Group F. England, Portugal, Poland, Morocco, playing mostly in Monterrey and one match in Guadalajara. A tough group too, but with one undisputed leader.
England.
Third row from left: Francis, Stevens, Dixon, Hoddle, Martin, Waddle, Watson, Fenwick, Lineker.
Middle row: Edwards – doctor, Strigg (?) – masseur, Anderson, Hateley, Shilton, Bailey, Woodcock, Barnes, Howe – assistant coach, Madura (?) – masseur.
Sitting: Sansom, Wilkins, Bryan Robson, Bobby Robson – coach, Wright (?), Steven, Brayswell (?)
Head coach: Bobby Robson
No.
Pos.
Player
Date of birth (age)
Caps
Club
1
GK
Peter Shilton
18 September 1949 (aged 36)
81
Southampton
2
DF
Gary M. Stevens
27 March 1963 (aged 23)
9
Everton
3
DF
Kenny Sansom
26 September 1958 (aged 27)
65
Arsenal
4
MF
Glenn Hoddle
27 October 1957 (aged 28)
33
Tottenham Hotspur
5
DF
Alvin Martin
29 July 1958 (aged 27)
15
West Ham United
6
DF
Terry Butcher
28 December 1958 (aged 27)
40
Ipswich Town
7
MF
Bryan Robson (Captain)
11 January 1957 (aged 29)
51
Manchester United
8
MF
Ray Wilkins
14 September 1956 (aged 29)
80
Milan
9
FW
Mark Hateley
7 November 1961 (aged 24)
18
Milan
10
FW
Gary Lineker
30 November 1960 (aged 25)
13
Everton
11
MF
Chris Waddle
14 December 1960 (aged 25)
16
Tottenham Hotspur
12
DF
Viv Anderson
29 July 1956 (aged 29)
21
Arsenal
13
GK
Chris Woods
14 November 1959 (aged 26)
4
Norwich City
14
DF
Terry Fenwick
17 November 1959 (aged 26)
15
Queens Park Rangers
15
DF
Gary A. Stevens
30 March 1962 (aged 24)
5
Tottenham Hotspur
16
MF
Peter Reid
20 June 1956 (aged 29)
6
Everton
17
MF
Trevor Steven
21 September 1963 (aged 22)
10
Everton
18
MF
Steve Hodge
25 October 1962 (aged 23)
3
Aston Villa
19
FW
John Barnes
7 November 1963 (aged 22)
27
Watford
20
FW
Peter Beardsley
18 January 1961 (aged 25)
5
Newcastle United
21
FW
Kerry Dixon
24 July 1961 (aged 24)
6
Chelsea
22
GK
Gary Bailey
9 August 1958 (aged 27)
2
Manchester United
It should be said right away, that the photo is not the World Cup squad and not even from 1986. Strangely enough, the English magazines did not really decide on publishing actual photo of the squad and they were not alone: the record the national team cut also shows the wrong squad, the same photo. Why was that is anybody’s guess: England was always a favourite, but there was special hope this time. Seemingly, Bobby Robson’s England was bound to return to glory. There was departure of the old English ways, now it was more up to date and more European-playing team. The biggest change was in the relation between midfield and strikers: at last England had creative players – Robson, Hoddle, and Waddle – able to orchestrate the attacks, and in front was wonderful Lineker, not at all the typical burly English center-forward stationed in front of the gate and waiting for sweeping balls from the wings. It was no more kick and run, or so it looked like. England was expected to go far. The only problem was health – all midfielders were prone to injuries. Without one or two of them it was possible the team returning to old kick and run way, habits don’s die in a day. Predictable English game would make the central defenders a liability for certain – Butcher and Fenwick were strong no nonsense fighters, but a bit dull and slow-turning – quick, imaginative strikers could beat them, especially if England lost the midfield. But, as a whole, England was the group favourite and expected to finish on top.
Portugal
Top row from left: ?, Andre, ?, ?, Fernando Mendes, Morato, Mario Jorge, Jaime, Nunes, Jose Antonio, Alvaro, Samuel, ?.
Middle row: ?, ?, ?, ?, Damas, Bento, Vital, Jorge Martins, ?, Rui Aguas, ?, Jose Torres – coach.
Sitting: Frederico, Oliveira, Venancio, Inacio, Jaime Pacheco, Sousa, Gomes, Diamantino, Joao Pinto, Futre, Veloso.
Head coach: José Torres
No.
Pos.
Player
Date of birth (age)
Caps
Club
1
GK
Manuel Bento (Captain)
25 June 1948 (aged 37)
62
Benfica
2
DF
João Pinto
21 November 1961 (aged 24)
22
Porto
3
MF
António Sousa
28 April 1957 (aged 29)
17
Sporting CP
4
MF
José Ribeiro
2 November 1957 (aged 28)
2
Boavista
5
DF
Álvaro
3 January 1961 (aged 25)
11
Benfica
6
MF
Carlos Manuel
15 January 1958 (aged 28)
39
Benfica
7
MF
Jaime Pacheco
22 July 1958 (aged 27)
21
Sporting CP
8
DF
Frederico
6 April 1957 (aged 29)
5
Boavista
9
FW
Fernando Gomes
22 November 1956 (aged 29)
42
Porto
10
FW
Paulo Futre
28 February 1966 (aged 20)
10
Porto
11
DF
Fernando Bandeirinha
26 November 1962 (aged 23)
0
Académica de Coimbra
12
GK
Jorge Martins
22 August 1954 (aged 31)
0
Belenenses
13
DF
António Morato
6 November 1964 (aged 21)
4
Sporting CP
14
MF
Jaime Magalhães
10 July 1962 (aged 23)
7
Porto
15
DF
António Oliveira
8 June 1958 (aged 27)
1
Benfica
16
DF
José António
29 October 1957 (aged 28)
2
Belenenses
17
MF
Diamantino
3 August 1959 (aged 26)
19
Benfica
18
DF
Luís Sobrinho
5 May 1961 (aged 25)
0
Belenenses
19
FW
Rui Águas
28 April 1960 (aged 26)
3
Benfica
20
DF
Augusto Inácio
1 February 1955 (aged 31)
22
Porto
21
MF
António André
24 December 1957 (aged 28)
5
Porto
22
GK
Vítor Damas
8 October 1947 (aged 38)
22727 Sporting Lisbon
Not exactly a favourite, but the wonderful performance of Portugal at the 1984 European finals was supposed not to carry on to 1986 – it was largely promising performance of bright, but not yet at its peak team. Now the team was supposed to be peaking and it was talented generation, especially in attack. Chalana’s absence was severe handicap, but new extremely talented boy popped up: Paulo Futre. Portugal was the likeliest candidate for second place.
Poland
Head coach: Antoni Piechniczek
No.
Pos.
Player
Date of birth (age)
Caps
Club
1
GK
Józef Młynarczyk
20 September 1953 (aged 32)
38
Porto
2
DF
Kazimierz Przybyś
11 July 1960 (aged 25)
9
Widzew Łódź
3
DF
Władysław Żmuda
6 June 1954 (aged 31)
90
Cremonese
4
DF
Marek Ostrowski
22 November 1959 (aged 26)
26
Pogoń Szczecin
5
DF
Roman Wójcicki
8 January 1958 (aged 28)
49
Widzew Łódź
6
MF
Waldemar Matysik
27 September 1961 (aged 24)
42
Górnik Zabrze
7
MF
Ryszard Tarasiewicz
27 April 1962 (aged 24)
12
Śląsk Wrocław
8
FW
Jan Urban
14 May 1962 (aged 24)
13
Górnik Zabrze
9
FW
Jan Karaś
17 March 1959 (aged 27)
6
Legia Warsaw
10
DF
Stefan Majewski
31 January 1956 (aged 30)
36
1. FC Kaiserslautern
11
FW
Włodzimierz Smolarek
16 July 1957 (aged 28)
48
Widzew Łódź
12
GK
Jacek Kazimierski
17 August 1959 (aged 26)
16
Legia Warsaw
13
MF
Ryszard Komornicki
14 August 1959 (aged 26)
14
Górnik Zabrze
14
DF
Dariusz Kubicki
6 June 1963 (aged 22)
11
Legia Warsaw
15
MF
Andrzej Buncol
21 September 1959 (aged 26)
49
Legia Warsaw
16
MF
Andrzej Pałasz
22 July 1960 (aged 25)
34
Górnik Zabrze
17
FW
Andrzej Zgutczyński
1 January 1958 (aged 28)
4
Górnik Zabrze
18
DF
Krzysztof Pawlak
12 February 1958 (aged 28)
22
Lech Poznań
19
GK
Józef Wandzik
13 August 1963 (aged 22)
3
Górnik Zabrze
20
MF
Zbigniew Boniek (Captain)
3 March 1956 (aged 30)
74
Roma
21
FW
Dariusz Dziekanowski
30 September 1962 (aged 23)
33
Legia Warsaw
22
FW
Jan Furtok
9 March 1962 (aged 24)
4
GKS Katowice
Poland was not a favourite largely because the team developed little after the 1982 World Cup – Boniek and Smolarek were lethal duo, but most key players, Boniek included, aged and among the new crop only Jan Furtok was truly classy. Plenty of experience, but somewhat uninspired squad and then there was tradition… the pattern was already established: bronze medalists in 1974, mediocre in 1978, again surprise bronze in 1982 – now it was time for mediocrity. Poland was not to be outsider, of course, but third place was likelier than second. One important thing should be said: Wladyslaw Zmuda was coming to his 4th World Cup. Few players were members of this club and he was expected to really join them, for so far true membership meant not just making the roster, but actually playing at the finals – Zmuda was constant regular, so it was unlikely he would sit on the bench. And he was not even 32 years old yet – the way Poland was going, he had the chance to become the first player to appear at 5 World Cups, but that concerned the 1990 finals.
Morocco
First row from left: Rakhji (?), Fidadi, Bidane, Barbori, Labied, Haidamou, Timoumi, Lamriss, Kadani (?).
Standing: Souleimani, Fadili, Bouyahyaoui, Sahil, Zaki, Moudani, Rhiati, Yakdani (?), El Biyaz, Hcina El Ourdi.
Head coach: José Faria
No.
Pos.
Player
Date of birth (age)
Caps
Club
1
GK
Badou Zaki (Captain)
2 April 1959 (aged 27)
N/A
Wydad Casablanca
2
DF
Labid Khalifa
1 January 1955 (aged 31)
N/A
Kenitra
3
DF
Abdelmajid Lamriss
12 February 1959 (aged 27)
N/A
FAR Rabat
4
DF
Mustafa El Biyaz
12 December 1960 (aged 25)
N/A
KAC Marrakesh
5
DF
Noureddine Bouyahyaoui
7 January 1955 (aged 31)
N/A
Kenitra
6
MF
Abdelmajid Dolmy
19 April 1953 (aged 33)
N/A
Raja Casablanca
7
MF
Mustafa El Haddaoui
28 July 1961 (aged 24)
N/A
Lausanne
8
MF
Aziz Bouderbala
26 December 1960 (aged 25)
N/A
Sion
9
FW
Abdelkrim Merry “Krimau”
13 January 1955 (aged 31)
N/A
Le Havre
10
MF
Mohamed Timoumi
15 January 1960 (aged 26)
N/A
FAR Rabat
11
FW
Mustafa Merry
21 April 1958 (aged 28)
N/A
Valenciennes
12
GK
Salahdine Hmied
1 September 1961 (aged 24)
N/A
FAR Rabat
13
FW
Abdelfettah Rhiati
25 February 1963 (aged 23)
N/A
Maghreb Fez
14
DF
Lahcen Ouadani
14 July 1959 (aged 26)
N/A
FAR Rabat
15
MF
Mouncif El Haddaoui
21 October 1964 (aged 21)
N/A
AS Sale
16
MF
Azzedine Amanallah
7 April 1956 (aged 30)
N/A
Besançon
17
FW
Abderrazak Khairi
20 November 1962 (aged 23)
N/A
FAR Rabat
18
MF
Mohammed Sahil
11 October 1963 (aged 22)
N/A
KAC Marrakesh
19
MF
Fadel Jilal
4 March 1964 (aged 22)
N/A
Wydad Casablanca
20
DF
Abdellah Bidane
10 September 1965 (aged 20)
N/A
CODM Meknes
21
MF
Abdelaziz Souleimani
30 April 1958 (aged 28)
N/A
Maghreb Fez
22
GK
Abdelfettah Mouddani
30 July 1956 (aged 29)
N/A
Kenitra
Morocco was outsider, yet, not precisely an outsider – because of the rise of African football in the 1980s, teams like Morocco were waited with caution by now: everybody remembered well the performance of Cameroon and Algeria four years earlier. Surprises were more than possible, the Brazilian coach Faria not only did a good job qualifying the team to the finals, but the Moroccans were wise – his hiring was not fly-by-night affair: unlike the rather typical African approach to hire foreign coach just for the finals and fire him right after, Faria was working in Morocco for quite a long time, he made the team, shaped it into the style he wanted it to be. And it did not look like the coach was to be sacked and blamed for everything after the finals. Thus, Morocco was on solid ground, there was no hysteria and fantastic expectations. The calm surrounding the team was very likely productive and if there was a team expected to make a surprise performance, it was Morocco. The squad was largely unknown, it did not have known players like Algeria, and less European-based professionals than same Algeria, but still they had quite a few, enough to provide experience. Timoumi was the star, but it was possible that some others would make their names at the finals – there was good reason to try one’s best: European contract. And the group was opportune: with some luck, Morocco could have its day against current Poland and Portugal. Yet, mostly favourable impressions were the most expected from Morocco, most likely they to finish last.