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The FIFA World Cup is arguably the greatest sporting competition in the world. The beautiful game is the most popular sport on the planet and it has fans all over the globe. As such, the FIFA World Cup is a global event and the whole world comes together to celebrate it.
It is every footballer's dream to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup. Many of football's all-time greats have left an indelible mark on the World Cup. It takes a great deal of mental fortitude and incredible ability to deliver at the biggest stage in the world of football.
Today, we'll take a look at seven of the greatest players in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
Honorable mentions: Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller, Johan Cruyff and Andres Iniesta
#7 Gerd Muller (Germany)
Gerd Muller is one of the greatest strikers of all time. He was a player West Germany could count on during big occasions. Muller scored two fantastic hat-tricks in the 1970 FIFA World Cup and picked up the Golden Boot at the tournament.
He scored the winning goal for West Germany in the 1974 FIFA World Cup final against the Netherlands. 'Der Bomber' banged in 14 goals in 13 games in the competition in his career. He held the record for most goals scored at the tournament until Ronaldo overtook him in 1974.
Muller was the captain of one of the greatest German sides of all time and is one of the greats of the game.
#6 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
Franz Beckenbauer is widely considered to be one of the greatest defenders to have graced the game. 'Der Kaiser' played in three World Cups for West Germany and was a thoroughly dominant presence at the back.
Beckenbauer was very versatile and scored a whopping four goals at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, playing as a midfielder. He played as a defender in the 1970 and 1974 World Cup and captained the side for the latter.
Beckenbaur's contributions were crucial to Germany beating the widely fancied Dutch side in the final of the 1974 edition of the tournament. He has played in three World Cup tournaments and never finished below third.
#5 Zinedine Zidane (France)
Among all the legends on this list, Zinedine Zidane perhaps parted ways with his World Cup career in the most unceremonious fashion. He headbutted Marco Materazzi in the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was redcarded for it. But he didn't leave the pitch before scoring an ice-cold penalty to give his side the lead.
Zizou played in three World Cups for France and won the tournament with them in 1998. The Frenchman scored two goals in the '98 final and was simply peerless between 1998 and 2002 on the international stage.
He saved some of the best performances of his career for the World Cup. Despite losing the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Zidane went home with the Golden Ball given to the best player in the tournament.
Zidane is one of the greatest midfielders of all time and is also one of the greatest World Cup performers ever.
#4 Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil)
Ronaldo Nazario, nicknamed 'O Fenomeno', wreaked havoc at both club and international level during his prime. He was one of the most complete strikers in the history of the sport. He played four World Cups for Brazil and won two.
Brazil's loss in the 1998 World Cup final is largely attributed to Ronaldo suffering an illness on the eve of the game. That's how much of a difference maker he was. He is one of the greatest players in the history of the World Cup.
Despite the 1998 final heartbreak, Ronaldo returned four years later to lead Brazil's triumphant 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign from the front. He has scored at least three goals in three separate World Cup tournaments. Ronaldo has scored a whopping 15 goals at the World Cup.
#3 Diego Maradona (Argentina)
Diego Maradona is one of the greatest footballers of all time. He was a phenomenal forward who shared a special relationship with the ball and was nigh-on unstoppable when it was in his possession.
Maradona scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 21 World Cup games across four tournaments. He fired Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, scoring a brace each in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals against England and Belgium respectively.
Maradona then captained the side to a 3-2 win in the final against West Germany. The legendary Argentinian would reach the final once again, four years later. But this time, West Germany got the better of them, winning the game 1-0.
#2 Pele (Brazil)
Pele took the world by storm as a teenager when he became the youngest player to score a World Cup goal (17 years, 239 days), a record that stands to this day. Pele did it in the 1958 World Cup, where he would go on to score a hat-trick in the semi-final against France before bagging a brace in the final against Sweden.
Injuries limited his involvement in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. But Pele would make an emphatic return in the 1970 edition of the tournament. He picked up the Golden Ball at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and propelled Brazil to glory once again.
Pele is widely viewed as the GOAT of football. His achievements are exemplary. But contrary to popular opinion, we believe another Brazilian is the greatest World Cup player of all time.
#1 Garrincha (Brazil)
So how did Brazil win the 1962 FIFA World Cup when they lost the world's greatest player, Pele, to an injury in the group stages? A certain Brazilian winger, dubbed the 'little wren', took the reins and almost single-handedly fired them to glory.
One of the greatest wingers in the history of the game, Garrincha is one of the iconic Brazilian players whose legacy has been overshadowed by the greatness of Pele. What makes Garrincha's story incredibly powerful is that he was born partially crippled and was barely educated.
Garrincha won two World Cups with Brazil. The Selecao have lost just a single World Cup game when Garrincha was in the lineup. Brazil never lost a single game when both Garrincha and Pele were both in the lineup.
Unfortunately, Garrincha gave in to a life of excess and his football career ended sooner than it should have. He won the Golden Ball at the 1962 World Cup and was also the joint-top goalscorer in the tournament.
Garrincha was also named the Best XI at the 1958 World Cup where he played a huge role in Brazil's triumphant campaign.
