Best players to play at a WC (The noone has ever seen Di Stefano or Puskas play)

[Bon Esprit]

We will never solve the Pele vs Maradona question. And as the title states we are all too young to judge how players before or existance really played.
So the question is: What are the best players you have seen at a World Cup. Most of us on tv, of course.
Please keep it civil, we don't need one hundred names per poster. Who in your eyes made a real impact.

Click to read more...

 

[Bon Esprit]

I will start with

the great Johan
Franz Beckenbauer
Mario Kempes
Michel Platini
Lew Jaschin

 

[YNWA14]

Messi and Robben in 2014 were head an shoulders above everyone else IMO. Forlan in 2010 was great. Zidane and R9 come to mind.

 

[koyvoo]

I remember being shook at Zidanes resurgence in 06

 

[bluesfan94]

Forlan in 10 was unreal

 

[Dr Pepper]

James was pretty solid at the last WC, no?

 

[Ceremony]

(video of this is a choice between awful background music or a screen with most of the pitch cut off, sorry)

 

[Stray Wasp]

We will never solve the Pele vs Maradona question. And as the title states we are all too young to judge how players before or existance really played.
So the question is: What are the best players you have seen at a World Cup. Most of us on tv, of course.
Please keep it civil, we don't need one hundred names per poster. Who in your eyes made a real impact.

Boring, I know, but since I did see 1986 live my answer is Diego Maradona.

Di Stefano never played in the World Cup finals. Puskas was injured for most of 1954, and is generally accepted to have been short of full fitness in the final. Given that the same sources who claim greatness for him recount that he was pitched into Spain's 62 squad relatively late in the day as an increasingly tubby 35-year old and wasn't especially happy, we don't need to have watched either of these players to discount them from the discussion at hand.

 

[YNWA14]

James was pretty solid at the last WC, no?

I think more opportunistic than outright great. Both Robben and Messi were much better.

 

[Live in the Now]

Ronaldo 2002. Not close.

 

[Evilo]

Pele vs Maradona debate ?
What debate?
One is arguably the best ever.
Second is best in his head and a few flash over substance fans.

 

[Bon Esprit]

Boring, I know, but since I did see 1986 live my answer is Diego Maradona.

Di Stefano never played in the World Cup finals. Puskas was injured for most of 1954, and is generally accepted to have been short of full fitness in the final. Given that the same sources who claim greatness for him recount that he was pitched into Spain's 62 squad relatively late in the day as an increasingly tubby 35-year old and wasn't especially happy, we don't need to have watched either of these players to discount them from the discussion at hand.

My point was to keep the obvious out of the discussion. Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo or Messi are the obious picks.
IIRC you are English, so I'd expect something like Gazza or Lineker from you. And you wouldn't be wrong.

 

[Bon Esprit]

Pele vs Maradona debate ?
What debate?
One is arguably the best ever.
Second is best in his head and a few flash over substance fans.

Evilo, the post below yours might make it clear. Not the obious ones.

 

[Stray Wasp]

My point was to keep the obvious out of the discussion. Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo or Messi are the obious picks.
IIRC you are English, so I'd expect something like Gazza or Lineker from you. And you wouldn't be wrong.

I'd have you know the push to make mindless parochialism compulsory among the English hasn't yet fully succeeded.

Even if often it seems that way.

After Maradona in 86, I'd plump for Romario in 94, a hair's breadth ahead of Roberto Baggio in the same tournament.

 

[armani]

Maradona and Zidane in the past 30 something years (i.e. in my lifetime). There have been many other standouts but I pick these two from a cup winning/runners-up pedigree. Both pushed relatively "weaker" rosters to the finals in 1990 and 2006, respectively, in a losing effort. Both were instrumental in their cup wins in 1986 and 1998.

 

[Bon Esprit]

I'd have you know the push to make mindless parochialism compulsory among the English hasn't yet fully succeeded.

Even if often it seems that way.

After Maradona in 86, I'd plump for Romario in 94, a hair's breadth ahead of Roberto Baggio in the same tournament.

I have no idea why you are that aggressive. I was asking posters to post the best players they have seen at a WC. Without the obvious ones like Diego etc.
I expect posters to say the Bazil Romario, Figo or whatever. Gazza and Lineker are good picks from England.
My intention was to motivate other/younger posters to get out of their box. There were more important players than today's greats.

 

[Evilo]

Burruchaga 86.

 

[Stray Wasp]

I have no idea why you are that aggressive. I was asking posters to post the best players they have seen at a WC. Without the obvious ones like Diego etc.
I expect posters to say the Bazil Romario, Figo or whatever. Gazza and Lineker are good picks from England.
My intention was to motivate other/younger posters to get out of their box. There were more important players than today's greats.

Surely you've noticed that if there's one thing this forum isn't lacking, it's people making great claims for their own team, and the players who play for it. And the accusation of chronically overrating their national team is often flung at the English.

I agree that Gazza and Lineker gave fine performances in World Cups. They were both players I liked too.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Burruchaga 86.

But didn't he have one wooden leg and a pass completion rate of 6% for the tournament?

 

[Bon Esprit]

Burruchaga 86.

Right, forgot about him. Argentina. El Butre from Spain (can't spell his real name) was pretty good, too.

 

[cgf]

I know this isn’t the point of this thread, but there’s full matches of Puskas’s Hungarian team at the 54 World Cup on YouTube. And I think their friendly decimation if England is there to.

I will start with

the great Johan
Franz Beckenbauer
Mario Kempes
Michel Platini
Lew Jaschin

Tough to list just Beckenbauer while leaving off Netzer, Gerd & Breitner.

Boring, I know, but since I did see 1986 live my answer is Diego Maradona.

Di Stefano never played in the World Cup finals. Puskas was injured for most of 1954, and is generally accepted to have been short of full fitness in the final. Given that the same sources who claim greatness for him recount that he was pitched into Spain's 62 squad relatively late in the day as an increasingly tubby 35-year old and wasn't especially happy, we don't need to have watched either of these players to discount them from the discussion at hand.

Even short of full fitness he was still something else in that 54 final.

 

[cgf]

Messi and Robben in 2014 were head an shoulders above everyone else IMO.

The Golden Boot winner, despite going out in the QFs, may have something to say about that

 

[Corto]

I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse, I just don't fully understand what the original question is about...
Best player to have watched on TV in a WC? In person, live?
A player having the best tournament? Best game?

Best player - Messi. It doesn't necessarily mean he had his best games there, but he's the best player I've watched, anywhere, ever.

Best game - probably Zidane vs Brasil in 2006. (I didn't watch Mexico 86 live, Italy 1990 was my first "live" tournament)

Best tournament - maybe Kahn in 2002. That German side had Ballack and Kahn (Scheider was decent) and made it to the final.
Kahn was unreal, making key save after key save every game (until giving up a soft one in the final).

 

[Evilo]

Best tournament : Platini 84. Maradona 86.

 

[Havre]

Forlan 10 is the one I remember the best. Probably not the best I have seen, but I never expected him to be that dominant.

Hagi in 94. Ridiculous amount of talent. A shame he never fulfilled his potential.