Athletics can bring people together. Not everyone can purchase a pony, while not everybody attends a school with a rugby pitch. But you will find kids kicking about a football everywhere you look, from the playgrounds of Monaco & Beverly Hills to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the slums of Nairobi. Maybe the way that football players have frequently come from lowly backgrounds to excel in a game allows the finest to grow into icons both on and off the pitch as well as become national football heroes. Friends have been arguing into the wee hours over who the best World Cup football heroes are for decades.
There will be disagreements like this for as long as football is played. Watching a football match in the stadium is different than watching football on the T.V, you get to feel the ‘Football Sensation’ at a stadium, so get the latest England football tickets and enjoy a sensational match.
Zinedine Zidane
With two goals in the final, Zidane—one of the sport’s best and most contentious players—helped France win the 1998 World Cup at home. Following the notorious head butt which sent him out in the final, he moved on to win player of the tournament at the 2006 World Cup, having been mainly sidelined by injuries during France’s brief 2002 World Cup campaign. As the squad arrived back home, countless supporters sang Zidane’s name throughout the streets of Paris. His legendary coaching transformed the French national team into a thing far more than what was left of its parts. He scored 31 goals in 108 games for the country.
Julio Cesar Romero
The main player for Paraguay in the match was Julio Cesar Romero Romero, a clever playmaker whose passes were accurate and swift. In 1985, he was chosen as South America’s top player. Romero, who captured the team’s lone championship, is regarded as the greatest player in Rio’s Fluminese history. Additionally, he is known for having carried the Paraguay national team to its second & last major championship, the Copa America, by himself.
Zico
Zico, a Flamengo icon, was a standout member of the fantastic Brazil squad which competed in the 1982 World Cup and was one of the tournament’s biggest stars. He was a talented, goal-oriented midfielder who was among the greatest free-kick takers in history. His legacy has been partly damaged by his 1982 team’s failure to win, as well as by his injury-plagued 1978 and 1986 tournament performances, where he was rarely chosen for starting games. He was the standout player for Flamengo, which gave them the right to be the finest club in the world after they won the Copa Libertadores & went on to defeat Liverpool 3-1 in the Intercontinental Cup in 1981.
Kluivert Patrick
Kluivert, sometimes known as the “Dutch Ronaldo,” leads the Netherlands in goals struck with 40, thanks to his quickness and dexterity that belie his size. He came off the bench in Ajax’s Champions League Final match against Milan to score and bring about victory for the team. At Barcelona, he reached the pinnacle of his career, winning La Liga & tallying 90 goals in 180 games.
Greaves, Jimmy
Not even the legendary Bobby Moore, whose monument welcomes spectators to Wembley Stadium, had the same level of affection among common English fans as Jimmy Greaves. Greaves, who was well-known domestically, went global when he saved a puppy who had been intruding on the pitch & had eluded the legendary Brazilian players in England’s 1962 World Cup quarterfinal. Greave earned the nickname “Garrincha’s dog-catcher” in Brazil after Garrincha brought the dog home.
Greaves was a member of the 1966 World Cup-winning team but became unable to play in the championship game due to a severe injury sustained by France’s Joseph Bonnel which needed 14 stitches. Greave holds the record for most hat-tricks scored while wearing an England shirt with six. The 1966 campaign remains a central feature of English identity, the team is cherished by everybody, and Greaves became a broadcaster who made his way into living rooms throughout the country for many years.
Van Basten, Marco
Before retiring at the age of 28 due to injury, Marco Van Basten—arguably the best player of the late 1980s and early 1990s—was recognised multiple times as the European Footballer of the Year. He was an all-around striker with quickness and excellent technique who was capable of scoring from almost any place. After leaving Ajax after 133 games with 128 goals, he joined AC Milan and helped them win two European Cups (1988, and 1989). He had won Euro 88 playing with his Dutch teammates Ruud Gullit and Frank Rjkaard at Milan, where he accomplished one of the greatest goals in team history in the championship match against the USSR. He unfortunately didn’t participate in the World Cup and missed Milan’s 1994 European Cup victory.
Final Words:
Football heroes were more than simply great players; they inspired admiration and pride in their country and won over the hearts and minds of supporters everywhere. These icons transcend the bounds of the game with their incredible abilities, tenacity, and competitiveness, establishing an enduring legacy which inspires future generations.
Also, read: Mexico National Football Team vs Panama National Football Team Lineups
