The Premier League superseded the First Division of the Football League as the top flight of English football in 1992, when member clubs opted to maximise their earning potential by breaking away from the Football League. Since 1992/93, just seven clubs – namely Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United – have won the Premier League and none of them were managed by an Englishman in any of their title-winning seasons.
Of course, Sir Alex Ferguson is far and away the most successful manager in the history of the Premier League with 13 wins, but he is Scottish, not English. A similar comment applies to Sir Kenny Dalglish, who guided Blackburn Rovers to their one and only title in the 1994/95, while the other title-winning managers were Chilean, French, German, Italian and Swiss.
The last English manager to win the top division of the football league system in his native country was, in fact, Howard Wilkinson. Wilkinson became manager of Leeds United in October 1988, following the sacking of his predecessor, Billy Bremner. The following season, 1989/90, United won the Second Division title and, on their return to the First Division, finished fourth, albeit 19 points behind champions Arsenal.
Ahead of the 1991/92 season, Wilkinson broke the club transfer record twice to bring in defender Tony Dorigo from Chelsea and striker Rod Wallace from Southampton, along with midfielder Steve Hodge from Nottingham Forest. Later in the season, he further strengthened his squad with the acquisition of another striker, Eric Cantona, from Nimes. In the season as a whole, Leeds United lost just four games and clinched the First Division title with a game to spare.
At the time of writing, Wales’ goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has recently made headlines by becoming the first player to be sent off at the 2022 World Cup. With four minutes of normal time remaining in Wales’ third and final Group B match, against Iran, Hennessey raced from his goal line to clear a long, over-the-top ball. However, he missed the ball completely as onrushing Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi toe-poked past him and succeeded only in catching his opponent in the face with an unsightly, ‘kung-fu’ style kick, which knocked him to the ground. Referee Mario Toca, from Guatemala, initially gave Hennessey a yellow card but, following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, swiftly overturned his decision and gave Hennessey a red card for serious foul play instead.
The goalkeeper with the dubious distinction of being the first of his kind to be dismissed during the FIFA World Cup finals was Gianluca Pagliuca, of Italy, who received his marching orders at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. In a not dissimilar circumstances to Hennessey, almost halfway through the first half of Italy’s second Group E match, against Norway, Pagliuca dashed out to tackle Norwegian midfielder Oyvind Leonhardsen. In so doing, he was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the penalty area and was given a straight red card by German referee Hellmut Krug.
The only other goalkeeper to be sent off during the FIFA World Cup finals was Itumeleng Khune, of South Africa. Of course, the Rainbow Nation played host to the 2010 World Cup and Khune found fame, for the wrong reasons, in their second Group A match, against Uruguay. With his side trailing 1-0, after 76 minutes Khune was adjudged to have brought down Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez inside the penalty area and was given a straight red card, ‘for denying the opposing team a clear goal-scoring opportunity’, by Swiss referee Massimo Busacca.
The inaugural FIFA World Cup of 1930 witnessed an extraordinary triumph by the national team of Uruguay, as they seized the coveted title in a stunning display of football excellence. Leading the charge was the revered captain, José Nasazzi, whose undeniable leadership and defensive prowess proved instrumental in their historic achievement.
The climactic clash unfolded at the iconic Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, where an awe-inspiring crowd of over 93,000 fervent spectators gathered, brimming with anticipation for an epic showdown between Uruguay and their arch-rivals, Argentina. Against all odds, Uruguay defied expectations and etched their name in the history of sporting glory, securing a resounding 4-2 victory that resonated with the fervour of an emotional rollercoaster.
At the heart of Uruguay’s success stood José Nasazzi, a stalwart central defender whose commanding presence inspired his teammates to reach unparalleled heights. With his exceptional defensive acumen and commitment, Nasazzi fortified the team’s resolve, exemplifying the very essence of leadership on the grandest stage.
But Nasazzi’s impact extended beyond his defensive prowess. Such was his versatility and impact that he was recognised as the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament, a testament to his all-encompassing contributions and unrivalled adaptability. His heroics between the posts only added another layer of awe to his remarkable journey.
Uruguay’s triumph in the inaugural World Cup tournament reverberated far and wide, sending shockwaves through the global football landscape. Their conquest not only solidified their status as a dominant force but also transformed Uruguay into a revered hub of footballing excellence. The legacy of their extraordinary achievement continues to captivate hearts and minds, serving as an everlasting testament to the power of resilience, skill, and the unwavering spirit of a nation united under the banner of footballing glory.
The first player to win the FIFA World Cup while signed for Manchester City was left-back Benjamin Mendy, who, more recently, has made headlines for all the wrong reasons due to his behaviour off the pitch. In August, 2022, Mendy stood trial for rape, attempted rape and sexual assault and, although partially acquitted, is due to stand retrial on two charges, on which the jury failed to reach a verdict, in June, 2023.
In happier times, Mendy made his senior debut for the French national team on March 25, 2017 in a qualifying match for the 2018 FIFA World Cup against Luxembourg at Stade Josy Barthel in Luxembourg City, which France won 3-1. On July 24, 2017, he was transferred from Monaco to Manchester City for £52 million, which, at the time, was a record fee for a defender. He was susbsequently named in the French 2018 World Cup-winning squad, but made just one appearance in the finals, replacing Lucas Hernandez after 50 minutes during a 0-0 draw with Denmark in the final Group D match at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
More recently, forward Julián Álvarez signed for Manchester City from River Plate on January 31, 2022, having made his senior debut for the Argentine national team in a World Cup qualifying match against Chile at Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, which ended 1-1, on June 4, 2021. Unlike Mendy, Álvarez was an integral part of the World Cup-winning squad in Qatar in 2022. He scored in the final Group C match against Poland, which Argentina won 2-0, again in a last-16 match against Australia, which Argentina won 2-1, and twice in the semi-final against Croatia, which Argentina won 3-0.
The only Leicester City player to win the FIFA World Cup was the late, great Gordon Banks, who died on February 12, 2019 at the age of 81. Banks made his first team debut for the Foxes against Blackpool in Football League Division One at Filbert Street on September 9, 1959, following an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Johnny Anderson; when Anderson left to join Peterbrough United at the end of the 1959/60 season, he was promoted to principal custodian at the club. That he remained until March, 1967, making 295 league appearances for Leicester City, before being ousted, mercilessly, by 18-year-old Peter Shilton and transferred to Stoke City.
Of course, the previous summer, as the number one goalkeeper for the England team, under the subsequently-knighted Alf Ramsey, Banks played ever minute of every game in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He kept clean sheets in all three Group 1 games, against Uruguay, Mexico and France and another against Argentina in the quarter-finals and conceded just one goal – a late penalty scored by legendary Portuguese striker Eusebio in the semi-final – on the way to the iconic final at Wembley Stadium.
On that fateful day, Saturday, July 30, 1996, Banks, and England, conceded their first goals from open play in the tournament; the first was scored by forward Helmut Haller, following a misplaced header by England left-back Ray Wilson, and the second by central defender Wolfgang Weber, after 89 minutes, to send the match into extra time. The rest, as they say, is history, but it is worth noting that, alongside team-mates George Cohen, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst, Banks was named in FIFA World Cup All-Star Team for the tournament.