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The FIFA World Cup is one of the most popular sporting events in the World. The inaugural World Cup was held in 1930 and subsequently, 19 more editions of the tournament have been held amidst unparalleled fanfare and excitement. Brazil is the most successful nation with 5 World Cup wins followed by Germany and Italy with 4 apiece. The 21st World Cup would start in a week's time in Russia and it is an opportune moment for us to select a dream eleven consisting of the 11 finest players to have played in World Cups.
Over the years, World Cups have witnessed many exceptional performances. All the genuine greats of the game have stamped their class on the greatest stage of football. On the other side, there are some great players like George Best, George Weah and Ryan Giggs who have never been able to play in a World Cup because their respective countries could not qualify for it. However, those are exceptions and in general, World Cups have always been graced by the presence of the luminaries of world football.
Therefore, it is not easy to select 11 players from a plethora of great performers. However, we have somehow been able to form this team on the basis of the performance and impact of the footballers in different editions of the tournament over the decades. It should be noted that these players have been selected on the basis of their performance in the World Cups only and not of their overall career achievements.
Goalkeeper: Lev Yashin (Russia)
Yashin is quite possibly the greatest goalkeeper of all time. He played for the erstwhile Soviet Union in 3 World Cups and was the primary reason behind their 3rd place finish in the 1966 World Cup. He kept 2 clean sheets in that World Cup and was superb under the bar throughout the tournament. He was exceptional in the semifinal against West Germany as well but the Soviet Union lost that match and Yashin had to be satisfied with a 3rd place finish.
However, Yashin was duly adjudged to be the best goalkeeper in the 1966 World Cup. In all, he played in 13 world cup matches and kept 4 clean sheets. He also remains the only goalkeeper to have won the prestigious Ballon D’Or.
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Right Back: Cafu (Brazil)
Cafu, the Brazilian right-back, won 2 World Cups with the Brazilian national team. He played in 4 World Cups for Brazil and was instrumental in their triumphs in 1994 and 2002. Like a typical Brazilian full-back, Cafu was comfortable going forward and delivering crosses. However, he was quite adept at doing his defensive duties as well.
Cafu broke into the Brazil National team in the early 1990s and made his mark in the 1994 World Cup triumph. Brazil again reached the World Cup final in 1998 but lost to France to finish runners-up. In 2002, Cafu became one of the most decorated players in international football when he lifted the World Cup trophy again as the captain of Brazil.
Centre Back: Franz Beckenbauer(West Germany)
Arguably the greatest defender to have played the game, Beckenbauer was known as “Der Kaiser” or “The Emperor” because of his regal qualities as a footballer. His tackling was clean, positioning was perfect and distribution was exceptional. He played 18 matches across 3 World Cups and scored 5 goals. He also lifted the World Cup as the West German captain in 1974.
He became famous during the 1966 World cup because of his exceptional performances in the German defence. In 1970, he played with a broken arm in the semi-final against Italy which was termed as the “Match of the Century.” West Germany lost that match, but Beckenbauer was 3rd time lucky in 1974 when his West German team beat the brilliant Dutch side of Johan Cruyff to win the World Cup as the host country. Later in 1990, Beckenbauer won the World Cup as the West German coach as well.
Centre Back: Bobby Moore (England)
Bobby Moore was the English World Cup winning captain in 1966. Pele termed him as the toughest defender he had faced and that eulogy is sufficient to underline Moore’s prowess as a footballer. Moore was the primary reason behind England’s triumph in 1966 and performed exceptionally in the 1970 World Cup as well. He was known for his brilliant anticipation and intelligent positioning.
In all, Moore represented England in 3 World Cups and played 14 matches. He remains one of the greatest defenders to have graced the game and also the only English captain to win the coveted trophy.
Left Back: Nilton Santos (Brazil)
Nilton Santos is one of the greatest left-backs of all time. He won 2 World Cups with the Brazilian National team in 1958 and 1962. He had also played in the 1954 World Cup.
Santos played in 15 matches across 3 World Cups. He also scored a vital goal against France in the 1958 World Cup. Santos was also one of the most influential players of the great Brazil team of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was splendid going forward and reliable in defence. He could dribble exceptionally well for a defender. He was rightly known as the “Encyclopaedia of football” because of his grasp on the game.
Defensive Midfielder: Lothar Matthaus (West Germany)
Lothar Matthaus holds the record of participating in 5 world cups jointly with Antonio Carvajal, the Mexican goalkeeper. He has also played in 25 World Cup matches, the highest by any player in the history of the tournament. Matthaus finished runner-up in the 1986 World Cup with the West German team. He, however, made amends in 1990 by lifting the trophy as the West German captain. He also played in the 1998 World Cup as a 37-year old veteran and held another record of being the oldest German player to appear in a World Cup match.
The versatile Matthaus was comfortable playing both as a defensive midfielder and an attacking one. He played as a central attacking midfielder in the 1990 World Cup and scored 4 goals in that tournament. In 1998, Matthaus played as a libero and thereby left an indelible mark of his versatility.
Right Midfielder: Garrincha (Brazil)
Garrincha became a global star along with his teammate Pele when he won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958. He scored 2 goals in that tournament and set up a few more to become an indispensable part of that great Brazil team. He achieved even greater heights as a footballer when he almost single-handedly won the World Cup for Brazil again in 1962. Pele got injured in Brazil’s 2nd match of that tournament and could not take further part in it. The onus was on Garrincha to deliver and he did so in sparkling style. He scored 3 goals and was adjudged the best player of the tournament.
Garrincha was quite possibly the greatest dribbler of all time. He also boasted of the greatest right foot in football. Garrincha took part in 3 World Cups, played 12 matches and scored 5 goals.
Left Midfielder: Zinedine Zidane (France)
Zinedine Zidane won the World Cup for France in 1998 and almost achieved the feat again when he guided them to the final in 2006. Zidane was the talismanic player in that brilliant French team of 1998 and also scored 2 goals in the 3-0 victory over Brazil in the final. France suffered the ignominy of not being able to qualify from their group in the 2002 World Cup. However, they bounced back to reach the 2006 World Cup final before losing to Italy in a penalty shootout. Zidane was again imperious in that tournament and shone in the matches against Brazil and Spain.
Zidane is one of the most successful footballers of all time and was known for his superb ball-control, elegant passing and dribbling and exceptional vision. He appeared in 3 World Cups and played in 16 matches. The fact that he had almost won a World Cup for his country at the age of 34 speaks volumes of his ability as a footballer.
Central Attacking Midfielder: Diego Maradona (Argentina)
Diego Maradona is one of the greatest footballers of all time and became immortal as a footballer after his legendary performance in the 1986 World Cup. He almost single-handedly won the World Cup for Argentina, beating teams like England, Belgium and West Germany with his wizardry on the pitch. He scored 5 goals in that tournament and was the best player by far. Maradona’s dribbling and his famous left foot won him millions of admirers worldwide. In the 1990 World Cup, Maradona led an ordinary Argentina side to yet another final before losing 0-1 to West Germany and finishing runner-up.
In all, Maradona played in 21 World Cup matches and scored 8 goals. Maradona’s maiden appearance in the World Cup in 1982 was hardly worth remembering as he was shown a red card against Brazil in the 2nd match he played. The tragedy was repeated in the 1994 World cup when he was banned for life after testing positive in a drug test after the match against Nigeria. However, what he did between those 2 forgettable occurrences would forever be remembered by football-lovers.
Striker: Pele(Brazil)
Pele is the only footballer to have won 3 World Cups. He appeared in 4 World Cups and scored 12 goals but mere statistics would not be able to do justice to his incomparable talent and impact on the game. Since winning the World Cup as a gawky 17-year old in 1958, Pele has quite possibly remained the most famous footballer of all time. Pele scored 6 goals in that tournament including 2 in the final and became a household name after that. He could not play more than 2 matches in the 1962 World Cup because of an injury but Brazil managed to win it. Pele again got injured in the 1966 World Cup and Brazil got eliminated in the quarter-final.
However, he made amend in the 1970 World Cup by scoring 4 goals and winning the trophy again for his nation. Pele and his Brazil were imperious in that tournament. He opened the floodgates by scoring the opening goal in the 4-1 final win against Italy. Thus, the greatest player in the history left an incomparable legacy at the greatest stage of them all.
Striker: Gerd Muller (West Germany)
Gerd Muller played in only 2 World Cups but scored an incredible 14 goals which makes him the 3rd highest goal scorer in the history of the tournament. Quite possibly the greatest goal-scorer the world has seen, Muller was clinical inside the opposition penalty box. He scored 10 goals in the 1970 World Cup including 2 hat-tricks and won the prestigious Golden Boot, but West Germany lost to Italy in that unforgettable semi-final to bow out of the tournament.
However, Muller made up for that reversal in 1974 by helping his country win the World Cup as hosts. He scored 4 goals in the tournament including the vital equalizer against Holland in the final. Franz Beckenbauer, the German captain, hailed Muller as the most important member of the side. Muller’s incredible tally of 68 goals in only 62 matches for West Germany is a testimony to his outstanding ability as a striker.
