It is 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 — but BBC Sport senior journalist Alex Bysouth has done just that, admitting the top six or seven are obvious even if the order is debatable.
Among those who just missed out is Miroslav Klose, the top goalscorer in World Cup history, who would come in a close 11th. There is no room for Garrincha, the dazzling bowlegged Brazilian winger, or Roberto Baggio, a true Italian icon, while France striker Just Fontaine, who netted 13 in the 1958 tournament alone, also misses out. Some of the game's greats such as Dutch icon Johan Cruyff, Portugal striker Eusebio and Germany's goalscoring machine Gerd Muller are absent too — perhaps a top 20 would have made this easier, Bysouth notes. The collective beauty of Spain's 2010 vintage means no individual is on the list.
“BBC Sport ranks the top 10 World Cup legends, headlined by Sir Geoff Hurst's hat-trick and Cafu's unique three final appearances.”
At number 10 is Sir Geoff Hurst, England's World Cup winner from 1966. Hurst was not supposed to play as England's star striker Jimmy Greaves, injured in the group stages, was returning to fitness for the final against West Germany. But Sir Alf Ramsey stuck with the West Ham forward who only made his international debut a few months earlier, and the rest is history. 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. Bysouth notes that Hurst was by no means the most talented or iconic player in that team, but a hat-trick in the showpiece is 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.
At number 9 is Cafu, the Brazilian full-back who is the only man to appear in three successive World Cup finals. The comedian Kevin Bridges gets an assist for this one, says Bysouth, as his BBC show 'In Search of the Beautiful Game' featured the meeting with Cafu. 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.
Bysouth's full top 10 list is published on the BBC Sport website, with readers invited to have their say in the comments. The debate over the remaining spots — those who fill the lower ranks — will no doubt spark the biggest talking point, he says.