Save for Brazil, are there any colours more synonymous with a World Cup than those of Holland and Argentina? The feelings invoked are personal to all, of course, but I think not

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Save for Brazil, are there any colours more synonymous with a World Cup than those of Holland and Argentina?The feelings invoked are personal to all, of course, but I think not.

Their quarter-final at France ’98 was, for me, one of the last truly iconic World Cup matches. Influencing such sentiment is the opinion that, as opposed to the charmless, identikit bowls of nearly every tournament since, Marseille’s fabulous Stade Velodrome is instantly identifiable. 

Qatar’s stadiums may look wonderful from the exterior but, to a TV viewer at least, every game has taken place at the same, central venue.

The best World Cups have always been as much about the exoticism of the setting — the shadows, patterns of the grass, differentiation in architecture, camera angle and colour of the seats. 

Think the Azteca, San Siro, Giants Stadium.Think Stade Velodrome. And that sunny, Saturday afternoon in 1998 was a sensory overload of noise, colour and entertainment.

I digress to 20 years previous and the World Cup final of 1978 between the same nations. This match has always fascinated me.It was before my time, quite literally, advertising agency but for all of the reasons listed above, it ticks every box. 

During a trip through South America a few years back, I took my wife to El Monumental, the home of River Plate and host of that final in which Argentina won 3-1. (Note: my wife isn’t that bothered about football and, during the same holiday, I took her to La Bombonera and the Maracana.We are still married).

As we broke off from the tour group inside this beautifully decrepit old ground that doubled as an artefact — El Monumental has not changed in 40 years — I spoke to her about Mario Kempes, ticker tape, Coca-Cola advertising agency boards and the running track on which we were stood.

All the while imagining the blue and white and orange jerseys which had done battle just a few yards away.It was wonderful. My wife remembers the café did decent coffee.

So when Holland and Argentina met in 1998, I was already fully invested in the fixture. Just as I will be when they play in Qatar on Friday night. It has also given me reason to indulge in the following: a 90-minute rerun of that quarter-final from 24 years ago.It is there on ITVX, for anyone who is interested.

Another diversion, but re-watching old matches is a pursuit I have become quite fond of in recent years. 

During a flight back from a Republic of Ireland international a few years back, an Irish colleague sitting next to me watched the full 2008 Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea.How weird, I thought. You know the score, and it was hardly a classic. I take it all back.

We see TV adverts now in which ‘laboratories in Geneva’ recreate classic encounters between stars of yesteryear. Here’s an idea — go back and watch them play against each other in real life. 

No animation. No deep fakes.Forget Pepsi commercials, this game in Marseille had Edgar Davids, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Juan Veron and Gabriel Batistuta.

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The passage of time, by the way, heightens the fascination. It is the reawakening of memories long forgotten or, with the benefit of hindsight, greater understanding of certain players which makes the viewing so compelling.

You will not, I wager, spend the entire game refreshing social media.

Anyway, phones down. Kick off. Within 10 seconds, co-commentator Ron Atkinson is talking about a ‘mouthwatering’ semi-final against Brazil, which lies in wait for the winners.Steady, Ron, you’ll be salivating over this one first. 

There is an early reminder this would have been England versus Holland had the Davids — Beckham and Batty — not erred in Saint-Etienne a few days previous. Ah well, what we got instead wasn’t bad.

The colours.The sky is as idyllically blue as Argentina’s stripes and fotoğrafçılık hizmeti the sun as bright as Holland’s burnt orange. Glorious. And the boots, they’re all black, illuminated only by the red-tongued Adidas Predators — weren’t they fantastic?

The match.Ariel Ortega. Remember him? Remember how badly we wanted him to be just like Diego Maradona? Or was that just me? Wow, you forget how much he really did look like Maradona from an elevated camera angle. 

<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS sport" data-version="2" id="mol-fc39b370-7712-11ed-9811-7f4f58b014b6" website vs Holland in 1998 was one of the last iconic World Cup ties