The 2006 World Cup is my favourite and the Italy v Germany semi-final and Italy v France final were two unforgettable games for me.
It looked like the Germans could not be beaten and were heading for another World Cup title at home before their semi-final clash with Italy. It was like a battle of the titans with Germany displaying incredible desire to win. The quality of football was brilliant, but Germany was outclassed in the end by an Italian team of the highest caliber.
The Italy v France final has to be one of the best World Cup finals in history and certainly the best one in my memory (since 1990). The two teams could not have been more different. France playing beautiful attacking football against the Italian catenaccio.
Zidane was at his very best and hungry to get a second World Cup title in the last match of his career. France looked much stronger and attacked relentlessly, but came up against an impenetrable Italian wall headed by their captain, Cannavaro. I know Pirlo received the Man of the Match award for that final, but to me it was Cannavaro's heroism that saw Italy win the title. I am yet to see a better defender.
Who can forget the drama that Materazzi created by first causing France's penalty, then scoring the only Italian goal and then getting headbutted by Zidane in a moment of inexplicable madness which probably cost France the title?
It's as if both teams were playing for their lives and were prepared to die on the pitch for the win. The football was phenomenal with superstars Zidane and Pirlo at their best and both teams being of the highest quality.
It's something I have missed a little in the quarter finals at the 2014 World Cup. Some teams were playing as if they thought they would be back to try again in four years' time, not like this was their last chance to win a World Cup. I hope we get to see the hunger of the 2006 sides in the last remaining matches.
What were your most memorable/best World Cup semi-finals and finals?
It looked like the Germans could not be beaten and were heading for another World Cup title at home before their semi-final clash with Italy. It was like a battle of the titans with Germany displaying incredible desire to win. The quality of football was brilliant, but Germany was outclassed in the end by an Italian team of the highest caliber.
The Italy v France final has to be one of the best World Cup finals in history and certainly the best one in my memory (since 1990). The two teams could not have been more different. France playing beautiful attacking football against the Italian catenaccio.
Zidane was at his very best and hungry to get a second World Cup title in the last match of his career. France looked much stronger and attacked relentlessly, but came up against an impenetrable Italian wall headed by their captain, Cannavaro. I know Pirlo received the Man of the Match award for that final, but to me it was Cannavaro's heroism that saw Italy win the title. I am yet to see a better defender.
Who can forget the drama that Materazzi created by first causing France's penalty, then scoring the only Italian goal and then getting headbutted by Zidane in a moment of inexplicable madness which probably cost France the title?
It's as if both teams were playing for their lives and were prepared to die on the pitch for the win. The football was phenomenal with superstars Zidane and Pirlo at their best and both teams being of the highest quality.
It's something I have missed a little in the quarter finals at the 2014 World Cup. Some teams were playing as if they thought they would be back to try again in four years' time, not like this was their last chance to win a World Cup. I hope we get to see the hunger of the 2006 sides in the last remaining matches.
What were your most memorable/best World Cup semi-finals and finals?