Soccer Nostalgia: Trivia and Facts-Part 23

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Trivia and Facts-Part 23

1- The Internazionale management had wanted to replace German defender Andreas Brehme with German midfielder Mathias Sammer in the summer of 1991.

However, Brehme’s German compatriots Lothar Matthaus and Jurgen Klinnsman insisted that Brehme should remain at the club.

The Inter Management backed down and Sammer stayed one more season with Stuttgart. He eventually joined Inter the following summer, while Matthaus, Brehme and Klinnsman all left.

Photo from: World Soccer, October 1991

(Mathias Sammer and Kevin Ratcliffe, June 5, 1991, UEFA Euro Qualifier, Wales 1-Germany 0)

Photo From: Mondial, October 1988

(Internazionale’s West German players Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthaus with goalkeeper Walter Zenga)

Photo From: Fussball Magazin, December 1989

(Jurgen Klinnsman in action for Inter vs. Cremonese, 1989/90 season)

2- Jean-Claude Pagal, who played for Cameroon during the 1990 World Cup, punched Frenchman Henri Michel, the National Team Manager, at Paris’ Orly Airport after he had been dropped from the National Team for the 1994 World Cup.

Photo From: Mondial, October 1984

(France national Team Manager Henri Michel on the cover of Mondial)

3- During the 1991/92 season, Bayern Munich were going through an injury crisis with their goalkeepers as first choice Raimond Aumann and understudy Sven Scheuer were both injured.

Therefore Bayern was left with one recognized goalkeeper in thiord choice Gerald Hillringhaus.

As a result former West German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher was persuaded to come out of retirement to help as a goalkeeper and played 8 matches in total.

He later became goalkeeping coach for Borussia Dortmund and actually played one final match on the last day of 1995/96 season with the Bundesliga title already clinched.

Photo From: Onze-Mondial, February 1992

(Harald Schumacher with Bayern kit)

Photo From: World Soccer, December 1991

(Gerald Hillringhaus and Harald Schumacher)

4- Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp was known for his flying phobia.

The origin of his condition started during the 1994 World Cup in USA.

During a flight one of the plane’s engines cut out, this led to a journalist joking about having a bomb in his bag.

As a result he would travel to away matches either by car or train.

For some matches he did not travel at all, due to the distance and time issues.

Photo From: France Football, June 30, 1992, Issue 2412

(Henrik Larsen and Denni Bergkamp, June 22, 1992, European Championships-Denmark 2-Holland 2)

5- For very first World Cup Final on July 30^th, 1930 betweeen Argentina and Uruguay, each team wanted to play the final with its own ball.

The Belgian referee Johannes (John) Langenus made a compromise whereby each half would be played with one of the balls. Argentine team would provide the ball for the first half and the Uruguayans would provide their own for the second.