Since the World Cup began, Brazil and Argentina aside, the World Cup has been something of a European stronghold. Most of the World Cup’s best players have been Europeans. So, here are a few of the best European soccer players to have graced the FIFA World Cup.
Cruyff is considered by some to be the best European player to have played in the FIFA World Cup. The Dutch winger brought all his silky soccer skills and great speed to Holland’s football team in the 1970s. The result was ‘Total Football’ that took Holland to the final of the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and Cruyff also won the Golden Ball in the 1974 World Cup. They were perhaps a little unlucky to lose to Germany in the final. Cruyff also starred in the great Ajax teams of the 1970s, where he won the European Cup and was three times European Player of the Year.
One of Germany’s finest soccer players is Beckenbauer. Beckenbauer was a center-back, more specifically, a sweeper in West Germany’s formation. He played in two World Cup finals, including Germany’s 4–2 defeat to England in the 1966 World Cup final, and scored a good number of goals in the World Cup. In 1974, he captained the World Cup-winning German team to glory. Beckenbauer was twice European Player of the Year.
When it comes to Italian soccer players, Paulo Rossi had a notable World Cup in 1982. In the second group game, Italy played the favorites Brazil, needing a win to progress. Rossi was ready and scored a hat-trick to send the favorites out 3–2 overall. Then, in the semi-final against Poland, Rossi scored two further goals to ensure Italy’s progress into the World Cup final. A further goal in the final made Rossi the top goal-scoring player of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Rossi also received the 1982 Golden Ball and was European Player of the Year.
In the FIFA World Cup, Zidane was more influential for France than Platini. Undoubtedly one of the best players of his generation, Zidane was a key player for the French World Cup-winning team. In the 1998 final, he scored two goals in a 3–0 victory over Brazil to win the World Cup for France. Zidane came out of retirement to inspire France to the 2006 World Cup final by scoring against Spain in the 2nd round and making assists. Zidane scored in another World Cup final, although it was not enough to win it as they lost to Italy. Zidane did win the Golden Ball for his great games in the 2006 World Cup.
Gerd Müller was perhaps the best European striker to have played in the FIFA World Cup. His World Cup scoring record for Germany speaks for itself. In the 1970 World Cup, Müller was the World Cup’s top goal-scoring player, with ten goals overall. This included hat-tricks against Peru and Bulgaria as well as a goal against England in the quarter-finals. In the 1974 World Cup, Müller was slightly less prolific, although he still scored four goals for Germany. Among them was a goal in the final against Holland, which helped them win the World Cup final.
Those are some of the best European soccer players to have played in the FIFA World Cup. Players such as Muller, Cruyff, Rossi, Zidane, and Beckenbauer were stars for their countries and played some great soccer at the FIFA World Cup. Such players made a huge impact in the FIFA World Cup.
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