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The FIFA World Cup final is the most broadcast, viewed, and celebrated event in the world. Over a billion people hold their breath to see the two best teams in the world square off, cheering for every kick of the ball. The 2018 final between France and Croatia had an average worldwide audience of 517 million viewers, with over 1.1 billion people watching the spectacle at some point during the match.
Every finalist is thrown under the microscope, every action of theirs is scrutinized. Those who stumble on the biggest stage run the risk of being a laughing stock, while the difference-makers tend to go down in history.
Finding the back of the net in a World Cup final is as big as it gets for a footballer. Not only does it make them a national hero, but football clubs, too, are quite eager to get them on their books.
Today, we will be taking a look at five football clubs that have had a lot of luck in that area.
Here are the top five clubs that have had the highest number of FIFA World Cup final goalscorers play for them:
Stats via: LiveScore
#5 Real Madrid - 6 goalscorers
Real Madrid have an insatiable desire to sign the most sought-after players in the world. So, seeing them on this list hardly comes as a surprise. What’s surprising, however, is the fact that only one player has scored in the World Cup finals while being a Real Madrid player.
The remaining five were either plying their trade elsewhere or had already announced their retirement from club football (Zinedine Zidane).
Jorge Valdano, who even managed Los Blancos for a couple of years, was tied to Real Madrid when he scored in the 1986 final. His 55th-minute goal helped Argentina to a 3-2 win over West Germany.
Here are the remaining five goalscorers in the World Cup finals to have represented Real Madrid:
Ferenc Puskas (Hungary, 1954), Agne Simonsson (Sweden, 1958), Paul Breitner (West Germany, 1974), Zidane (France, 1998 and 2006), and Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil, 2002).
#4 AC Milan - 7 goalscorers
Serie A champions AC Milan have had the good fortune of fielding seven World Cup final goalscorers in their history.
Nils Liedhold became their first World Cup final goalscorer when he found the back of the net against Brazil in the 1958 final. Unfortunately, Brazil were too strong for Sweden to hold off.
Courtesy of two braces from Vava and Pele and a goal from Mario Zagallo, Brazil secured a 5-2 win. Agne Simonsson scored the other goal for Sweden.
Lidhold is the only player in the club's history to have scored in a World Cup final as an AC Milan player. The remaining six players were committed to other clubs at the time of scoring in the finals.
The other six goalscorers are:
Juan Alberto Schiaffino (Uruguay, 1950), Alcides Ghiggia (Uruguay, 1950), Amarildo (Brazil, 1962), Paolo Rossi (Italy, 1982), Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil, 2002), and Mario Mandzukic (Croatia, 2018).
#3 Bayern Munich - 7 goalscorers
Germany's most successful team, Bayern Munich, have had a whopping seven World Cup final goalscorers in their ranks since the tournament’s inception.
Paul Breitner became Bayern's first player to achieve the feat in 1974 when he put away his penalty against the Netherlands. Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller followed suit to put West Germany 2-1 ahead, sealing their second World Cup triumph.
Breitner also scored in the 1982 World Cup final against Italy. Unfortunately, his goal only served as a consolation, with Italy cruising to a 3-1 win.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany, 1986), Andreas Brehme (West Germany, 1990), Mario Gotze (Germany, 2014), Mario Mandzukic (Croatia, 2018), and Ivan Perisic (Croatia, 2018) are the other five final goalscorers to have featured for Bayern.
#2 Inter Milan - 8 goalscorers
Serie A giants Inter Milan have an unmatched track record when it comes to nurturing World Cup goalscorers. Yes, they do not have the highest number of goalscorers in their ranks, but they have had more active representatives than any other team in Europe.
Seven players have scored in the final while being under contract with Inter Milan, a record that no other team in the world can boast of.
Alessandro Altobelli became Inter’s first World Cup winner when he helped Italy beat West Germany 3-1 in the 1982 final.
Roberto Boninsegna (Italy, 1970), on the other hand, was Inter's first-ever goalscorer at the grandest stage. Unfortunately, his goal didn’t amount to much in the 1970 final, with the Pele-led Brazil securing a 4-1 win over the Italians.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany, 1986), Andreas Brehme (West Germany, 1990), Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil, 2002), Marco Materazzi (Italy, 2006), and Ivan Perisic (Croatia, 2018) are the other five players to have scored as Inter’s representatives.
Marco Tardelli (Italy, 1982) is the only goalscorer to have joined Inter Milan after scoring in the final.
#1 Juventus - 11 goalscorers
One of the most prestigious clubs in football history, Juventus have had the most goalscorers in World Cup finals in their ranks. Between 1930 and 2018, 11 of their players (past, present, and future) managed to get on the scoresheet in the finals.
Raimundo Orsi (Italy, 1934), Paolo Rossi (Italy, 1982), Marco Tardelli (Italy, 1982), and Zinedine Zidane (France, 1998), who scored twice in the 1998 final win over Brazil, were Juventus players while achieving the feat.
Interestingly, Zidane is the only player who scored in the final both as a Juventus player (1998) and a non-Juve player (2006).
Here are the seven remaining players who either scored in the final before joining Juventus or after leaving the most successful club in Italy:
Gino Colaussi (Italy, 1938), Silvio Piola (Italy, 1938), Helmut Haller (West Germany, 1966), Roberto Boninsegna (Italy, 1970), Alessandro Altobelli (Italy, 1982), Mario Mandzukic (Croatia, 2018), and Paul Pogba (France, 2018).
Also Read: Ranking the 5 early favorites for the 2022 FIFA World Cup
