If you ask anyone around the world who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, their answer will be Spain. Everyone remembers the winning goal Barcelona star Andres Iniesta scored in extra in Johannesburg to guide Spain to their first ever World Cup trophy.
Around a billion people saw that match against the Netherlands but the people of North Korean until recently believed that Portugal had won the 2010 World Cup. It's been seven years since that tournament and this story only came out recently after Alvaro Leite, a flight attendant with TAP Portugal, visited North Korea last April.
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North Korea were in the same group as Portugal that also included Brazil and Ivory Coast. After losing their first match to Brazil 2-1, North Korea were up against Portugal next and they got hammered 7-0. The North Korean government was so embarrassed by the score line that they decided to cut the broadcast.
The people of North Korea did not see the full match against Portugal as the government cut the broadcast after the fourth goal. They ended up finishing at the bottom of their group without a single point and they used that hammering by Portugal to elevate their status and described their loss as acceptable due to their opponents' incredible talent.
"Throughout our visit to Pyongyang we had the company of a guide who spoke English. He told us that Cristiano Ronaldo is a true idol for many people and that football has a very high importance and popularity across the country," Marca quoted Leite as saying.
"It was then that the idea formed in the country that Portugal had won, they were 4-0 up against North Korea when, due to embarrassment, the government regime cut the broadcast. It was after the 60th minute, when Tiago scored, so no one in the country saw the other three goals of Portugal's 7-0 win."
After the government decided to cut the broadcast, they had restricted viewing, which means that no one in North Korean saw Portugal lose to Spain in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup and eventually go on and win the tournament.
