Brazil 'Lendas' - There's been so many fantastic players to come out of Brazil over the years that for every legend i put on my initial list, there were 10 others waiting. In the end, I went with most of the legends that signed my World Cup Matchball collection, each player has immense quality and each won a World Cup, apart of Socrates, no player deserved to win it more.
Holland 'Legends' - Holland has always been the bridesmaid, never the bride when it comes to World Cup history. Appearing in 3 World Cup Finals out of the last 11 they have mesmerised us with their 'total football'. The man who epitomises that more than anyone is Johan Cruyff, and I had to chat a little to ensure that he was on my list.
France 'Legende' - I knew pretty much straightaway who I wanted to include on this list of French Legends and the one man who would feature for sure was Zinedine Zidane. The hero in 1998, he ran the final for France and brought them their first ever World Cup Trophy. I also included one man outside of the 1970-2010 criteria, Just Fontaine, the man who scored the most goals at any World Cup (13 goals during World Cup 1958).
England 'Legends' - This nearly became a homage to my favourite Manchester United players ever to wear the England shirt, but I resisted and tried to include the most iconic England players since 1970 (with the exceptions of Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst). I hope Gerrard can further cement his place as an England legend in Brazil.
Italy 'Leggende' - Looking at the names on this piece make me smile, because I've been lucky enough to see some of them play in real life (Maldini, Del Piero, Gattuso) and also meet them in person (Buffon, Vieri). Again many players could fit on this list but I'm happy with the legends that I went with in the end.
Argentina 'Leyendas' - If I could've used every space with the name of 'Maradona' I would, he is the ultimate Argentina Legend and always will be. Messi is included because he has proven time and time again his worth, but winning in Brazil s the only option for him to go down as the greatest Argentina has ever known.
Germany 'Legenden' - Again, I've used a bit of 'creative licence' to include Lothar Matthaus, a true German football icon, having featured in 5 World Cup tournaments, he is one of (if not the only) outfield player to have doneso. Other notable inclusions are World Cup 1974 winners Beckenbauer, Breitner and Muller.
USA 'Legends' - Someone recently said to me that they didn't believe that the USA had any legends so I was adamant to prove them wrong. Over the years these players have represented their country at a number of World Cups and even reaching the closing stages of the competition. Joe Gaetjens is included, as he was the goalscorer when a bunch of part-time 'soccer' players beat England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup, the last time Brazil hosted the competition.
