Adrian Atkinson on Zidane, Lineker and Barry Davies in his World Cup memories

By Richard Siddle

Published: 08 July, 2014

After the long, two day wait, the World Cup in Brazil starts again later today with Brazil back in to action againt Columbia. To get you in the mood, here Adrian Atkinson is the latest to step up to the plate and share his World Cup memories.

If you would like to do the same then simply email your answers to the following questions to richard.siddle@wrbm.com.

Favourite World Cup and why?

1990 - I had just graduated from Liverpool Univeristy, life was all good. All I did was play golf, watch footy, drink Lancaster Bomber and...plus there were some reasonable games. However, I think any of the early ones for me ('74-'86) should come on top of the pile. Nowadays the picture quality, the sound with no delay has lost some of the World Cup magic for me.

One person recently described the older commentaries perfectly as "The sound was fantastically crackly - Barry Davies or John Motson could just as easily have been commentating from one of the Apollo lunar modules - the picture was bleached and fuzzy, and the on-screen graphics looked as if they'd been created on an ZX81."

Coverage wasn't wall to wall, you didn't see the best players week in week out in European leagues so each match was so much more special as a result. Call me old fashioned.

Zinedine Zidane Oh no: Zinedine Zidane!Not quite so poetry in motion. Zinedine Zidane's famous head butt in the 2006 World Cup Final

Best overall World Cup game and why.

The one where all the players wore boots of the same colour? No, what about the one where they all wore black boots? I leave it others to research which one it was. But I think Zinedine Zidane's head-butt on Italy's defender Marco Materazzi in 2006 takes it for me. Not because of the event itself but because what happened after illustrated a fundamental change in how media was consumed and content created. Within 15 seconds blogs we on the web, within 30 minutes a song was written, within nine days the song was at No1 in France and there were thousands of video parodies uploaded.

Click here to see what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM93iVntW2U

Archie Gemmill Archie GemmillThe moment all of Scotland...and the UK...thought the Scots could do it. Until Holland scored five minutes later.

Greatest World Cup goal?

Archie Gemmill Holland 1978 I guess. Not just the goal but the fact that it gave them hops of going through if they won 3:1 If only. And the picture was crap and the sound rubbish, no hugs or kisses just punched his fist and ran back for kick-off.

The moment all of Scotland...and the UK...thought the Scots could do it. Until Holland scored five minutes later.

Favourite all time player in the World Cup and why?

After Pele I think Gazza - you just don't see that type of emotion anymore when he knew he wouldn't play in the next game if England got through.

Earliest World Cup memory?

I can't remember.

World Cup Gary LinekerEngland's greatest World Cup player according to Matthew Dickinson

Best all time English World Cup player?

Gary Lineker - bags of goals, hat trick and the Golden Boot. But those goals were also in key matches at key times, and no yellow cards.

Worst all time English World Cup player?

Chris Waddle just for the nature of his penalty miss but David Batty comes a very close second in my mind - useless player and he missed a penalty too. Come to think about it, David Batty.