Messi, Maradona or Pele? Ranking the top 10 World Cup legends

ByAlex BysouthBBC Sport senior journalistPublished26 minutes agoIt's a daunting task. Trying to whittle down thousands of players from 22 tournaments spread over almost a century to pick the top 10 World Cup legends of all time. To my mind, the top six or seven are obvious - even if the order is debatable - but it's those who fill the remaining spots that will no doubt spark the biggest talking point. It's hard to leave out Miroslav Klose, for example, although for what it's worth the top goalscorer in World Cup history would come in a close 11th. There's no room for Garrincha either, the dazzling bowlegged Brazilian winger, or Roberto Baggio, a true Italian icon, and France striker Just Fontaine, who netted 13 in the 1958 tournament alone. Some of the game's greats such as Dutch icon Johan Cruyff, Portugal striker Eusebio and Germany's goalscoring machine Gerd Muller miss out too - perhaps a top 20 would've made this easier? - while the collective beauty of Spain's 2010 vintage means no individual is on the list. So who does make it?! Well, I've picked my top 10 below - those most synonymous with the tournament. You can have your say in the comments, too. Published4 days agoEverything you need to know about the World Cup Published1 April10. Sir Geoff Hurst, England, World Cup winner 1966 We all know the story. Hurst wasn't supposed to play as England's star striker Jimmy Greaves, injured in the group stages, was returning to fitness for the 1966 final against West Germany and the clamour was for him to start at Wembley. But Sir Alf Ramsey stuck with the man who only made his international debut a few months earlier, and the rest is history. West Ham forward Hurst scored a fabulous hat-trick as the Three Lions clinched the game's grandest prize for the only time in their history - and on home soil. Hurst was by no means the most talented or iconic player in that team, but you cannot discount a hat-trick in the showpiece - that's a legendary feat only matched by France's Kylian Mbappe four years ago in Qatar, and he was on the losing side. Without Hurst there would be no "they think it's all over...", no 60 years of hurt... Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Did it cross the line? 9. Cafu, Brazil, World Cup winner 1994 & 2002 We'll give Kevin Bridges the assist for this one. If you've not seen his 'In Search of the Beautiful Game' yet then it's well worth digging out on iPlayer. The comedian swaps Clydebank for the Copacabana in search of 'jogo bonito' and meets the legendary Cafu - the only man to appear in three successive World Cup finals. The marauding full-back came off the bench when Brazil trumped Italy on penalties at the Rose Bowl in 1994, was a beaten finalist in France four years later and then lifted the trophy as captain at Japan and South Korea in 2002. Cafu is World Cup royalty, only Klose boasts more than his 16 wins across four tournaments, but also a legend who remembers his roots - "100% Jardim Irene" he scribbled on his canary yellow shirt before lifting the trophy in 2002, a message to the Sao Paulo favela where he grew up. Figure caption, Kevin Bridges: In Search of the Beautiful Game 8. Paolo Rossi, Italy, World Cup winner 1982 Rossi's World Cup fairytale began against Brazil in one of the tournament's all-time iconic matches - sweat-drenched Azzurri blue against the vibrant yellow of the favourites, a classic played out to a backbeat of buzzing horns in Barcelona. Italy's strength was meant to be their defence, but Rossi proved the hat-trick hero - netting twice in the first half and grabbing the winner in the second. Those were also the striker's first Italy goals since returning from a two-year ban following a match-fixing scandal earlier that year - something he always denied - but they would not be the last. The penalty-box predator grabbed both in a semi-final win against Poland, and then scored the opener as Italy dispatched West Germany 3-1 in the final at the Bernabeu to win a first World Cup since 1938. Rossi's six goals earned him the tournament Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards, as well as the World Player of the Year prize. Figure caption, France 1998: Zidane Inspires Host Nation 7. Zinedine Zidane, France, World Cup winner 1998 With chants of "Zidane president!", the image of Zidane and message "Merci, Zizou" lit up the Arc de Triomphe as more than a million joyous fans crammed on to the Champs-Élysees to celebrate France's World Cup success in 1998. Zidane, a second-generation Algerian immigrant raised in the concrete high rises of northern Marseille, was the talisman and face of a multi-cultural Les Bleus team that finally delivered the globe's biggest footballing prize. "We realised Zidane was the player who was going to make the difference," France defender Lilian Thuram told me. The majestic midfielder's World Cup legacy is a cocktail of important goals, balletic brilliance and hot-headed red cards. France's 2006 final defeat by I

Messi, Maradona or Pele? Ranking the top 10 World Cup legends

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