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The Joy of Six: Scott Murray recalls half a dozen great football headlines. 1) THESE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS (O Mundo) Few headlines have been so dismally — but so spectacularly — incorrect as this.
On the morning of July 16 1950, the early edition of Rio de Janeiro newspaper O Mundo carried a snap of Moacyr Barbosa, Augusto da Costa, Juvenal Amarijo, Jose Carlos Bauer, Danilo Alvim, Joao "Bigode" Ferreira, Albino Friaca, Thomaz "Zizinho" Soares, Ademir Menezes, Jair da Rosa Pinto and Francisco "Chico" Aramburu. And, alongside that photo of the Brazilian side due to face Uruguay in the final of the 1950 World Cup, ran the fateful legend: THESE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS. O dear O Mundo. February 8 – Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious. WHEN they’re not photoshopping England managers onto vegetables or banging on about immigration the British tabloid press have occasionally been known to come up with a genuinely funny headline or two.
The best in recent memory came after Inverness Caledonian Thistle shocked Old Firm giants Celtic today in 2000, when the Sun went all Mary Poppins on us, chirping that: “Super Caley go ballistic, Celtic are atrocious.” Plucky little Caley Thistle visited Celtic Park as huge underdogs for their Scottish Cup 3rd round tie that had fallen victim to the elements two weeks earlier when gales made part of the Parkhead stand unsafe. It was worth the wait for the 4,000 fans who had already made the pilgrimage across Scotland twice though, as they were to see one of the biggest shocks in Scottish football history. Celtic were under the less than capable stewardship of John Barnes, who was having a torrid time stepping up from Lucozade ad-man into management. Football.