In 1954, the Jules Rimet Cup returned to Europe for the first time after World War II. Choosing the host country was easy because Switzerland was the only one that hadn't been devastated by bombs and battles. That World Cup was also the first one to be televised: it started the era of football as a global media event. Italy left the tournament at the end of the Group Stage: the Azzurri lost against Switzerland but beat Belgium heavily. For some strange reason, groups were formed by three squads but each one only faced two opponents instead of three. Switzerland '54 is considered one of the most technical World Cups ever. Even now it is the World Cup with the highest goal average (5.38 per game). The level was so high thanks to a great Brazil (with stars like Didì, Julinho, Dialma and Nilton Santos), Schiaffino's Uruguay and, above all, the great Hungary.

 

A few months before, Hungary made England know the shame of a loss in their home country. The Magyar dream-team, formed by Puskás, Hidegkuti, Boszyk and Kocsis dismantled the Lions 6-3 at Wembley and kept amazing everyone in the World Cup. That side set many records that no one has managed to break so far: best goal average for a team (5.4), most goals scored in a single WC edition (27), best goal difference (+14). The Aranycsapat (the golden team in Hungarian) was the clear favourite of the 1954 edition: they grinded West Germany in the Group stage 8-3, then defeated both the 1950 finalists; Brazil in the quarter finals (4-2) and Uruguay in the semifinals by the same result. But – unbelievably – they lost in the final against West Germany. After twice taking the advantage, Hungary conceded two goals in the following ten minutes, then Germany scored the winner with 6 minutes to go.

The final result was West Germany 3-2 Hungary. For Germany, that was the moment of redemption after the nightmare of the Second World War. But a never-removed suspicion of doping looms over that game. In the final stage of the match, while the Hungarians were tired after a World Cup played at full throttle, the Germans were even more vital than the first half. A few months after the World Cup, all the players of German national team were affected by jaundice, something that gave more evidence to those who think that West Germany was the first evident example of doping in a World Cup. In any case, Hungary is considered the moral winner of that edition for the incomparable offensive football they showed.

 

Juan Alberto Schiaffino, 1925-2002, 21 caps, 8 goals for Uruguay, 4 caps for Italy. World Champion 1950. The best midfielder of the 50s was a shy man. Like Ghiggia, Schiaffino arrived in Italy some years after the win in 1950 World Cup. It was 1954 and Schiaffino had recently been named best player of the Swiss World Cup. Milan signed him to replace Gunnar Gren. “Pepe” arrived in Milan aged 29. Despite what his former club Penarol thought, his career was not over. Together with Nils Liedholm he formed the best Serie A's midfield line. The Rossoneri won two titles with Schiaffino: 1956-57 and 1957-58. Schiaffino was a complete player: he was like a surveyor on the pitch with a great concreteness, he knew how to score goals and, obviously, he had immense talent.

 

He was already known for his thriftiness. Giacomo Losi, captain of Roma in those years and former team mate of Schiaffino recently said: “He parked his car, lifted the bonnet and put a swatch over the motor to keep it warm. That was a way to preserve it from the use. And that was a FIAT 500 (a small economy car)!”. Another of Schiaffino's peculiarities: wherever he went (even at training camps), his wife Angelica was always with him. She was a sweet and discreet woman. As regularly happened at that time, Schiaffino's Italian origins led him to the Italian national team, although for four games only. Among his caps in Azzurro there was the “cursed game” against Northern Ireland, a match that confimed the failed qualification for the 1958 World Cup. Schiaffino ended his Italian career with two seasons at Roma, where he won the only European trophy ever for the Giallorossi: the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1961. In the 1960-61 season, the tremendous Uruguayan duo Ghiggia-Schiaffino were re-united, this time in Giallorosso.

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