Past plus present: 5 dream striker pairings at the World Cup

#1 Neymar and Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil)

Brazil's hopes crashed with Neymar's injury in the 2014 World Cup

In 2014 Brazil was hosting the World Cup after more than 60 years. Expectations were soaring high in the biggest footballing nation of the world. Fans of the Selecao craved a record sixth title. Neymar took his team to the quarterfinals. He scored a brace in two of the three round robin matches and the deciding penalty in the round of sixteen shoot out against Chile.

In the quarterfinals against Colombia, he suffered a fractured vertebra in his spine and was ruled out of the tournament. Brazil's hopes of winning on home soil came crashing down with his injury. Without Neymar, the Brazilian team lost their mojo. In the semi finals, they suffered an embarrassing and gut wrenching 7-1 defeat at the hands of eventual champions Germany.

Something similar happened in 1998. Brazil progressed to the finals with Ronaldo scoring four goals en-route. Hours before their final match against France, he suffered a mysterious convulsion. Till date no one has been able to explain what exactly happened to him. The team management didn't want to play him in the final but with medical tests diagnosing no injuries, they were forced to start with their star player.

With so much attention around this mysterious medical problem, Ronaldo was a shadow of himself and Brazil disappointingly lost 3-0 to France. However, he made amends in 2002 when he led his team to their last World Cup title with two goals in the finals. He won the Golden Shoe award for his eight goals and also the Silver Ball as the second best player in the tournament. In the 2006 edition, he broke the all time goal scoring record at the World Cup with a tally of fifteen goals which was later bettered by Miroslav Klose.

At 26, Neymar still has a shot at World Cup glory. But a team with Ronaldo as a number nine and Neymar playing as a number ten would be everyone's favourite for a win. Both have an incredible record of scoring goals and that too in the biggest matches and in the most pressure situations. What a strike partnership it would be.

Notable mention - Pele - With three World Cup titles he was perhaps the best player ever at the premier tournament. But Ronaldo would be more suitable to play alongside Neymar.

Notable mention - Romario - Helped Brazil win the 1994 World Cup with five goals and won the Golden Ball.