7 things about the 2018 FIFA World Cup you didn’t know!
Entire world has come together to celebrate the grandest sporting spectacle, the FIFA World Cup. It’s only been a week and from Cristiano Ronaldo’s majestic injury time free kick against Spain to Tony Kroos’s sensational last minute free-kick against Sweden, the World Cup has already given us some unforgettable moments. It is not just a celebration of the greatest game but also a celebration of diverse culture and ethnicity.
Let’s have a look at these seven amazing facts about you didn’t know:
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- Egypt goal-keeper, Essam Elhadary became the oldest player in history to play at the World Cup at 45 years of age. He also became the oldest player to save a penalty against Saudi Arabia.
- Oscar Tabarez, head coach of the Uruguay National Team became the first manager to appear in four world cups with the same team. He is 71 years old and suffers from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare and degenerative disease that attacks the body’s nervous system and causes muscular weaknesses in the limbs and chest with a possibility of paralysis.
- Mexico captain, Rafael Marquez, became only the third player in history to appear at five World Cups. The other two in this elite list area former Mexican star Antonio Carbajal and Germany’s legend Lothar Matthaus.
- Germany registered an unwanted record after losing their opening game against Mexico. They became the fourth nation to lose their opening match of the group stage as title holders.
- The Fisht Stadium in Sochi, one of the venues for the 2018 World Cup is also the stadium the hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Games.
- The distance between Ekaterinburg and Kaliningard, the eastern most and the westernmost host cities in Russia are almost 1500 miles apart. That’s almost the same distance as Moscow to London.
- This is the second last edition of the World Cup with 32 participating nations. The number of teams is going to increase to 48 starting from the 2026 World Cup.
With new records being made and old records destructing, this season is definitely becoming the one with fierce encounters for the fans.
