April Fools’ Day: 10 football myths that almost became truth | OneFootball

April Fools’ Day brings pranks, but football’s greatest tricks are myths many believed.

Globo.com revisits 10 tales that almost passed for truth and sets the record straight.

Brazil’s Maracanazo was not a final. Brazil lost 2-1 to Uruguay at the Maracanã in 1950, Alcides Ghiggia scoring the winner. It was the last game of a four-team final round with Sweden and Spain, and Brazil only needed a draw. Claims Brazil “sold” the 1998 World Cup trace to an email by Gunther Schweitzer, a PE teacher. San Siro is the district, the official name is Giuseppe Meazza.

Racing’s curse tells of Independiente fans, a witch and a night guard burying seven cats at El Cilindro, then 35 years without titles as Independiente won four straight Libertadores. Digs, a mass and a renovation said to reveal the last cat preceded Racing ending the drought. Grêmio captain Hugo de León, pictured bloodied with the Libertadores, rejects the “nail in the trophy” tale.

Ronaldo and Romário did lose together, two friendlies despite perfect Copa América and Confederations runs. At Italia 90, Branco’s free-kick concussed Scotland’s Murdo Macleod, who was substituted and hospitalised, then recovered and kept playing. Ronaldinho’s famous Venezuela goal in 1999 was his official debut, but he had played four days earlier in a 3-0 friendly over Latvia.

Pelé said his boyhood team was Vasco da Gama, not Corinthians, despite friends in Bauru insisting otherwise and his brother supporting Palmeiras. Folklore also has Romário bargaining Carnival leave from Johan Cruyff if he scored twice, he says he hit three then flew to Rio, though the date was never confirmed.

Source: Globo.com