Baggio, India, Cruyff, Hungary & Other World Cup "What If" Moments

What would have happened if Roberto Baggio was fully fit in 1994 World Cup final? Would Indian football have changed if India participated in 1950? The World Cup has some intriguing cases of “What if”s.

Through its 84 year old history the World Cup has seen many fascinating stories unfold. However, there also have been some events which could have had a major impact on football history but didnai??i??t occur in the end. Like every other tournament, the World Cup too has some intriguing cases which are bound to make fans ponder ai???What if..ai???.

.. Leonidas da Silva was not rested for 1934 World Cup semi-final?

Italy came into 1938 World Cup looking to become the first nation ever to successfully defend their title. Vittorio Pozzo had retained a number of players from the squad that unexpectedly and somewhat controversially, lifted the Jules Rimet trophy four years before. Italy began fairly well, taking the lead against part-timers Norway within 2 minutes, only to concede seven minutes before the final whistle before eventually winning narrowly in extra time. Hosts France were expected to be a tougher opponent but a second half Silvio Piola brace saw Italy breeze into the semi-final.

They were still not calling this ai???Derby of the Worldai??? but Brazil had been getting rave reviews in France. A truly epic first round encounter saw them outscore Poland 6-5. In Leonidas da Silva, a new star was born. The man nicknamed as ai???Black Diamondai??? scored a hattrick against Poland and followed it up with goals against Czechoslovakia in the first match as well as replayed game. Confident that his team would see off Italy, the Brazilian coach decided to rest his best player. Italy went on to win 2-1 and lift their second World Cup title. Leonidas came back for the bronze medal match and duly scored a brace to take his World Cup tally to seven goals in four matches. What if Leonidas had played that semi-final? Would Italy have had such an easy passage? Probably not.

Between 1936 and 1942 Leonidas was in breath-taking form, scoring 149 goals in 153 matches for Flamengo. It is all but likely that the Italian defence would have struggled to contain a player of such caliber. Italy, it has to be remembered, had very little exposure to the vastly different style of South American teams at that time. They didnai??i??t travel to Uruguay while most South American nations boycotted 1934 World Cup. Before playing Brazil, Italy had played a South American country only once – Uruguay in 1928 Olympics when they lost 3-2. And with Mussolini not pulling strings from the back-stage (as it was alleged), Italy wouldnai??i??t have got the advantages they had in 1934. As a counter argument it can be said that a tired Brazil side which had played over 350 minutes of football in a space of 11 days might have struggled against their fresher opponents. However, Brazil still troubled Italy in the semi-final and with their best player in the team, few would put their money on them to not progress.

..Roberto Baggio was fully fit for 1994 World Cup final

Egged on by a crowd of over 77,000 people, largely Italian, Roberto Baggio received a perfectly weighted ball from Dimitrio Albertini, beat the offside trap and scored past Borislav Mihailov from a narrow angle. Arrigo Sacchiai??i??s Italy had just played their best football in 1994 World Cup and raced to a 2-0 lead in their bid to reach the first world cup final in 12 years. Things started to go slightly downhill after that blitzing start. A penalty allowed Bulgaria largely outplayed by that time, to get a goal back. On 71st minute Roberto Baggio, scorer of 5 of the 6 goals Italy scored in knock-outs, was subbed out because of a hamstring injury. There were always reasons to be concerned when Il Codino got injured; he had never been the fittest of players since a career hampering injury as a teenager. Andrea Ferretti, Italian team physician, confirmed the worst ai??i?? ai???It definitely needs 48 hours of rest and then we’ll pretty much wait until the last minute.” Italy had other problems ai??i?? both Mauro Tassoti and Costacurta were suspended, veteran Franco Baresi was just coming back from a surgery. But Baggioai??i??s injury was the worst news for Sacchiai??i??s side; they simply couldnai??i??t afford to play without him.

Roberto Baggio did play in the final. And it was very clear that he was unfit and playing through a pain barrier. He fought off cramps but lasted for 120 minutes while his clever off the ball movement ai??i?? bane of so many teams over the years ai??i?? was absent. It didnai??i??t help that for long periods his every touch was followed by pressing from either Mauro Silva or Dunga. He was exhausted both physically and mentally when he stepped up to take the infamous fifth spot kick. The 1994 World Cup final was far from being a spectacle ai??i?? two defensive minded coaches had guided two powerhouses who had not won the title in a long time. It was cagey and tactical but Baggioai??i??s injury robbed away any attacking intent Italy could have shown in the final. Had Baggio been fully fit Italy was likely to try a few more of their famous counter attacks as the match wore on ai??i?? like the one which finished Spain off in the quarter-final.

..Ferenc Puskasai??i?? goal was not cancelled in 1954 World Cup final?

Although the legendary Hungarian side of 1950s never managed to win any major titles except an Olympic gold medal, they were involved with two matches which went on to shape the subsequent football culture of two countries. For England in 1953 the lessons came from depths of defeat but for West Germany, the victory in 1954 World Cup final was the single biggest milestone in the path for Die Mannschaft turning into a ruthless winning machine in later decades. Hungary rushed to a 2-0 lead in the final but West Germany, aided by Adolf Dasslerai??i??s muddy turf friendly boots slowly clawed their way back. The start of a familiar pattern. Hungary had several chances to score but it was the West Germans who completed an incredible comeback when Helmut Rahn grabbed their third with six minutes left on the clock. Ferenc Puskas, who had just became fit for the final thought he had equalized with four minutes later but his goal was controversially chalked off.

West Germanyai??i??s famous win has been subjected to controversy since then, be it allegations of doping or Western European officials preventing a communist country from winning the world cup. But even if Puskasai??i?? goal had not been chalked off, it is unlikely the final outcome would have been much different.

Hungary had already weathered two extremely taxing knock-out matches. The infamous and bruising ai???Battle of Berneai??? against Brazil was followed by a battle of attrition against defending champions Uruguay, often considered as the greatest world cup match ever. Hungary inflicted Uruguayai??i??s first world cup defeat in their history but needed extra time for it. The Germans, on the other hand, sailed through easier opponents in Yugoslavia and Austria. They were fresher and were well prepared for the turf, unlike Hungary. Sepp Herberger had planned his campaign to perfection, peaking at the right time. It may sound blasphemous but Germanyai??i??s win probably added more to football than Hungaryai??i??s would have added. The real reason behind disintegration of Magic Magyars was an invasion by USSR which scattered footballers around Europe, rather than the ai??i??54 final. Even if Hungary had won their golden generation would have still broken up. But had West Germany not won it we might have never witnessed the meteoric rise of one of the true super powers of world football.

..Johann Cruyff traveled for 1978 World Cup?

The 1980 Moscow Olympics was perhaps the most politically motivated sporting event in history; just a couple of years before it, football saw arguably the most politically manipulated tournament ever. The 1978 World Cup was filled with controversies General Videlaai??i??s regime had caused wide spread human rights violation in the build-up to the tournament which was eventually used as a cover-up by the administration. There were refereeing controversies throughout the tournament, including the infamous Argentina-Peru match. ai???There is no doubt that we were used politicallyai???, Ricky Villa would note later. And arguably the world’s greatest footballer was missing from the big stage.

But the Ernst Happel coached side was still very good in the World Cup, proof of the golden age they were experiencing. Although they lost their last group game to Scotland, they were never really in danger of not qualifying to the second round. Austria, which had topped their group ahead of Brazil and Spain, was clinically picked apart with a 5-1 scoreline, followed by a 2-2 fighting draw with defending champions West Germany. In a winner takes it all third match, Netherlands trailed 1-0 against Italy after just 18 minutes. Ernie Brandt scored an own goal but made up for his mistake with a second half equalizer. Arie Haanai??i??s legendary long range strike past Dino Zoff sealed a second consecutive final for the Dutch.

In the final the Dutch were on the receiving end of some brutal Argentine tackling with the referee apparently turning a blind eye to it. They even threatened to walk-out at some point. But even then, they could have won it, had Rob Resenbrinkai??i??s shot not bounced off the post with seconds left on the clock. If Cruyff had played that final, there is little to suggest the Dutch would have not won the title. At 31, the Dutch maestro was probably not the same player he was in 1974 but he had still scored 30 times for Barcelona in his previous two seasons. In the 1974 final, Cruyff was expertly marshaled by the Vogts-Beckenbaur duo and while Daniel Pasarella was a brilliant defender in his own right, it is likely that Cruyff would have found more space against Argentina and could prove to be decisive.

ai??i??India participated in 1950 World Cup?

Countries were still recovering from WW2 when the first post-war World Cup was scheduled to take place in Brazil. The Jules Rimet trophy was rescued from the shoe box under the bed, where it was confined to save it from prying troops and Brazil was chosen as hosts. Just four countries from Asia participated in the qualifiers and with Burma, Philippines and Indonesia withdrawing India qualified de facto. The newly independent nation though, chose to not travel at the last moment. A number of reasons have been cited for it ai??i?? Indian players were used to playing bare feet which FIFA wouldnai??i??t have allowed, the cost of travel was too high. A more viable reason was probably the Indian Federation, still entrenched in the concept of amateur football and Olympics, simply didnai??i??t take the World Cup seriously enough.

Ironically, the start of 1950s was also the beginning of a golden period of Indian football. Under the great SA Rahim a clutch of top level players had formed the crux of probably the strongest team in Asia. India almost upset France in 1948 Rome games and would go on to win gold in Asian Games football in 1951. The likes of Sailen Manna (selected as greatest Indian footballer of last millennium), Ahmed Khan and P Venkatesh were all accomplished players capable of matching the best in the business. India was to be grouped with Italy, Sweden and Paraguay. Italy, defending champions, was still reeling from the Superga tragedy which saw the national team lose most of its starters. To make matters worse, a fearful FIGC avoided air travel and the team was jaded thanks to the long sea travel to Brazil. Sweden, the Olympic gold winners in 1948 would have been a tough opponent as were Paraguay, Copa America runners up in 1949. India was likely to lose all their matches but still was capable of giving a tough fight.

Participation in World Cup would have boosted Indian football. A shock win would have brought even more focus on the sport back home and at the same time Indian players would have been able to gauge their exact level by playing against European and South American teams, which would have helped the game develop better. Giving the 1950 World Cup a miss will probably go down as the biggest blunder in the annuls of Indian football.

Baggio, India, Cruyff, Hungary & Other World Cup “What If” Moments

Recommended

How Manchester United could line up under Ruben Amorim

Five players Ruben Amorim should look to sign for Manchester United

Real Madrid and a defence that needs an immediate overhaul

Three potential January Real Madrid targets to cover for Eder Militao

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password