2014 -- attending Spain vs Netherlands, and hearing all of the Brazilians in the crowd dog on Costa...RVP's goal was pretty good too
2010 -- Landon Donovan winner vs Algeria // watching the final with a bunch of Dutch tourists
2006 -- Everything Zidane did // Portugal vs Netherlands mayhem

2006 - Zidane's penalty in the final. Then again the semifinal was the first ever world cup match I watched.
2010 - Van Bronckhorst's screamer against Uruguay.
2014 - Has to be Germany against Brazil, couldn't believe what I was seeing.

1998 - Bergkamp's troll goal against Argentina.
1998 - Brian Laudrup's goal celebration against Brazil.
2002 - Ronaldinho lobbing a 45 yard freekick into the top corner over a helpless David Seaman.
2002 - Rivaldo's entire tournament. I'm yet to see anyone perform better over 7 games in a world cup.
2006 - Fabio Grosso knocking Germany out of the semifinal in the 119th minute and copying Tardelli's classic celebration.
2006 - Portugal and Holland getting 16 yellow and 4 red cards, with Deco and van Bronckhorst watching the end together from the stands after both getting sent off.
2006 - Maxi Rodriguez scoring a ridiculous goal against Mexico.
2010 - Özil running a one-man show against England.
2014 - James's volley against Uruguay.
2014 - Germany embarrassing Brazil and exposing Scolari as a complete fraud.

Norway were decent then. The Brazil match is undoubtedly the biggest moment in Norwegian football history, not that it says much.

There was arranged a rematch last week to celebrate that it was 20 years since the victory. The goal was to get all of the same players, so there were basically a bunch of 40+ years olds running around, and I still haven't seen our home ground so full in ages. Ze Roberto was several classes above everyone else.

I'm still salty as fuck Brazil threw that game. Yes Norway were very good back then, possibly better than any Scandinavian team after them but there's no way Brazil should have lost to them.

Morocco's own fault though for drawing the game with you guys when we should have put it to bed. It's incredible how a country that has roughly 90% of all 5* skillers in FIFA year after year has yet to produce a goalkeeper who would start for a League One side.

jones wrote:

I'm still salty as fuck Brazil threw that game. Yes Norway were very good back then, possibly better than any Scandinavian team after them but there's no way Brazil should have lost to them.

Morocco's own fault though for drawing the game with you guys when we should have put it to bed. It's incredible how a country that has roughly 90% of all 5* skillers in FIFA year after year has yet to produce a goalkeeper who would start for a League One side.

I remember both games vividly. The Norwegian commentators were salivating over Hadji. Both our goals were jammy crowded headers, the first one might have even been an own goal I believe. 

Most have already been said, but:

98 - Owen vs Argentina
98 - The Bergkamp Nerdscream Goal
98 - Petit in injury time against Brazil.
2002 - Ronaldinho. Joy to watch.
2002 - Donovan vs Mexico
2006 - Rosicky vs USA
2006 - Joe Cole vs Sweden
2006 - The Battle of Nuremberg
2006 - Zidane, culminating in that penalty.
2006 - Pirlo and Buffon.
2006 - "The Incident." God, I hated Materazzi.
2010 - Tshabalala's opener.
2010 - Van Bronkhorst's screamer.
2010 - Donovan/Bradley vs Slovenia

Great idea for a thread. I was obsessed with the World Cup as a kid, 1998 is the first I properly remember watching, just loved every minute of it. I could ramble for hours about World Cup memories but I'll just go for 98 which I remember the best.

• Obviously Norway's incredible victory over Brazil followed by a sorry showing in the round of 16 against Italy.
• Denmark wiping the floor with a good Nigeria team, followed by a great quarter final against Brazil. Brian Laudrup doing the pondering statue celebration.
• Zidane being sent off in the groups yet comes back with two in the final.
• Michael Owen solo goal vs Argentina, David Batty missing in the shootout. Beckham sent off after kicking Batistuta(?) while laying down.
• The USA vs Iran game in the groups, I was very intruiged asking my father about the tension between the countries as I was only 8 years old at the time, and disappointed the match was a tame one
• Davor Suker winning the Golden boot
• The Ronaldo epilepsy/anxiety/PlayStation-whatever incident before the final
• The Rumanian Hagi and his wonderful natural skill
• Nigeria - Spain in the groups, Zubizarreta with an absolute howler in his last ever game followed by a cracker of a goal by Sunday Oliseh to send Spain out of the competition.

As far as favourite teams go, I always thought the 2006 Italy squad was incredible. Defensively on paper surely as good as any team club or country has ever been.

Buffon

Grosso - Cannavaro - Nesta - Zambrotta

Perrotta - Pirlo - Gattuso - Iaquinta

Totti

Toni

It's funny but probably my earliest memory not just of the WC but of football and the impact it has on people was baggios missed penalty in 1994. As a kid, I'd never seen the adults around me react so viscerally to something on tv. It's probably one of the moments that made me start following football regularly

Also, supporting the Netherlands against brazil in the 98 semis, and thinking 'bergkamp is better than ronaldo'

Bergkamp that goal vs Argentina

Maradona that goal vs England.

Sunday Oliseh that goal vs Spain.

Zidane double header at France 98.

And yes, the Roberto Baggio missed penalty.

Quite the coincidence Gazza, I have a similar first memory of football, it's this one.

Jens wrote:

As far as favourite teams go, I always thought the 2006 Italy squad was incredible. Defensively on paper surely as good as any team club or country has ever been.

Buffon

Grosso - Cannavaro - Nesta - Zambrotta

Perrotta - Pirlo - Gattuso - Iaquinta

Totti

Toni

Camoranesi should be there in place of Iaquinta, and then switch flanks with Perrotta. Also Nesta got injured early in that tournament and was replaced by Materazzi who while being generally a piece of shit on the pitch is one of the most underrated centre backs ever.

Agree in general though that was some team definitely one of the better WC winning teams in the last decades. And all of this while most of them were involved in Calciopoli at the time too.

Gazza M wrote:

It's funny but probably my earliest memory not just of the WC but of football and the  impact it has on people was baggios missed penalty in 1994.

One of my first football related memories as well, along with Leonardos elbow vs the US in that tourney

• Zidane destroying midfields in 98. Particularly Croatia.
• There is bear cum.
• Platini goal celebration v Brazil, not because the goal was particularly great but twas my youngest ever WC memory
• Roger Milla! Rounding Higuita. Corner flag celebration.
  Edit: Of course, 7-1 .

Gazza M wrote:

It's funny but probably my earliest memory not just of the WC but of football and the  impact it has on people was baggios missed penalty in 1994. As a kid, I'd never seen the adults around me react so viscerally to something on tv. It's probably one of the moments that made me start following football regularly

Yeah I remember being gutted by that.

I supported Italy in that tournament when the rest of my classmates went for Brazil.

jones wrote:

Also Nesta got injured early in that tournament and was replaced by Materazzi who while being generally a piece of shit on the pitch is one of the most underrated centre backs ever.

Gotta love Materazzi. Nesta comes off injured against the Czech, Materazzi comes on, scores a winnng goal. Next game he starts, gets a red card for the dumbest foul of all time, has to sit out the quarterfinal. Then he outshines Cannavaro in both the semi and the final. It was either high or low with him, never anything in-between.

Bergkamp's goal v Argentina.

The first world cup you watched is always the most memorable, so for me it is this goal.

That goal is one of my strongest World Cup memories too, Clrnc. Incredible header, and they kept airing it in the WC highlights prior to every single game.