On This Day: Russia World Cup kicked off; Griezmann committed future to Atletico

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (June 14th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers.

On this day in 2018 - 21st FIFA World Cup kicked off in Russia

The 2018 FIFA World Cup took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. It was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe, and the 11th time that it had been held in Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it was the most expensive World Cup. It was also the first World Cup to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system.

Of the 32 teams who involved in the finals, 20 had also appeared in the previous tournament in 2014, while both Iceland and Panama made their first appearances at a FIFA World Cup.

In the opening game, hosts Russia beat Saudi Arabia with a 5-0.

Germany were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the group stage.

The final took place on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, between France and Croatia. France won the match 4–2 to claim their second World Cup title, marking the fourth consecutive title won by a European team.

On this day in 2018 - Antoine Griezmann announced he would stay at Atletico

On 14 June 2018, Antoine Griezmann announced in a documentary he'd be staying at Atletico Madrid.

Griezmann, who had said he would clarify his future before France's World Cup opener against Australia, posted a video on social media in which he confirmed he was staying put.

Griezmann took to Twitter and conveyed the message "My fans, my team, MY HOME!!!" in Spanish, French and English along with a video in which he is seen walking around Madrid as the Amanda Delara song 'We Don't Run From Anyone' plays.

However, one year later, Griezmann has confirmed he will leave Atletico...

On this day in 2001 - Frank Lampard joined Chelsea

On 14 June 2001, Frank Lampard completed his £11m move to Chelsea. The midfielder has signed a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard said when he joined Chelsea: "It's always been my ambition from day one to play European football. Hopefully I can test myself against the best players in Europe and we can contest for trophies. The chance of European football and working with a well-respected coach will bring my game on."

During his 13 years at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard won a lot more than just trophies. He may have departed last summer with three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, a Europa League crown and, last but not least, the Champions League, but his biggest personal achievement was perhaps the way that he went about winning over even the most begrudging of neutrals to earn his place among the greatest top-flight players of all time.

On this day in 2009 - Spain extended unbeaten run to record 33 games

On 14 June 2009, Spain beat New Zealand for their 33rd consecutive unbeaten match, surpassing the previous record of 32 set by the Magical Magyars of Hungary.

After losing 0-1 to Romania in Cadiz on 15 November 2006, Spain started their unbeaten run on 2 February 2007, beating England in a friendly played in Manchester, 0-1. Their streak carried them through qualification for Euro 2008, then through the tournament itself, which they won by beating Germany in the Final. That was their 22nd unbeaten match.

The record-breaking match came in the FIFA Confederations Cup, played in Rustenburg, South Africa. Spain got goals from Fernando Torres, Fabregas, and DVilla to a comfortable 0-5 victory.

Spain followed their record victory with wins over Iraq (1-0) and South Africa (2-0) to stretch their unbeaten run to 35 consecutive matches before it ended in the semifinals with a 2-0 loss to the United States.

On this day in 2012 - Spain set a record with 859 passes

On 14 June 2012, Spain beat Ireland in the European Championship by the score of 4-0. Spain's domination was reflected in the statistics, including possession (78% to Ireland's 22%) and shots (27 to 5, with 22 and 4 being on goal). But the most telling number was Spain's 859 passes--the most of any match in European Championship history. Xavi provided 136 of those, setting an individual Euro record.

It was the second match for both teams in Group C, with Spain, the defending European and World Cup champions, having drawn their first game with Italy and Ireland losing their first one to Croatia. They met at the PGE Arena in Gdánsk, where Spain wasted little time in setting the tone, taking a 1-0 lead with a goal from Fernando Torres in the 4th minute. Ireland managed to stem the tide for a while, but David Silva doubled the lead in the 49th minute, then Torres (70') and Cesc Fàbregas (83') completed the rout.

The win sent Spain to the top of the group and they eventually reached the final, where they beat Italy 4-0 to repeat as champions.

On 14 June 1925, Barcelona played a match that was almost its last

Barca had organized the 14 June match against Jupiter, another Barcelona club, in honor of the Orfeo Catala, an amateur choir founded in 1891. The Orfeo Catala, also based in Barcelona, was a touchstone of Catalan culture. 

At that time, however, Spain was controlled by dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera v Orbaneja, whose government was openly hostile to Catalonia and had even banned the Catalan language.

A British Navy ship was docked in the Barcelona harbor and Barca's manager, Englishman Ralph Kirby, invited the ship's band to play at the match. The band played the Spanish national anthem, which the crowd booed, and then the English anthem "God Save the King," which the crowd applauded.

The government responded by fining the club, forcing the resignation of club president Joan Gamper, and shutting the team down for six months. Unable to play, Barca nearly went bankrupt, but was saved by donations from loyal supporters and a local bank.

On this day in 1969 - Bayern claimed the first of 12 domestic doubles

The DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 1968–69 DFB-Pokal, the 26th season of Germany's knockout football cup competition.

It was played on 14 June 1969 at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt. Finally, with 2 goals of Gerd Müller, Bayern Munich won the match 2–1 against Schalke 04, to claim their 4th cup title, making their 1st domestic double of 13.

On this day in 1991 - Kostas Manolas was born

Konstantinos "Kostas" Manolas, born on 14 June 1991, is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Italian club Roma and the Greece national team.

Manolas began his youth career at Thrasyvoulos in 2007. On 16 June 2009, he signed a three-year deal with AEK and he scored first professional goal against archrivals Olympiacos on 19 May 2010. On 1 July 2012, Manolas joined rivals Olympiacos on a free transfer until 30 June 2016 after his contract with AEK Athens had expired. 

On 27 August 2014, Italian Serie A side Roma announced the signing of Manolas for an estimated fee of €15 million. 

Manolas made his international debut against Switzerland in a friendly. Leading up to the 2014 World Cup, Manolas' strong 2013–14 season with Olympiacos earned him a spot in manager Fernando Santos' final 23-man squad for the tournament. 

It was in Brazil where the centre-back really caught the attention of the watching world, with a string of imperious displays that carried Greece into the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time in its history. He was named by The Independent as being among the 50 best players at the World Cup.

On 12 September 2018, Manolas netted his first goal with Greece, leaping over his marker to head a free kick through the goalkeeper's hands in a 2-1 away loss against Hungary for the Nations League.