There is no doubt that the current World Cup in Brazil has lived up to its expectation or not. We’ve witnessed the vibrant football crazy culture, the beautiful people and the exotic locales. Infact, one can easily concede that the nation seems to dispense a certain aura that is unmatched by any other country from any part of the World.
Every World Cup, of course, bears a myriad of memories, some happy, some sad and some bitter sweet ones which induce a sense of nostalgia in every football fan. We have already “witnessed” a few legends of the sport play their last World Cup while some will do in the coming days. Now that the World Cup is half way through, the onus is on us to gracefully accept the fact that we will not be fortunate enough to watch those players play any longer and let them go with all the honor and respect they deserve.
Here are top 5 of those legends who have enthralled their fans through the length of their careers and even made their bitter rivals fall in love with them.
1. Frank Lampard: This England and Chelsea legend has scaled heights which no other midfielder has in the history of football. He has scored 269 goals and 183 assists for both club and country. These numbers are enough to prove the kind of impact that Lampard has had throughout his career. For a midfielder to stack up such high numbers is not only unexpected it is unimaginable. He is also the only player to have scored 10+ goals for his club since his signing at Chelsea for 10 consecutive seasons.
2. Miroslav Klose: Playing in his fourth World Cup Klose is already tied as the top scorer in World Cup along with Brazilian Ronaldo. He still has at least one game to play, considering Germany face an upset to better the record and cement his name as the all time top scorer in World Cups. He is also the top scorer for Germany having beaten the record held by Gerd Muller. He has stacked up 279 goals 148 assists from his appearances for club and country.
3. Xavi Hernandez: The best player from Spain’s golden generation Xavi, a player with vision like no other. He could find an opportunity where no other player can. His vision and his precision made him the best playmaker for Barcelona and Spain. He has racked up 93 goals and 177 assists in performances for club and country. It will be an Herculean task for the Spanish national team to find a replacement for such a gem of a player who made even the most difficult passes look easy.
4. Didier Drogba: Captain of Ivory Coast national team, Drogba is not a football player for the African nation but also a peacekeeper as he helped to stop a civil war in his country. He is the top scorer for his country with 65 goals from 105 caps and was highly regarded as one of the most powerful strikers in Europe. He was named in Time magazine’s Top 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 for his effort in maintaining peace and harmony in his country.
5. Gianluigi Buffon: This Italian legend has represented his country in the World Cups for a record 5 times. His performance in the 2006 World Cup makes his one of the best goalkeepers of his era. He conceded just two goals in seven games, kept five clean sheets and was monumental in his country lifting the World Cup by beating Germany in the finals of the 2006 edition. He has made 620 appearances for club and country and will dearly be missed by his fans.
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