In 2006 hope that England might do well at the World Cup was again joined by an expectation that they would. The so-called golden generation was in it’s prime and dripping with tournament experience. David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen were all at their third World Cups and many of the others were either at their second or had at least featured at the Euro’s four years previously. The manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, was also taking charge of England at a third major tournament. Surely we thought, this was his moment too after reaching quarter-finals in 2002 and 2004. This was also the year of the WAG’s. The wives and girlfriends of the England team creating as much news coverage and turning as many heads as the players themselves.
Cherly Tweedy (soon Cole) and Victoria Beckham making headlines in Baden Baden.
https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/world-cup-2006-inside-story-wags-baden-baden
Four years previously England had spent the build-up to the competition obsessed with a broken metatarsal bone. Then it had been Beckham’s foot and now it was Wayne Rooney’s turn to be wished back to health by an entire nation. Rooney had burst on to the international scene two years previously at the European Championships in Portugal. His four goals in three games had given England genuine hope of success but the Everton striker had limped off against the hosts in the quarter-final with, you guessed it, a broken metatarsal. England ended up losing on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw, a familiar sense of ‘what might have been.’ Rooney made the tournament and though he didn’t feature until the second game, England were optimistic.
The tiny little bone we all held our breath for, metatarsals eh, where are they now?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/health_and_fitness/4283136.stm
After the oddities and upsets of 2002, this World Cup went very much to plan. None of the big countries fluffed the group stages, even England managed to top their group for the first time since 1990. Progress though was not as smooth as it might appear at first glance. Only an early own goal secured a 1-0 win against Paraguay in the opener, while it was the 83rd minute before England got the first of their two goals against Trinidad and Tobago in the second match. The final group game against Sweden was a good news, bad news situation. Rooney, foot fully healed, started his first match but England lost Michael Owen to injury for the remainder of the competition. England’s top scorer ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the first minute of the match and was stretchered off in the fourth. The game ended 2-2 but it was enough for England to claim top spot and set up a second-round game against Ecuador. Beckham got the winner on the hour mark against the South Americans to set up a rematch of the 2004 quarter-final against Portugal.
David Beckham celebrates after scoring England's goal against Ecuador.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/431430839273863452
I was convinced England would win that day. Portugal were nothing special and England nearly had them beaten two years before. Luis Figo was a danger but his best years were behind him, and Cristiano Ronaldo was just a promising young player and teammate of Rooney's at Manchester United. England surely had enough, even without the injured Michael Owen. However, it was a difficult and cagey game. With both teams realising what a huge opportunity this was to make a semi-final neither wanted to make a mistake. The big moment of the night came just after the hour mark. Rooney, the ball at his feet in midfield, is fouled a couple of times by Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho but a free-kick fails to materialise. The players tangle and somehow Rooney’s boot ends up ‘making contact’ with the Carvalho's genitals. All hell breaks loose. Ronaldo is one of the first on the scene, pleading with the referee for justice. Rooney pushes him angrily away and then inevitably and perhaps correctly, the red card is shown. As the England striker exits the pitch Ronaldo is caught on camera winking to somebody somewhere. An acknowledgement of a job well done? After all, nobody on the pitch would have known how to push Rooney’s buttons better than Ronaldo.
Job done? Ronaldo tips a wink after Rooney's red.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ronaldo-spotted-in-las-vegas-chatting-400050
With ten men England played the rest of the match well enough but neither side could muster a goal. Extra-time came and went and again it was penalties, nobody really felt that England would win then and so it proved. Lampard, Gerrard and Carragher all missed for England and Ronaldo, who else, was left to tuck in the winner. We tried to summon up a sense of injustice but it was no use. After the game I remember heading to the pub, it was beautiful summers evening and unlike with defeats of old the football quickly receded into history. In hindsight England lacked belief that night, maybe the players didn’t really believe they could make a World Cup semi-final. Perhaps the accumulative effect of the previous disappointments and failures just weighed too heavily on their shoulders.
Without question the image of the tournament, Zidane's head meets Materazzi's chest.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/revealed-what-made-zinedine-zidane-headbutt-marco-materazzi
In the semis the hosts Germany were beaten by Italy who advanced to their sixth final and France, arguably better than in 1998, did for Portugal, schadenfreude weaving it’s magic spell once again. Every World Cup Final has that one image. That quintessential moment that will be remembered by everybody watching forever. Normally it is the winning goal, the ball hitting the back of the net or a wild-eyed celebration, teammates engulfing the scorer. However, in 2006 that image is of Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest players of all time, headbutting Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the chest during extra-time. There had apparently been words between the two, Materazzi allegedly making disparaging remarks about the Frenchman’s mother. The result was that Zinedine Zidane’s international career ended with a second red card at a World Cup finals. The Italians went on to win the eventual penalty shootout and with it their fourth World Cup. It is not known whether Materazzi delivered a wink at any point during proceedings.
I campioni del mondo. Italy win World Cup number 4.
https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/teams/team=43954/index.html
WORLD CUP BETTING - Tip 5
France v Australia. Saturday 16th June. Group C.
Antoine Griezmann to score at anytime. 4 points at 6/5 with Betfair.
Griezmann had a great tournament for France in 2016, scoring six goals and also bagging two assists. At 27 years old he is a player in his prime and should be too much for Australia to deal with.
Check out my other posts in this World Cup Memories series below:
https://steemit.com/sports/@marcusbraeburn/france-98-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
https://steemit.com/sports/@marcusbraeburn/italia-90-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
https://steemit.com/sbc/@marcusbraeburn/mexico-1986-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions
And if that still isn't enough of me then head over to DTube and watch my latest video in the 20 Steps to One Million series:
https://steemit.com/dtube/@marcusbraeburn/czixjzvf