With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil underway, we take a look back at some of the tournament's past greats, then and now. Diego Maradona is still regarded
by many as the greatest player ever to have played the game. He
represented Argentina in four World Cups, but it was in Mexico in 1986
that he secured his legacy. Not only did he lead his nation to glory,
but in a single match against England, he scored both the most
notorious, and arguably the very best goal the World Cup has ever seen.
Things haven't always gone
swimmingly for Maradona since he hung up his boots. Dismissed as coach
of Argentina after a disappointing showing in 2010, the 53-year-old has
had difficulty maintaining coaching jobs. To top it off, the ex-player
has problems with the Italian tax authorities, who are demanding he pay
some 40 million euros in back taxes from his time playing for Napoli in
the late '80s.
One of the all-time greats of
any sport, Pele represented Brazil in four World Cups and,
astonishingly, helped them to win three of them. Along the way, he made
14 appearances and scored 12 goals. Having made his World Cup debut at
17 and lifted the trophy for the third and final time at age 30, his
legacy as the greatest player ever to feature in a World Cup is unlikely
to be challenged any time soon.
Since hanging up his boots after
a successful spell with the New York Cosmos in the late '70s, Pele has
continued to be a worldwide ambassador for the sport of soccer. He's
also involved in various humanitiarian projects and in 2012, he was
appointed UN ambassador for ecology and the environment.
Although he's remembered for the
headbutt seen round the world, France's Zinedine Zidane was one of the
modern era's greatest players. He represented France in three World Cups
and helped guide them to two finals. In the first of these, in 1998,
Zidane scored two goals against Brazil catapulting Les Bleus to their first and only World Cup triumph.
These days Zidane is on the
coaching staff at his former club, Real Madrid. Recently, he helped the
club claim a European Champions League victory over city rivals,
Atletico Madrid. While only an assistant at the moment, it's considered a
matter of time before Zidane takes up his first managerial post running
a top European club.
Before Cristiano Ronaldo, there
was the Brazilian Ronaldo. The striker represented Brazil in four World
Cups, and won it twice; in 1994 and 2002. Along the way, he managed to
score 15 goals, an all-time record for a single player that stands to
this day. Although, Germany's Miroslav Klose is currently on 14 and has a
chance to tie or better the Brazilian this summer. (Koji Aoki/ AFLO/Getty Images).
Ronaldo played his final match
for Brazil in a friendly against Romania in 2011. Soon after, he retired
from soccer altogether, having returned from his trophy-laden decade
and a half in Europe to play back in Brazil for two seasons. Today
Ronaldo remains involved in sports and is co-owner of the A1 Team Brazil
Grand Prix racing team. He also runs his own sports marketing company.
(Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images).
Goalkeeper Dino Zoff became the
oldest player ever to lift the World Cup, winning the tournament with
Italy in 1982 at age 40. Zoff represented the Azzurri in an
astonishing four World Cups, making 17 appearances and conceding only 17
goals during his time between the sticks at World Cup level for Italy.
Upon hanging up his gloves, Zoff
(left) became one of the few goalkeepers to embark on a distinguished
coaching career. Now 72 and retired, as a coach Zoff enjoyed successful
stints with Juventus, Lazio and even the Italian national team. Source : Yahoo
