Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (January 29th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, please post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!
On This Day in 1966 - He Roamed Where He Wanted
On 29 January 1966, well-travelled Brazilian striker and 1994 FIFA Player of the Year Romário was born in Rio de Janeiro. Playing over the course of twenty-four years, he was a prolific goalscorer, with a career tally that--according to some estimates--topped 1,000 goals (though some discount that number, with several goals coming in youth matches and unofficial competitions).
Starting with Vasco da Gama in 1985, he played for several teams across Brazil and Europe, including PSV, Barcelona, Valencia, and multiple stints with Vasco, Flamengo, and Fluminense. In the 2000 season, during his second spell with Vasco, he scored an astonishing 65 goals in 71 appearances across all competitions.
But his Player of the Year performance came in 1994, when his 30 goals in La Liga helped Barcelona to the title. That same year, he scored five goals in the World Cup, winning the Golden Ball as Brazil took the trophy with a win over Italy in the final.
His milestone 1,000th goal came in May 2007, when, after joining Vasco for a fourth time, he scored a penalty kick in a league match against Sport Recife. FIFA recognized the accomplishment, but noted that the number was reached by Romário's "personal count."
On This Day in 1988 - Lee Dixon joined Arsenal
On January 29. 1988 George Graham bought right-back Lee Dixon from Stoke City for £350,000.
At the time he was just another player, but over time he became part of the legendary back five.
Dixon's tenure in north London lasted a hugely impressive 15 years, encapsulating 619 appearances - leaving him fourth in the all-time list - until his retirement in 2002. Throughout that time Dixon was consistency personified.
From arguably the hardest position on the field to make a noteworthy impact, the right-back excelled in both his primary duty of defending, and further upfield.
Thus Dixon was with Arsenal in 1989 at Anfield, received the ball in his own half and hoofed it up to Alan Smith. With Smith taking the defence with him, Micky Thomas ran into the middle and …. well you know the rest.
With the addition of David Seaman, the defence became complete and Dixon played in the team that came within one defeat of being the Invincibles in 1990/91.
Lee Dixon also the Cup Winners Cup in the victory over Parma, and played in the FA Cup final in the Cup Double year.
Dixon’s career at Arsenal was surprisingly extended by the arrival of Arsène Wenger who enabled the back five to extend their careers through his famous lifestyle changes. Arsenal won the Double in 1998 and Dixon received a testimonial in 1999.
By the time of the 2001 FA Cup final Dixon was 37, an age at which no Wenger player would play these days. He played for one more season, and so won a second Double, thus allowing him to have won the League in the 1908s, the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century.
Both Lee Dixon and Tony Adams left Arsenal at the same time in 2002, having played 458 times in the League, scoring 25 goals.
In retirement, Lee Dixon has run several businesses, and appeared on Match of the Day, and Football Focus. In July 2012 he moved to ITV. In 2012 as a cyclist he raised almost £1m for charity.
29 January 2011 - Geographically Speaking, It Was The Right Result
On 29 January 2011, Japan won their fourth Asian Cup, beating Australia with an extra-time goal from substitute striker Tadanari Lee.
It was only the second Asian Cup for Australia, who previously played in the Oceania Football Confederation. In 2006, they switched to the Asian confederation in the hope that the stronger competition there would improve their World Cup fortunes by improving their team. They took their first crack at the Asian Cup in 2007, but fell to Japan on penalties in the first knockout round. Japan, meanwhile, were old hands in the competition, winning it in 1992, 2000, and 2004.
They played the final before a crowd of 37,174 at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital of Doha. Although it featured two of the tournament's top scorers in Australia's Harry Kewell and Japan's Ryoichi Maeda, goals proved difficult to find. At the end of regulation, the match remained stuck in a scoreless draw.
In the first period of extra time, Japan manager Alberto Zaccheroni subbed Lee in for Maeda. Lee had made only one other appearance in the tournament, coming on for Maeda in the 46th minute of Japan's opening match against Jordan, and had not scored a goal. But he rewarded Zaccheroni's faith by scoring from a cross in the 109th minute. Japan held on for the remainder of the match to claim the cup.
29 January 2006 - Eight May Be Enough, But Nine Is Better
On 29 January 2006, the United States beat Norway 5-0 in a friendly at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Three of the Yanks' goals were scored by forward Taylor Twellman, whose hat-trick was only the ninth in the history of the US national team.
Twellman, who plays his club ball for the MLS' New England Revolution, was making a push for inclusion in the 2006 World Cup side. Despite winning the MLS Golden Boot in 2005, he had scored only one previous international goal, in October 2005, since his call up to the senior team in 2002.
Although Twellman appeared to find his scoring touch, contributing another goal in a 3-2 friendly win over Japan in February 2006, he was not part of the side that traveled to Germany in 2006. That team managed to score only one goal--a 43rd-minute strike from Clint Dempsey against Ghana--and was eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. (They also benefited from an Italy own goal to draw 1-1 with the eventual champions.)
Twellman rejoined the national team for their successful 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign and made his last appearance on 19 January 2008.
