Naming the top 10 World Cup legends from thousands of players across 22 tournaments spanning almost a century is a daunting task – but BBC Sport's Alex Bysouth has taken it on, sparking fierce debate among fans.
Bysouth acknowledges that the top six or seven are obvious, even if the order is debatable, but it is the final few spots that are likely to provoke the most discussion. Miroslav Klose, the top goalscorer in World Cup history, is a close 11th, while dazzling Brazilian winger Garrincha, Italian icon Roberto Baggio, France striker Just Fontaine (who netted 13 in the 1958 tournament alone), Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, Portugal's Eusebio and Germany's Gerd Muller all miss out. The collective beauty of Spain's 2010 vintage means no individual from that side makes the list.
“BBC Sport ranks top 10 World Cup legends, with Hurst at 10 and Cafu at 9.”
At number 10 is England's Sir Geoff Hurst, whose hat-trick in the 1966 final – only matched by Kylian Mbappe in Qatar four years ago, though he was on the losing side – remains one of the tournament's most legendary feats. Hurst was not supposed to play; star striker Jimmy Greaves was returning from injury and there was clamour for him to start at Wembley. But Sir Alf Ramsey stuck with the man who had only made his international debut a few months earlier, and the rest is history. Without Hurst, there would be no "they think it's all over…" and no 60 years of hurt.
Number 9 is Brazil's Cafu, the only player to appear in three successive World Cup finals. He came off the bench as Brazil beat Italy on penalties in 1994, was a beaten finalist in France four years later, and then lifted the trophy as captain in 2002. The marauding full-back is described as World Cup royalty.
The full top 10 list has not yet been revealed in detail, but Bysouth's selections have already generated significant discussion, with 898 comments on the article.