Pele at the Azteca? England in '66? Ranking the best World Cup finals

ByAlex Bysouth

BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Every World Cup final, by its precise nature, is iconic. It is simply a uncommon dainty we get to bask each 4 years and this summertime is lone the 23rd variation of a men's tourney that has spanned the champion portion of a century.

So however bash you quantify the 'best' - is it goals, drama, superstars astatine their peak?

Well, I person tried to instrumentality into relationship each of those aspects, arsenic good arsenic the showpieces that provided the astir compelling storylines and delivered the astir enduring legacies.

So beneath are my apical 10 World Cup finals - you tin fertile your ain astatine the bottommost of this page, too.

10. Brazil 2-0 Germany (2002)

Not the astir melodramatic standalone last but 1 dripping with gripping narrative.

It was a summertime that evolved into Ronaldo's redemption arc aft the trauma helium went through earlier Brazil's decision by France successful the last 4 years earlier, and the career-threatening injuries sustained successful betwixt World Cups.

Ronaldo lone played a fistful of games for Inter Milan earlier the tourney but was astatine his goalscoring champion to occurrence Brazil to the final, the fig 9 supported by Rivaldo and Ronaldinho with the explosive Roberto Carlos and Cafu flying down the flanks.

Ronaldo's second-half treble proved decisive arsenic Brazil saw disconnected Germany successful the Yokohama showpiece - no-one successful the stadium would person banked connected the Selecao not winning different World Cup since.

9. Italy 1-1 France (5-3 pens) (2006)

The representation of Zinedine Zidane trudging past the pitchside World Cup trophy is legendary. Just not for the mode the Frenchman would wish.

Zizou was enjoying a stellar tourney and had already Panenka'd Gianluigi Buffon successful the last with a spot-kick that kissed the barroom and wriggled conscionable implicit the goalline earlier helium was aboriginal dismissed successful other time.

Marco Materazzi would beryllium the main protagonist successful Berlin. Having fouled Florent Malouda for France's opener, the towering defender levelled with a thundering header from Andrea Pirlo's country wrong 20 minutes.

The Inter Milan centre-back's astir memorable contribution, though, was to get a absorption retired of Zidane, the balding French playmaker landing a headbutt connected the Italian's sternum.

It was Zidane's past enactment arsenic a player, having announced his determination to discontinue aft the World Cup.

Zidane walked, and Italy won connected penalties. Materazzi, of course, scored his.

8. West Germany 2-1 Netherlands (1974)

This was expected to beryllium the Netherlands' time, arsenic Johan Cruyff and co dazzled passim the tourney with their revolutionary Total Football approach.

By the final, the Oranje were supremely confident, contempt complaining section media were trying to unsettle them, with a communicative astir a enactment thrown successful their edifice appearing successful the Bild paper nether the headline: Cruyff, champagne, bare girls and a refreshing dip.

An aboriginal extremity astatine Munich's Olympiastadion lone added to their swagger, starring earlier West Germany adjacent touched the ball. Cruyff went connected a mazy tally and was brought down by Uli Hoeness; Johan Neeskens converted from the spot.

Yet the hosts had different ideas. Paul Breitner responded from the spot and by half-time West Germany led done Gerd Muller. The Dutch were incapable to recover.

Four years later, without Cruyff, they reached the last again, lone to beryllium beaten by Argentina successful other clip nether a entity of Buenos Aires ticker tape.

7. West Germany 3-2 Hungary (1954)

In the summertime of 1954, nary squad was much fancied than Hungary's Magical Magyars with their swashbuckling superstars Sandor Kocsis, Nandor Hidegkuti and, of course, Ferenc Puskas.

Hungary recorded a celebrated triumph implicit England astatine Wembley the erstwhile twelvemonth and bushed them 7-1 earlier the tournament. They were the Olympic champions and had not mislaid successful much than 30 games - a spell stretching backmost 5 years.

Furthermore, they had scored an mean of 6.25 goals per crippled connected their mode to the last and thrashed the aforesaid West Germany broadside they would conscionable successful the showpiece 8-3 successful the radical stages.

Come the final, the Hungarians adjacent raced into a 2-0 pb wrong 8 minutes astatine Wankdorf Stadium - Pukas and Zoltan Czibor connected people - but West Germany were level 10 minutes aboriginal and someway survived arsenic the Golden Team deed the post, crossbar and had a fig of efforts scrambled disconnected the line.

Instead, with six minutes remaining, Helmut Rahn scored a daze victor successful a triumph that would go known arsenic The Miracle of Bern.

6. Argentina 3-2 West Germany (1986)

This was precise overmuch Diego Maradona's tournament, adjacent if for astir of the last Lothar Matthaus attempted to instrumentality to the diminutive Argentine similar a sweat-drenched polyester jersey successful the Azteca heat.

Argentina opened up a two-goal lead, Jose Luis Brown scoring the opener and Jorge Valdano finishing a swift antagonistic onslaught successful the 2nd half.

The South Americans should person added to their vantage earlier the green-jerseyed West Germans mounted a comeback.

Captain Karl-Heinz Rummenigge poked location successful the 74th infinitesimal and substitute Rudi Voller levelled soon aft from different corner.

But, with six minutes remaining, a infinitesimal of Maradona magic settled the last - the forward's superb first-time half-volleyed done shot sent Jorge Burruchaga racing distant to nab the winner. El Diego had his crown.

5. France 3-0 Brazil (1998)

Given France's modern World Cup prestige, it is hard to ideate a clip erstwhile Les Bleus had ne'er won the game's biggest prize. In 1998, however, erstwhile they hosted the tourney for the archetypal clip successful 60 years, that was the case.

France boasted a multicultural squad that represented a divers nation, with second-generation Algerian migrant Zinedine Zidane astatine its heart.

As defender Lilian Thuram told me: "That each of these players from these antithetic backgrounds could correspond France and spell connected and win, that was a precise almighty connection to nonstop retired to society."

While France's superstars dazzled connected the pitch, the last is, however, remembered for pre-match hysteria surrounding the world's champion player, Brazil striker Ronaldo.

Ronaldo suffered a convulsion earlier successful the time but was fixed the greenish airy to commencement for Mario Zagallo's side. Yet helium was obscurity adjacent his best.

France ran retired comfy 3-0 winners, Zidane netting doubly and Emmanuel Petit grabbing a precocious third.

4. Brazil 5-2 Sweden (1958)

Pele who? The teen was already a superstar successful Brazil, netting goals astatine an unthinkable complaint and becoming his country's youngest ever scorer, but the guardant was not unleashed connected the wider footballing satellite until the quarter-final signifier astatine the 1958 World Cup aft arriving successful Sweden with a genu injury.

He netted against Wales and past bagged a second-half hat-trick against France successful the semi-finals, with his fable cemented successful the final.

Pele, the 17-year-old with fig 10 etched connected his makeshift bluish shirt, scored doubly successful a 5-2 triumph - the highest-scoring World Cup last connected record.

His archetypal remains 1 of the showpiece's all-time large goals, taking the shot connected his thorax and lofting it implicit a defender earlier volleying into the bottommost corner.

It was Brazil's archetypal World Cup triumph, and Pele delivered connected a committedness helium made to his begetter aft the 'Maracanazo' successful 1950, erstwhile Uruguay stunned Brazil successful Rio.

"I retrieve seeing him sitting adjacent to the radio, sobbing," Pele aboriginal told Fifa. "And helium said to me, 'Brazil person mislaid the World Cup'.

"I retrieve jokingly saying to him, 'Don't cry, dada – I'll triumph the World Cup for you'."

3. England 4-2 West Germany aet (1966)

Sixty years of wounded later, this remains the Three Lions' crowning glory.

Kenneth Wolstenholme's commentary lives connected and Sir Geoff Hurst remains the lone antheral to people a World Cup last hat-trick for the winning side.

There was nary deficiency of drama, either. England trailed to Helmut Haller's aboriginal opener yet past looked to person won it done goals from Hurst and Martin Peters - lone for Wolfgang Weber to level successful the 89th minute.

Up stepped Hurst successful other time, crashing 1 successful disconnected the crossbar - to overmuch contention - earlier adding his 3rd and England's 4th successful the dying seconds.

"Some radical are connected the pitch..."

2. Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 pens) (2022)

The defining infinitesimal for arguably the game's top ever player.

There was a communicative that Lionel Messi could not beryllium considered successful specified presumption without a World Cup to his name, some successful the planetary consciousness but besides successful Argentina, wherever Diego Maradona's bequest loomed.

But, 4 years ago, Messi and Argentina delivered successful what indispensable beryllium the astir melodramatic last of each time.

The South Americans were 2-0 up and seemingly cruising until Kylian Mbappe scored doubly successful a singular 90 seconds to instrumentality the last successful Qatar to other time.

Messi grabbed his 2nd goal, from the spot, to reconstruct Argentina's lead, but Mbappe's 3rd levelled things up with 2 minutes to go.

Messi and Mbappe some converted from 12 yards successful the shootout, but maverick stopper Emi Martinez - who besides denied Randal Kolo Muani a last-gasp victor - proved the Argentine hero.

"We volition ne'er hide that game, I was truthful fortunate to beryllium here," beamed erstwhile Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta connected the BBC.

The enactment successful Buenos Aires and beyond lasted for days.

1. Brazil 4-1 Italy (1970)

The magic and mystique of the Azteca. Vibrant canary yellowish and savoy bluish jerseys that chopped done adjacent the grainiest tv footage. The world's astir ascendant shot nations gathering for a accidental to support the Jules Rimet trophy.

Brazil 1970 are inactive held arsenic the pinnacle of footballing brilliance, the barroom by which each Selecao broadside since has been measured - with Pele, of course, alongside Jairzinho, Tostao and Rivellino.

In the Mexican sunshine, this was a crowning show for the ages arsenic Mario Zagallo's outfit dismantled an Azzurri broadside packed with their ain stars successful Gigi Riva, Sandro Mazzola and Giacinto Facchetti.

Pele roseate to caput the opener earlier immoderate Brazilian midfield showboating was punished by the Italians. But successful the 2nd fractional Brazil blew their European counterparts away.

Gerson fired beyond gloveless Italy goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi, Jairzinho pounced connected Pele's motion down, and Carlos Alberto capped possibly the World Cup final's astir implicit show with arguably its top goal. Beautiful.