OriginalLondonLion offers something that I certainly never knew;
While we are waiting, why not sit back, relax, enjoy the World Cup and before that the European Cup Final, or Champions League Final?
Last season’s German away-day to Wembley was odd, this year is even more peculiar with a Capital City Derby taking place in the wrong Capital. So you might imagine that nothing that happened on May 26 1982 would still be unique – as far as I know it is.
There was a friendly atmosphere in Rotterdam between the Bayern fans and Villa, a welcome and sharp contrast to the Anderlecht game in Brussels. A German came up to me in the square where there had been a good natured kick about game in kit between the Villans and Bayern fans and asked if he could have my by then tatty copy of the Daily Telegraph. He offered me an upmarket German paper or a Bild Zeitung in return. I went for the rag because my German is schlecht. It had a list of reasons why Bayern had to win. One of them was that they had never lost a cup final in their history. Ho Ho – always a first time.
One other reason was such a surprise to me I had to get the German to translate it as confirmation. Villa would be the first team to win the cup with NO current International players! There are various ways of defining ‘current’ but if players who had not been in the starting 11 or subs for their country’s last international game is a reasonable definition then Bild was right. Needless to say I have been checking since and the Cup winners have always had at least one current international, Real and Athetico should have several.
