Queen Elizabeth II And Her Legacy in Sports

67 Champions League matches, 70 FA Cups, 20 Olympic Games, 17 World Cups… Elizabeth II observed numerous photos that changed sport and history during her seven decades in power; these images have since surfaced following his passing at his Balmoral vacation home.

Elizabeth II first fell in love with the beauty of the game right there in the Scottish family home. The little queen served as the goalkeeper for the majority of the family’s football games at Balmoral, according to Robert Jobson, a British royal house expert.

However, since the FA Cup final was played in 1953 on the same day that Elizabeth II was crowned, football has always been associated with her rule.

It was May 2, and the timing couldn’t have done anything except spur more people to buy televisions in Great Britain, which witnessed for the first time and in great numbers its new queen handing a cup to Stanley Matthews, the captain of Blackpool and one of the greatest players in history.

Following that, the queen’s appearance in the Wembley box became routine until England won its sole World Cup in 1966, at which point Bobby Moore accepted the Jules Rimet Cup from Elizabeth II.

Another memorable event from her reign that the illustrious Three Lions captain constantly laughed about. “I looked at my hands… And they were dirty!” Moore remarked as he hastily cleaned himself out of worry for the monarch’s immaculate white gloves.

Her Two Favorite Teams

Elizabeth II had a preference for West Ham in the 1960s, precisely when Moore was the captain, according to individuals associated with the British Royal House, despite Moore’s efforts to constantly maintain his neutrality in this regard.

But later, in 2007, when receiving Arsenal at Buckingham Palace after winning the FA Cup, he would express a lot of sympathy for Arsene Wenger’s team.

Following that encounter, Cesc Fábregas, who was also in attendance, said, “The queen is a tremendous supporter of Arsenal.”

However, the infatuation of British monarchy with Arsenal goes back to the time when Wenger was able to win the Premier League while leading a side known as the “Invincibles” to the Emirates Stadium, where they were invited to meet Prince Charles for an official reception.

Her Love of Horses

The queen had a strong interest for horses in addition to her tight ties to the football world. Due to this, Elizabeth II purchased thoroughbred horses throughout her reign, using them to win British classic races like the Epson Derby, the Oaks, or the St. Léger, as well as the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is referred to as “the sport of Kings”.

This article was originally published on Marca.