''The Game of the Century'' is a British television documentary series produced by

Robert Sidaway Robert Sidaway (14 January 1758 – 13 October 1809), a convict of the First Fleet, was transported to Australia for stealing in 1788. Robert is known for being baker for the British Marines of Sydney and opening the first theatre in Sydney ...

and made as an independent production in association with the BBC, which provided use of its football library. The six-part series was a preview of the

1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June. The Cup was won by t ...

with a look back at some of the great players and top matches of previous tournaments. The series debuted on BBC One on 23 April 1978. The remainder of the series was shown on consecutive Sundays with the final episode broadcast on 28 May 1978. A book to accompany the series was written by

and

Bob Wilson Bob Wilson may refer to: Association footballers *Bob Wilson (footballer, born 1867) (1867–?), Irish international footballer of the 1880s * Bob Wilson (footballer, born September 1898) 1920s, Scottish footballer with Third Lanark and Fall R ...

and published by

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

on 17 April 1978. Argentina Heroes (We're On Our Way), the theme song from the series, was released by Pye Records on 28 April 1978. The song was performed by Moon Williams, produced by Paul Rade and written by Reade / Marshall. On the B side of the single was So Good So Far, another song featured in the series.

Episodes

1. THE SUPERSTARS Initial Broadcast Date: 23 April 1978 A tribute to some of the great names of the game - George Best,

Franz Beckenbauer Franz Anton Beckenbauer (, ; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional footballer and manager. In his playing career he was nicknamed ''Der Kaiser'' ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the fi ...

, Johan Cruyff and

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...

- how they became stars and what they achieved. In addition, action features new names, like Brazil's Zico, who were looking to become the superstars of the

Finals in Argentina. 2. THE MEN YOU LOVE TO HATE Initial Broadcast Date: 30 April 1978 Much of the responsibility for a trouble-free World Cup rests with the referees. This program features two of the world's best -

Arnaldo Cézar Coelho Arnaldo David Cézar Coelho (born 15 January 1943) is a former football referee. He was the first Brazilian, indeed the first non-European, to take charge of the FIFA World Cup final when he officiated in the 1982 final between Italy and West Ge ...

of Brazil and

Clive Thomas Clive Thomas may refer to: * Clive Thomas (football) (born 1936), Welsh football referee * Clive Eric Thomas (born 1971), Anglican Archdeacon * Clive Y. Thomas Clive Youlande Thomas (born 6 February 1938) is a Guyanese economics professor and po ...

of Wales - as well as

Sir Stanley Rous Sir Stanley Ford Rous (25 April 1895 – 18 July 1986) was an English football referee and the 6th President of FIFA, serving from 1961 to 1974. He also served as secretary of the Football Association from 1934 to 1962 and was an international ...

who perfected the modern system of refereeing. 3. WINNERS AND LOSERS Initial Broadcast Date: 7 May 1978 The third program traces the growth of international soccer from the earliest match to the

1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

final in Germany, and includes action from every World Cup tournament. 4. FROM TAMPA BAY TO TIMBUKTU Initial Broadcast Date: 14 May 1978 Part 4 concentrates on the new soccer nations, including Iran, who made their debut in the

Finals in the same group as Scotland. But nowhere was the game growing faster than in the United States, whose clubs were spending vast sums in recruiting some of the best players in the world and aiming to be World Cup finalists in the 1980s. 5. THE SWEAT MERCHANTS Initial Broadcast Date: 21 May 1978 What does it take to be a World Cup manager? How do men cope with the pressures of winning and losing? Part 5 features the men in the hot seat: Helmut Schoen of West Germany,

Claudio Coutinho Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu. Origin and history Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most important ...

of Brazil,

Cesar Luis Menotti Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * C ...

of Argentina, and

Ally MacLeod Alistair Reid "Ally" MacLeod (26 February 1931 – 1 February 2004) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He is perhaps best known for his time as the Scotland national football team manager, including their appearance at t ...

of Scotland, all determined that their teams will finish among the medals. 6. THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN Initial Broadcast Date: 28 May 1978 Broadcast four days before the beginning of

, the last in the series looks at preparations for the Finals themselves and the goals which took the 16 countries to Argentina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Game of the Century (1978 TV series) 1978 British television seasons Documentary television series about sports