I remember crying watching these end credits as an 11-year-old boy in 1990, and now I'm watching them for the first time since and crying again as a 45-year-old man.
My dad wasn't a football man but he watched the whole tournament with me and my brothers. I was 12 and that was the best summer of my life. I would go back in a heartbeat
I remember watching the Italy v Argentina semi-final as if it were yesterday. I was 16 & watching it with my friend who sadly passed away only 6 years later. What I wouldn’t give to enjoy that night once more
Totally agree. This one sticks in the memory more than the others. It had everything passion, drama, tears, ups and downs. I guess a different era, the wall had just come down, maradona and Gascoigne in their element. Glad I still have those memories 💪
this world cup was the hardest to win of all. unlike any other wc, no game was easy for anyone. hosted by a world power like Italy counts for something, so you know that there would be no fluke. germany hit their stride after being runners-up twice in a row, so everyone knew that they would be unstoppable this time around. italy flaunted a great defence, only conceding in the semifinal, so they also seemed set to win. the england team had also matured nicely, their greatest side since their 1966 win. jack the lad surprising the world with a neat Ireland that threatened everyone. it was a wc that felt like everyone deserved to win, even initial surprise packages such as costa rica, cameroon, czech republic etc. goals hard to come by, stressing out how it would be no walkover, including for the heavy-weights. beautiful scenary. that late sunny afternoon summer sky typical of italy. tv picture got noticeably better from the last wc in mexico, making for a more pleasurable experience (it also helped that games were hosted at 5 and 9pm as opposed to midday during mexican summer). all in all, a great combination of positive features that sadly can't ever be reproduced again. those fortunate enough to have lived it will always treasure those memories, and they should be entitled to do so.
@@FrangoTraidor Are you sure? Spain 82 looked a lot harder in terms of teams like France, West Germany, Italy, Brazil, Soviet Union in their prime, Poland in their prime, Argentina, a decent England side, a solid Belgium, Algeria were a topper of a team. I dunno, for me Spain 82 looked alot harder in senses. Hungary were excellent too.
I'm 39 now but this is the first ever world Cup I remember as a kid watching with my dad. So many memories attached to this world Cup. It's the first time I seen the great maradona as Argentina were the previous winners in 86. Germany had an outstanding team! Deserved winners in the end. Don't think I could name a bad player in that 11
Emotional...so many in that clip no longer with us...Bobby Robson, Jack Charlton, Maradona...and of course Luciano Pavarotti's wonderful voice. Italia 90 was so memorable.
I can still remember the first game cameroon v Argentina...my first ever experience of watching football...the music the colour the awesome san siro maradona the crazy lethal cameroon tackling 😆...i was hooked instantly...i was 8.. then came England then came gazza then came the tears then came glorious defeat.. I'd do anything to go back in time 😔
Far from the greatest World Cup ever. It holds a magical memory because of Nessun Dorma and Cameroon capturing the hearts of the world. The quality of football however was really dire. Lots of 0-0s and 1-0s, this tournament pushed the backpass rule to be abolished, England got to the semis by only winning once in 90 mins (1-0 against Egypt), Ireland didn't win a single game in 90 to get to the QF yet are lauded as the greatest Irish team ever, Maradona was anonymous throughout the tournament bar one good pass against Brazil, and the WC final was one of the worst ever. World Cups in 94, 98, 06, 18, and 22 were all far superior
@@jonathanisaac5395 ....don't agree. 1990 world cup was the greatest... England beating Cameroon in the quarter and that semi final against Germany was incredible...brought the nation to stand still. ..
Football wise it was terrible, but holds a special place for many not footballing reasons, gazza, the closes ness of the semi, laughing at maradona, etc
*Good 'ole Des!* Also, whoever at the BBC chose "Nessun Dorma" as their coverage anthem should have been knighted. One of the most *beautiful* football songs/anthems I have heard. Showing the viewer that football is not just ugly passion, but drama and love at the *same time!* No wonder this WC changed a lot of British/Irish views about football, especially just a year on from the Hillsborough Disaster and 5 years after Heysel. *A big watershed moment for the sport.*
Iconic to listen the last VINCERÒ exactly when Maradona celebrated the goal vs Italy, ending the unbreakable record without receiving goals by Walter Zenga. It really meant it. R.I.P. Pavarotti & Maradona from Perú
Paul Smith Only because England fought tooth & nail to reach the semi-finals, the football was appalling throughout the tournament, the only relief was that the best team won the competition in the end.
Same here. Remember running home from school to watch the matches. The music the hot weather, the players, the emerging nations and some unreal football. Miss feeling so optimistic.
This reminds me of my school days of tuning in and watching the live matches with my mates. I can't believe this took place 32 years ago. When England lost on penalties, I remember how disappointed everyone felt. It was like a funeral.
England's run to the semi finals after such a horrible decade for the game in England was the shot in the arm the game needed. Suddenly football was important again, and the momentum generated from this World Cup was the catalyst for the Premier League. Even now, 30 years later, we are still feeling the impact of Italia 90.
So evocative I actually welled up. In retrospect the football quality wasn't that great but the drama, my God, the drama was something else. In my 40s now and still the greatest WC of my lifetime.
Italia 90. Made me a football and opera fan for life. Plus my 10 year old heart was broken when Italy lost. I always supported the Azzurri and 20 years later I saw them live in South Africa. Fond memories. I always though Donadoni was the Italian version of my dog's name which was Doney. :D
Best wc in my memory. Im 47. Watching this on the edge of my bed, little colour tv blaring. Being more distraught in that sf than i ever had been in my 14 years. Gazza tears, Lineker communication with bobby and dear dear bobby, sitting there, resigned knowing it was over.....and the music was simply the best theme with magical Des Lynham. 😢
Pure poetry. This is what sports is about! I may have been born 6 years after this happened, but I can easily tell this is the greatest World Cup Theme to one of the greatest World Cups of all-time, magical.
sweou u missed it mate .. I was 12 in 1990 I watched it all. I have teenage kids I tell them everything.. this was the greatest world cup memory ever..
I used to feel like that, but I lost interest in football around the start of the millenium, at the end of my teens (it was also after my idol, Roberto Baggio, no longer played for Italy). Certainly though in '94 and '98 I was very invested in them and longed for it to continue (in '90 I remember nothing of the tournament itself, but the sticker albums, admiration of footy kits that others would wear- I had just England's- and the collection of any posters and schedule charts was a source of prolonged enjoyment). Weeks before the excitement builds, you learn the confirmed lineups, collect the newspaper or magazine charts and posters. That month of checking and rechecking fold-out charts to be sure of the schedule, making sure you catch games when you can depending on school and your bedtime, the excitement of watching opening games, the first match of the home nation, your own country's first game, seeing how all these big names will actually perform- they all have their own draw, these little things. Then it is over...:(
Yes it was and I remember 1986, 1994 (we didn't qualify for), 1998 with France and... well that's about it. I can remember David Seaman letting in that Ronaldinho goal in 2002 but I can't remember the WC from 2006 or 2010. In 2014 I remember Germany and that 7-1 Vs Brazil but I don't remember 2018 either. Roll on 2022! I am convinced we're (England) good enough to win this one. It's been way too long!
The greatest world cup of all time for everything that came with it.nothing has come close since.it was magical.pavarotti singing nessun dorma as the soundtrack to it still brings back so many memories.italia 90 will be remembered like no other
wasn't a great world cup objectively, but it's seared into the mind of every englishman. waddle skied it, nessun dorma plays, i cried like a little girl. i think we lived the tragic-glory of this song. italia 90. what memories.
The tournament that made me fall in love with football. Even though the penalty shoot out against Germany broke my 9 year old heart! Although I was young the end credits stick in my mind. Well done the BBC.
The tournament that made me fall in love with the game of football, it was my first World Cup and as they say your first one will always remain special. Italia 90 will always remain special for me till my last days on this planet. After that tournament i always looked for the same sensation in every World Cup but no tournament has ever replicated that special feeling and I don’t think it ever will so I have stopped seeking the same sensational emotional feeling italia 90 gave me. I remember watching every game and was wondering when will England play, I clearly remember it was a Monday night against Ireland when Linekar scored I celebrated a goal for the first time in my life. The game against Holland I remember celebrating like a mad child when Pearce scored from a indirect free kick it was disallowed and I felt despair. Against Egypt I was in my grans house it was a boring match but I still recorded it and watched the game over and over again for a few years. Now came second round against Belgium the game that made me realise how much I loved England, it was a tough game which went to extra time. It was getting late in the night I had school the next day. I remember gazza taking a free kick and platt scored in the last minute of extra time and so my love affair with the game of football truly started, what a iconic moment. Celebrated like we won the World Cup went to bed buzzing had great nights sleeping dreaming about winning the World Cup. Against Cameroon I really thought we lost it but we dug in and went through. Now comes the game that made me a 10 year old boy cry so much that iv never cried like this in my life. I remember going to school and I could not concentrate as I kept thinking about the game. Game started and I simply could not enjoy the game as I felt so scared we will lose. When Gazza cried the whole nation cried with him and i also cried with him for him. After the penalty shoot out the heartbreak and despair I felt I never like that ever again. It has been 29 years and 1 month and would you believe I still can’t bring myself to watch the shoot out as the same feeling of heartbreak and despair comes rushing back. Italia 90 made me fall in love with football, it made me fall in love with the England team, it gave me memories I will take to my grave.
44 year old , a very good summer and I can relate to lots of the lads on here about hot days playing with mates then coming home for the early game to jump in the bath to rush down for the 8 a clock one , better times abs a simpler world
Goosebumps. A snapshot in time. The football at this edition wasn't always the best but some of the best moments were there. It was undoubtedly poetry, no! OPERA
Thank you for sharing this brings back great memories from my youth. This is the world cup that changed football, it has the lowest goal ratio of all time and high number of fouls, football had become a game of seek and destroy, to stop at all cost the other team and dish out maximum brutality on any star player unlucky enough to be on the pitch. FIFA changed the offside rule to favour forwards, it made the ball lighter to allow more goals from distance, invested in systems to make pitches smother rather then hard pot hole land mines or mud pits, changed the rules so tackles from behind were banned and players weren't allowed to butcher oppositions attackers. As a tournament Italia90 carried more style and emotion then any other, the transition from sport to global popstar attraction was just beginning and Italian football was best in the world with biggest stadiums with there futuristic look stars filled teams and iconic fashions of Rome, Milan, Turin. The high drama of so many penalty shootouts with players who cared about losing with there tears and hearts on sleeves made this a unforgeable 4 weeks in the summer of 1990...The football was hard, nasty and even evil at times but it was pure drama. The footage of Maradona crying at the end is symbolic along with Gazza's tears, Maradona the biggest star in football and Gazza the star born from this world cup. After this football changed and so did the world.
@@matthewdevereux1288 just found a 3 hour video covering entire thing pre and post match show BBC.. Quality is watchable since it was. Re Aired prior to 2006 World cup
The best World Cup ever. The days when BBC Sport was BBC Sport….. Des, Barry, Tony, Motty, the montages, Pavarotti. World Cup production values will NEVER be bettered.
The last of the great world cup tournaments for me!!! I witnessed 3 in 82-86 and 90 after that it was all downhill!!! International football used to be the greatest then club football and money took over 🤦🏻♂️ shame really 😒
France 98 and Usa 94 were legendary, are you sure you don't mean post millenium because Italia 90, Euro 92, USA 94, Euro 96, France 98 and Euro 2000 was just a phenomenal power block of international football. Albeit the end, but proper legendary stuff.
90 was the last of the truly great world cups. The whole feeling around the tournament has never been matched. Football or FIFA sold its soul not long after.
I don't know what it was but there seemed something magical about this World Cup, Il always remember watching England beat Egypt with Mark Wrights header putting us into the Second round. Great, yet sad memories.
I was 11 years old and this was the first WC I properly remember, to me it had everything - passion, drama, great goals and tears. A lot of tears. I was allowed to stay up for the penalties (England) and cried myself to sleep that night. I loved every minute of it though, great memories.
I recall coming home from the world cup semi with West Germany having watched it at a mate's house and thinking (i thought they had a great team pre tourney) England would never have a squad as strong as that one in my time and maybe it may not happen in my time ever now, now 50 and nothing much has changed my view!...a WC that produced few matches of great quality except England vs Cameroon and England vs Germany but the searing atmosphere and passion made up for that..great memories of a wonderful Summer for a 16 year old coming to adulthood..
Mate you are ment. Worst ever was the next one, 1994. 1990 is the reason that football is the popular global sport it is today. It was when the World Cup made the leap from a small time tournament to a major commercial success. Plus it was in Italy which is probably the best Country to host anything. Plus there was Pavarotti and Gazza and Roger Miller and Scifo and Schillachi and Klinsmann and Lineker and Maradona.
William Bell Rubbish, 1994 was the one of the best in recent memory, loads of goals, fantastic entertainment, just because England were too shit to qualify for 1994 there's no need to be subjective. And if 1990 made football a commercial success, well the game of football has been ruined every since with high ticket prices, corporate run football clubs, lack of talent & no football on terrestrial TV, selling everything off to the highest bidder. You had the worst team to ever reach a World Cup final kicking lumps of shit out of the opposition & playing for draws & penalties throughout the competition, you had some really abysmal teams in the tournament in 1990 & you had hardly any goals, like I said the only thing that gives 1990 any credibility at all is that England were magnificent in terms of spirit in that tournament. Oh & Maradona was absolutely appalling in 1990 or do you not remember that load of shite & the way they played to reach the final?
+Lawrence Howard (COCKNEY BOSS) Sorry, but I have to agree that the 1994 WC was awful, nothing to do with England not qualifying. I was living in the USA at the time and my memories are of the commentators completely talking down to the viewers (they are much better in 2015!) and of hot, humid games. And then there was the final.. snoozefest. Even a lot of Brazilians and Italians I know agree that was not a well-played match at all.
I remember watching Italia 90 very well. I was still at college with my friends. Everything about the tournament held Great Britain in its trance. It’s hard to describe how Pavorroti theme encapsulates the raw emotions we as a nation witness during those summer evenings.
That was the year I got my football hater friends into football.By "94" They were hooked. But sadly these days, the players seem to have lost the love for playing for their country.
we can say what we want about Maradona his antics....but lets not forget he always gave his heart and soul to his national team, at italia 90 he was a washed up injury savaged drug addict mental mess, yet he still did all he could for the team and cried like a fountine when they lost...if only our england players in the last 10 years had that kind of love for the natinal team instead call themselfs the golden generation and only cry when theyre offered 100k aweek and make excuse after excuse
Just reading the guys in the studio we have lost since Italia 90, Pavarottis beautiful voice, Big Jack Charlton, Gazza, Scillachi, Bobby Robson, Klinsman, Maradonna, we are all still crying xxx
Italia 90 started 34 years ago today. Unbelievable. While some didnt think it great (lack of goals), but for me it had drama from the first minute, until the last. Argentina v Cameroon was mental to start it all off. Never been invested in a tournament like I was here. Canigga getting Massing’d into orbit Omam-Biyik Higuta on walkabout Rijkaard spitting in Voeller Italy v Ireland Ireland v Romania penalties Maradona in tears Mattheus Roger Milla Cameroon v England Platt Gascoigne Baggio
@@rosycandyhaven it’s my all time favorite tournament like it is for many people, but if you try and watch the games now, the quality is pretty poor. A lot diving. So much diving. The final was truly terrible. But the tournament was about passion, emotion, birth of 90s optimism, a new Neapolitan feel to football for the English
Heard this a few times. There weren’t loads of goals and the final was poor, but there was drama from the first game (Cameroon) right the way thru too Maradona’s tears 😭 And then theres that song….. not sure another other world cup has had that kind of lasting impact
@@Bluearmy76 World in Motion is a strange one for me, and a perfect example of why Italia 90 defies convention. Because it’s gone down in history as this seminal moment in English pop culture, but it’s a thoroughly bland and unremarkable tune. Compare it to the genuinely great football songs and it lacks any emotion or wit. (The re-recorded “they think it’s all over” commentary is deeply irritating as well, especially as it’s the real Kenneth Wolstenholme.) And no crowd has ever sung it, not even the John Barnes bit. It says more about the quality of other ‘official’ songs that it’s seen as a high point. If England had crashed out in the group stage it would barely get a mention these days.
The first word cup. I watch with my day who now passed away. The start of the love I had for England as a ten year old boy. I never forget what my dad said to me at the end of this great word cup. He said get used to it .England will always find away to Disappoint and let you down.
Bit harsh. England got to the semis and pushed germany all the way. You had a really good world cup but ultimately the best team won the cup. My lot scotland blow a golden chance to get out of a relatively easy group with the worst brazil team ive ever seen.
2 years before I was born but everyone talks about this world cup as "The world cup" I do have personal memories of Russia 2018 and Euro 2020 getting to the final and the painful end of it but a tournament I will never forget. I suppose people in 1990 had that same feeling from the semi final defeat to Germany but looking back its nothing but good memories. One day hopefully one day football will come home.
The nostalgia just kills me. I was a Soviet fan & the pundits had them down to do well but infighting, players left out and a change of kit (yes the CCCP had gone) had inflamed the spirit of the camp. I was totally devastated when they crashed out. It was a still young, and very talented side. But as someone said here, football is more than just what happens on the pitch. It is the experiences and those I had with my English friends at the time during what was, despite my disappointment, a beautiful summer.. And I do wonder whether for modern day English fans, this still remains their greatest memory, even surpassing the Euro 2020, despite getting to the final and Russia 2018. 1990 perhaps wasn't the greatest showcase for football but it was the greatest showcase for the memories it created and Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma just absolutely nails it. There will never be a better World Cup theme song.
