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In the rich story of football, there are moments that go beyond just numbers and trophies. These are the kind of tales that give you goosebumps, don’t seem to make sense, and stick in your mind for a long time.
Whether it's a team cursed by a string of losses or a player who always seems to rise to the occasion when least expected, football has its own collection of mysteries that keep fans and experts scratching their heads. Here, we take a look at seven of the biggest hoodoos in football history.
7 of the biggest hoodoos in football
7. Harry Kane’s Premier League goal drought in August
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Harry Kane, despite his goalscoring exploits, has had a goal drought in the month of August for some time while playing for Tottenham Hotspur. Even though the Englishman scored more than 20 Premier League goals in four consecutive seasons, the opening month of the Premier League season seem to have been cursed for him.
Kane’s unwanted record of not scoring a Premier League goal in the month of August lasted for five seasons. He eventually broke his August goalscoring hoodoo in the Premier League in 2018 when Tottenham Hotspur defeated Fulham 3-1 at Wembley. Kane's prior struggles in August highlight the unpredictable nature of football.
6. Arsenal's Old Trafford goal drought
For much of Arsène Wenger's tenure as Arsenal manager, a trip to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, was akin to a nightmare for the Gunners. Between September 2006 and November 2020, Arsenal endured a staggering 14-year winless streak in the Premier League at Old Trafford.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0 to secure its first win for 14 years in a Premier League match at Old Trafford.
Despite fielding talented teams and challenging for the title on numerous occasions, Arsenal consistently faltered when facing their rivals on their home turf. The hoodoo finally came to an end in November 2020 when Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory, providing a glimmer of hope that the curse had been broken.
5. The penalty curse of England
For England's national football team, winning a penalty shootout in a major competitive game of football has proved to be impossible. Their penalty curse can be traced back to their 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-final clash with West Germany, as they lost 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
Eight years later, the Three Lions suffered another heartbreak in the penalty shootout in the round of 16 FIFA World Cup against Diego Simeone’s led Argentina. It was a dramatic match that ended in a 2-2 draw as Javier Zanetti’s equalizer for Argentina took the game to the penalty shootout. The Three Lions once again fell short as David Batty failed to score the decisive penalty for England to hand Argentina a 4-3 penalty shootout victory.
Eight years after the last one, they faced another penalty shootout heartbreak, losing 1-3 to Portugal after a goalless stalemate.
The latest chapter unfolded in the EURO 2020 final, where they squared off with Italy. The Three Lions looked like they would win the trophy after Luke Shaw gave them the early lead. However, the Gli Azzurri fought back and got a deserved equalizer as Leonardo Bonucci reacted quickly on a rebound to drag them to their worst nightmare.
England’s goalie, Jordan Pickford, denied Andrea Belotti and Jorginho in the penalty shootout. Italy’s Donnarumma denied Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, while Marcus Rashford hit the post to hand Italy their second UEFA EURO trophy on the night, as they lost 3-2 in the penalty shootout. England's struggles from the spot persist, leaving football fans wondering if the curse will ever be lifted.
4. Chelsea's number 9 shirt curse
The number 9 shirt at Chelsea Football Club seems to carry a curse, as players who have donned this shirt number have struggled to live up to the expectations of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Talented strikers like Fernando Torres, Álvaro Morata, Mateja Kežman, Radamel Falcao, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Romelu Lukaku wore this shirt number during their time at Chelsea, but they were only a shadow of themselves. Even Thomas Tuchel admitted that Chelsea's number 9 shirt is cursed.
According to The Guardian, he said:
“It’s cursed, it’s cursed, people tell me it’s cursed,” he said. “It’s not the case that we leave it open for tactical reasons, for some players in the pipeline that come in and naturally take it.
“There was not a big demand for No. 9. Players sometimes want to change numbers but, surprisingly, nobody wants to touch it. Everybody who is longer than me in the club tells me: ‘Ah, you know, like he had the 9 and he did not score and he had the 9 and did also not score.’ So now we have a moment where nobody wants to touch the No 9.”
While the club has enjoyed success in other areas, the curse of the number 9 shirt remains a curious anomaly in Chelsea's rich history.
3. The curse of Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen, a German football club, has become synonymous with near misses and heartbreak in major competitions, earning them the nickname ''Neverkusen'', which means ‘’Vizekusen’’ or ‘’Secondkusen’’ in German. The curse seemingly began in the 2001–2002 season, when Leverkusen narrowly missed out on winning the Bundesliga, finishing as runners-up.
Since then, Leverkusen has endured a series of disappointments in both domestic and European competitions, including finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and the UEFA Champions League.
The jinx seem to follow the German national team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where they ended runner-up to Brazil as the team featured five Bayer Leverkusen players. The hoodoo has, however, been broken this season as Bayer Leverkusen clinched their first ever Bundesliga title under the leadership of Xabi Alonso.
2. The gypsy curse on Birmingham City
A spell was alleged to be placed on Birmingham City, which plagued the club for a hundred years (1906–2006). The curse was reportedly placed on the club after it ousted the Romani people from the land where their current stadium, St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, is built. And because they were forced to move, it was said that the Romani Gypsies cast a 100-year spell on the club.
Since that time, several Birmingham City football club gaffers have tried to remove the curse, but to no avail, with the club failing to win any major finals. However, the alleged curse ended in 2011, when Birmingham defeated Arsenal in the 2010–11 League Cup final at Wembley.
1. The curse of Béla Guttmann
Béla Guttmann, a legendary Hungarian football coach, left an indelible mark on football. During his time as a manager at Benfica, he won two Primera Liga titles and two consecutive European Cup trophies, beating Barcelona and Real Madrid.
After leading Benfica to successive European glory, he requested a pay rise but his request was declined, not minding the success he achieved for the club while terminating his contract. Then he allegedly placed a curse on the Portuguese team, saying, "Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champions again." Since then, Benfica have reached eight European Cup finals but they lost all.
