 An amazing curiosity of this generation, was the number of great players provenient from Lourenço Marques now Maputo, in Mozambique, at the time, a Portuguese East Africa Overseas Province and since 1975, the independent Republic of Mozambique, such was the popularity of the sport in the Portuguese 'Universe'.The growing emergence of Spain, Italy and Argentina resulted in a more competitive decade for the international scene of roller hockey.This explains why Portugal was capable of winning only one World Cup title in this decade, precisely in 1982 as hosts of the event and beating Spain 5–2 in the final in one of the most memorable editions of the tournament.