If you had to show one football match to make somebody fall in love with football, what would it be?

Chelsea vs United last season would have to be up there. From what looked to be cruise for us, to a turnaround from United, to Mount coming on as the pantomime villain then two Chelsea goals in added time of added on time.

I know it was an effective dead rubber but if you only need to show them a match without that additional context that's got as good a chance as any of reeling them in.
 
Red in STL said:
Bastian Schweinsteige in his interview with Gary Neville got it spot when he said that Pep's version of the game ruined the German traditional way of playing and it's the same in England

Jurgen Klinsmann on the US Overlap the other day was bemoaning the lack of traditional number 9's, it's patently obvious he hates the modern way the game is played now
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Its correct. Its a harsh statement as we're essentially criticising guardiola for developing an extremely effective set up - which he deserves credit for. But it has contributed to really poor football from a viewers point of view and a near total loss of instinctive, pure talent based players. Its part guardiolas fault but also money made it possible. If he were a manager in a less money dominated era he would have innovated in a more watchable way
 
WC final 2022 is hands down the most iconic, contemporary football game played on the biggest stage, with so much at stake, great goals and all the drama… as such, the one you would show to non-football people.
 
Bepi said:
WC final 2022 is hands down the most iconic, contemporary football game played on the biggest stage, with so much at stake, great goals and all the drama… as such, the one you would show to non-football people.
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Great pick.
 
Manchester united vs Real Madrid the 4-3 game where R9 scored the hattrick. Amazing game.
 
Bepi said:
WC final 2022 is hands down the most iconic, contemporary football game played on the biggest stage, with so much at stake, great goals and all the drama… as such, the one you would show to non-football people.
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The average slobs wouldve had turned their attention to tiktok before the best parts coming in (which was the last 10 minutes and additional times). The game mustve been trully exciting, less tactic, pure passions and actions, and enough goals throughout 90 minutes. Id say Man United v Real Madrid 02/03 and Chelsea - Liverpool in 08/09 are better picks.
 
MyOnlySolskjaer said:
Probably Madrid vs Barca 2005.

Before all that Pep ball. I’d ask them to watch Ronaldinho. If he can’t make you enjoy then nobody can.
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I logged in to say the same. Outside of a United game in which i'd be biased. I'd have to choose this for one match to fall in love with Ronaldinho and indeed football itself. When the opposition give you a standing ovation for your performance you know you're doing something right.

Re the OP: Great question by the way!
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Our 2-2 at Highbury in 2002/03.
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Came in to post the same. That 4-2 was a great game but we weren't really playing for much.

That 2-2 was huge in that title race, it had everything. Red cards, offside goals, two unbelievable strikers scoring, it was back and forth, amazing atmosphere, a sweet blue kit, Solskjaer turning into Beckham. Wenger going mad on touchline when Giggs got the equaliser.

Unfortunately this game has become a bit lost because of the dressing room incident in the other one.
 
To avoid bias, I’ll pick France vs Argentina in the world Cup.

Actually in 2 consecutive World Cup 2018 and 2022, France vs Argentina was my favorite match in both of them.
 
Our 4-3 win against Liverpool last season wouldn’t be far away, game had everything even Bruno playing centre half on 1 leg.
 
A Charlton supporting mate watched the 1998 Charlton v Sunderland play-off final with his anti-football girlfriend and a load of his mates in the pub. It was the bonkers game that ended 4-4 in ET and 7-6 on pens. That day she became converted.

Obviously it doesn't have the profile of some of the WC games etc, but the emotion of getting involved in a game like that - which is huge on all levels for both teams - is hard to beat.
 
doubleohseven said:
VAR does its job.

It's the idiots 'interpreting' it who need raking out.
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Aside from the idiots, which I agree with, I think VAR as a system is killing the spirit of the game. The essence that made it so beloved in the first place. I would rather live in a world where we get knocked out in an FA Cup semi-final against an underdog that comes back from 0:3 to overcome the favourites. Even if I support the favourites, the cost of VAR is too high imo. But that's for a different thread.
 
Czech Republic 3-2 Netherlands. Euro 2004.

That Czech team was stacked and the Netherlands team wasn't too bad either.
 
Red the Bear said:
Brazil Italy 1982 would be a great candidate.
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This would be mine without a doubt.

All the context behind it...
  • Brazil just needing a tie and still going all out attack
  • Fantastic ebb and flow to the game
  • World Cup darlings defeated by a pragmatic with individual brilliance side
  • The players quality - Zico, Falcao, Socrates, Eder, Junior, Cerezo, Oscar, Luizinho, Leandro vs Rossi, Conti, Gentile, Cabrini, Tardelli, Oriali, Antognoni, Graziani...
  • The comic reliefs players - Serginho (any other striker and Brazil might have won at a canter), Waldir Perez

Our FA Cup semi final replay 1999 against the Arse would be my second choice. I watched this match in a Canadian pub with first time football watchers. They were absolutely captivated, as was I of course.

For the drama only though, the 1982 WC semi between France and Germany cannot be topped. I still do not know how Schumacher was never charged with assault and battery.
 
HaliRed said:
This would be mine without a doubt.

All the context behind it...
  • Brazil just needing a tie and still going all out attack
  • Fantastic ebb and flow to the game
  • World Cup darlings defeated by a pragmatic with individual brilliance side
  • The players quality - Zico, Falcao, Socrates, Eder, Junior, Cerezo, Oscar, Luizinho, Leandro vs Rossi, Conti, Gentile, Cabrini, Tardelli, Oriali, Antognoni, Graziani...
  • The comic reliefs players - Serginho (any other striker and Brazil might have won at a canter), Waldir Perez

Our FA Cup semi final replay 1999 against the Arse would be my second choice. I watched this match in a Canadian pub with first time football watchers. They were absolutely captivated, as was I of course.

For the drama only though, the 1982 WC semi between France and Germany cannot be topped. I still do not know how Schumacher was never charged with assault and battery.
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So many of the WC 82 and 86 are classics, my favorite WCs
 
HaliRed said:
This would be mine without a doubt.

All the context behind it...
  • Brazil just needing a tie and still going all out attack
  • Fantastic ebb and flow to the game
  • World Cup darlings defeated by a pragmatic with individual brilliance side
  • The players quality - Zico, Falcao, Socrates, Eder, Junior, Cerezo, Oscar, Luizinho, Leandro vs Rossi, Conti, Gentile, Cabrini, Tardelli, Oriali, Antognoni, Graziani...
  • The comic reliefs players - Serginho (any other striker and Brazil might have won at a canter), Waldir Perez

Our FA Cup semi final replay 1999 against the Arse would be my second choice. I watched this match in a Canadian pub with first time football watchers. They were absolutely captivated, as was I of course.

For the drama only though, the 1982 WC semi between France and Germany cannot be topped. I still do not know how Schumacher was never charged with assault and battery.
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To add to that it's probably one of the few games where the defensive outlook of the other major team didn't lead to a rather drab game as is mostly the case( Barcelona inter comes to mind).

All in all a historic game for all the right reasons.
 
Brazil Italy 1982 world cup.

Most famous for the tardelli celebration but an amazing game

Edit : my memory fails me, Tardelli's goal was in the final
 
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I can't believe we had to get the third page before anyone mentioned France vs Argentina. One of the most exciting games I've watched and I was a complete neutral! So many storylines, so much drama. Football at it's best.
 
One game in particular that stood out for me and I was privileged to be there was the OT game between us and Real Madrid in '02-'03. We won 4-3 but didn't go through but the match was unreal. John o'Shea nutmegging Figo, Becks narrowly missing out on a 5th goal with free kick, the 'other' Ronaldo receiving THAT ovation from our fans after a fantastic hat-trick. The atmosphere was electric from start to finish
 
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Fobal said:
So many of the WC 82 and 86 are classics, my favorite WCs
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You can get comprehensive highlights of all matches of both 82 and 86 WCs on dailymotion.

Original commentary, too.

There seems to be a consensus at fifa that all football nerds need constant graphics, music, adverts and retroactive commentary on youtube.

I'll imagine, one day, they'll release all WC matches in their entirety with the likes of David fecking Baddiel talking utter smack over them.

It's endemic. The bbc's classic Euros had more contemporary analysis than actual football on its iplayer. It's interesting how uninteresting Alan Hansen actually was.

It's great therefore to see unmolested highlights, but I'd go quick, as fifa will eventually find and remove them.

The giant B-words.
 
Nas-JR said:
I can't believe we had to get the third page before anyone mentioned France vs Argentina. One of the most exciting games I've watched and I was a complete neutral! So many storylines, so much drama. Football at it's best.
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It had a great atmosphere but it wasn't particularly good until the 70th minute.

Extra-time was a blast, christ was it ever,
but Kolo 'shits himself' Muani (good save still) and Lautaro 'United when he's 36' Martinez' last minute misses were frankly unforgivable.

(West) Germany and France in 1982 remains the best match I've ever watched. Caight it on itv player in its entirery the day before the 2022 final. Full match

Nobody expected it to be what it was. Both commentators expecting a tight game as both flattered to deceive thus far. However, from minute one, literally the first minute, it became an all-time great.

Schumacher's 'assault' on Battiston is itself criminal but it, I know I know but it does, add a layer of significant villainy and with it a 'good versus evil' narrative.

Then, the novelty of the first WC penalty shootout, which itself was absolutely awesome. Schumacher again.

Best match I saw live is the 99 FA Cup semi replay with Le Arse. Beating them, honestly, meant the most. It really did.
 
doubleohseven said:
It had a great atmosphere but it wasn't particularly good until the 70th minute.

Extra-time was a blast, christ was it ever,
but Kolo 'shits himself' Muani (good save still) and Lautaro 'United when he's 36' Martinez' last minute misses were frankly unforgivable.

(West) Germany and France in 1982 remains the best match I've ever watched. Caight it on itv player in its entirery the day before the 2022 final. Full match

Nobody expected it to be what it was. Both commentators expecting a tight game as both flattered to deceive thus far. However, from minute one, literally the first minute, it became an all-time great.

Schumacher's 'assault' on Battiston is itself criminal but it, I know I know but it does, add a layer of significant villainy.

Then, the novelty of the first WC penalty shootout, which itself was absolutely awesome. Schumacher again.

Best match I saw live is the 99 FA Cup semi replay with Le Arse. Beating them, honestly, meant the most. It really did.
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I tell you that being Argie, I've enjoyed a lot those 70/80 minutes. I get it that for a neutral it's more entertaining to see a contest, yet those 70 minutes we played some great fecking football, the marking, the passing, the dribbles, it was absolutely great to watch it.

And also I think that I'm even more proud of the extra time in the way the team played, after such a blow of almost loosing it, to play with such composure, intricated passes, aplomb and even beauty it was incredible.
That last play after the Martinez save, with the header of Lautaro was a snippet of the way we approached extra time, even after such a critical play, the guys didn't rush it and almost win it in the last breath.

That gave me hope in the penalties, because normally when a team plays as well as we did and things turn to the worse your head is gone and as much it turns into a war, not this case in extra time, we should have been more lethal, but that was exactly what happened the whole Cup, we just couldn't finish the majority of games we controlled for the most part and missed too many chances.


PD: Germany vs France 82 it's also one of my favorites, what a freaking match with some awesome teams with some increible names on it.
 
Russia vs Italy World Cup 1998 playoff first leg. Throw them into the deep end with a challenging avant-garde masterpiece.
 
City's win over QPR has to be up there. It was a match with legendary moments. Can imagine people screaming themselves hoarse over some of the riveting football being played. Yes. That 1993 FA Cup 2-1 victory is the one that springs to mind.
 
Snow said:
City's win over QPR has to be up there. It was a match with legendary moments. Can imagine people screaming themselves hoarse over some of the riveting football being played. Yes. That 1993 FA Cup 2-1 victory is the one that springs to mind.
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"here's this team owned by a near trillion dollar city state beat a team whose heart isn't in after swerving relegation"
 
Arsenal vs United - FA cup semi-final replay '99
Liverpool vs AC Milan - CL final '05
 
Lay said:
Man United 4-3 Real Madrid.

That game basically changed English football after Roman Abramovich watched it
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Changed it for the worse.

Abramovich and his chelsea franchise were a cancer on football.
 
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