K minus 24 days - Legends - Garrincha, Meazza, Puskas, Eusebio, Pele

Legends light up the World Cup and World Cups make Legends. There are legends that make us watch football and then there are legends that define World Cups. We grew up experiencing them and learning about a few others that were before our time

While football always had legends, not all of them could make their mark at World Cup stage. Some, like Zico, Stanley Mathews, Hugo Sanchez or Beckham could never make much impact in the editions they appeared in unlike their compatriots, while other greats like Alfredo di Stefano, Ian Rush, Eric Cantona, Valentino Mazzola, George Best or Ryan Giggs, to name a few, never even got a chance to appear at a World Cup finals

Let's look at some of the best attacking players who are not just legendary but played so at the biggest stage

Category: Forwards / Wingers        Period: 1934 - 1970

Well, there was Pele and there was Garrincha before Pele. Born as Manuel Francisco dos Santos, he was considered as the best dribbler of them all. Such was his greatness that Brazil lost just one game when he was in the team, his last game. He was notorious for showing off on the field, deliberately insulting the defenders by repeatedly dribbling around them. He was master of ball control and creative skills

Garrincha played and won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, the latter as a captain where he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot. He played another World Cup in 1966 but couldn't make a mark due to his lack of fitness and form

Garrincha played 50 internationals for Brazil between 1955 and 1966. Although seven years older, he made his World Cup debut along with Pele in 1958 World Cup against USSR. With the help of these two legends, Brazil won the World Cup unbeaten. With Pele injured during the next World Cup, Garrincha took the task upon himself to win the Cup second time in a row, scoring 4 goals along the process

Brasilia's World Cup hosting stadium, Estadio Nacional de Brasilia Mane Garrincha, is named after him

Before Garrincha there was the great "Peppino" Meazza, who won two successive World Cups for Italy in 1934 and 1938, the second and third editions of the tourney. Some critics often put Meazza above Pele in terms of his elegance and precise shot making skills. He was destined for greatness right since his club debut at the age of 17, scoring two goals. His imaginative style and inventive skills earned him a much deserved fame during the 30's

Meazza was a crucial part of the Italian team in the first two World Cups they've participated in. He scored 2 goals in 1934 and added another while leading the side in the 1938 finals, thereby being the first captain to win the World Cup while not hosting the event. Meazza's side is the only European side to successfully defend the championship. He represented the country 53 times scoring 33 goals

One of  the greatest Hungarian players, Puskas is renowned for his remarkable goal scoring abilities, he scored 84 international goals in 85 matches. He won Olympics in 1952 and reached the World Cup final in 1954. He played for two different international teams (Hungary, Spain) in two different World Cups

Puskas scored four goals in three matches in the only World Cup of his career which included 514 domestic goals in 529 matches

He defected Hungary during the 1956 revolution, emigrated to Spain and then represented Spain in the 1962 World Cup

He was granted a full pardon in 1993 for his defection and coached the national side briefly. The Nepstadion at Budapest was rechristened Puskas Ferenc Stadion in his honor

Another remarkable goal scorer with 733 professional goals in 745 matches, Eusebio da Silva Ferreira is the face of Portuguese football before the advent of Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo. Such is his loyal following among the Portugal football fans that his fame never diminished even when Ronaldo seems to be eclipsing him at the footballing stage

He was the leading scorer for Portugal until Pauleta and then Ronaldo bettering him, he played his only World Cup in 1966. Inspired by a brace from Eusebio, his team eliminated the reigning champions Brazil from the tourney. He bettered the performance by scoring four goals in the quarter finals when his team was down 0-3 against North Korea. They won 5-3

Eusebio scored nine goals in the tourney including one, in the defeat against hosts and eventual champions England, in the semi finals. His goal broke England's seven consecutive clean sheet streak. He ended the tourney with a penalty against USSR to win the third place for Portugal, their best performance at a World Cup

Arguably the greatest of them all, considered to be "The Magician of the Football", Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele. He's named FIFA Footballer of the 20th Century along with Maradona, IOC's Athlete of the Century among few other accolades

He's the most prolific goalscorer with 650 senior goals in 694 club matches and a record 77 more for Brazil in 92 appearances. Pele is the only footballer to have won three World Cups. He's the youngest player to play a World Cup (bettered by Norman Whiteside, Northern Ireland in 1982), youngest player to score a World Cup goal, youngest player to score a World Cup hattrick and youngest player to appear in World Cup final

He also scored in four different World Cups, and also in both the finals he featured in. Hailed as the best footballer on the planet, Pele bettered his performance when playing in a World Cup. Such was his influence on the national team, Brazil failed to win the 1966 World Cup due to his injuries

Legends Part II - Yashin, Moore, Cafu, Maldini, Beckenbauer
Legends Part III - Kocsis, Fontaine, Charlton, Muller, Cruyff
Legends Part IV - Maradona, Romario, Klinsmann, Zidane, Cannavaro
Legends Part V - Platini, Matthaus, Lineker, Baggio, Ronaldo