WEAR IT LIKE A SHIRT
Record holder longs to see his feat red carded
Buenos Aires — The names of World Cup record holders are like a roll-call of footballing greats and every four years Pele, Miroslav Klose, Diego Maradona and Jose Batista must wonder whether their feats will be surpassed. Hold on. Jose Batista? Who’s Jose Batista? If Batista’s name seems out of place alongside the only player to win three World Cups, the highest goalscorer in the tournament’s history and the man with most appearances as a team captain, then cast your mind back to Mexico 1986. Less than a minute into Uruguay’s final group game against Scotland, Batista was shown a red card for a challenge on Gordon Strachan. Officially timed at 52 seconds, it remains the fastest sending-off in World Cup history. "Some people hadn’t even sat down to watch the game and I was already off," Batista said. "I went into the dressing room and the kitman asked me what I was doing. I got sent off, I said. He didn’t believe me. ‘How can you have been sent off when they’re still playing the nati...
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