World Cup Countdown Quiz #2

136 days to go.

As per John's request, the questions get harder.

Name the player who holds the record with 25 appearances in World Cup finals games.

A) Paolo Maldini (Italy)
B) Lothar Matthaeus (Germany)
C) Wladyslaw Zmuda (Poland)

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B) Lothar Matthaeus played in the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 World cups, appearing in 25 games for West Germany and Germany (World Champion in 1990). Paolo Maldini is second at 23 games and is still an active player. Diego Maradona (Argentina), Uwe Seeler (West Germany) and Zmuda (all retired) are tied for third at 21.Other than Maldini, no other active player has appeared in more than 17 games.

Next question:

Sepp Blatter is the current president of FIFA, the organizers of the World Cup

What country is Blatter from?

A) Liechtenstein
B) Austria
C) Switzerland

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C) Switzerland. Blatter replaced Joao Havelange of Brazil who was president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998.

Bonus question:

Which country declined an invitation to the 1950 World Cup because they could not meet the requirement of wearing shoes?

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India.

http://www.rediff.com/sports/2002/may/09india.htm

"A year after independence in 1947, the barefoot Indians caused a sensation against France at the 1948 London Olympics, taking an early lead before missing a penalty to lose 2-1.

India turned down a late invitation to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil only because its players were not used to playing in shoes."

World Cup Countdown Quiz #1

Only 141 days to go

If you've watched international soccer, or the 2002 World Cup Final, you may recognize Pierluigi Collina. He's quite recognizable for his lack of hair and his piercing stare.

What country is Collina from?

A) France
B) Argentina
C) Italy

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C) Italy

Bonus question:

Even more recognizable than Collina is Pele. How many World Cup-winning teams did Pele play for?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4

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B) 3 (1958 Sweden, 1962 Chile, 1970 Mexico) Pele retired from international competition at age 31; Brazil didn't reach another World Cup final game until 1994.