First Xi: World Cup Legends

Very few players become legends of the game without making an impact at the World Cup. Injuries and limited team-mates can be restrictive given the nature of the tournament, with perhaps only George Best and Alfredo Di Stefano considered among the all-time greats despite failing to appear at football's biggest tournament, so Soccernet takes a look at the top XI players who have made their mark on the biggest stage.

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Is Pele the largest of all-time?
Pele (Brazil): The definitive Earth Pot icon, Pele won the Globe Pot with Brazil at just 17 many years old in 1958, was portion with the side that retained the trophy in 1962 and was then a key player within the victorious 1970 squad that may be extensively regarded the biggest football team in the history of the video game. It absolutely was a time when referees liked to let the game flow, and he was mercilessly assaulted by his opponents online game after video game, but he nevertheless scored an extraordinary 77 objectives in 92 appearances for his country.

Diego Maradona (Argentina): His substance abuse was a black mark on his playing career and his latest coaching stint is doing minor for his legacy, but Maradona remains a legend around the globe for his breathtaking talent using a football. Maradona (and his Hand of God) took a decent but unspectacular Argentina aspect to glory in 1986 and be able to near single-handedly took a far less impressive aspect back to the ultimate in 1990. He remains the biggest rival to Pele's crown and received substantially more votes through the general public inside one-off FIFA Player in the Century award.

Eusebio (Portugal): A European Pot winner with Benfica and scorer of 319 targets in 313 games from the Portuguese league, Mozambique-born Eusebio created his mark for the earth stage in 1966 when Portugal ended Brazil's hopes of clinching the Jules Rimet Trophy to the 3rd time in succession. He was a fast and powerful attacker with skill in abundance, and scored an amazing nine objectives at the World Cup in England. Thought to be by several to be second only to Pele throughout his 60s heyday - a large compliment indeed considering the competition in the likes of George Very best, Gerd Muller and Bobby Charlton - he ended his occupation with 41 objectives in 64 appearances for his nation.

Johan Cruyff (Netherlands): His attacking ideals have shaped the modern Barcelona team and, right after playing the starring part because the Dutch came within a whisker in the 1974 Entire world Cup, he could be the player most closely associated with Rinus Michels' 'total football' model. To be a revolutionary trick, the 'Cruyff turn' looks almost quaint now, but it absolutely was just just one with the several abilities in his formidable armoury along with his remarkable awareness, manage and accuracy. Netherlands' 2-1 defeat to West Germany within the '74 closing came as something of your surprise given the effectiveness of their total football, and it had been apparently down to fears around a kidnapping that Cruyff missed the 1978 tournament in Argentina.

Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany): Beckenbauer started his profession being a midfielder, but became renowned worldwide for his expertise as a libero (sweeper), where his ball-playing abilities, combined with his potential to read the online game, helped him come to be synonymous with the role. He scored four goals since the West Germans reached the 1966 ultimate and was element with the side that completed third for the 1970 Entire world Cup. Der Kaiser was produced captain of the national group the following year and they went on to win the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 Planet Cup. Beckenbauer's leadership qualities and winning mentality extended to managing West Germany to achievement at the 1990 tournament, becoming the 2nd man to win the Entire world Cup as player and coach.

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Puskas, the man labelled a "little fat chap"
Ferenc Puskas (Hungary): "Look at that little fat chap," an unidentified England player is reported to own said previous to they met Hungary in 1953. "We'll murder this lot." Hungary, obviously, won 6-3 at Wembley that day and also the Galloping Major' hit a brace. "We didn't know about Puskas," Sir Bobby Robson after admitted. Puskas stood out in a group of greats, and it is fair to suggest he may well have been a 1954 World Cup winner had it not been for injury. He was aspect in the aspect that won 9-0 and 8-3 towards South Korea and West Germany respectively, scoring 3 ambitions along the way. But an injury hindered his progress and though Hungary beat Brazil and Uruguay in his absence, he was not fully fit when he played in the remaining and they lost the match 3-2. Even without that crowning glory, Puskas is remembered as being a supremely talented player with ideal handle, a great burst of pace and an unparalleled left foot.

Gerd Muller (West Germany): When Muller arrived at Bayern Munich in 1964, coach Zlatko Cajkovski had been sceptical of his physique. "What am I supposed to do having a weightlifter?" he asked, later on affectionately referring to him as "kleines dickes Muller" or "short fat Muller". Nevertheless, the striker experienced a spectacular expertise for goalscoring, hitting 68 in 62 appearances for his country. England saw their 1970 Entire world Cup campaign brought to an untimely halt as Muller struck in extra-time to secure a 3-2 victory and he finished the competition with an remarkable ten plans. In 1974, Netherlands fell victim his talent as he grabbed the winning goal in that year's remaining and, getting already hit 3 inside tournament, he established himself for the reason that World Cup's all-time leading scorer, a record that stood for more than two decades.

Giuseppe Meazza (Italy): Current world champions Italy clinched their first two titles in 1934 and 1938, and inside-forward Meazza was the star of the show. He was the George Best of his day, a talented and stylish showman who could create and score goals of timeless invention and was famed for his habit of stopping ahead of the goalkeeper, inviting him to come for the ball and then taking it around him before placing the ball into the empty net. Meazza scored just twice at the 1934 tournament and once in 1938 - a penalty in the semi-final against Brazil when he famously had to hold his shorts up with one hand during his run-up due to an elastic issue - but he remains an icon of Italian football. He scored 245 goals in 350 appearances during a 13-year spell with Inter before an injury cut his career short. The San Siro stadium was renamed the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in his honour in 1980.

Ronaldo (Brazil): A player who, in his prime, boasted great pace, close command, the capacity to ghost past defenders and a phenomenal strike-rate, Ronaldo became the Planet Cup's all-time leading goal-scorer in 2006 and need to rightly be regarded one particular in the greats of the game. Getting failed to generate an appearance as Brazil won the 1994 World Cup, he created his mark with four objectives inside the 1998 tournament ahead of - for causes still unknown - he was left out from the group for that final and be able to reinstated shortly previous to kick-off as France won the video game 3-0. Whatever basically went on that day, Ronaldo experienced the chance to make amends four many years later as he hit eight plans - including two from the remaining versus Germany - as Brazil clinched the trophy for that fifth time. In 2006, he overtook Gerd Muller as he struck his 15th Earth Pot goal.

Zinedine Zidane (France): Zidane marked his name within the competition's background in 1998. Technically brilliant with exceptional command, he scored the very first two of France's objectives from the 3-0 win over Brazil, both headers from corner kicks, and exhibited the full range of his skills to some global audience. Injury blighted hopes in 2002 as France exited with the group stage, but his 2006 swansong encapsulated the vocation of your sublimely talented but usually temperamental playmaker: he was the pivotal figure in the group stages previous to famously headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi from the chest and seeing red from the closing. Arguably the most effective playmaker to own kicked a ball, his knowledge will live longer inside memory of dedicated followers of the sport than his indiscretions.

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Yashin in action versus West Germany inside the 1966 semi-final
Lev Yashin (Soviet Union): Brave, athletic and commanding, Yashin is broadly regarded as the very best goalkeeper of all-time and he experienced a specific expertise for stopping penalties. The secret of his achievement has gone down in legend: "Before a game I smoke a cigarette to calm my nerves after which toss back a strong drink to tone up the muscles." Moreover to some host of domestic trophies with Dynamo Moscow, he won the 1956 Summer Olympics and 1960 European Championship with Soviet Union. He earned universal acclaim in the 1958 Entire world Pot as they reached the quarter-finals and, even though he did not have his greatest tournament in 1962, he won the Ballon d'Or the following year, remaining the only goalkeeper to possess done so. He went on to play a central part as Soviet Union reached the semi-finals in 1966 and, getting lost 2-1 to Portugal inside the third-place play-off, Eusebio later on hailed Yashin since the greatest goalkeeper he experienced ever faced.