The "Super Subs"

The "Super Subs"

It is never a happy story for a footballer being sidelined on the bench. A substitution status will stay longer to warm before the touch line. However, football is a team game. Being part of a starting line-up may not underrate the substitution one. It all depends on the coach's strategy.

A substitution does not mean to be left behind. Moreover, when a player came out of the bench in such a big game as the FIFA World Cup final match. 


The FIFA World Cup substitution was not allowed until the 1978 edition in Argentina. Below are those players having opportunities to be the "twelfth man on the pitch".

1970
Antonio Juliano (Italy)
Gianni Rivera (Italy)

1974
Rene van de Kerkhof (Netherlands)
Theo de Jong (Netherlands)

1978
Dick Nanninga (Netherlands)
Omar Larrosa (Argentina)
Rene Houseman (Argentina)
Wim Suurbier (Netherlands)

1982
Alessandro Altobelli (Italy)
Horst Hrubesch (West Germany)
Hansi Mueller (West Germany)
Franco Causio (Italy)

1986
Rudi Voeller (West Germany)
Dieter Hoeness (West Germany)
Marcelo Trobbiani (Argentina)

1990
Pedro Monzon (Argentina)
Gabriel Calderon (Argentina)
Stefan Reuter (West Germany)

1994
Cafu (Brazil)
Luigi Apolloni (Italy)
Alberigo Evani (Italy)
Viola (Brazil)

1998
Denilson (Brazil)
Christophe Dugarry (France)
Edmundo (Brazil)
Patrick Vieira (France)
Alain Boghossian (France)

2002
Oliver Bierhoff (Germany)
Gerald Asamoah (Germany)
Christian Ziege (Germany)
Juninho Paulista (Brazil)
Denilson (Brazil)

2006
Alou Diarra (France)
Daniele De Rossi (Italy)
Vincenzo Iaquinta (Italy)
Alessandro Del Piero (Italy)
David Trezequet (France)
Sylvain Wiltord (France)

Note: 
In the 1982 FIFA World Cup final at the Bernabeu, Madrid, Alessandro Altobelli came out to replace Francesco Graziani in the 7th minute after the kick-off. This made him the fastest substitute as well as took Graziani the fastest substituted player. Altobelli scored one of the three Italian goals. He then left the field in the 89th minute for giving Franco Causio chance. 
The latest substitute was done by French Raymond Domenech when replacing Thierry Henry with Sylvain Wiltord in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Of these substitutes, there were three players who put their names on the scoresheet: Altobelli, Hrubesch, and Voeller.

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Francisco Varallo, the only Survivor

Francisco Varallo, the only Survivor

All but one players pioneering the first ever FIFA World Cup has died. The only remaining person left from the monumental event goes to Francisco Varallo, an Argentine forward. He played Uruguay at the Centenario Stadium, July 30th, 1930, when the Argentine was beaten by the home team.


Varallo, born in La Plata, February 5th, 1910, has already turned 100 years old this year. The "Canoncito" (the little cannon) started his senior career with Gimnasia La Plata (1928-1930) and then moved to Boca Juniors, where he spent nine years of competition. His total professional career is 210 appearances scoring 181 goals.

Varallo's young talent was built in some youth clubs like 12 de Octobre, Estudiantes, and Gimnasia La Plata. He had two times of opportunities to play for the Argentine national team, 1930 and 1933-1937. Varallo had 16 caps and 7 goals.


Titles and honors:
FIFA World Cup runners-up (1930), Primera Division Argentina (1929, 1931, 1934, and 1935), Argentina and South American seasonal top scorrer with 34 goals (1933), FIFA Order of Merit (1994), and the 3rd all time goal scorrers for Boca Juniors.

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