Vivid Sport December 2004

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My ten greatest moments in sport

by Craig Turp
December 2004

This being the December issue of Vivid, it's time to look back a little, though not, this time, at the year gone by. In context, it has been an annus horibilis for sport in general: a poor European football championship, drug scandals, the death of Brian Clough, the near death of Diego Maradona, continued Australian supremacy in cricket (sorry Andrew); not to mention countless acts of cheating and corruption.

Instead, let's concern ourselves with something far more satisfactory: the greatest sporting events in history. The subject suggested itself last month after the Times published its own list of the 50 greatest sporting events in history, chosen by its leading sports writer Simon Barnes. Now, Barnes is a gifted writer, and knowledgeable of more sports than most, but a glance at his list reveals the old British fault of ignoring anything that happens beyond its boundaries. Steve Redgrave was a fabulous Olympian, and his achievement in winning five gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games is outstanding. But was the race in which he achieved the feat - the Sydney 2000 Olympics Coxless Fours - really the greatest sporting event in history? I doubt it. Likewise, England 's victory over Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final was a memorable occasion, given that the winning points came in the last minute, but was it really the finest rugby match in history?

To counterbalance Barnes then, here are Vivid's, or at least my, top ten sporting events. Football dominates - not for nothing is it the most popular sport in the world - though it does not occupy first placeÖ

10. European Champions' Cup Final, Glasgow , 1960 Real Madrid 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 3

With hindsight, this was probably the night that modern football came of age. Eintracht were a formidable team, but Real Madrid ñ after briefly being behind ñ annihilated them by playing a brand of football that until then was alien to the British. It was Real Madrid's fifth victory in five editions of the Champions Cup, and a legend had been born.

9. Ashes Series 1981, Third Test, Headingly, England beat Australia by 19 runs

There have been closer cricket matches, including two tied Tests, but none to match the sheer drama and unexpectedness of this legendary match. At lunch on the fourth day England , having followed on, were dead and buried. Then Ian Botham hit 149 in no time, and set Australia a more than reachable target of 130 to win on Day 5. Then of course, Bob Willis took 8 for 43 and Australia were bowled out for 111 in the most incredible turnaround in international cricket history. And to think they call 111 the Devil's number in England.

8. Men's Singles Final, Wimbledon , 1984, John McEnroe beat Jimmy Connors 6-2, 6-1, 6-2

A masterclass from McEnroe, who at the peak of his powers destroyed former champion Connors with the most complete display of left-handed tennis ever seen. The last of the great gentlemen finals, between two craftsmen who have had to since watch their game reduced to a battle of who can hit the ball the hardest.

7. European Champions' Cup Semi-Final, Second-leg, Milan , 1989, Milan 5 Real Madrid 0

A night on which the one-time masters suffered total eclipse. This was the birth of the greatest Milan team ever, and marked the emergence of European football from a dark period of safety first tactics. Coached by little Arrigo Sacchi, led by Marco van Basten, on this memorable evening at San Siro Milan came as close to perfection as I think it is possible to play football. The final, when Steaua Bucharest ñ for whatever reason ñ laid down and died before Milan , was an anti-climax.

6. Men's 100 Metres Final, Olympic Games, Seoul , 1988

History will show that Carl Lewis took gold, but anyone who witnessed the event knows otherwise. Ben Johnson crossed the line five metres ahead of anyone else. Of course, he was cheating. But watch it again now and try not to cheer as Johnson breaks the tape so clearly convinced that he had gotten away with athletic murder. Or am I alone in having a soft spot for anti-heroes?

5. Grand National, Liverpool , 1977. Red Rum beat Churchtown Boy by 25 lengths

The English love horses more than any other nation, and no horse has been more loved than Red Rum. His victory in the 1977 National, his third - and last - was also the most thrilling. He led from Beecher 's Brook first time round onwards, but was under serious pressure from Churchtown Boy with two fences to go. Then Rummie pulled away, and was roared home to victory by an Aintree crowd the likes of which will never been seen again. To watch the race now without feeling emotional is impossible.

4. Tour de France, Paris 1985, Bernard Hinault beat Greg Lemond by 1' 42î

Lance Armstrong may by now have won six Tours , but Hinault's victory in 1985 ñ his fifth ñ clearly marks him as the greatest cyclist ever. Never loved by his home, French crowds, everything changed on a dark evening on Stage 17, when Hinault fell on a steep descent, chasing Spaniard Pedro Delgado who had attacked on a climb. Delgado won the stage ñ to Luz Ardiden - Greg Lemond followed him, but Hinault miraculously lost just two minutes on the stage and kept his yellow jersey. He then trounced Lemond and Delgado on the final time trial to Strasbourg , and won the tour.

3. World Cup Quarter-Final, Mexico City , 1986, Argentina 2 England 1

When Diego Maradona fell seriously ill earlier this year and looked to be at death's door, just one of his innumerable total of goals was replayed on news bulletins: that which sealed victory in this game against England . A magnificent slalom past half of the England team, it remains the finest goal ever scored. Argentina went on to win the tournament, the one time that the phrase ëone man does not make a team' was proven to be utterly false.

2. Rugby World Cup Semi-Final, Twickenham, 1999, France 43 New Zealand 31

Ask anyone: I do not like rugby all that much. But this game went beyond rugby, beyond sport even. This was sheer entertainment; sheer joy almost. Losing 31-10 five minutes into the second half, France, led by Christophe Lamaison, thundered back to dominate every aspect of the game, scoring three unanswered tries. And the manner in which they did it, namely Devil-may-care, made it all the more special.

1. The Rumble in the Jungle, Kinshasa , 1974, Muhammad Ali beats George Foreman, K/O Round 8

No man has ever shone as both sportsman and human being as Muhammad Ali. Yet to portray this event as a one-man show is wrong. In this era of over-hyped fights and paper champions, promoters artfully build fights with catchy superlatives and clever nicknames. At times, the fight itself cannot match its bombastic buildup. However, there remains one fight that truly lived up to its billing. This was it. The events before and during this bout are depicted in the Academy Award winning documentary, When We Were Kings. To have not seen it is to not love sport, whatever you opinion of boxing.