Huddle’s best World Cup teams of all time
Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by Colin in Huddle Life
As you’re probably aware (and perhaps already weary of), the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa on Friday.
Here at Huddle, we’re big believers in the fact that people work better together and great team collaboration can generate great results. So, to get into the swing of things we’ve launched the Official Huddle World Cup Sweepstake, incorporating the special creativity prize for the participant who best decorates their desk in the style of the team they drew from the hat (good luck whoever got Honduras).
Watch this space for photos. We’ve also placed our votes and pulled together a list of our best World Cup teams of all time. Enjoy the line-up below. Do you think we’ve missed a team off the list? Let us know below..
- Brazil 1970: Comfortable winners of our poll, and the third Brazil side to lift the trophy, this really was the ultimate team. As well as containing supremely talented individuals like Pele, Jairzinho, Gerson and Rivelino, like all great teams, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. This team was epitomized by the goal scored by their captain Carlos Alberto in the final against Italy. Was this goal the greatest single example of teamwork in World Cup history?
- Italy 1982: Unheralded and shrouded in controversy prior to the tournament, this was a squad that demonstrated the ability to produce their best under pressure. Emerging from a true group of death (with Brazil and Argentina) in the second group stage, they went on to beat West Germany 3-1 in the final. Top scorer Paolo Rossi and forty year old goalkeeper Dino Zoff were amongst the heroes.
- West Germany 1974: This was a team known for their efficiency, fighting spirit, and ruthlessness. Their key figures were their skipper and legendary sweeper “Der Kaiser” Franz Beckenbauer, and awesome goal machine Gerd Muller. They were the only team capable of defeating our next choice…
- Holland 1974: You may be surprised to see a team who didn’t actually lift the trophy feature so highly in our rankings. However, these were no ordinary runners up. This squad demonstrated a trait of some of the most successful teams in all walks of life. Their “total football” system allowed players to swap seamlessly between different roles. Magnificent to watch, and including the wonderful Johan Cruyff in their ranks, they were unlucky to fall at the final hurdle.
- England 1966: Also known as “when West Ham won the World Cup”! There has arguably never been a World Cup team faced with so much expectation. They could easily have folded under such intense pressure, but these Englishmen were made of sterner stuff than that. With inspirational captain Bobby Moore and fellow Hammers, Hurst and Peters at their heart, they triumphed in extra time over arch rivals West Germany in front of 98,000 in the final at Wembley. No mention of help from Azerbaijani linesmen!
- France 1998: This was another supremely talented team including the likes of Thuram, Desailly, Djorkaeff and the peerless Zinedine Zidane. “Les Bleus” won all their group games before progressing to a final show down with Brazil which they won easily, 3-0. Most remarkably, they managed all this without a decent striker. Stephane Guivarc’h anyone?
There were also, perhaps, a couple of less serious choices in our poll.
- Scotland 1978: The hapless Ally McLeod made the fateful mistake of predicting glory, going as far as holding a celebratory parade in Glasgow before departing for the tournament! One failed drug test, a draw with Iran and a defeat by Peru later, it was clear that pride had indeed come before a fall. There is a lesson for all teams in there! Despite the disappointment, us Scots will always have the memory of Archie Gemmill’s amazing solo goal in the consolation win over the Dutch.
- North Korea 2010: A bit of positive thinking goes a long way in any team, and the plucky Huddle team member who drew North Korea in the sweepstake was clearly applying such tactics when they voted for their all time greatest World Cup team!
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