XI FIFA WORLD CUP

This was the last edition of the World Cup to include only 16 teams. In it, Argentina became the fifth country to win the tournament as a host. However, it was tarnished by controversy, as the nation had undergone a military coup-d’état two years prior, and rumor had it that the authoritarian government made everything in their power to favor their representatives, as a means of promoting the legitimacy of their rule. Meanwhile, the Netherlands became the first and so far only team to lose two World Cup finals in a row. One question that has never been answered and still haunts the Dutch, is why the leader and soul of Holland, Johan Cruyff, did not play in the final. Despite his age, he could have given his teammates the morale to do better.