9 months ago
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Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock would like to see the reintroduction of the golden goal rule ahead of Euro 2024 this summer.
The former Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham was embroiled in his fair share of tense moments during an 18-year playing career.
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Ruddock was part of the Liverpool side that edged Bolton 2-1 in the 1995 League Cup final and spoke to talkSPORT Breakfast on the future of extra time in football.
There have been long-running calls to scrap extra time amid concerns at the rising number of games being played across the ever-changing football structure.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is the latest high-profile name to have called for change due to the impact it is having on his players
Simeone said in 2023: “It is a situation in the game that we should go to directly, and not go to extra time, I think. There is already a lot of playing time.”
But Ruddock has other ideas; one being the return of the golden goal to settle matches.
The rule has been sporadically used in football since the 1800s but was formally introduced in 1993.
“If you ask fans they love extra time don’t they?” Ruddock told talkSPORT. “It’s always sudden death isn’t it? If someone goes ahead in extra time you don’t really see the other team coming back and scoring two goals.
“I loved the golden goal days. In extra time as a defender you want to go up for a corner and score but the gaffer won’t let you go up."
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Neil 'Razor' Ruddock channels inner John Barnes by performing special rap ahead of Manchester City vs. Liverpool
Germany famously benefitted from the golden goal rule in the Euro ‘96 final at Wembley against the Czech Republic.
France repeated the feat in the tournaments’ final four years later when David Trezeguet’s strike broke Italian hearts in Rotterdam.
The following year, Ruddock’s former side Liverpool were beneficiaries when an own-goal handed them a 5-4 victory over Spanish side Alaves in the UEFA Cup.
But the rule was outlawed after Euro 2004 after IFAB, who manage football rules, found that the rule had not promoted active and attacking play as originally intended.
Instead, they found that teams became more cautious while players of losing teams reacted more angrily to defeat.
