Group C – Football Journey

Group C. France, USSR, Hungary, and Canada, playing in Leon and Irapuato.

France

Top row, from left: Thierry Tusseau, William Ayache, Yannick Stopyra, Michel Bibard, Bernard Genghini, Phillipe Vercruysse, Daniel Xuereb.

Middle row: Phillipe Bergeroo, Maxime Bossis, Yvon Le Roux, Patrick Battiston, Joel Bats, Jean Tigana, Luis Fernandez, Manuel Amoros, Albert Rust.

Bottom: Alain Giresse, Jean-Pierre Papin, Jean-Marc Ferreri, Henri Michel – coach, Bruno Bellone, Dominique Rocheteau, Michel Platinin.

Head coach: Henri Michel

No.

Pos.

Player

Date of birth (age)

Caps

Club

Joël Bats

4 January 1957 (aged 29)

Paris Saint-Germain

Manuel Amoros

1 February 1962 (aged 24)

Monaco

William Ayache

10 January 1961 (aged 25)

Nantes

Patrick Battiston

12 March 1957 (aged 29)

Bordeaux

Michel Bibard

30 November 1958 (aged 27)

Paris Saint-Germain

Maxime Bossis

26 June 1955 (aged 30)

Racing Paris

Yvon Le Roux

19 April 1960 (aged 26)

Nantes

Thierry Tusseau

19 January 1958 (aged 28)

Bordeaux

Luis Fernández

2 October 1959 (aged 26)

Paris Saint-Germain

Michel Platini (Captain)

21 June 1955 (aged 30)

Juventus

Jean-Marc Ferreri

26 December 1962 (aged 23)

Auxerre

Alain Giresse

2 September 1952 (aged 33)

Bordeaux

Bernard Genghini

18 January 1958 (aged 28)

Monaco

Jean Tigana

23 June 1955 (aged 30)

Bordeaux

Philippe Vercruysse

28 January 1962 (aged 24)

Lens

Bruno Bellone

14 March 1962 (aged 24)

Monaco

Jean-Pierre Papin

5 November 1963 (aged 22)

Club Brugge

Dominique Rocheteau

14 January 1955 (aged 31)

Paris Saint-Germain

Yannick Stopyra

9 January 1961 (aged 25)

Toulouse

Daniel Xuereb

22 June 1959 (aged 26)

Lens

Philippe Bergeroo

13 January 1954 (aged 32)

Toulouse

Albert Rust

10 October 1953 (aged 32)

Sochaux

Numbers were given alphabetically, except to goalkeepers, where tradition was continued – France used 1, 21, and 22 for the goalies – and Platini and Giresse, who used their favourite numbers 10 and 12. Nothing really important, just like the numbers Argentina used, and the fuss made over that was mostly related to the conservatism in vogue by mid-80s – so, the frivolity of the 1970s was forgotten… Apart from nonsense news, France was favourite, at least in the this group. Reigning European champions, experienced, solid, playing fascinating football, led by Platini – they were expected to go far, why not even winning the championship? But there were skeptics as well: key players were getting old, long-lasting problems with the attacking line, newcomers, who were well known, but hardly on the level of the players they replaced, somewhat unlucky tradition of playing great football, but soft when really mattered and losing under real pressure. Most of that, rightly or wrongly, was amalgamated around increasing journalistic anger with Platini, who acted as a spoiled brat in their view, when dealing with journalists. He was accused of running the team and telling Michel what to do, in the same time concerned only with making more money and not with his ‘patriotic’ duties. Some of it was true, but it became focus and central point around which everything else was piled up. Objectively, France did not play very well after winning the European championship, had traditional problems with its strikers, and was beatable in crucial games, but the midfield and Platini were capable to overcome other weaknesses in a good day. Henri Michel did not introduce any conceptual changes, which was reasonable, for having Platini, one better structure the game around him. France was the favourite of this group.

USSR.

Sitting from left: S. Myshalov – doctor, O. Protassov, N. Larionov, A. Bal, I. Yaremchuk, V. Bessonov, V. Evtushenko, A. Zavarov, V Ratz, I. Belanov.

Second row: ?, S. Aleynikov, O. Kuznetzov, S. Krakovsky, R. Dassaev, S. Rodionov, S. Mosyagin – assistant coach, Yu. Morozov – assistant coach, N. Simonyan – team chief, V. Lobanovsky – coach, G. Litovchenko, P. Yakovenko, A. Demyanenko, A. Bubnov, V. Chanov, O. Blokhin, G. Morozov.

Head coach: Valeri Lobanovsky

No.

Pos.

Player

Date of birth (age)

Caps

Club

Rinat Dasayev

13 June 1957 (aged 28)

Spartak Moscow

Vladimir Bessonov

5 March 1958 (aged 28)

Dinamo Kyiv

Aleksandr Chivadze

8 April 1955 (aged 31)

Dinamo Tbilisi

Genady Morozov

30 December 1962 (aged 23)

Spartak Moscow

Anatoliy Demyanenko (Captain)

19 February 1959 (aged 27)

Dinamo Kyiv

Aleksandr Bubnov

10 October 1955 (aged 30)

Spartak Moscow

Ivan Yaremchuk

19 March 1962 (aged 24)

Dinamo Kyiv

Pavel Yakovenko

19 December 1964 (aged 21)

Dinamo Kyiv

Aleksandr Zavarov

24 April 1961 (aged 25)

Dinamo Kyiv

OlehgKuznetsov

22 March 1963 (aged 23)

Dinamo Kyiv

Oleg Blokhin

5 November 1952 (aged 33)

104

Dinamo Kyiv

Andrey Bal

16 February 1958 (aged 28)

Dinamo Kyiv

Genady Litovchenko

11 September 1963 (aged 22)

Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk

Sergey Rodionov

3 September 1962 (aged 23)

Spartak Moscow

Nikolay Larionov

19 January 1957 (aged 29)

Zenit Leningrad

Viktor Chanov

21 July 1959 (aged 26)

Dinamo Kyiv

Vadim Evtushenko

1 January 1958 (aged 28)

Dinamo Kyiv

Oleg Protasov

4 February 1964 (aged 22)

Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk

Ihog Belanov

25 September 1960 (aged 25)

Dinamo Kyiv

Sergey Aleinikov

7 November 1961 (aged 24)

Dinamo Minsk

Vassily Ratz

25 April 1961 (aged 25)

Dinamo Kyiv

Sergey Krakovsky

11 August 1960 (aged 25)

Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk

Once again Lobanovsky was trusted with the national team, hence, it was saturated with Dinamo (Kiev) players – 12 – but it was different than similar tries going back 10 years. Now Dinamo (Kiev) was again in excellent from, fresh from European success. And Ukrainian football, leading the Soviet game for a long time, had another very strong club, so the total of Ukranian players was 15. The rest were well known players from recent Soviet champions, all already well established in the national team. It was a squad generally at the perfect age – roughly, around 25 years old. The conceptual duel Dinamo (Kiev) vs Spartak (Moscow) was seemingly settled to satisfaction: there were Spartak players, but only truly strong, nothing experimental and causing doubts. Traditionally, the Soviets were taken seriously and this was a vintage particularly strong, but in the same time there was reluctance to consider them a big favourite: yes, the memories of 1982 were good, but the team was quickly eliminated. Did not reach the European finals in 1984. Had difficulties qualifying to the 1986 finals. Lobanovsky was a great coach, but it was also well known that his despotic methods not always worked and in recent years rebellions against him surfaced. Using his own Dinamo (Kiev) as the national team was tried and it was a big failure before. This time, though, it was selection of the truly tested and proven best Soviet players, so there was little to argue against Lobanovsky’s selection and at least back-room battles and stabbing were seemingly absent – good for moral. In any case, Spartak had pitiful record of failing to win a title for years and inability to make a really strong balanced squad, so there was nothing to accuse Lobanovsky of favoritism: the three Spartak players were pretty much all the opposition had to offer no matter who was coaching the Soviet team. Two of them – Dassaev and Bubnov – were regular starters, so there was absolutely nothing the Moscow critics could use against the Ukrainian domination. The only problem was the checkered record of the national team. USSR was expected to finish 2nd in the group and depending on how they played in the group, some other predictions could emerge, but not before that. It was an easy group, there was no doubt the team will go ahead to the next stage.

Hungary

Head coach: György Mezey

No.

Pos.

Player

Date of birth (age)

Caps

Club

Péter Disztl

30 March 1960 (aged 26)

Videoton

Sándor Sallai

26 March 1960 (aged 26)

Budapest Honvéd

Antal Róth

14 September 1960 (aged 25)

Pécsi Munkás

József Varga

9 October 1954 (aged 31)

Denizlispor

József Kardos

22 March 1960 (aged 26)

Újpesti Dózsa

Imre Garaba

29 July 1958 (aged 27)

Budapest Honvéd

József Kiprich

6 September 1963 (aged 22)

Tatabányai Bányász

Antal Nagy (Captain)

17 October 1956 (aged 29)

Budapest Honvéd

László Dajka

29 April 1959 (aged 27)

Budapest Honvéd

Lajos Détári

24 April 1963 (aged 23)

Budapest Honvéd

Márton Esterházy

9 April 1956 (aged 30)

AEK Athens

József Csuhay

12 July 1957 (aged 28)

Videoton

László Disztl

4 June 1962 (aged 23)

Videoton

Zoltán Péter

23 March 1958 (aged 28)

Zalaegerszeg

Péter Hannich

30 March 1957 (aged 29)

Rába ETO Győr

József Nagy

20 October 1960 (aged 25)

Szombathelyi Haladás

Győző Burcsa

13 March 1954 (aged 32)

Auxerre

József Szendrei

25 April 1954 (aged 32)

Újpesti Dózsa

György Bognár

5 November 1961 (aged 24)

MTK Hungária

Kálmán Kovács

11 September 1965 (aged 20)

Budapest Honvéd

Gyula Hajszán

9 October 1961 (aged 24)

Rába ETO Győr

József Andrusch

31 March 1956 (aged 30)

Budapest Honvéd

Hungary started the year with impressive 3-0 victory over Brazil, but the expectations were modest even at home. Unlike 1982 finals, this time it was not a squad heavily based on foreign-based players – Honved and Videoton, the best teams at the moment, provided the backbone of the national team. It was also slightly younger squad than the 1982 one, but quite short on great talent. Lajos Detari was the big star, Garaba, Kiprich, Hannich, Peter Disztl, and may be Esterhazy and Sallai were the best Hungary had at this time and it was not much. And, except Detari, all current stars paled in comparison with names from recent past. Short of miracle, Hungary was expected to finish third in the group.

Canada

Head coach: Tony Waiters

Tino Lettieri

27 September 1957 (aged 28)

Minnesota Strikers

Bob Lenarduzzi

1 May 1955 (aged 31)

Tacoma Stars

Bruce Wilson (Captain)

20 June 1951 (aged 34)

no club

Randy Ragan

7 June 1959 (aged 26)

no club

Terry Moore

2 June 1958 (aged 27)

Glentoran

Ian Bridge

18 September 1959 (aged 26)

La Chaux-de-Fonds

Carl Valentine

4 July 1958 (aged 27)

Cleveland Force

Gerry Gray

20 January 1961 (aged 25)

Chicago Sting

Branko Šegota

8 June 1961 (aged 24)

San Diego Sockers

Igor Vrablic

19 July 1965 (aged 20)

Seraing

Mike Sweeney

25 December 1959 (aged 26)

Cleveland Force

Randy Samuel

23 December 1963 (aged 22)

PSV Eindhoven

George Pakos

14 August 1952 (aged 33)

Victoria Athletic Association

Dale Mitchell

21 April 1958 (aged 28)

Tacoma Stars

Paul James

11 November 1963 (aged 22)

Monterrey

Greg Ion

12 March 1963 (aged 23)

Los Angeles Lazers

David Norman

6 May 1962 (aged 24)

Tacoma Stars

Jamie Lowery

15 January 1961 (aged 25)

no club

Pasquale De Luca

26 May 1962 (aged 24)

Cleveland Force

Colin Miller

4 October 1964 (aged 21)

Glasgow Rangers

Sven Habermann

3 November 1961 (aged 24)

no club

Paul Dolan

16 April 1966 (aged 20)

Edmonton Brickmen

Outsiders. Canada was just happy to reach World Cup finals, a miracle enough. Her squad presented curiosity mostly because there were so many players without any club – not a new thing, Tarantini after all became world champion having no club to play for, but in the past such anomalies were rare and exceptional. Canada elevated the anomaly to entirely new level, a level never to be reached and beaten: Kicker Magazine listed 10 players without a club, finally they were reduced to 4. Of those who played organized football, many played indor-football in the USA – not the real game. Those anomalies were a direct result of the collapse of NASL, where most Canadians used to play – now they were suddenly out of jobs. Which was not entirely negative situation: on one hand, those were professional players at heart, so now they had to look for new opportunity – going to play in Europe or hoping to do so. On the other hand, the Canadian Federation provided the clubless players with financial support and training facilities, so practically the national team operated like a club team – coach and players were together all the time, there is plenty of time to get to know each other both on the pitch and in general. It was familiar approach used by many developing countries and some times it worked. Canada was expected to play with heart and try the best they can – it was a team with British background, like Australia and New Zealand before, but with a difference somewhat in their favour: Aussies in 1974 and Qiwis in 1982 were essentially amateurs – the Canadians were professionals. Not great professionals, but still professionals, eager to get contracts. They had personal ambitions on their minds, for jobs were at stake – Canada was going to lose, no doubt about it, but it was a team expected to do its best, to provide lively opposition to any team. A miracle was unlikely to happen, but European contracts could be signed after Canada played her three games. That was the whole mood in the team: modest and happy. Sometimes its best to be like that – no expectations to worry you, no conflicts and raw nerves, no big pressures.