#2 Mexico 1970
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The traditional pick for the best World Cup, Mexico 1970 was the first to be broadcast in colour and it remains fondly remembered almost 50 years on. The tournament used the classic 16-team line-up and all of the favourites advanced through the group stage – which is most memorable for an amazing game between Brazil and holders England, won by Brazil 1-0, and the embrace between Pele and Bobby Moore is still an iconic photo today.
England were tipped to retain their trophy and got through the group despite the Brazil loss, but met their match in the quarters in a rematch with West Germany – this time a tired Bobby Charlton was substituted and that allowed Franz Beckenbauer to take over the game; Germany won 3-2 after going 2-0 down. They didn’t make the final though, losing out to Italy in the semi-finals 4-3 in what some labelled as the ‘Game of the Century’.
The most memorable part of the 1970 World Cup though was undoubtedly the Brazil side that ran out winners, beating Italy 4-1 in the final. The names are still household ones today; Pele, Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto, Rivelino, Tostao – simply put, the team is the most iconic one in World Cup history which is why 1970 is so memorable.
#1 France 1998
The World Cup was expanded to 32 teams for the first time in 1998 and the tournament remains arguably the last time when the World Cup was truly the pinnacle of football – before the explosion of the Champions League in the 2000s. And it lived up to the hype as we saw almost all of the best players of the 1990s on show, ranging from Zidane, Ronaldo and Bergkamp to Batistuta, Shearer and Suker.
The tournament saw some truly iconic moments – Michael Owen’s solo goal for England against Argentina in the second round, Dennis Bergkamp’s equally brilliant one to send the Argentines home in the quarters, Laurent Blanc’s last-ditch goal to allow France to defeat Paraguay, and Ronaldo at his peak, scoring four goals as Brazil rampaged through to the final only to fall apart on the day after the great man fell ill, apparently suffering a seizure on the morning of the game.
With Ronaldo out of the way, it became Zidane’s final, as his two headed goals allowed the hosts to run out 3-0 winners over the holders and claim the World Cup for the first – and only – time. Classic goals, iconic moments, and a roster of incredible players before everything changed. This World Cup had it all.
