Across
6) Beckenbauer once said about this player “In the 1960s, the best player was Pele; in the 1970s, it was Cruyff; in the 1980s, it was Maradona; and in the 1990s, itai??i??s …“
(7, 7 letters)
8) This team defeated Real Madrid by a 5-0 margin, a match which is considered as a ‘passing the torch’ moment in Europe.
(5 letters)
10) Fans threw rotten tomatoes at this team when the player in question was not replaced at half-time by Rivera. Italy went on to lose 4-1 to Brazil in the final.
(6, 7 letters)
11) This player scored a trademark penalty chip in Euro 1976.
(7 letters)
12) In an era when defenders were forbidden to cross the halfway line, this player redefined the position of ‘fullback’.
(6, 6 letters)
13) This player was commonly known as the ‘Black Spider’.
(3, 6 letters)
15) This Romanian ‘Regele’ led Galatasaray to four successive league titles, a UEFA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup win over Real Madrid.
(8, 4 letters)
16) This Doctor of Medicine once said “It was like seducing the most beautiful woman in the world. And then failing on the moment for which you did it all.”
(8 letters)
17) This legendary manager used the ‘offside rule’ to such an extreme that FIFA had to change it in 1990. He was a shoe salesman.
(6 letters)
18) This player learned football by juggling a box of milk with his feet. Unfortunately, the Superga catastrophe ended this glittering career. In spite of not appearing in any World Cups, he is remembered in the same level as Guiseppe Meazza ad Silvio Piola.
(9, 7 letters)
19) This club plays their home matches in Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
(8 letters)
20) A goal from this player in the 90th minute sent Holland to the semi-finals of a World Cup. The player received a 60-yard pass from deBoer, controlled the ball through the legs of Roberto Ayala and finished on the far post.
(8 letters)
Down
1) This former Barcelona player and manager was caught during 2001-02 for using Nandrolone.
(9 letters)
2) Maradona played for two Spanish clubs during his career. One was Barcelona. The other was?
(7 letters)
3) This football legend eluded military service, hid under a tarpaulin on the back of a truck to get out of Hungary, masqueraded as a Soviet soldier to get out of Italy and finally boarded a Barcelona-bound train full-drunk to sign for Real Madrid. Fortunately, he landed at Barcelona and the rest is history.
(8, 6 letters)
4) This Milan legend lifted the Champions League exactly 40 years after his father did. Both did it in England.
(7 letters)
5) This player lost his virginity to a goat at the age of 14. He went on to win back-to-back World Cups.
(9 letters)
7) This catenaccio master used to provide ‘pills’ to his players and when he was later found out, mixed them with coffee to avoid suspicion.
(7, 7 letters)
9) This tiny nation has players from the national team who are also chess legends in their own right.
(5, 7 letters)
14) This player has won the highest number of Capocannoniere awards.
(7 letters)
Solutions
Send your answers to crossword@thehardtackle.com
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