Often in football a player’s entire career trajectory can
change with one swing of a boot. It’s June 26th on a balmy night in
Bologna. England are squaring off against Belgium for a place in the quarter
final of Italia ’90, it’s the 119th minute of a fairly even game
when England are awarded a free kick some thirty-five yards from goal. What
happened next would go down as one of the most dramatic goals in England’s
recent history.
The then Aston Villa midfielder David Platt rids himself of
his marker in the box for split second as Paul Gascoigne’s ball descends
towards him. Platt swivels and connects beautifully with a right-footed volley
which arrows across Michel Preud’homme and into his right hand corner. Platt peels
away in celebration, euphoria overtaking him and sinking to his knees - a rare
manner of celebrating a goal by his own admission – and is soon mobbed by teammates.
The goal was life changing for Platt, in the immediate
aftermath of the strike and for the long-term effects. He had been a substitute
in every game of the World Cup prior to the goal, following the Belgium game he
subsequently became an automatic starter against Cameroon, West Germany and
Italy. Scoring a further two goals in the quarter final and the third place
playoff.
The England squad returned home as heroes for their
unexpected run to the last four, restoring pride to the national game after a
decade of darkness. It could be argued that with the exception of Gascoigne,
nobody’s value rose higher after the tournament than Platt’s. He had been named
PFA Player of the Year in the season leading into Italia ’90 as he rattled in
nineteen goals in the league from midfield, yet his performances in Italy
garnered international recognition and speculation was mounting that he
wouldn’t be playing in the Midlands for much longer.
