Top 10 greatest World Cup players of all time

While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have taken over world football in the past 20 years, neither have ever made a huge impact at the World Cup up to this point.

Whether an individual has won multiple World Cups, or fallen agonisingly short after dragging their nations through a tournament, when mentioned, these names always instigate thoughts about the World Cup.

In this list, Sports Mole ranks the 10 greatest ever World Cup players.

10. Miroslav Klose, Germany (24 appearances, 16 goals)

German striker Miroslav Klose confirmed his status as a World Cup great in his fourth and final tournament appearance at Brazil 2014, not only by helping his side to the trophy, but by becoming the all-time finals top scorer, thanks to his goal in that 7-1 win over Brazil.

Germany enjoyed relative success at the other three finals Klose was involved in too, reaching the 2002 final, while claiming third place at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

Klose finished second in the running for the Golden Boot at the 2002 finals, before finally claiming it himself at Germany's home finals in 2006, but the one accolade he was missing was the trophy itself, and in his final appearance for his country, he and Germany defeated Argentina to win a first World Cup in 24 years.

9. Giuseppe Meazza, Italy (Nine appearances, three goals)

The earliest World Cup legend is undoubtedly Italy's Giuseppe Meazza, the man with such iconic status in his homeland that the nation's most famous football stadium, San Siro, is named in his honour.

The Azzurri won two of the three pre-war World Cups, winning on home soil in 1934 before retaining their crown in France four years later, and Meazza was a crucial part of both winning squads.

The forward's legacy is the one which lives on most prominently out of the players in those sides, perhaps in part due to his stellar club career at Inter Milan too.

Meazza won the Golden Ball at the 1934 finals before captaining his nation to success in 1938, being one of the few men to have lifted the Jules Rimet trophy twice, before the breakout of the Second World War robbed him of the chance of featuring in another finals.

8. Johan Cruyff, Netherlands (Seven appearances, three goals)

Playing at only one World Cup, without actually winning it, and still making an all-time list suggests that a player must be a once-in-a-generation talent, and Johan Cruyff fits that profile.

The Dutch icon was the key antagonist in the side that revolutionised modern football with their brand of 'Total Football', which helped take them to the 1974 World Cup final.

There, they eventually succumbed to hosts West Germany, despite taking the lead early on from a penalty which Cruyff won thanks to a mazy run through the German defence.

Cruyff won the Golden Ball at the 1974 finals, but did not feature four years later when his nation reached another final, as he later stated that a kidnapping attempt dissuaded him from continuing with the national team, especially at a World Cup where a military dictatorship was in power in Argentina.

7. Roberto Baggio, Italy (16 appearances, nine goals)

Another player who never went all the way and won the World Cup itself, but remains synonymous with the competition, is Roberto Baggio of Italy.

'The Divine Ponytail' was used sparingly at Italia '90 but still managed to score the goal of the tournament against Czechoslovakia, going on one of his signature dribbles, leaving half of the opposing defence in his wake before having the composure to find the back of the net.

It was during USA '94 that he gained notoriety though, as he almost single-handedly guided Italy into the final with a series of match-winning performances, netting five goals in three knockout games before the final, scoring the winner in each.

After pulling his hamstring in the semi-final, he only played in the final thanks to receiving painkiller injections, and despite obviously not being at his best, he still offered the most threat out of any player on the pitch during a drab 0-0 draw which went all the way to penalties.

Baggio then stepped up to take Italy's final penalty, needing to score to keep them in the shootout, but blazed it high over the bar, in one of the most gut-wrenching but memorable World Cup moments of all time.

However, his reputation remained untarnished following the miss, as there was nothing but widespread adoration for his performances throughout the knockout phase.

6. Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany (18 appearances, five goals)

One of the greatest defenders of all time, Franz Beckenbauer is a legend of the game both as a player and a manager, with an honours list including virtually every trophy there is to win in the game.

Der Kaiser was one of the most elegant footballers of his generation, and was given his nickname thanks to his leadership qualities at club level for Bayern Munich and with the national side, as he was a vital cog in West Germany's 1974 World Cup win, pioneering the role of a sweeper in the modern game.

While being world champion in 1974, he also won the Ballon d'Or on two occasions in 1972 and 1976, something almost unheard of for a defender to achieve, as well featuring in the FIFA Team of the Tournament at the 1966, 1970 and 1974 World Cups.

Winning the World Cup once was seemingly not enough for Beckenbauer, as he became just the second man in history up to that point to win it as a player and a manager, after he led West Germany to glory at Italia 90, a feat only matched previously by Mario Zagallo, and since by Didier Deschamps.

5. Garrincha, Brazil (12 appearances, five goals)

To be selected above an almost endless list of Brazilian legends takes some doing, but Garrincha's performances at the 1958 and 1962 World Cup deserves a place on this list.

While the likes of Jairzinho and Zico have legendary status at World Cups, Garrincha's accolades clinch a spot for him over his compatriots, mainly due to his exploits at the 1962 World Cup.

Garrincha helped Brazil to a second consecutive World Cup crown, taking the mantle from the injured Pele to fire them to glory, winning the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball on the way, with numerous man-of-the-match performances throughout the tournament.

Four years earlier, when Pele stole the show at the 1958 finals, Garrincha still managed to play a key role which earned him a spot in the Team of the Tournament, with his pace and trickery a critical facet of Brazil's success in Sweden.

4. Ronaldo, Brazil (19 appearances, 15 goals)

While a turbulent, injury-ridden club career plagued Ronaldo for many years, he always saved his very best for the World Cup.

Becoming a world champion at the age of 17 drew many comparisons with his legendary compatriot Pele, and Ronaldo duly went on to have an international career that the great man would have been proud of.

O Fenomeno won the Golden Ball at France '98, but after suffering a seizure on the morning of the final, he was inexplicably allowed to play despite being completely off his game, and Brazil fell to a 3-0 defeat.

However, Ronaldo would get his opportunity on the big stage again, and he took it with both hands, scoring both goals in their 2-0 win over Germany in the 2002 final to secure the trophy and the Golden Boot having scored in all but one of Brazil's seven games at the tournament.

Success eluded the Selecao at the 2006 World Cup, but in his final major tournament, Ronaldo became the all-time World Cup top scorer at the time, netting his 15th goal against Ghana in the last 16, a record only bettered now by Miroslav Klose.

3. Zinedine Zidane, France (12 appearances, five goals)

A centurion with the French national team, Zinedine Zidane is arguably the best footballer ever to hail from the European nation.

Scoring twice in the 1998 World Cup final on home soil garnered him hero status in the country and warranted his image being projected on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris following the victory.

Injury prevented Zidane from featuring much in France's horror show in 2002, but he was back on form in 2006 at a tournament which would be his swansong as a player.

Zidane was the star man once again, involved heavily in their route to the final, before opening the scoring in the showpiece event by chipping a penalty past the great Gianluigi Buffon.

However, his career would end in huge controversy as he was sent off for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi with just 10 minutes remaining of extra time.

As French captain, he was then unable to take part in the penalty shootout, which Les Bleus went on to lose, bringing a very bitter end to an illustrious career.

2. Diego Maradona, Argentina (21 appearances, eight goals)

No World Cup list is complete without the mention of Diego Maradona somewhere, whether it be for his sheer brilliance, his gamesmanship in punching the ball into the goal, or his controversy by being sent home early from USA '94 for failing a drugs test.

Putting his faults to one side though, there is no disputing Maradona's status as one of the greatest footballers of all time, and he used the World Cup to showcase his genius on more than one occasion.

After being left out of their 1978 winning squad, Maradona was desperate for glory with the national side, and after a poor 1982 campaign for Argentina, this was ramped up even more in 1986 - a year that would prove very successful.

On his way to captaining Argentina to World Cup glory, Maradona scored arguably the most controversial and best World Cup goals in the space of four minutes against England in the quarter-final - the infamous Hand of God goal, and the slaloming run and finish which would later be voted Goal of the Century.

Maradona would score another two in the semi-final and set up the winning goal in the final, winning the Golden Ball in the process.

Four years later, he led Argentina to another final in his adopted home of Italy despite La Albiceleste having a much weaker squad than in 1986, although on that occasion they fell agonisingly short to West Germany in the final.