History Of Football: The Beautiful Game

Evolution Of The European Game (1x3)

: 25, 2002

The third episode looks at how football took its shape in Europe. It shows how much influence Scottish players had on the early game in Europe as many were imported into England's professional league. It also looks at the formation of FIFA and the teams that dominated the early years. These teams were relative minnows by today's standards, but this was at a time when all players were paid the same rate, allowing the smaller clubs to be able to entice the stronger players. The Italian team of the time is also looked at and the way that the dictator Mussolini used the team for his own political gain. The Hungarian team were also dominant during the 50s and the West German team were an emerging force on the world stage. Both are covered in this episode.