On This Day: The Cruyff turn was born; Italy won 2nd consecutive WC title

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (June 19th) 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 1974 - The Cruyff Turn was born and inspired generations to come

Cruyff's signature dummy was debuted 23 minutes into Holland vs Sweden in the group stage of the 1974 World Cup. Being tracked tightly by Swedish defender Jan Olsson, and facing his own goal, Cruyff suddenly executed an unexpected 180-degree turn and left his marker standing.

Cruyff was no doubt a true legend of football both as a player and a manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973, and 1974. Cruyff was the most famous exponent of the football philosophy known as Total Football explored by Rinus Michels, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dutch football rose from obscurity to become a powerhouse in the sport. Cruyff led the Netherlands to the final of the 1974 FIFA World Cup and received the Golden Ball as player of the tournament.

At club level, Cruyff started his career at Ajax, where he won eight Eredivisie titles, three European Cups and one Intercontinental Cup. In 1973, he moved to Barcelona for a world record transfer fee, winning La Liga in his first season and was named European Footballer of the Year. After retiring from playing in 1984, Cruyff became highly successful as manager of Ajax and later Barcelona; he remained an influential advisor to both clubs. His son Jordi also played football professionally.

Considered to be one of the most influential figures in football history, Cruyff's style of play and his football philosophy has influenced managers and players, including the likes of Arrigo Sacchi, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, Pep Guardiola, Frank Rijkaard, Michael Laudrup, Eric Cantona, Óscar García Junyent and Xavi. Ajax and Barcelona are among the clubs that have developed youth academies based on Cruyff's coaching methods. His coaching philosophy helped lay the foundations for the revival of Ajax's international successes in the 1990s. Spanish football's successes at both club and international level during the years 2008 to 2012 have been cited by many as evidence of Cruyff's impact on contemporary football. France Football ranked him at No. 4 on their list of the Top 50 football managers of all time

On this day in 1938 - Italy became the first nation to win consecutive World Cup titles

Italy, who had won the previous tournament by beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 in Rome, fielded a very different side in the 1938 Final. Of the 11 players who beat the Czechs, forward Giuseppe Meazza was the only returning starter, but he was joined again by manager Vittorio Pozzo. The Azzurri advanced to the title by virtue of their strong defense, conceding no more than one goal in each of their previous matches, with wins over Norway (2-1, aet), hosts France (3-1), and Brazil (2-1). The win over Brazil was particularly impressive, as the Italians shut down the tournament's leading scorer, forward Leônidas da Silva, who scored in every other match for Brazil.

In the Final, played before a crowd of 60,000 at the Stade Olympique de Colombes in Paris, the Azzurri again held their opponents' leading scorer - forward Gyula Zsengellér - without a goal. Zsengellér had found the net six times in Hungary's wins over the Dutch East Indies (6-0), Switzerland (2-0), and Sweden (5-1), but was continually frustrated in the Final. Italy took a 3-1 lead by the break thanks to goals from forwards Gino Colaussi (6', 35') and Silvio Piola (16'). Piola scored another in the 82nd minute to seal the 4-2 win. Afterward, Hungarian keeper Antal Szabo said "I may have let in four goals, but at least I saved their lives."

On this day in 2018 - Salah scored his first World Cup goal

Salah was the top scorer for Egypt with five goals during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. He missed Egypt's opening match against Uruguay on 15 June, which the Pharaohs lost 1–0, conceding in the 89th minute. On 19 June, Salah scored a penalty in Egypt's 3–1 defeat to hosts Russia at the Krestovsky Stadium. Salah struck back for Egypt when he earned and scored a penalty in the 73rd minute.

 Referee Enrique Caceres initially awarded a free-kick when Zobnin tugged the Liverpool forward, but VAR confirmed the foul continued into the area and Salah lashed the spot kick high into the net. It was he first ever goal in a World Cup.

Will he lead the Pharaohs to Afcon glory?

On this day in 1958 - Pele scored his first ever World Cup goal too, but only at just 17 years of age

Wales were without the injured John Charles and they missed the 'Gentle Giant' as the Welsh lost 1-0 to the eventual champions as the great Pele scored his first international goal in Gothenburg en route to Brazil winning their first World Cup trophy. The rest is history...

On this day in 2015 - Tottenham have completed the signing of the Burnley defender Kieran Trippier on a five-year contract

The 24-year-old right-back, who had a £3.5m release clause, leaves Turf Moor after four years.

Trippier signed a new three-year contract with Burnley following their promotion to the Premier League a year ago but written into that deal was an agreement for him be allowed to move on should they be relegated, which happened.

A statement from Burnley said: “A clause in that extension allowed clubs to talk to the former England Under-21 international, should his valuation be met.

“Spurs triggered that clause and have now moved to make Trippier their second summer signing. Burnley Football Club would like to thank Kieran for his significant contribution to the club and wish him every success in his future career.”

On this day in 2018 - Arsenal signed Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen

On 19 June 2018, Premier League club Arsenal announced that Leno had signed a five-year contract, £22.5 million, pending 'the completion of regulatory processes'.

Leno made his debut for Arsenal in the 4–2 victory over FC Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League. Leno made his Premier League debut in the 2–0 home victory over Watford, replacing regular goalkeeper Petr Čech, who picked up an injury in the first-half. His performance was praised by head-coach Unai Emery, who said "He is working very well with the goalkeeping coaches. I spoke with him and said the most important thing is when the team needs him to help us, to be prepared. He did that on Wednesday and today also – and against Vorskla. We have three very good goalkeepers. Petr Čech, his performances for us have been very important and his experience. Leno can learn by staying near with Petr Čech every day. I am very happy with him. He has waited for his moment and it’s arriving."

On this day in 1996 - Italy and Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini was born

He is an academy graduate of Roma, having joined the club in 2007, and made his senior debut in 2015. He departed for Sassuolo later that year where he made over 50 appearances across all competitions before returning to Roma in July 2017.

On 30 June 2017, Roma exercised the buy back clause of €10 million, which was included in Pellegrini's transfer agreement with Sassuolo, to bring him back to Rome on a five-year deal. On the same day Roma youth product Federico Ricci joined Sassuolo outright, for €3 million fee. Pellegrini scored his first-ever goal for the club on 1 December 2017, netting Roma's third goal in a 3–1 league win over SPAL.

Pellegrini has represented Italy at various youth levels. He made his debut for the U19 side against Germany in March 2014. He then enjoyed a brief spell with the U20's in 2015 before making his U21 debut against France on 2 June the following year.

He made his first appearance for the senior side in an 8–0 victory over San Marino in an unofficial friendly match on 31 May 2017, coming on as a half time substitute for Daniele Baselli. His official debut followed on 11 June when he appeared in Italy's 5–0 home win over Liechtenstein in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.

Later that month, he was included in the Italy under-21 squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship by manager Luigi Di Biagio. On 18 June, he scored the nation's first goal at the tournament, netting from a bicycle kick in a 2–0 win over Denmark. Italy were eliminated in the semi-finals following a 3–1 defeat to Spain on 27 June; during the match, Pellegrini assisted Federico Bernardeschi's temporary equaliser.

Now the Roma starlet has drawn interests from Arsenal, Inter and many other European giants.