World Cup winners who played at the Oval.
During the past season Glentoran Gazette columnist, Jake Proctor, looked at some of the players who’ve featured in games against the Glens at the Oval and gone on to win a World Cup medal.
With the final almost upon us, here’s a look back at some of those famous names.
In March 1974 we faced Borussia Mönchengladbach in the quarter final of the European Cup Winners Cup at the Oval. In the Borussia side that day were Wolfgang Kleff, Bertie Vogts, Rainer Bonhof, Herbert Wimmer and Jupp Heynckes. All five players were in the West German World Cup winning squad in 1974. Vogts and Bonhof were in the starting line up for the 2-1 win over Holland. Heynckes was one of the substitutes. Two of the Dutch starting XI, Wim Suurbier and Rudi Krol, played against Glentoran at the Oval for Ajax in 1975 in a UEFA Cup tie. The two also played in the 1978 World Cup final when Holland lost to Argentina.
Glentoran faced Italian giants Juventus in the second round of the European Cup in October 1977. Striker, Roberto Bonninsegna played in the 1970 final against Brazil and scored the Italian goal in a 4-1 defeat. Six other members of the Juventus team which won 1-nil at the Oval were involved in the 1982 World Cup final in Spain where Italy defeated West Germany 3-1. Dino Zoff’s penalty save from Warren Feeney in the dying minutes at the City End denied the Glens a draw in that first leg tie. Zoff was the Italian skipper who lifted the World Cup in Madrid on 11th July 1982. Claudio Gentile, Gaetano Scirea, Marco Tardelli and Antonio Cabrini were also in the starting XI whilst Franco Causio, who scored at the Oval, came off the bench in the closing minutes. Uli Stielike was on the losing West German side. He too had been in that Mönchengladbach team which played at the Oval in 1974.
Watch Marco Tardelli’s goal in the 1982 final on the BBC Sport website HERE
Glentoran faced Olympique de Marseille in the 1992 Champions League first round. Rudi Völler played, and scored in the French side’s 5-0 win. Völler came on as a half-time substitute for Klaus Aloffs in the 1986 World Cup final when West Germany played Argentina. He scored as the Germans came from 2 goals down to level the game before Argentina clinched the trophy for a second time with a late winner. Völler featured in a second World Cup final in 1990 and this time was on the winning side as the Germans this time were victorious over Argentina (1-nil). Another member of the Marseilles side was Didier Deschamps. Deschamps, manager of the French team at Brazil 2014, was captain of the French side which won the World Cup in Paris in 1998. On the bench at the Oval were two other World Cup winners; goalkeeper Fabian Bartez and defender Marcel Desailly. Both played in the return game at the Stade Velodrome.
Watch the goals from the 1986 final HERE
A number of other notable World Cup winners have also played at the Oval in friendly games over the years. Members of the England World Cup squad of 1966 Gordon Banks & George Eastham (jnr) played for Stoke City (69 + 70) and Leeds United’s Norman Hunter played in the Ulster ’71 game in July of that year.