Trivia and Facts-Part 8

1-Welshman Ryan Giggs represented England at School boy level.

Photo from:World Soccer, October  994

(Ryan Giggs celebrating after scoring vs. Albania, September 7, 1994, EC Qualifier Wales 2-Albania 0)

2-During the 1983-84 season, Barcelona’s Diego maradona was savagely fouled by Athletic Bilbao’s Andoni Goikoetchea, who was nicknamed “The Butcher of Bilbao”.

Maradona was essentially out injured for the better part of that season.

Initially Goikoetchea was suspended for 18 matches, however after multiple appeals the ban was reduced to a handful of matches.

This prompted Maradona to remark that one more appeal and he would have been suspended for having gotten injured.

Photo From: Mondial, December 1982

(Diego maradona and FC Nantes’ Maxiem Bossis during a friendly match)

Photo From: France Football, January 1, 1985, Issue 2021

(Andoni Goikoetchea, June 17, 1984, UEFA European Championships -Spain 1-Portugal 1)

3-Dutch and AC Milan Legend Marco van Basten officially retired in the summer of 1995. However, the last official match that he ever played was the Champions League Final on May 26, 1993 vs . France’s Olympique de Marseille, aged only 28.

He was considered as an active player though he was out injured for two full seasons, finally being forced to retire at the age of 30.

Photo From: World Soccer, April 1993

(Marco van Basten in his last season as a player, October 4, 1992-Fiorentina 3-AC Milan 7)

4- In Girondins de Bordeaux’s Round 35 match of the 1981-82 French season on April 16^th with RC Lens, Bordeaux’s Yugoslav goalkeeper Dragan Pantelic was accused to have kicked one of the linesmen on the way to the dressing room at the conclusion of the match. He was susbsequently banned and suspended for one year. As a sign of protest, on May  7th, 1982, for the last match of the season vs. Nantes, Bordeaux’s controversial president Claude Bez forced captain Alain Giresse to play as goalkeeper.

After an hour Libero Marius Tresor replaced Giresse “in goal”.

Needless to say Bordeaux lost 0-6.

Photo From:  Mondial, August 1982

(Bordeaux Captain Alain Giresse, August 10, 1982-Bordeaux 3-Monaco 1)

Photo From: Mondial, November 1981

(Dragan Pantelic in action for Bordeaux)

5-During his three seasons at Juventus (1982-85),  Polsih star Zbigniew Boniek was somewhat incosnistant for Italian Serie A League matches , but always seemed to perform better in European Cup matches.

This prompted Juventus and Fiat owner Gianni Agnelli to dub Boniek as “night time beauty”, in reference to the Euroepan Cup matches which were played in midweek in the evenings.

Photo From: Onze, June 1983

(Juventus’ Zbigniew Boniek in one off his rare off-days in European Competition vs. Hamburg’s Manfred Kaltz-May 25, 1983-Hamburg 1-Juventus 0)