Greatest Brazilian World Cup moments: Ronaldo and Pele feature
Published:To pick a list of the greatest World Cup moments for the most successful nation in its history and call it definitive would be remiss, purely because of the large pool of candidates to choose from.
The following four are our what we believe to be the best Brazilian highlights from years gone by. But the sheer number of clips that didn’t make the list show just how much pressure the 3/1 2014 favourites are under to entertain their host nation:
Pele announces himself
When Sven-Goran Eriksson took a then 17-year-old Theo Walcott to the 2006 World Cup, the Arsenal youngster could be forgiven for thinking a similar career path to Pele’s was ahead of him. Sadly that’s yet to pan out.
For the now Brazilian legend, taken to Sweden in 1958 injured and for the experience, the tournament would be the fanfare to which his sublime career was introduced.
His performances in training led to his teammates demanding his inclusion as soon as he knee injury healed. They got their wish as the youngster notched six times in four games to announced himself on the world’s stage in the days before the viral YouTube clip.
Ronaldo makes history
First there was the 1998 tournament, remembered for his anonymous performance in the final against France.
Then came the redemption of 2002, in an eight-goal whirlwind. By 2006, Brazil’s Ronaldo was a fading force but he still managed three goals to become the leading scorer in World Cup History. Watch all 15 below:
Nelinho scores, Fifa-style
Fans of the Fifa video game series will fondly remember the 1996 version of the game when you could score from the right wing at will.
Perhaps the developers were inspired to add the glitch after watching this Nelinho strike to earn Brazil a third-place finish in 1978.
The greatest World Cup goal
This list simply would not be credible if it didn’t include possibly the most famous goal in World Cup history. Whether you remember it or not, behold the wonder of Brazil’s team move in the 1970 final, capped by a thumping Carlos Alberto strike.
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