First XI: World Cup Legends | The Communication Blog

Sunday, June 20, 2010

First XI: World Cup Legends

By Max Johnson

Really few players turn out to be legends in the video game without making an impact on the Entire world Cup. Injuries and limited team-mates might be restrictive given the nature from the tournament, with possibly only George Ideal and Alfredo Di Stefano deemed 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 built their mark about the biggest stage.

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Is Pele the greatest of all-time?
Pele (Brazil): The definitive Entire world Pot icon, Pele won the Globe Cup with Brazil at just 17 years old in 1958, was component from the aspect that retained the trophy in 1962 and was then a key player inside victorious 1970 squad which is widely considered the best football group within the background in the online game. It absolutely was a time when referees liked to let the game flow, and he was mercilessly assaulted by his opponents online game right after video game, but he even now scored an astounding 77 ambitions in 92 appearances for his nation.

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 Cup winner with Benfica and scorer of 319 goals in 313 games in the Portuguese league, Mozambique-born Eusebio made his mark on the world stage in 1966 when Portugal ended Brazil's hopes of clinching the Jules Rimet Trophy for the third time in succession. He was a quick and powerful attacker with skill in abundance, and scored an incredible nine goals at the World Cup in England. Considered by many to be second only to Pele during his 60s heyday - a big compliment indeed considering the competition from the likes of George Best, Gerd Muller and Bobby Charlton - he ended his career with 41 goals in 64 appearances for his country.

Johan Cruyff (Netherlands): His attacking ideals have shaped the modern Barcelona group and, following playing the starring role because the Dutch came within a whisker with the 1974 World Pot, he may be the player most closely connected with Rinus Michels' 'total football' model. As a revolutionary trick, the 'Cruyff turn' looks virtually quaint now, but it was just a single of the numerous knowledge in his formidable armoury along with his remarkable awareness, handle and accuracy. Netherlands' 2-1 defeat to West Germany inside the '74 last came as something of your surprise given the effectiveness of their total football, and it absolutely was apparently down to fears over 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 using a weightlifter?" he asked, later affectionately referring to him as "kleines dickes Muller" or "short fat Muller". Still, the striker experienced a spectacular talent for goalscoring, hitting 68 in 62 appearances for his country. England saw their 1970 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 outstanding ten targets. In 1974, Netherlands fell victim his talent as he grabbed the winning objective in that year's last and, owning already hit 3 within the tournament, he established himself because the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, a record that stood for around two decades.

Giuseppe Meazza (Italy): Current earth champions Italy clinched their primary two titles in 1934 and 1938, and inside-forward Meazza was the star of the show. He was the George Ideal of his day, a talented and stylish showman who could create and score ambitions of timeless invention and was famed for his habit of stopping ahead with the goalkeeper, inviting him to come with the ball after which taking it close to him just before placing the ball into the empty net. Meazza scored just twice at the 1934 tournament and once in 1938 - a penalty inside semi-final in opposition to Brazil when he famously experienced to hold his shorts up with 1 hand in the course of his run-up as a result of an elastic issue - but he remains an icon of Italian football. He scored 245 objectives in 350 appearances through a 13-year spell with Inter prior to an injury cut his profession brief. The San Siro stadium was renamed the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in his honour in 1980.

Ronaldo (Brazil): A player who, in his prime, boasted fantastic pace, close handle, the potential to ghost past defenders and a phenomenal strike-rate, Ronaldo became the Earth Cup's all-time leading goal-scorer in 2006 and should rightly be regarded one particular in the greats from the video game. Possessing failed to generate an appearance as Brazil won the 1994 Globe Pot, he made his mark with four goals inside 1998 tournament just before - for causes even now unknown - he was left out of the group to the final after which it reinstated shortly before kick-off as France won the game 3-0. Whatever truly went on that day, Ronaldo had the chance to create amends four many years after as he hit eight goals - including two in the ultimate in opposition to Germany - as Brazil clinched the trophy for your fifth time. In 2006, he overtook Gerd Muller as he struck his 15th Earth Pot target.

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 against West Germany in the 1966 semi-final
Lev Yashin (Soviet Union): Brave, athletic and commanding, Yashin is widely considered the best goalkeeper of all-time and he had a particular talent for stopping penalties. The secret of his success has gone down in legend: "Before a game I smoke a cigarette to calm my nerves and then toss back a strong drink to tone up the muscles." In addition to a host of domestic trophies with Dynamo Moscow, he won the 1956 Summer Olympics and 1960 European Championship with Soviet Union. He earned universal acclaim at the 1958 World Cup as they reached the quarter-finals and, while he did not have his best tournament in 1962, he won the Ballon d'Or the following year, remaining the only goalkeeper to have done so. He went on to play a central role as Soviet Union reached the semi-finals in 1966 and, having lost 2-1 to Portugal in the third-place play-off, Eusebio later hailed Yashin as the greatest goalkeeper he had ever faced.

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