World Cup history: 14 June 1990: Milla dances into World Cup folklore

On This Day...

One man who embodied all of that and captured the imagination of the Italia ’90 crowds was Cameroon striker Roger Milla (Getty Images)

The World Cup – a place for flamboyance, colour, imaginations and flair.

One man who embodied all of that and captured the imagination of the Italia ’90 crowds was Cameroon striker Roger Milla.

At the age of 38 – or so it was claimed – the forward struck twice in a group match against Romania, but it was his celebration that caught the eye. After slotting past goalkeeper Silviu Lung to help his side to a 2-1 win, Milla (above) ran to the corner flag and danced round it – thus, a legend was born.

Milla would repeat the trick in the last-16 game versus Colombia as Cameroon became the first African team to make the quarter-finals.

He returned in the United States four years later, his goal against Russia at the age of 42 extending his record as the World Cup’s oldest scorer.