In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, The National’s Gary Meenaghan looks back at the figures of World Cups past who, while not necessarily the greatest the game has ever seen, were among football’s most interesting characters.
PREBEN ELKJAER
It was once said the great Dane debunked three common beliefs during his 14-year career. Firstly, a footballer does not need to treat his body like a temple to be the best player on the field. Secondly, he does not require a low centre of gravity to dribble proficiently and, thirdly, he does not need to wear football boots to score goals.
Goal Machine
Few forwards have been blessed with such an array of talent as Denmark’s leading scorer at the 1986 World Cup. Elkjaer had it all: strength, balance, fast feet, a thunderous shot, instinctive positioning and a determination to score at all costs. He netted his country’s only goal in an opening win over Scotland and then a hat-trick in a 6-1 evisceration of Uruguay. He was awarded the Bronze Ball as the third best player of the tournament – despite Denmark exiting in the second round.
Danish Dynamite
Elkjaer played football tenaciously, but also in a way people dream of playing: full of thrilling turns, cheeky lobs and stunning goals. He appeared to be built of bricks and fitted with a pair of oversized lungs, despite being known to sneak to the toilets at half-time for a cigarette. His appetite for late-night partying also caused frictions with many a manager.
Sock Success
In 1984, Elkjaer left Belgium to join Italian side Hellas Verona and led them to their only Serie A title. Against reigning champions Juventus, he scored an incredible solo goal that came to epitomise his refusal to surrender a lost cause. Having picked the ball up on the left wing, he drove forward, rode a tackle, lost his right boot, cut inside a defender and fired a shot with his bootless foot past the goalkeeper.
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
