Legacy. It’s a word that has become increasingly more important in sport over the last couple of decades – particularly in relation to the justification for bidding for, and the awarding of sporting events to certain places.

Football, too, has become obsessed by the notion of legacy; which we intend to explore via one avenue or another in this, our 20th issue. Russia 2018 will be the 21st renewal of the FIFA World Cup finals which gives us ample reason to look back at the previous twenty (note the not-so-clever link to the issue number) in order to find each one’s lasting ‘gift’ to the planet’s most popular sporting competition.

PRE-ORDER ISSUE 20 IN PRINT BY VISITING OUR ONLINE SHOP http://thefootballpink.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-the-football-pink-issue-20

*(release date May 15, 2018)

Here’s what’s inside:

First Amongst Equals – Jules Rimet’s dream and the inaugural tournament in Uruguay

Until Victory and Beyond! – Mussolini’s hijacking of the World Cup

Resistance! – 80 years on since the Nazis tried to demonstrate their superiority, are we seeing history repeat itself?

Kicked into the long grass – 1950 and the USA’s missed opportunity

Method in the Miracle – A kickstart for national pride, economic prosperity and sporting success in post-war West Germany?

Too good to be true? – Swedish Cold War conspiracy

Here Come the Men in Black – the game that changed refereeing forever

The Lion King – the birth of modern media and marketing at England ’66

The story of the blues – England setting precedents in the Mexican sun

Stealing the show – Style over substance and loving the losers

Once Upon a Time in Argentina – recalibrating Scottish expectations

Size Matters – the impact of expansion of the World Cup finals

Out with the old, in with the new – the Dynamite Danes who swept cynicism away

They shook up the world! – Cameroon change perceptions of African football

Divinity lost – the stained legacy of Roberto Baggio

Postcards from Paris – a nation united in triumph and a broken legacy

Stand by for lift-off – the first Asian World Cup and waiting for the breakthrough

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – a new German identity is born amid murky subplots

Possession and Politics – How to celebrate a World Cup win in Spain

In order to gain anything, you must lose everything – Brazil’s wake-up call and a repeated legacy of success

ALSO INSIDE: YOUR FREE PULL OUT WORLD CUP WALLCHART WITH ALL THE FIXTURES FOR RUSSIA 2018. PRE-ORDER NOW http://thefootballpink.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-the-football-pink-issue-20

*Subscribers will receive their copy as per usual, digital readers will be able to download Issue 20 upon the magazine’s full release at exacteditions.com/thefootballpink