World Cup at centre stage as legends turn out at FIFA Museum

Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands – former FIFA World Cup™ participants from several European countries were guests at the FIFA Museum on Wednesday evening.

Italy’s 2006 world champions Vincenzo Iaquinta and Marco Amelia were joined by Germany’s Roman Weidenfeller, a winner of football’s ultimate prize in 2014, for a trip down memory lane during a two-hour tour taking in the FIFA World Cup™ Gallery, the cinema and the special exhibition “Designing the Beautiful Game”.

The Elftal twins Frank and Ronald de Boer, Switzerland’s Alex Frei and Diego Benaglio and Albania’s record appearance-maker Lorik Cana also took an interested look at the memorabilia from over 100 years of football history, particularly items relating to the World Cup.

The trio of world champions had the privilege of once again holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy, presented by museum director Marco Fazzone. The attacker and two goalkeepers were also immortalised on the Wall of Champions with a gold pin and an autograph in the presence of FIFA Museum Football Experts Pascal Zuberbühler and Prisca Steinegger.

Iaquinta played five of the seven matches (scoring once) in the Squadra Azzurra’s triumph at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, while team-mate Amelia was the third goalkeeper at that edition and did not play. Also the third goalkeeper in the squad, Weidenfeller remained uncapped at Brazil 2014.

Wednesday evening’s event at the FIFA Museum was part of the Arosa IceSnowFootball tournament, which has been played since 2010. This year, three national teams – Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands – as well as an all-star team of international football stars will face each other on snow and ice.