The Untold Game

The First World Championship

‘We all know that the very first World Cup took place in 1930, and was won by Uruguay. The final was a thrilling match between the winners and their bitter South American rivals Argentina, who saw themselves as the leading footballing force, especially in the absence of the Home Nations. Uruguay would go on to win a second World Cup in 1950. But if you looked closely at their shirts at this World Cup, you would have noticed that they have not two, but four stars above their national crest, representing the four times they have been world champions. Without adding any success after 1950, just where did these other two stars come from?

The World Cup was dreamed up by Jules Rimet, who gave his name to the first trophy (gifted to Brazil after their third win in 1970, and subsequently stolen). After his appointment as FIFA President in 1921, and despite losing the membership of the English, Scottish and Welsh Football Associations, he quickly began plans for the globalisation of the game. He would be President for over three decades, and grew FIFA’s membership from just a dozen nations to nearly one hundred in that time, but his lasting legacy has been the World Cup.

Not that a standalone World Cup was an obvious development. FIFA had drawn up plans for a competition like that almost immediately from its inception in 1904, and it’s difficult to ignore Rimet’s influence in that inception. However, the idea of a global competition, held in the summer every four years, had already been enacted, and so the easiest route to achieving this in football was to add their sport to the newly existent Olympics. Which is how we come to Uruguay’s extra stars.

Unofficial reports claim that an unofficial tournament was held at the same time as the first Olympics in 1896, and it was included officially in 1900 and 1904, but not recognised by FIFA because of the disorganised nature of the competition; no ‘national’ sides were sent, and the teams were selected almost at random. In 1908, the competition became a little more formal, with Great Britain winning the gold medal, and retaining it in 1912. A break was enforced in 1916 because of the First World War, but the competition resumed in 1920 where Belgium picked up the winner’s medal. The problem was, however, that the competition was not truly global. Only European teams had competed, with the exception of Egypt in 1920, so FIFA could not recognise any of the winners as ‘world champions’. That would change in 1924.

Turkey were recognised as an African side, so their inclusion in Paris in 1924 was a step in the right direction. More significantly, the USA sent a side, as did Uruguay, meaning that both of the American continents were represented. For the first time, FIFA would get a look at a global competition.

It was the South Americans who blew the competition away, beginning with the 7-0 mauling of Yugoslavia. Nineteen year old Pedro Petrone got the first two goals of what would be a legendary international career. In the second round, he got two more in a 3-0 victory over fellow debutants the United States.

The quarter finals were supposed to represent the first real test for the South American outfit, Rimet’s own France who had experience of a few Olympic Games by this point. The French side could do very little against the exciting attacking display that Uruguay offered, with Jose Leandro Andrade, ‘The Black Pearl’, dictating play and the effervescent Petrone tormenting his opponents with another brace. Uruguay ran out 5-1 winners, setting up a more terse affair against the Netherlands.

Unlike the French, the Dutch really were a good footballing side. They took the lead in the 31st minute, Feyenoord’s Cornelis Pijl finding the net, before Jose Cea levelled up on the hour. Petrone would once again be the difference, however, and converted a late penalty to send the Olympic debutants to the final. A simpler affair against Switzerland saw them run out 3-0 winners, and be declared footballs first true world champions.

They would repeat the feat four years later in the Netherlands, but this time their bitter rivals Argentina gave them a much tougher time, taking the final to a replay and just losing out. Petrone scored in that final as well. And FIFA has seen enough. Two years later they launched their own competition, and in Uruguay they had the perfect hosts. They won again, becoming the only side - so far – to be world champions three successive times. And yes, Petrone was involved once again. Recognising that achievement, FIFA allows them a third, and fourth, world championship star.

Enjoy the game.

Martyn Green, The Untold Game (Find more at TheUntoldGame.co.uk and on social media, @TheUntoldGame)