Top Ten World Cup heroes
1. Pele (Brazil 1958, 1962, 1970)
Pele, along with Diego Maradona, is considered the greatest player of all time, but he is arguably ahead of Maradona as he played in three successful World Cup sides, the only man to do so. He announced himself in stunning fashion in 1958, when at 17 he scored six goals in the knock-out stages. Pele played a minor role in 1962, injuring himself in the second game, but still got a winners' medal when Brazil triumphed. Injury again blighted his 1966 campaign, where he scored in the opening match but struggled with his fitness thereafter.
He returned in 1970 and led what many argue is the greatest team of all time. He was back at his devastating best combining with the likes of Jairzinho, Rivelino, Gerson, Carlos Alberto and Tostao.He scored four goals for the tournament and set up plenty of others. His overall record stood at four World Cup appearances, for three World Cup wins and 12 goals.
2. Diego Maradona (Argentina, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
In terms of the number of headlines generated, there is no one to compete with Diego Maradona. But it is unfair to just remark on the controversial aspects of his time in the World Cup spotlight, and not mention how prodigiously talented the diminutive striker was.
His first World Cup appearance in 1982 didn't really showcase his magnificent array of talents, but his Jekyll and Hyde characteristics were on show as he scored two goals against Hungary but was sent off for serious foul play in a match against Brazil. In the 1986 tournament in Mexico he crowned himself as the best player in the world.
He scored five goals in all and set-up five others as he captained Argentina to the title. His most famous and infamous performance was in the quarter-finals against England, where he scored two goals. The first, the infamous 'Hand of God' saw him blatantly punch the ball into the net to give Argentina the lead before two minutes later he produced a marvellous dribbling effort which has been voted the greatest goal in World Cup history.
The 1990 World Cup was a frustrating one as Maradona battled injury and poor form, including a missed penalty in a quarter-final against Yugoslavia. But he scored from the spot in the semi-final against Italy to help Argentina in the final. However, the tournament would end in heartbreak with a loss in the final.
But there was one more World Cup controversy to come when in 1994, having scored a goal in a match against Greece, he tested positive to ephedrine. He went home in disgrace, but will be the manager of the Argentina side in the 2010 World Cup.
3. Gerd Mueller (West Germany, 1970, 1974)
Mueller was a prolific West German striker who scored 10 goals at the 1970 World Cup, and another four in 1974. Known as the Bomber from his ability to find a target, he propelled West Germany, beaten in the final by England four years prior, to the semi-finals in Mexico in 1970.
Mueller's extraordinary tournament kicked off when he scored the winning goal against Morocco in the opening match. He followed that up with two goals in a 5-2 win over Bulgaria and then scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Peru.
West Germany then faced off against England in the quarter-finals, where they gained revenge for that 1966 defeat by coming from two goals down to win 3-2 in extra time thanks to Mueller. He would score twice in extra time in an extraordinary semi-final against Italy, but Italy would prevail 4-3.
Four years later Mueller returned to score goals against Australia in the first group stage and Yugoslavia and Poland at the second group stage, helping West Germany to the final. He then scored the most important and final goal of his international career, the winner in the final against the Netherlands.
4. Zinedine Zidane (France 1998, 2002, 2006)
Zidane began his World Cup career as a hero and ended it in disgrace. In 1998, Zidane was a pivotal member of a cosmopolitan France side which won the World Cup on home soil. His strength in the middle of the park was crucial to a successful campaign, while he saved his best for the final scoring two goals with his head as France prevailed 3-0 over a dispirited Brazil.
The 2002 World Cup saw Zidane miss the first two matches with a thigh injury. When he returned he failed to get France out of the group stage in the worst title defence by a World Cup champion ever.
In Germany 2006, Zidane and Les Bleus had a shot at redemption, but it took until the knock-out stages for France to get going. The skipper was the main man as France stunned in-form Spain in the second round, setting up one goal and scoring the other.
Zidane then set-up Thierry Henry for the only goal in the quarter-final against Brazil and then scored the only goal of the semi-final against Portugal. Such had been his dominance, he was awarded the best player of the tournament before the final against Italy.
He scored a penalty in the seventh minute to give France the early lead before Marco Materazzi hit back soon after. The match would go to extra-time where Zidane would be lured into an act which will long haunt him. Reacting to an apparent taunt from Materazzi, he exploded in rage, head-butting him savagely in the chest. Zidane was red-carded, departing the international stage for the final time, and France would lose the final on penalties.
5. Roger Milla (Cameroon 1990, 1994)
Cameroon's Roger Milla emerged onto the scene at the ripe old age of 38 in the 1990 World Cup lighting up a tournament which was criticised as being painfully dull. For pure entertainment value, there were few better than Milla, who celebrated his goals with gusto, dancing around the corner flag.
He was lured out of retirement for the Indomitable Lions' 1990 campaign and scored four goals, including two against Romania. On the back of his skill, Cameroon became the first African team to make it to the quarter-finals of a World Cup. In that match, Cameron trailed England 1-0, but Milla scored to make it 1-1, then won a penalty to give Cameroon a shot at a massive upset. But they lost 3-2 in extra time.
He returned at 42 in the 1994 World Cup in the USA and became the oldest-ever scorer of a World Cup goal in a 6-1 loss to Russia.
6. Lev Yashin (USSR 1958, 1962, 1966)
So highly-rated is Yashin as a goalkeeper that the award for the best keeper in every World Cup is named in his honour. In Sweden in 1958, it was on the back of his fine performances in goal that the Soviet team made the final eight. His performance against Brazil in the group stages is regarded as one of the most outstanding goalkeeping displays in World Cup history, despite the fact his team lost 2-0.
Like most World Cup legends, he had one World Cup to forget, that being in 1962. Again the USSR made the quarter-finals, but along the way Yashin let in four goals in a disappointing performance against Colombia. But he bounced back to be crowned European Footballer of the Year in 1963 and in 1966 guided his country to fourth place, their best-ever finish. At the age of 40, he was USSR's third-choice goalkeeper in 1970, but didn't see any game time. He is reputed to have saved over 150 penalties over a decorated club career and is regarded as the best shot-stopper the game has seen.
7. Ronaldo (Brazil, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
A prodigious talent who was voted three times as FIFA World Player of the Year, Ronaldo had a bittersweet relationship with the World Cup, but would go on to become the most prolific scorer in the tournament's history. He was selected in the 1994 World Cup squad as a 17-year-old but did not play in the champion team. Four years later he returned as the best player in the world and after scoring his first World Cup goal against Morocco, collected a brace in the 4-1 second-round success over Chile. He then scored a goal in the semi-final against the Netherlands which went to penalties.
The scene was set for a fantastic final against hosts France. But on the night before the game, he suffered a fit and was initially ruled out. He convinced manager Mario Zagallo that he was fit but it was apparent when he took the field that he was in no shape to step onto the biggest stage in football. France won 3-0 and Brazil and Ronaldo were humiliated.
Four years later Ronaldo had his shot at redemption and took it as Brazil reclaimed their title and the striker scored eight goals. He scored four goals in the group stages including two against Costa Rica. He also scored in the second-round victory over Belgium and secured Brazil's passage to the final with the only goal in a tense game against Turkey in the semi-final.
Unlike four years previously, the World Cup final was to prove his greatest moment. He scored the only two goals of the game in the 67th and 79th minutes and was a national hero once again.
He would return in Germany in 2006, but was constantly hounded about his lack of fitness. Brazil had a disappointing campaign, bowing out in the quarter-finals, but Ronaldo managed two goals in a match against Japan before breaking Mueller's all-time World Cup record when he scored against Ghana in the second round.
8. Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany 1966, 1970, 1974, 1990 (as coach).
Only two players have won the World Cup as both player and coach, Beckenbauer and Brazil's Mario Zagallo. Beckenbauer is the most influential figure in German football history and is regarded as one of the most talented and strong players ever to have graced a pitch.
Beckenbauer, a sweeper, had long been highly-rated by German football fans prior to his first World Cup appearance in 1966. He would play every game in West Germany's campaign and would finish with four goals in total, a remarkable feat considering he was a defensive player. He scored two of those in his very first game, a 5-0 win over Switzerland, while he also scored in the quarter-final against Argentina and the semi-final against USSR. But there would be heartbreak in the famous 1966 final.
The legend of Beckenbauer continued to build in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. West Germany powered through the group stage untroubled, thanks largely to the goal-scoring power of Gerd Mueller. Beckenbauer then played a crucial role in the quarter-final classic against England, scoring a brilliant goal when Germany were 2-0 down which turned the game around. Then against Italy in the semi-finals, he famously broke his collarbone but refused to leave the pitch as West Germany had no substitutes left. He played the rest of the match in a sling. However, Germany was beaten 4-3 in a match which featured five goals in extra time.
In 1974, Beckenbauer would finally get to live his World Cup dream as he led his side to the title. With the European title secured two years' prior, West Germany battled through the first group stage before hitting form in the second pool round. They progressed with ease to the final where Beckenbauer and his fellow defenders set about shutting down Johan Cruyff. Although the Dutch scored an early goal, West Germany rallied to claim their first title in 20 years.
However, Beckenbauer was far from finished with the World Cup and in 1986 he took West Germany to the World Cup as a manager. Much like had happened as a player, he would have to experience heartbreak before success as his side lost 3-2 to Argentina in the final. Four years later he led the final West German campaign before reunification and achieved a measure of payback on Argentina with a 1-0 win in the final in Rome.
Even when he retired from management, Beckenbauer was still keen to play a role in the World Cup and in 2006 he chaired both the bid and the organising committee for the wildly-successful 2006 World Cup.
9. Mario Zagallo (Brazil 1958, 1962) (Brazil 1974 and 1998 (as coach), 1994 (as technical director), 2006 (as assistant coach)), (UAE, 1990 (as coach))
Mario Zagallo has played a role in four of Brazil's five World Cup victories, two as a player, one as a coach and one as a technical director. In Brazil's rich football history, Zagallo stands alongside the likes of Pele as the most influential figures.
Zagallo was just 18 years old when he worked as a steward in the stands at the 1950 World Cup. There he would develop a love affair with the world's biggest football tournament which would last for more than 50 years. In 1958, he made his first appearance as a player and scored in the final as Brazil beat Sweden 5-2.
Zagallo, a lithe and talented attacker, scored Brazil's first goal of the 1962 campaign and played in the final as the Selecao defended their title for the first time. Eight years later he returned as coach of arguably the greatest World Cup side of all time. Brazil powered to the title on the back of Zagallo's attacking game plan.
In 1990, he managed to get the United Arab Emirates into the World Cup for the first time, while in 1994 he was Carlos Alberto Parreira's right-hand man as Brazil broke a 24-year drought to win the World Cup. Zagallo was initially criticised for making that Brazilian outfit too defensive but he proved them wrong and then took control of the team for the 1998 World Cup in France. Everything went along fine in that campaign until the night before the final when star striker Ronaldo had a fit. Zagallo decided to play him, France prevailed 3-0 and the then 66-year-old was looking for a job. He would return as an assistant for the 2006 World Cup, but at 74, there was to be no fairytale as Brazil bowed out in the quarter-finals.
10. Geoff Hurst (England 1966, 1970)
Geoff Hurst entered English sporting folklore on July 30, 1966 as the scorer of a hat-trick in England's only World Cup win to date. He remains the only man to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final and will be forever be associated with that memorable day at Wembley.
A talented cricketer, Hurst eventually turned his focus to playing football with West Ham United and in 1966, at the age of 24 was included in Alf Ramsey's England side for the first time. He was taken to the World Cup as back-up for the established strike partnership of Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt, but when Hunt was injured in the final group match, Hurst was given his chance in the quarter-final against Argentina.
He made an immediate impact scoring the only goal of the game and getting England into the semi-finals. There Hurst played his role again, setting up one of Bobby Charlton's two goals as England prevailed over Portugal 2-1. Greaves returned to fitness, but Ramsey refused to drop Hurst, who had performed well in his two games to date.
Hurst then proved the match-winner in an epic final. After West Germany had taken an early lead, Hurst burst forward to meet a free-kick from captain Bobby Moore and head home an equaliser. He then set up a 2-1 lead, with his mis-directed shot finding Martin Peters who finished well. However, West Germany would score in the 89th minute to force the match into extra-time.
With 101 minutes elapsed in the match, Hurst scored the most famous goal in England's football history and probably the most contentious in German history. Alan Ball fed Hurst the ball and his shot beat the goalkeeper but hit the underside of the bar. It bounced on or over the line, depending on who you ask, and England led 3-2.
Hurst wasn't finished either. In a tumultuous finale to the game, the crowd began to invade the pitch. Hurst put his third goal into the net as the final whistle sounded. He was not aware that his hat-trick had been completed until informed later by the English press.
Hurst played in the 1970 World Cup, scoring one goal and setting up a couple of others, but England bowed out in the quarter-finals.
Subject: The worldcup 2010 south africa 
30/12/2009, 7:07 pm
