A man jumped into a river full of crocodiles to get tickets for the 2010 World Cup; a Russian couple broke up after arguing over who was better, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo; an Albanian lost his bet and his wife.
These are some of the most unusual stories that Argentine journalist Luciano Wernicke has written in the latest version of his book "Incredible World Cup Stories", published in 20 languages, ahead of the opening match of the World Cup. World Cup in Qatar on Sunday.
Wernicke sees the world's most important sporting events from "different perspectives," he said in an interview with Reuters, as "even the smallest stories somehow describe what the passion for soccer is."
In 1994, he wrote, an Albanian entered a betting shop and placed a bet on his wife in the match between Argentina and Bulgaria (according to him, Argentina won). The match ended 2-0 to Bulgaria, which then led to the loss of his wife.
At the World Cup in South Africa, a radio station offered two tickets to the final match to whoever did the craziest thing to get them. Winner: Someone who jumped into a river of crocodiles.
In another match, a couple broke up after arguing about who is better, Ronaldo or Messi.
A Uruguayan player returned to the field shortly after suffering a heart attack.
Ok, that's enough. That's it.
