Football World Cup memories: Stuart Dye

Paul Gascoigne. Photo / Getty Images.

In the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Herald writers are looking back on their favourite World Cup memories.

Today, the Herald's chief reporter Stuart Dye, who covered the 2010 World Cup, shares his top moments.

Your first World Cup memory
Watching the action in Spain 1982 on a small black and white TV with my brother. I couldn't believe how beautifully sunny it looked for all the games (as I sat in northern England). Then Bryan Robson scored against France after 27 seconds and we were cheering and yelling at the TV. That was about as good as it got for England but, oh, Brazil. Socrates, Falcao, Zico, Junior et al were my instant heroes and remain the greatest team to grace the World Cup.

If '82 was the equivalent of my first teenage fumble, then I truly fell in love during Mexico '86. Mexican waves and THAT Manuel Negrete goal.

Favourite World Cup match
England losing to West Germany in the 1990 semi-final was the worst moment of my 14-year-old life. In hindsight - and particularly given how England have performed since - it was the greatest. Ticked all the boxes for any England fan - gritty performance, a hero in tears and ultimate injustice in a penalties defeat which I can still rage about for hours today. Their goal was a fluke, we hit the post with minutes remaining, if Barnes and Robson weren't injured......

Favourite World Cup player
This is impossible to limit to one so I'll limit it to three.

Paul Gascoigne - Yes, he never reached any sort of potential and there are scores of players who have performed better at World Cups, but for 99 minutes against West Germany in 1990 he was superlative. He looked like a young English lad but played like the greatest of the greats.

Zinedine Zidane - made it look like he was the teacher playing football with a group of kids. I'm sure his team-mates were involved but he seemed to win the 1998 tournament on his own.

Socrates - an attacking midfielder who played "in the hole" almost 20 years before anyone realised there was a hole to play in. An unrivalled grace and majesty on the pitch there was simply nothing he couldn't do - and he always did it looking like he was out for a Sunday afternoon stroll.

4) Prediction for final
Brazil 4 Spain 3. That's the final I'd like to see anyway.

World Cup memories
Chris Rattue
Dylan Cleaver
Steven Holloway
Michael Brown
Daniel Richardson
Kris Shannon
Coen Lammers
David Leggat