In the Heat of the Midday Sun: The Indelible Story of the 1986 World Cup

by Steven Scragg

In the Heat of the Midday Sun is a love letter to the 1986 World Cup. A tournament viewed via the shimmering satellite images of an age before the dawn of high-definition coverage - which was introduced four years later, at Italia '90 - it was the last World Cup where the commentaries sounded like they were broadcast from the surface of the moon. Mexico took on the tournament after Colombia failed to deliver on their host candidature, relinquishing the rights in 1983. With a devastating Mexico City earthquake just eight months before the big kick-off, it was a miracle that the Estadio Azteca was still able to be the venue of Diego Maradona's greatest and most infamous hours. As well as Argentina's most gifted son, Mexico '86 was blessed by the presence of Sócrates, Platini, Francescoli, Butragueño, Belanov and Elkjær to name but a few of the icons on display. This is the story of an evocative World Cup that seemed to be held together by Sellotape.

Genres: Sports, Football, Soccer

272 pages, Hardcover

Published August 9, 2022

Reviews

[Derek Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. Gives each team a place in the spotlight as their progress comes to a sometimes premature end. Doesn’t dwell on the same match twice too much as the format would maybe lead itself to. Interesting to read about Colombia not being able to host the tournament

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about the 1986 World Cup, very interesting introduction about how Mexico came to host it when it was originally going to be held in Colombia. It also isn’t dominated by the Hand of God which makes for a very interesting read.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated and enjoyed this read. The World Cup has been special to me since I first watched in 1994 and I always try to get my hands on anything World Cup related. This book was one of the best I have ever found. The 1986 World Cup took place before I turned 2, so despite knowing a lot about the tournament, it is obviously one that I did not get to experience personally. This book did a great job of explaining the experience of the tournament (even the qualifiers) in a way that an avid fan of the sport and event could appreciate.

I took my time with the book, with the 2022 World Cup going on at the same time. At no point did the book lose its appeal and was written in a way that I wish more books on the subject were written. Every team that played at the 1986 World Cup was featured extensively but the book still maintained a chronological balance that mirrored how the tournament unfolded. As someone that has looked up scores and highlights of the 1986 World Cup at various times during his life, what I appreciated the most was the book filling in the blanks. Important details that would not necessarily present itself when looking up scores were brought up in context and it felt like no stone was left unturned.

I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the World Cup or the sport. I'm glad I added this one to my collection.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a huge fan of books about football. My collection almost counts 70 books related to this subject, local or international.

Mexico '86 has always been - nostalgically and technically speaking - one of my favourite World Cup editions. I was still almost 9 but I still can remember clearly collecting the Panini album or some matches as they were played very early over there (12pm or 4pm kickoff Mexico time). Some recollections are iconic in nature: Maradona's Hand of God, Denmark's wonderful kit, Brasil vs France, the final itself.

Steven Scragg (whose very good book about the Cup Winners Cup I read during lockdown) delivers a page-turner narrative of not just the WC itself but of how the major teams's journey/odyssey getting to Mexico and participating was. His attention to all fine details makes for an engrossing read.

Plus coming in a hardback version, it is a very beautiful presentation which football fans should own.

[Nathan Aracena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts well with some good background and history behind what’s considered one of, if not the best, World Cup of all time. However it gets tedious and a bit repetitive as it progresses, with many matches recapped again and again as different teams are covered. Maybe a shorter, more rounded recap of the tournament with some more detail on the tournament itself would have been more readable - what did it do for the Mexican economy, more on the earthquake that hit 9 months prior to, what were the fans like? Whilst it’s a footballing book that talks very much football, reading is definitely different to watching and for keeping attention, some variance in the content could have proved beneficial.

[Jan Geerling · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 86 tournament was the first one I really followed as a kid. The faraway location, the big names, the fact that at the time we didn’t get a lot of live football on the telly… it all helped creating iconic memories for me. Especially the night at my grandma’s where I watched France beat Brazil in one of the greatest and most dramatic matches ever. Loved every bit of it.

Beautifully captured in this book by someone that shares my nostalgic feelings for this particular tournament. The ending feels a bit rushed, but I loved reading this.

[Ray Smillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having decided to give the 2022 tournament a miss, I have been reading books about previous world cups. Some concentrating on certain teams, others about the all the teams partaking and have liked them all so far. By comparison this one was a bit dry and, at times, repetitive. Found myself skim reading the last couple of chapters. Good but not brilliant.

[Mike Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost interest half way through !!

[Steven Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic look back at the 1986 World Cup. Remember watching it as a 13 year old and this book brought back all the memories. Its a great read and I raced through it.Great stuff!