"Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more important than that."
Then and now
England was based in Rio de Janeiro for the 2014 World Cup, 64 years after their World Cup debut in the same city. A few things have changed.Travel
2014 – England came via USA but a direct flight from London would take 11 hours.
1950 – England had a 31 hour flight with 4 stops en route.
Preparation
2014 – A series of warm-up games in the same time zone and similar climate.
1950 – four days training in London.
Knowledge of opponents
1950 – Magazine articles
2014 – Some opponents will be club team-mates, many will have faced them in club or international matches. Computer and video analysis.
Food
2014 - The England party of 70 includes a chef and a nutritionist.
1950 – Standard hotel fare.
Ball
1950 – Made of cowhide.
2014 – The Adidas Brazuca, a synthetic ball developed over 2-3 years.
Boots
1950 – Heavy with toe-caps and ankle protection.
2014 – Custom designed for each individual player who has a lucrative boot contact.
Shirt
1950 – Plain long-sleeved woollen.
2014 – Designed by Nike who will hope to sell two million replica shirts.
Media
1950 – One small paragraph in the The Times.
2014 – 18,000 media from all over the world will report on the World Cup.
Outcome
1950 – England humiliated by USA.
2014 – So not much has changed then!
Photo: Getty images for Sony