What are your top World Cup performances by individual players (in your lifetime)?
I can only go as far back as Paul Gascoigne in 1990- best WC performance by an English player I ever saw. He played in a very non-English manner if I may say so. He had great ball skills, he understood the game perfectly, passed intelligently and had the ability to change the course of a game.
Zinedine Zidane in both 1998 and 2006. I think this choice is pretty self-explanatory. I have not seen a better player who made more of an impact on any team at any World Cup.
Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. He is the best defender I have ever seen play, and as far as I'm concerned, he carried Italy to that World Cup win. With Nesta out of the World Cup, Cannavaro was left with Materazzi as his replacement. Not to diminish Materazzi's incredible impact on the outcome of the final, he was better at scoring goals and getting sent off every other game than defending. It was left to Cannavaro to create an almost impenetrable wall at the back. He practically stood alone against the full swagger of Germany's attack in the semi-final and against the best player of our time in the final. Cannavaro not only defended heroically, but he understood the game and played very intelligently. I only hope he becomes Italy's manager in the future to teach them how to play Italian style football again.
I can only go as far back as Paul Gascoigne in 1990- best WC performance by an English player I ever saw. He played in a very non-English manner if I may say so. He had great ball skills, he understood the game perfectly, passed intelligently and had the ability to change the course of a game.
Zinedine Zidane in both 1998 and 2006. I think this choice is pretty self-explanatory. I have not seen a better player who made more of an impact on any team at any World Cup.
Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. He is the best defender I have ever seen play, and as far as I'm concerned, he carried Italy to that World Cup win. With Nesta out of the World Cup, Cannavaro was left with Materazzi as his replacement. Not to diminish Materazzi's incredible impact on the outcome of the final, he was better at scoring goals and getting sent off every other game than defending. It was left to Cannavaro to create an almost impenetrable wall at the back. He practically stood alone against the full swagger of Germany's attack in the semi-final and against the best player of our time in the final. Cannavaro not only defended heroically, but he understood the game and played very intelligently. I only hope he becomes Italy's manager in the future to teach them how to play Italian style football again.




He'd be a fantastic coach for the national team.