The Greatest Sides in World Cup History

World Cup in Brazil will boasts some of the finest national sides on the planet, however football history also deserves recognition.

World Cups were always reserved for the best teams in the world that had the capabilities to demonstrate their talents on the global stage. Some national sides relied on the collective efforts of the teams directed by great managers, while other sides achieved success through a small group individual players.

Teams that have successfully cemented their place among the greatest of the great World Cup history, have won the competition several times over.

Some sides have never won the competition, however the quality of the teams that they had at their disposal during a certain era, makes them a noteworthy candidates to be remembered in the annals of football.

Brazil

The Brazil national side is always ranked as having the one of the best teams at the World Cup, regardless of the era. It is an honor and privilege for any team to be playing against the legendary five time winners.

Starting from the inception of what is today known as the epic era of Brazilian football, the World Cup in 1958 marked the beginning of something truly special. Equipped with a plethora of attacking talent, Brazil seamlessly swiped team after team from the competition.

They managed to be effective with four attackers, something that is unimaginable in today’s football. The nation’s young hope Pele, was accompanied by a side that won two World Cups in a row, as they repeated their success in the 1962 edition as well.

Garrincha, Zito, Zagallo and Vava were the other legendary players that shaped the world of football into a more attacking style. They showcased just how deadly they were, as they beat Sweden in the 1958 final 5-2.

At the 1962 World Cup, The Brazilian squad was left without the fearsome Pele early in the competition, however they still managed to defend their title with the help of Pele’s substitute Amarildo.

Nowadays, Brazil does not hold the same level of quality within the team, but they nevertheless command some of the biggest names in world football. At the upcoming World Cup, the hosts have been paired with Cameroon, Mexico and Croatia, against whom they will initiate the tournament on June 12th.

Spain

Although they have always been regular participants in the previous World Cups, they were never able to express themselves in the tournament. Something lacked in the national team that was always filled with stars.

Their greatest World Cup achievement came in the 1950 edition of the tournament, staged in Brazil for the first time. They managed progress through the tournament, where they were eventually eliminated by Sweden for the third place finish. However, that as well turned sour, as they were not able to claim third place.

Some football experts online have recently questioned whether Spain can maintain the high level of consistency they have shown throughout the last six years. They have won both EURO 2008 and 2012, while adding the World Cup title in the process.

The question now arise, if they can stretch their success to their fourth major title in a row. Online gambling sites in Spain
are all favoring their national team to do just that. More importantly, concerns have been raised that tiki-taka is not what it used to be at the last World Cup.

Nonetheless, they still possess the talents of a number of great players like; Xavi, Iniesta, Ramos, Casillas and recently added Costa. While the bench harbors many other options to fill their shoes across a variety of positions.

Germany

An all-round team that is known for the many great players that have won them several trophies. They were finally permitted to keep the World Cup trophy, after winning it for the third time in 1990, following previous two success in 1954 and 1974.

• Brazil ranks highly in every World Cup – five time winners

• Germany strives on its mechanic midfield – but unlucky

• The Dutch invented total football – and yet no trophies

Since winning the Cup in Italy in 1990, they have showcased a lackluster performance through the World Cups in the 90s. In the past 3 World Cups, they have reached the semi-final stage, from which they have progressed in one, and lost in two World Cups.

In 2002, they played in the final in which they lost 0-2 against Brazil that boasted the talents of the “Three R’s” (Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo). When they hosted the competition in 2006 in their native land, Germany once again reached the semi-finals. However, the team was unlucky, as they were left to fight for third place, which they managed to win.

In 2010 South Africa, they once again had to be content with a third place finish, as they were denied fighting for the top spot by Spain, who went on to win the competition for the first time in their history.

Mobile betting firms cite Germany as one team to look out for at the upcoming World Cup, as they are pretty well organized and have range of super talented players to assist their famous midfield machine.

Netherlands

Although they have never been crowned World Cup winners, nevertheless they always maintained an incredible set of players in their national side. Starting with the 1970s when Johan Cruyff dominated the field with his supernatural talent, they always managed to reach a certain stage of the tournament, but were never lucky enough to clinch a podium finish.

The Dutch side is known to have started what is today known as “tiki-taka.” They invented the concept of “total football,” which focuses heavily on team-work and employs players rotating their positions across the filed on a regular basis.

The World Cup in South Africa saw them reach the finals for the first time in their history, where a number of ageing world-famous players had the last chance to be written down in the history books.
The Dutch were unable to exert themselves, as the footballing landscape was dominated by players originating from Iberia that revolutionized the game with their sublime “tiki-taka” play.

Considering the vast amount of experience that all the great sides have in the football, they may very well serve as a bench mark for future references. The World Cup in Brazil does not look to be the event whereby the traditional big teams will change their superior playing style, and allow smaller teams to instill their supremacy and fight for glory.

However, snatching up the smallest place on the podium is possible, as some nations have shown in previous World Cups.

Turkey managed to win third place in 2002 with a team that had the likes of Hakan Sukur and Rustu Recber in their great squad.

While Croatia also won the bronze medal, showing what can be achieved with great persistence and some fine players like Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban, as they represented their colors for the first time on the World Cup stage in 1998 France.