21 Awesome facts about the World Cups; Mussolini threatened the national team in 1938

In 1930 the first World Cup was held in history, and in all this time, we have seen glorious feats, the emergence of legends, great failures, unforgettable goals, in short, everything that makes us vibrate when the ball rolls.

Here we bring you some curious facts about the world cups, now that you live the passion for Russia 2018.

The first game, there were two ...

The opening match, in fact there were two, because they were played simultaneously: the United States against Belgium and France against Mexico, with triumphs of the United States 3-0, and France 4-1 over the Mexicans.

2 . Single headquarters

Now that we see the matches in different venues, including that a World Cup was already held in two different countries (Korea-Japan), and that it will soon be held in three (Mexico, the United States and Canada), it is strange to think that the first world had all its games in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay.

3 . The revenge

As several European countries refused to participate in the Uruguay World Cup in 1930, the Uruguayans, who were the world champions (and the first in history), refused to participate in Italy, so they did not defend their title.

4 . Constancy

The Brazilian team is the only one that has participated in all the World Cups, maybe that, plus their good football, has given more opportunities and are the top winners with 5 cups in the world.

5 . The King

By the way, of those 5 titles from Brazil, Pele, considered by many the best player in history, participated in 3, something that no player has been able to achieve. Many did not win a single world ...

6 . Only 8

In 88 years of history, only 8 teams have won the World Cup. For Russia, at least Italy did not participate and the Germans are already out, so there are more possibilities for a different selection.

7 . Less bad

It is said that in order not to lose prestige, Benito Mussolini told the national team in 1938 that they won the cup or condemned them to death. As they knew that Mussolini would fulfill that warning, they played with everything, and fortunately, they won the World Cup in their country.

8 . The divine one-armed

Héctor Castro, of the Uruguayan national team, had only one arm, and was known as "El Divino Manco". He scored the fourth goal of his team in the first world championship of 1930, against Argentina, and so he won the cup.

The hand of god

Speaking of arms and hands, in the World Cup in Mexico 86, Diego Armando Maradona, considered by those who are not with Pele, as the best player in history, scored a goal with his hand, which was marked as valid by the referee, what served for his team to beat England and qualify for the final.

10 . The sincere

Since we are with arbitration errors, we must say that they are common, but it is not that a referee recognizes his error, and less, that he says he did it on purpose: Joao Etzel Filho, a Hungarian referee, admitted that in the match between Colombia and Russia, in the World Cup of Chile 62, favored the Colombians, as revenge for the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956.

11 . The cup under a bed

During the first World Cup the Jules Rimet Cup was awarded to the winner of the World Cup, but in 1938, with the Second World War, an Italian leader hid it under a mattress, to prevent it from being stolen.

12 . The English

As they considered themselves superior for having invented soccer, the English refused to participate in the first World Cups, so they appeared until 1950 in this event. However, that superiority has not been proven, because they have only been able to win a World Cup, in 1966, held just in England, and with a goal that was not valid ...

13 . It is not true

Following with the English, precisely in their first World Cup, in 1950, they lost against the United States, which was considered a very weak team, which generated that when receiving the telegraph cables with the information, in England they did not believe it, and there were hundreds of orders to reconfirm the data.

14 . Barefoot

In that 1950 World Cup, held in Brazil, the Indian national team had qualified, but FIFA prohibited them from playing barefoot, as they did in their country, so they refused to participate.

15 . The greatest assistance

Yes, also in 1950 the largest influx to a World Cup match was registered, and it was in the final, in the match between Brazil and Uruguay, at the Maracana stadium, with an entrance of 199,854 spectators, most of whom left crying, because the Brazilians lost at home, which is known as "the maracanazo".

16 . Pity

In Russia 2018, Gianluigi Buffon, Italian goalkeeper, would have broken the record of the player with the most World Cups, reaching 6, but unfortunately Italy did not qualify. He stayed with 5, next to Lothar Matthaus, of Germany, and the Mexicans Antonio Carvajal and Rafael Márquez.

17 . The scorer

Scoring goals in the World Cups is not easy, and many of the big stars have achieved few. The German Miroslav Klose has the record with 16 goals scored in the World Cup, followed by Ronaldo, of Brazil, with 15. Just Fontaine, of France, has 13, and all made in the same world cup, in Sweden 1958.

18 . Two consecutive

Only Brazil and Italy have managed to win the World Cup on two consecutive occasions. Germany could do it in Russia 2018, after winning in 2014, but was eliminated in the group stage.

19 . From the same land

No technician who directs a selection that is not the one of its country, has won the world-wide one in which it participates.

20 . Effectiveness

Only on 4 occasions has a team won all its games: Uruguay in 1930, with 4; Italy in 1938, with 4; Brazil in 1970 with 6; again, Brazil in 2002, with 7.

21 . Missing the big step

Mexico is the team that has qualified to the most world (16) without winning the cup.