Ten: The Scotland in 1970-1990
Tragic point: 7
The Scotland entered into the FIFA World Cup five times in a row (1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1990). They were the only team who ever done this without championship or host status. Unfortunately, they had never made the knockout stage because the losses to the weakest team in their group. In the year of 1974, they were the only unbeaten team in the whole world, but they got less goal difference than the Brazil and the Yugoslavia. The next World Cup, they could beat with the Netherlands who won the second place later, but tied with the Saudi Arabia. They could win top teams because of they had strong backs and midfielders. Kenny Dalglish, who played midfielder in the Scotland, won the Ballon d’Or Silver Award in 1983. Gordon Strachan was one of the best leftwinger in 1980s. Graeme James Souness who played central defender was the captain of the Liverpool Football Club which was the strongest one in the Europe. They could not win weak teams because of the lack of good strikers. There was no striker for the Scotland after Denis Law. They may consider borrowing one from other island on the Great Britain, like Ian Rush from the Wales.
Nine: The Netherlands in the 1990s
Tragic point: 7
There have been countless big names since 1970s, and there was a peak in the 1990s. Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Steven Davids, the de Boer brothers, Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard were in one team, right, that team was the Netherlands. In these ten years, these big names could not be put in the honor book, no matter it was the FIFA World Cup, or the UEFA European Championship. They lost to the Denmark, the France, the Italy in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 UEFA European Championship. The Brazil beat them in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. What amazing is that they lost those games in penalty shootouts.
Eight: The England in the 1980s
Tragic point: 7.5
Same with the Netherlands, the England owned all those stars, Peter Leslie Shilton, Bryan Robson, Ray Wilkins, Terry Butcher, Gary Winston Lineker, Chris Waddle, John Barnes, and Paul Gascoigne. In 1982, they beat the France, the Czech, and the Kuwait; they tied with the West Germany who won the second place later, and the host the Spain, but they did not make to the final. The next World Cup, England lost to Diego Maradona’s hand of god. In the year of 1990, they lost to the West Germany in penalty shootouts. The England had chance to win the trophy, but they did not.
Seven: The Brazil in the 1980s
Tragic point: 8
The Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup twice since 1990 (1994, 2002), but most elder fans think that the Brazil in the 1980s was better, especially with all those midfielders. Arthur Antunes Coimbra Zico, Paul Roberto Falco, and Sócrates were masters. They were not playing soccer, they were playing arts. All those dazzled plays, and free-flowing offense, they were the Chopin on the soccer field. They have played two World Cups together. Oleg Blokhin, and Dasaev’s Soviet Union; Kenny Dalglish’s Scotland; Zbigniew Boniek’ Poland; Emilio Butragueno’s Spain; even Diego Armando Maradona’ Argentina were beat by this Brazil team. And all those matches are classic. In the 1982 World Cup, they understated the Italy (the Italy was really weak in those group matches), so they lost. The next World Cup, the match between the Brazil and the France was the peak of artistic soccer, but the Brazil lost in penalty shootouts. They had lost once in these two cups, but they only got the fifth place for both.
Six: The Netherlands in the 1970s
Tragic point: 8
This team led a soccer revolution, and that is we called the “Total Football”. It is the label given to an influential tactical theory of soccer in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. There were really successful in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cup. This team was tragic because they lost to the host in the final twice in these two cups. No matter how, people will always remember these names: Johannes Hendrikus Cruijff, Pieter Robert Rensenbrink, and Johan Neeskens.
To be continue.
There's Always Next Year 