SN 140: Ranking the 11 greatest FIFA World Cup tournaments by an individual player

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A common observation, and one you'll no doubt hear regurgitated countless times as original thought over the next six weeks, is that international soccer is almost an entirely different game to club football nowadays.

At the elite level, the biggest and wealthiest clubs are able to hone strategies to within the Nth degree of the most minute detail. Indeed, that is the responsibility and the demand from fans. Poor planning and ill-conceived strategies will be punished on the field and called out by fans.

These environments provide platforms for the best players to thrill. International coaches, with limited time on the training field, do not enjoy such luxuries.

As such, there is maybe more onus on the brilliant individuals dotted across the contenders for glory in North America to shape a tournament in a way that they can't take hold of a club competition.

It means 2026 could give us a star worthy of joining the hallowed ranks of the men listed below. Just don't expect the best players to always walk away with the trophy.

MORE:FIFA World Cup schedule 2026: Complete match dates, times, team fixtures

The 11 greatest FIFA World Cup tournaments by an individual player​

11. Roberto Baggio (Italy, 1994)​

It ended in unforgettably cinematic heartbreak, but Roberto Baggio's World Cup tournament in 1994 was a masterpiece.

Italy emerged from their group after the false start of a 1-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland in the 'New York derby' at Giants Stadium. Baggio swept home his first goal of the tournament against Nigeria, sealing a last-16 win with a penalty that went in off the post — perhaps a foreshadowing of what can happen when you push the margins from 12 yards. The Ballon d'Or holder rounded Andoni Zubizarreta to net a late winner from an acute angle against Spain in the quarters, and two fantastic strikes against Bulgaria in the semifinals highlighted a master at the peak of his powers.

Those efforts came at a cost, though, and Baggio played the 120 goalless minutes of the final against Brazil with a heavily strapped right leg having had painkilling injections for a hamstring injury. Still, he stepped up for Italy's crucial fifth penalty kick. The trophy was Brazil's when he skied his effort to stun the Rose Bowl before Selecao celebrations erupted around the motionless star of the tournament.

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10. Just Fontaine (France, 1958)​

We can't really talk about greatest individual tournament showings without discussing the man who scored more goals than any other player in a single World Cup. Just Fontaine's 13 goals in six matches in Sweden in 1958 is an utterly astonishing tally. Even though the Moroccan-born striker only played in one World Cup, his haul put him as the joint-fourth highest scorer in World Cup history alongside Lionel Messi heading into the 2026 tournament.

Like Kocsis, Fontaine started with a hat-trick as France racked up a 7-3 opening win over Paraguay. He scored twice in a 3-2 defeat to Yugoslavia, which meant it was vital that he got on the scoresheet alongside his future Reims teammate and 1958 Ballon d'Or winner Raymond Kopa in the closing 2-1 group-stage win over Scotland.

Two more goals at the expense of British opposition in the form of Northern Ireland moved Fontaine on to eight for the tournament, although his ninth could do nothing to quell Brazil as a teenaged Pele announced himself to the world with a semifinal hat-trick. The fact that Fontaine romped to his record number with four in the third-place match against West Germany provokes some grumbling, but an overall career record of 30 goals in 21 international caps and 164 goals in 200 Ligue 1 appearances leaves no doubt that Fontaine was a goal-scorer of the highest calibre.

9. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary, 1954)​

Hungary's 'Magical Magyars' were victims of the 'Miracle of Bern' in the 1954 World Cup final, their shock 3-2 loss to West Germany the only defeat the reigning Olympic champions suffered between May 1950 and February 1956. It gives them a very strong claim to being the greatest team never to win the World Cup.

Ferenc Puskas is Hungary's best-remembered superstar following his late-career exploits at Real Madrid, but it was a man from the other the Clasico divide who shone brightest during their agonising near miss. To say Sandor Kocsis flew out of the blocks in Switzerland would be an understatement, as he scored a hat-trick in a 9-0 win over South Korea before plundering four in an 8-3 rout of Germany that made Hungary's final ordeal so unfathomable.

After the two-game group stage, Hungary beat each of Brazil and reigning champions Uruguay 4-2, with Kocsis bagging a brace in both matches. The final was an unfortunate time for him to draw his first blank of the tournament, but 11 goals overall was a World Cup record. It stood for four years.

8. Paolo Rossi (Italy, 1982)​

It's hard to pinpoint where the balance lies between being fresh for a tournament and being match-sharp. The equation varies from player to player. What's certain is that a two-year ban for involvement in a match-fixing scandal does not amount to ideal preparation. That was the backdrop to Paolo Rossi's participation at the 1982 World Cup.

Rossi always denied any wrongdoing in relation to the 1980 Totonero affair, although, if his three-year suspension had not been reduced to two on appeal, the tournament in Spain would have been out of the question entirely. Juventus opportunistically bought Rossi from Vicenza during his ban and he returned to play three matches and score one goal before the end of the 1981/82 season, enough to win a place in Enzo Bearzot's Azzurri squad.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Rossi began the tournament slowly, and his starting place was under scrutiny as Italy limped into the second group stage and faced up to the daunting task of a three-team round robin against the great Brazil side of Zico and Socrates, as well as Argentina. After a 2-1 win over the reigning champions, Italy took down Brazil 3-2 in one of the great World Cup matches thanks to a Rossi hat-trick. He expertly poached both goals in the semifinal victory over Poland before opening the scoring in the 3-1 final triumph over West Germany.

7. Fabio Cannavaro (Italy, 2006)​

Fabio Cannavaro is the only defender to win the Ballon d'Or in the past 30 years. This is why.

Italy's captain headed into the 2006 World Cup as the Calciopoli scandal subsumed Italian football. Before the end of the tournament, Juventus' relegation to Serie B was confirmed as punishments were handed down, and Cannavaro would begin the next season at Real Madrid.

That a defender could perform so imperiously at a World Cup to win football's biggest individual honour is no mean feat; to do so with all that background noise is truly astounding. Cannavaro's usual defensive partner — the similarly masterful Alessandro Nesta — was out through injury, but Italy still kept five clean sheets in their seven matches on the way to glory.

He went through the tournament without receiving a booking, a steadying and ever-present background figure. There was a moment, though, when Cannavaro stepped thrillingly into the limelight. Italy were 1-0 up in the final moments of extra time in their semifinal against hosts Germany. Cannavaro successfully challenged the towering Per Mertesacker when the ball was flung into Italy's box. He then surged forward, seizing upon Lukas Podolski's loose touch on the second ball to set in motion the counter-attack that ended with Alessandro Del Piero unforgettably sealing a place in the final.

During the victorious shootout against France, while Italy celebrated converted kicks and the moment that David Trezeguet hit the crossbar, Cannavaro stood motionless, arms folded. Only when Fabio Grosso scored, and the trophy was theirs, did the captain finally let his guard down.

6. Eusebio (Portugal, 1966)​

Although history would eventually prove otherwise, when Pele toiled amid Brazil's group-stage exit at the 1966 World Cup and the reigning champions were beaten 3-1 thanks to Eusebio's brace for a vibrant Portugal side, there was a sense of a torch being passed. However, humiliation loomed in the quarterfinals, when outsiders North Korea raced into a 3-0 lead against the Selecao at Goodison Park.

Eusebio then embarked upon a thrilling one-man salvage job, scoring four times in little over half an hour either side of halftime to inspire a 5-3 victory. Two of those goals were from the penalty spot, and another strike from 12 yards set nerves jangling for hosts England in the semifinals. The Three Lions held out to win 2-1 en route to glory, but Eusebio finished as the tournament's top scorer. In five attempts so far with Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has not produced a better finals performance than his late, great compatriot.

5. Johan Cruyff (Netherlands, 1974)​

It's easy to forget that, when Johan Cruyff arrived on the scene, the Netherlands were almost four decades removed from their previous World Cup appearance, having lost each of their matches at the 1934 and 1938 tournaments. But Cruyff was the star and symbol of a new movement, having inspired a great total-footballing Ajax side to three consecutive European Cups between 1970/71 and 1972/73. After the latter triumph, Cryuff moved to Barcelona to join his former Ajax coach Rinus Michels and set their next soccer revolution in motion.

For the 1974 World Cup, Michels was also the Netherlands head coach, and he and Cruyff went about spreading their vision to fans around the globe. The Oranje's approach, featuring high possession, high pressing and constant rotations of positions, instantly thrilled, with Cruyff as the focal point. They topped their group with wins over Uruguay and Bulgaria either side of a goalless draw with Sweden, most notable as the game where the Netherlands' No. 14 unveiled his iconic Cruyff Turn to the world.

In the second group stage, the Dutch ran roughshod over international football royalty. Cruyff scored a brilliantly nimble opener against Argentina, and his late volley sealed a 4-0 win after a sumptuous cross for Johnny Rep to head home after halftime. He chipped in with another assist and goal in a 2-0 win over Brazil, where the reigning champions were reduced to kicking a team operating on a different plane. That felt like a torch-passing moment, with 1974 Netherlands having captured the imagination in the way 1970 Brazil did.

When Cruyff won a penalty with a minute played in the final and Johan Neeskens converted, it looked like their campaign would go the same way as Pele and Co., only for hosts West Germany to battle back and claim a 2-1 win.

4. Ronaldo (Brazil, 2002)​

A redemption arc and recovery from adversity quite unlike any other in World Cup history. Ronaldo scored four times and played brilliantly as Brazil plotted an irresistible path to the final of France 98, but then came the mystery surrounding his listless performance in the final, when Ronaldo was initially not selected and then reinstated to the Brazil starting lineup after suffering a convulsive fit just hours before the game.

After initially slipping back into life at Inter Milan at his typical prolific best, Ronaldo suffered two serious knee injuries during the 1999/2000 season that forced him to miss the entirety of 2000/01. He only made 10 Serie A appearances in the following season, but seven goals were enough to persuade Luiz Felipe Scolari to include him the Brazil squad for Japan-Korea 2002. Teamed up with Rivaldo and Ronaldinho in the 'three Rs' attack, Ronaldo was on target in the wins over Turkey and China before hitting a brace in the 5-2 victory against Costa Rica as the Selecao went three for three.

The last-16 tie against Belgium remained in the balance until Ronaldo's 87th-minute goal sealed a 2-0 win. England were the only team he failed to score against, and the 2-1 win over Sven-Goran Eriksson's side came with consequences as Ronaldinho was sent off. That meant a ban for the semifinals, and Brazil lacked fluency in his absence. Step forward Ronaldo, resplendent with his new divot haircut, to produce a wonderful improvised finish to sink Turkey. He was the man on the spot when Oliver Khan erred in the final and scored from a Rivaldo dummy to complete a 2-0 win over Germany and a hard journey back to the top of the mountain.

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3. Pele (Brazil, 1970)​

It speaks to Pele's ineffable greatness that he has a claim for two entries on this list. In 1958, he took the world by storm as a teenager, with the winning goal in the quarterfinals, a hat-trick in the semi and two more in the final. Brazil went back-to-back in 1962, but Pele's tournament ended early through injury. In England four years later, he was subjected to rough treatment from defenders as Brazil bowed out at the group stage and vowed never to play at the World Cup again.

That stance softened with time and he returned to the fold during qualification for the 1970 tournament, scoring six times. Doubts still persisted over whether Pele could perform at the level he did when he burst through so precociously 12 years earlier. He answered those emphatically in Mexico as part of a brilliant collective. Pele's dazzling individual brilliance was there for all to see, but his footballing intelligence knitted together a majestic Selecao front five. Alongside Jairzinho, Gerson, Rivellino and Tostao, Pele helped to redefine what beautiful football could truly look like.

His towering header to open the scoring in the 4-1 final victory over Italy was his fourth of the tournament, but it speaks volumes that some of the moments when Pele didn't score became iconic. Take his shot from the halfway line against Czechoslovakia that flew narrowly wide, the astonishing save he drew from England's Gordon Banks or the run-around dummy that perplexed Uruguay goalkeeper Ladislao Mazurkiewicz. He finished it all with the feather-duster pass for Carlos Alberto's emphatic strike in the final, the defining goal for arguably this competition's defining team. Pele bowed out of the World Cup on top and at the peak of his powers.

2. Diego Maradona (Argentina, 1986)​

Despite pre-tournament clamour, a teenage Maradona missed out on a place in Argentina's triumphant 1978 World Cup campaign on home soil. Four years later, and now the world's most expensive player, he scored twice against Hungary but largely failed to live up to his billing. Maradona concluded the 1982 tournament by getting sent off in the 3-1 defeat to arch rivals Brazil that ended Argentina's title defence.

Life at Barcelona had not gone to plan and, prior to Mexico 86, there remained a possibility that the generation's outstanding talent might allow the World Cup to pass him by. But two seasons at Napoli in Serie A had restored Maradona's mojo and he bent the tournament to his will.

Argentina's talismanic captain began with assists for all three goals in the 3-1 win over South Korea. A smart angled finish in the 1-1 draw against Italy saw Diego open his account for the tournament, while Jorge Burruchaga headed home Maradona's cross to seal a 2-0 win over Bulgaria.

Onto the knockouts and, after a predictably gritty 1-0 win over neighbours Uruguay, came Maradona's finest hour: England. The Hand of God. The Goal of the Century and all that. His phenomenal dribble to complete a brace in the semifinal win over Belgium was arguably equal to his solo effort against England, albeit without the irresistible narrative heft. When Argentina let a 2-0 lead slip against West Germany in the final, Maradona stepped forward with the assist for Burruchaga to seal the title.

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1. Lionel Messi (Argentina, 2022)​

Diego Maradona's erratic attempt at being a head coach in 2010, Argentina's final heartbreak with their star man exhausted in 2014, and the rolling shambles of Jorge Sampaoli's excursion to Russia 2018... Lionel Messi's shot at a World Cup success in his prime years had been squandered. Throw in La Albiceleste's failure in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals and, as the individual and team honours piled up at club level, a gaping sore remained at the heart of football's finest career.

Leo would never be Diego, you see. It was the argument he'd failed to win. Then Argentina won the Copa in 2021, against Brazil at a behind-closed-doors Maracana. Maybe this thing was possible after all.

Lionel Scaloni crafted a team to get the best out of a fading but still imperious Messi. After years of taking the national team on his back, this was an Argentina side providing a platform for the great man, whether it was Julian Alvarez as a reliable foil up front or Rodrigo De Paul doing an implausible amount of running. Finally, Messi and Argentina had learned how to carry one another.

It didn't mean they wouldn't fall from time to time, as in the shock opening 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia. Nerves were almost suffocating from that point, through group-stage wins over Mexico and Poland and a last-16 triumph against Australia. Messi was on target in that game, taking his tournament tally to three, and he provided a sumptuous assist for Nahuel Molina against the Netherlands before making it 2-0 from the penalty spot. Scaloni's men then collapsed towards the end of normal time and were taken to penalties.

They came through, and Messi's quest maybe only felt truly enjoyable as Croatia were swatted aside 3-0, with another penalty and another astonishing assist within a brace for Alvarez. That simply left the final for the ages for against France: two more Messi goals, a hat-trick in response from Kylian Mbappe and another trial from 12 yards were needed before, finally, it was accomplished.

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