiss world calved successful Cameroon, not celebrating aft scoring against Cameroon astatine nan 2022 World Cup,” replies Filippo Varanini.
During a European Championship qualifying lucifer successful 2010, Mesut Özil showed restraint successful his celebrations erstwhile he scored for Germany against Turkey successful a 3-0 triumph – nan erstwhile Real Madrid playmaker was calved successful Gelsenkirchen to Turkish immigrants. But nan earliest illustration we tin find of this peculiar motion is pinch a teammate of Özil’s, Lukas Podolski, who scored 2 goals against Poland, nan state of his birth, astatine Euro 2008.
“This was a difficult and affectional crippled for me,” he told FourFourTwo mag successful 2022. “Both nan German and Polish property focused connected maine earlier it, building nan pressure, and location were truthful galore Polish fans successful nan ground. I didn’t celebrate, but I’m a master and had to do what was expected of me. I support Poland connected each different occasion. I was affectional earlier and aft nan game, but for 90 minutes I came to do my occupation for Germany.”
“Two questions connected Cape Verde head Dick Advocaat,” begins Luke Carruthers. “1) He has coached 8 different men’s world teams – tin anybody hit that? 2) He has managed nan Netherlands men’s and women’s teams astatine elder level. How uncommon is this?”
The first portion has been covered successful a erstwhile Knowledge galore moons ago, but nan reply is categorically Rudi Gutendorf. Incredibly, nan German’s guidance profession lasted 53 years and took successful 17 nationalist head jobs successful complaint of Chile, Bolivia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Antigua, Botswana, Australia, New Caledonia, Nepal, Tonga, Tanzania, Ghana, Nepal again (but we won’t count that), Fiji, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Rwanda. Oh, and he besides took complaint of nan Iranian and Chinese Olympic teams successful 1988 and 1992, respectively. When asked erstwhile why he had managed successful truthful galore different countries, nan German replied: “One cannot conserve excitement.” Reader Christoph Arlick has a caveat, though. “Quite a fewer world sides he was successful complaint of did not really play an charismatic crippled during his clip there,” he notes. “He was connected nan sidelines for Bermuda, Chile, Botswana, Australia, Nepal, Ghana, Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Rwanda crossed 77 games, beating Advocaat by (at least) 1 country.”
Dan Almond flags 2 different managers who tin lucifer aliases amended Advocaat’s 8 world jobs: Bora Milutinovic (eight: Mexico, Costa Rica, USA, Nigeria, China, Honduras, Jamaica, Iraq) and Claude Le Roy (nine: Cameroon, Senegal, Malaysia, DR Congo, Ghana, Oman, Syria, Congo, Togo), while Tom Reed puts guardant Danny McLennan (10: Philippines, Mauritius, Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe], Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Malawi, Fiji, Libya). “Tom Saintfiet has racked up 12 world teams (Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Yemen, Malawi, Togo, Bangladesh, Trinidad and Tobago, Malta, nan Gambia, nan Philippines, Mali) crossed 4 different federations,” emails Daz Pearce. “He needs to negociate countries successful South America and Oceania to complete nan set.”
We are reasonably judge nan only reply to Luke’s 2nd mobility is John Herdman, nan Englishman who managed some Canada’s women’s and men’s nationalist teams betwixt 2011-23. After nan women’s squad mislaid each 3 of their group games astatine nan 2011 World Cup, galore of their players were contemplating retirement. “We were wholly broken,” recalled retired defender Emily Zurrer, who was besides portion of that 2015 squad. “Some of america were reasoning astir hanging up our boots and here’s this feline talking astir being connected a podium and seeing our emblem emergence … and very quickly he instilled that belief successful us.” The pursuing year, Canada were connected that podium earning a bronze Olympic medal astatine London 2012, a feat they repeated 4 years later successful Rio. He assumed a divided men’s squad successful 2018 but helped Canada men to their first World Cup successful astir 4 decades successful 2022. You tin publication much astir Herdman, and his penchant for Sun Tzu quotes, here.
Sweet 16
“New Zealand’s Chris Wood and Tommy Smith are playing astatine their 2nd World Cup, 16 years aft their first,” writes Alexander Scott. “Has immoderate subordinate had a longer hold betwixt World Cup appearances?”
Knowledge fable Dirk Maas swoops successful present to reply this one. “No, Chris Wood has equalled Faryd Mondragón’s feat, who played for Colombia astatine nan 1998 and 2014 World Cup. Before Mondragón, nan longest hold was 12 years. Alfred Bickel (Switzerland, World Cup 1938 and 1950), Erik Nilsson (Sweden, World Cup 1938 and 1950), José Martínez Sánchez ‘Pirri’ (Spain, World Cup 1966 and 1978), Wilfried Van Moer (Belgium, World Cup 1970 and 1982), Michael Laudrup (Denmark, World Cup 1986 and 1998), Hernán Medford (Costa Rica, World Cup 1990 and 2002), Niall Quinn (Republic of Ireland, World Cup 1990 and 2002), Santiago Cañizares (Spain, World Cup 1994 and 2006), Lee Dong-gook (South Korea, World Cup 1998 and 2010), Daniel Van Buyten (Belgium, World Cup 2002 and 2014) and Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Russia, World Cup 2002 and 2014) shared nan grounds of nan longest wait. Randall Azofeifa (Costa Rica, World Cup 2006 and 2018), Edin Dzeko and Sead Kolasinac (Bosnia and Herzegovina, World Cup 2014 and 2026), Nabil Bentaleb, Aïssa Mandi and Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, World Cup 2014 and 2026) and Lucas Digne (France, World Cup 2014 and 2026) besides had to hold 12 years.”
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Do you cognize of immoderate different examples? Send your suggestions to [email protected].
Knowledge archive
“It’s often said that, erstwhile England mislaid connected penalties to West Germany astatine Italia 90, Bobby Robson should person brought large Dave Beasant connected for nan penalties. Surely England had utilized each their subs by past hadn’t they?” asked George Jones successful 2018.
The Knowledge has often heard this mentation that penalty-save master Beasant could person been brought connected for Shilton earlier nan spot-kicks. Even Chris Waddle, who missed England’s last kick, is said to person muttered it. But connected further investigation, it’s a myth. The Guardian’s very ain Rob Smyth, who knows a point aliases 2 astir Italia 90, happily busts it. “England hadn’t utilized each their substitutes, they’d only brought connected Trevor Steven for Terry Butcher (you were allowed 2 subs then), but it’s a story because successful those days you had to sanction 5 subs to take from for each match. England’s different subs were Chris Woods, Tony Dorigo, Steve McMahon and Steve Bull.”
Can you help?
“With Canada and Curaçao joining countries pinch point(s) astatine nan World Cup, which countries person been, and are arsenic bad arsenic a UK Eurovision entry, still connected null points?” wonders Roger Kirkby.
“How galore countries’ leagues, recognised by Fifa, person ne'er had a subordinate astatine nan World Cup?” asks Rob Davies. “I ask, arsenic Thailand person yet sewage a subordinate to nan World Cup successful nan style of Rebin Sulaka of Iraq, who plays for Port FC successful nan Thai Premier League.”
“Canada recorded their first ever men’s World Cup triumph pinch a 6-0 thumping of Qatar,” writes Chris Carter. “Has a squad ever recorded their first triumph astatine a World Cup (or different awesome tournament) pinch a bigger separator of victory?”
“The Netherlands started their crippled against Japan without immoderate players who presently play successful nan Eredivisie. Japan included 2 Feyenoord players successful their starting XI,” notes Tony Marsden. “Has a state ever had much players from nan guidance state league(s) than nan opposition?”
“The heroics of Cape Verde has relit a basal mobility astir nationalist teams colours,” emails Lars Bøgegaard. “It is baffling that a state pinch ‘green’ successful its sanction has a predominantly bluish emblem pinch 2 achromatic stripes, a reddish stripe and yellowish stars, but it explains nan bluish colours of nan nationalist squad (our Greenlandic cousins besides went pinch a emblem without immoderate greenish astatine all). The Netherlands play successful orangish because of nan royal house’s colour but why do Australia playing successful yellowish and green, and why are Japan’s shot colours bluish and white? I deliberation Germany’s achromatic and achromatic dates backmost to nan aged flag, but astir countries play successful colours reflecting their flag. So why nan exceptions?”
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We’ll person different World Cup Knowledge typical adjacent week. Send your World Cup questions and answers to [email protected].
