1990 FIFA World Cup

Notes

West Germany's third title (last as 'West Germany' before reunification). Lowest-scoring tournament since 1934 — 2.21 goals/match. Argentina reached final without winning a knockout match in regulation (penalties past Yugoslavia and Italy; final lost 1-0). Cameroon — led by 38-year-old Roger Milla — became the first African team to reach a WC quarter-final, after upsetting Argentina 1-0 in the opener and beating Romania and Colombia. England lost SF on penalties to West Germany (Pearce + Waddle missed). Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci's late-tournament 6 goals won him both Golden Boot and Player of Tournament for hosts Italy. Mascot Ciao; ball Adidas Etrusco Unico.

Awards & marks

Best player

Salvatore Schillaci

Ball

Adidas Etrusco Unico

Mascot

Ciao

Top scorers

1. 1.Salvatore SchillaciItaly· Forwards6
2. 2.Tomáš SkuhravýCzechoslovakia· Forwards5
3. 3.Lothar MatthäusWest Germany· Midfielders4
4. 4.Gary LinekerEngland· Forwards4
5. 5.Roger MillaCameroon· Forwards4
6. 6.MíchelSpain· Midfielders4
7. 7.Andreas BrehmeWest Germany· Defenders3
8. 8.Rudi VöllerWest Germany· Forwards3
9. 9.Jürgen KlinsmannWest Germany· Forwards3
10. 10.David PlattEngland· Midfielders3

West Germany's road to the title

1. r16vs Netherlands2-1
2. qfvs Czechoslovakia1-0
3. sfvs England1-1 (4-3 pens)
4. finalvs Argentina1-0

Confederation breakdown

• UEFA14
• CONMEBOL4
• Concacaf2
• CAF2
• AFC2
• OFC0

📚 Trivia (3)

• recordsCameroon, led by 38-year-old Roger Milla, became the first African team to reach a World Cup quarter-final. They opened by upsetting reigning champions Argentina 1-0, then beat Romania 2-1 (Milla brace) and Colombia 2-1 a.e.t. (Milla brace) before losing 3-2 a.e.t. to England.
• records1990 had the lowest goals/match average since 1934 — 2.21. The goalfest 1954 (5.38) and modern WCs around 2.5-2.7 bracket the average. The defensive 1990 tournament prompted FIFA to award 3 points for a win in 1994 (instead of 2) to incentivise attacking play.
• awardsSalvatore 'Toto' Schillaci had 1 international cap and 0 goals before the 1990 WC. He came off the bench against Austria, scored, and ended the tournament with 6 goals — winning both the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament for hosts Italy.