The twelve days of World Cup: 3 days to go...

In 1872, England and Scotland played the first ever international match. The precedent was set; a 0-0 draw. 28 years later, football was a demonstration sport at the Olympics, i.e. it would be played as a tournament but no medals would be awarded, it was mainly to see how things went. In London in 1908, Olympic football was all go, and for 22 years remained the pinnacle of international football. However, stringent Olympic rules meant amateur players could only take part, meaning the crème of world football missed out, and patched-up teams of unknowns went to represent their countries on the greatest stage. Cue one Frenchman.

In 1928, the president of the fledgling FIFA, Mr. Jules Rimet, heard that football was not to be held at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles due to its soaring lack of popularity in the USA. Rimet thus proposed an international World Championships of football out of sync with the Olympics, open to professional footballers and thus the World's finest. As it transpires, ironically, perhaps the USA's lack of interest in football is to thank for the World Cup after all? A legacy forged by ignorance.

Thirteen countries participated in the inaugural tournament, held in Uruguay in 1930. All countries affiliated with FIFA were invited, initially with only clubs from the Americas accepting. However, four European clubs saw fit to make the long trip by sea to Montevideo (Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia). One group of four and three groups of three managed to sort out four semi-finalists. Argentina beat the (apparently disinterested in football, but interested enough to enter and make the semi-finals) USA 6-1, and Uruguay matched that scoreline against a long way from home Yugoslavia in the other semi. And so it was, it was the South American neighbours, bitter rivals, who would contest the first ever World Cup final. Both playing the W-M formation, the norm for that time but with hindsight seems ridiculous (a sort of 2-3-5; see right), Uruguay prevailed on home turf 4-2, despite being 2-1 down at half-time. 

The World Cup has grown year in year out since 1930, rising to sixteen teams in 1938 and eventually climbing gradually to the 32 which was introduced in France in 1998. Eighteen tournaments so far, only seven different winners, from two continents. Only Vittorio Pozzo has won it twice as a coach with Italy in 1934 and 1938, and the greats Beckenbauer and Mario Zagallo have won it as player and coach (Dunga and Maradona have the chance this time). There have been 2063 goals since 1930: Lucien Laurent bagged the very first for France vs Mexico on July 13 1930 in Montevideo, whilst the 2063rd was scored by Marco Materazzi in the 'Zidane final' of four years ago. And, finally, England have missed more shootout penalties than any other country (seven in three shootouts; Italy have also missed seven but in four shootouts).

Jules Rimet has quite the legacy, creating something which has probably usurped the Olympics as the biggest global event in terms of excitement and (for 21st Century football) revenue. It's the time when people who don't ordinarily enjoy football affix hideous attachment to their cars, and the right-wing populist media (they know who they are...) find the need to adorn a St. George's cross with the word ENGLAND (or perhaps ING-ER-LUND) emblazoned across the middle for the exceptionally stupid. For four weeks every four years though, this sort of pseudo-nationalism grips the whole country, and it sort of becomes ok. People like me always claim never to be bothered by the national team, but when the tournament comes around, one can't help oneself. I'm just realistic about it.

Football is the real winner.

TOMORROW: The greatest, enough said.