The History of the World Cup
With the World Cup memories of Sir Bobby Charlton

by Brian Glanville

Read by Bob Wilson

This lively history of the world’s greatest sporting event outside the Olympics is told by veteran football journalist and historian Brian Glanville, and read by the former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson.

There is a full account of each of the Finals since the first event in 1922 – the goals, the controversies, the rivalries – with the national anthems of each host country setting the scene to the 2002 event in Japan and Korea.

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4 CDs
Running Time: c.5 hours
ISBN: 9-62634-404-0
Catalogue no: NA440412
US SRP: $28.98 / CANADA SRP: Can$37.95

A spectacular addition to this title is the personal view of one of the great heroes of the game, Sir Bobby Charlton, who speaks eloquently of his passion for the event and the game itself:

“Ever since I found out that England had lost to the United States in 1950 I have been interested in the World Cup. What a competition that is, you know, the best football countries in the world, and what a competition to play for, and to see who is playing! And we, England lost to the United States! It was a total humiliation, because England were supposed to be the leaders in world football and they were playing the United States who had no history at all.

In Belo Horizonte in Brazil in 1950, they beat England 1–0 and England were knocked out of the World Cup by really inferior players. Ever since I heard of that, I have been interested in the World Cup.

In 1954 I had just signed for Manchester United and we went to Switzerland on a little mini-tour in the summer. It was just before the World Cup was being held in Switzerland and we were playing in a small place up in the mountains. When we started to play everyone noticed there was a group of about thirty or forty people in yellow shirts. It was the Brazilian national team. They’d come down to see us play!

They were staying in that area and they must have been bored to tears, you know, waiting for the World Cup to start so they came to watch us. We won 8–1 I remember, and they tried to sign one of our players, Billy Whelan, (he was a great player,) and that got me interested in the World Cup that year.

It seemed at the start that Hungary at that time was the superior nation – Puskas, Hidegkuti, Koscis...they had phenomenal players and they were on a roll and they were beating everyone. They were really the favourites. They had beaten Germany in the qualifying round 8–0 and everyone said: ‘You know, it has got to be Hungary...’

But Germany got through to the final and beat Hungary. It was also in that year that saw for the first time the hostility that can develop, the enmity, the rivalry, that can exist between South America and Europe. The players of Hungary and Brazil were in stand-up fights in the middle of the pitch. I watched this and thought, well, this is not football. But this was the magic of the World Cup, you know. They all felt that this was the only opportunity they had to win the biggest prize.

In 1958 I was fortunate enough to be selected to play the World Cup, which was held in Sweden this time – a very different atmosphere. This was the occasion when a young player called Pele emerged on the scene. You always think when the World Cup comes: ‘This is marvellous, you will get a glimpse of players you have never seen before.’ It is very difficult to feel that these days because it is so easy to watch television and see any part of the world instantly. But in those days you didn’t. And suddenly this young 17 year was performing like nobody had ever seen. It was part of the whole magic of football that this seventeen-year-old could come and win the biggest prize.

We played against Brazil in the early stages (before Pele actually played) and we drew 0–0. I wasn’t playing unfortunately. I was watching from the stand – I never got a game in 1958.

And then he got into the team in the semi-final and the final and scored phenomenal goals. It just went round the world, wow! Who’s this Pele, fantastic. And after that everybody expected the Brazilians would be good and probably they’ve made more mark on world football than any other country. The Brazilians started producing fantastic players who always seemed to emerge during a World Cup.”

Sir Bobby goes on to talk about the extraordinary year that was 1966...