The World Cup remains football’s most prestigious prize. It only comes around once every four years, and is where all-time greats like Pele, Diego Maradona and Bobby Moore secured their legendary status.
But it doesn’t take a great player to have a great World Cup. There are some who had otherwise modest careers in the club game that managed to capture lightning in a bottle for a few short summer weeks, shining for their nation on the greatest stage of all.
Since 1994, FIFA has put together a sponsored ‘All-Star Team’ for each tournament. Up to and including 2006, these were chosen by its “technical group” on the basis of vibes, while from 2010 onwards the team of the tournament has been based on statistical data.
Some great players have been included in those teams, including Luka Modric, Manuel Neuer, Sergio Ramos, Zinedine Zidane and Andrea Pirlo. But some names stick out like a sore thumb. Here are nine footballers we can’t believe made FIFA’s World Cup All-Star Team.
Tomas Brolin
Fair enough, Brolin was brilliant for Sweden at USA ’94. He deserved his place in the team of the tournament.
Likewise, if you know football as calcio and are familiar with the iconic Parma side of the early 90s, you’ll swear that the Swedish midfielder was quality on his day.
But if you grew up on the Premier League and saw Brolin turn out for Leeds United and Crystal Palace, where he frankly looked like a competition winner, it will forever be a mystery how he was able to light up the biggest stage of all.
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Carlos Gamarra
Gamarra had a decent career, lifting titles in Brazil with Internacional, Flamengo and Corinthians while earning over a hundred caps for Paraguay.
His stints in Europe weren’t quite so successful, and his one season with Atletico Madrid – 1999-00 – ended up with the Spanish giants suffering a shock relegation.
English viewers might also remember the defender for scoring an own goal – the decisive match-winner – as the Three Lions bored their way past Paraguay in the 2006 World Cup group stage.
Still, he represented his nation at five Copa America and three World Cups.
Gamarra didn’t commit a single foul in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and was named in the All-Star Team for the former. Not a household name or one of the iconic defenders that turned out at the World Cup in France, but a very solid performer on his day.
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