Soccer
World Cup stories: Gazza's tears and Germany's joy at Italia '90
Watch World Cup archive & programmes FREE on DAZN
Having begun our World Cup look-backs by reliving the last time the US hosted the tournament in 1994, we finish, with 51 days until kick-off, in that same decade, with all the delights from Italia '90.
A tournament played out to the soundtrack of Nessun Dorma, fueled by a changing world both in and out of the sport, the 1990 finals are cherished by many fans of a certain vintage.
Akin to its hosts, it was a defensively led World Cup, but with sprinklings of magic that have lived long in the memory and a summer that birthed new footballing superstars.
- Read next I 52 Days - Michael Owen names his top three forwards ahead of the tournament
The best goals of Italia '90
How it happened in 1990
Ciao to a new generation
Italy became only the second nation to host a World Cup for a second time (after Mexico in 1970 and 1986), having fought off competition from the USSR to become the setting for the 1990 World Cup.
At the time, the country was seen as having arguably the best league in the world in Serie A, and many of those star names would take part in a tournament that kick-started both a new decade and a new era for the sport.
Most notably for England, having left the dark days of the 1980s behind, Bobby Robson's well-liked Three Lions team sparked renewed vigour for the national team and helped usher in interest that, in turn, helped spawn the Premier League's success just two years later.
22 teams qualified for the tournament, with debuts for Costa Rica, the UAE and the Republic of Ireland, while it was a last finals for Europe's old guard, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, who would break up into separate nations over the subsequent years.
With Pavaroitti ringing in our ears and a mascot that screamed 90s art-deco, the tournament began with a shocking start and proceeded to deliver some truly iconic moments.
Getty
The moments that mattered
Things got going with a bang, thanks to one of the World Cup's biggest upsets as holders Argentina were beaten by African upstarts Cameroon. François Omam-Biyik's goal set in motion a memorable tournament for the Cameroonians, who, led by the corner-flag-jiggling exploits of Roger Milla, went all the way to the quarter-finals.
They were beaten by England, who had their best World Cup performance since winning the competition in 1966. Paul Gascoigne was the star of the show, mesmerising fans with his ability that saw England navigate their group, before beating Belgium thanks to David Platt's memorable volley and then seeing off Cameroon in the quarter-finals thanks to Gary Lineker's two spot-kicks.
However, it ended in tears, literally for Gazza as his booking in the semi-final would have ruled him out of a showpiece, but for the nation, too. Losing out to Germany in a gut-wrenching penalty shootout that saw Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle miss from the spot.
On the flipside, there were penalty heroics for Jack Charlton's Ireland, whose debut on the global stage saw them reach the quarter-finals and included a shootout win over Romania before being eliminated by the hosts.
The tournament also had its share of controversy. Germany's Rudi Voller and Dutch star Frank Rijkaard clashed in their teams' round of 16 clash, which saw Rijkaard spit in the hair of the German striker as his team were knocked out of the competition.
The stars of the finals
It was a summer when Gazza transitioned into a megastar, and as thousands greeted the England players on their return to Heathrow, it was the midfield maestro everyone wanted to see. His performances propelled him to superstardom, where Gascoigne's face was on everything from TV shows and shell suits to Spitting Image puppets and board games.
It wasn't just Gazza, though. Italy found a new goalscoring hero in Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci. The Juventus man went into the tournament as a fifth choice, but finished the finals by taking home the Golden Boot. It proved to be a career high for the hitman, who'd only score one more goal for his country as his career fizzled out following the tournament, but he remains the poster boy for the stage's unlikely heroes.
Then there was Germany and the machine in the middle, Lothar Mattheus, who powered his side all the way to the final and even managed to show up one Diego Maradona, who failed to live up to the high expectations of four years ago.
The finalGetty Images
Not by any means a classic, but Germany will not care.
In a World Cup where there was a record low of goals, there was one in the final and it came by way of a penalty from German forward Andres Brehme.
It was nothing more than what Franz Beckenbauer's team deserved, as they dominated the game, with 23 shots on goal to Argentina's one.
The German boss became the first man to both captain and manage a World Cup-winning team, and only the second man to win the World Cup as a player and as team manager.
STAFF/AFP via Getty Images
The legacy
The legacy for English football is seen by way of the tournament, when fans fell back in love with the beautiful game once again.
New Order made it cool to like football with their iconic World in Motion, and the team captured the nation as it went so close to reaching a second World Cup final - inspired by a new national hero.
Unfortunately, in hindsight, it's actually looked back on as one of the more pederistan tournaments. Low number of goals, pre-back-pass and a defensive tournament short of entertainment and lacking in a competitive final.
Yet, the soundtrack, the titles and the players are still often more revered than most.
Watch World Cup archive, highlights and documentaries for FREE on DAZN
DAZN is the home of FIFA+ , a vast library of football on-demand content including World Cup archive, iconic documentaries, player profiles, live matches and both full match replays and highlights.
Watch it all for FREE on DAZN on smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles and web browsers.
