Dave Bartholomew

Legends of World Cup History

With the World Cup returning to its spiritual home in Brazil 2014, let's look back at the World Cup legends of the past.

Who will be a legend in 2014?

In the sixties we had Pele, the seventies Johan Cruyff, the eighties Maradona and the nineties Ronaldo. Is Zidane the legend of the noughties? I think so. He was named as the FIFA Golden Ball winner at the tournament in Germany 2006. The only other Golden Ball winner of the noughties was Oliver Kahn in Japan / Korea 2002 and he was a goalkeeper which doesn't really count in my view.

Every competition throws up great players, men who transcend national boundaries and passions and are widely recognised as the greatest players of their time. Who can forget 'Toto' Schillaci's impact on the 1990 competition held in his own nation, Italy. Schillaci scored just seven times for Italy in sixteen appearances but six of those goals came in the 1990 world cup to win him the Golden Boot.

Or Mario Kempes, the Argentinian striker who scored a wonder goal in the 1978 final in Argentina. Top scorer at the time in Spain's Primera Liga he was the only foreign based player to be selected to represent the hosts who defeated Holland 3-1 in the final.

Going back even further let's give a shout out to Ferenc Puskas, Golden Ball winner in 1954 who scored 84 times in 85 appearances for Hungary. His was the team that slaughtered England 6-3 becoming the first foreign team to inflict defeat on England at Wembley.

The first man to lift the coveted Jules Rimet trophy was Uruguayan captain Jose Nasazzi, following a 4-2 win over fierce rivals Argentina in the inaugural final held in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo.

Ever since the World Cup began the truly great players have become legends, often known just by their surnames or nicknames but who will be a legend in Brazil 2014?

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