5 times Germany stopped the best player in the world from winning the World Cup
Germany (and West Germany from 1950 to 1990) - the nation with the most FIFA World Cup final appearances (8) and top-4 finishes (13). Along with Italy, it also has the second most number of World Cup wins (4). Quite clearly, it is one of the, if not the most successful team in this competition.
But not all of its success is viewed positively in the public eye. At the end of a knockout match, one team wins while the other loses, that's how tournament football works. And a lot of Germany’s wins come at the cost of teams and players who are fan favorites. This includes footballers who could be considered the greatest of their generation and some of the greatest of all time.
Here are five such names, who were stopped by Germany from becoming World Champions —
Ferenc Puskas (1954)
When it comes to the FIFA World Cup finals, there is yet to be a bigger upset than West Germany beating Hungary 3–2 in 1954. Undefeated for close to four years, Hungary had been dominating each and every opponent they came across. This included an 8–3 hammering of West Germany itself in the Group Stage. But somehow, Fritz Walter’s men found a way to turn the tables against the Hungarians in the final.
Ferenc Puskas, the captain of this Golden Team, gave Hungary the perfect start with a goal in the 6th minute. Zoltan Czibor doubled the lead for Hungary in the 8th minute, before West Germany equalized within the next 10 minutes courtesy of Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn. Rahn also scored the winning goal for the underdogs in the 84th minute.
Throughout the match, Puskas kept finding other goal-scoring opportunities but couldn’t finish. Even in the 86th minute, when West Germany was shockingly ahead, Puskas seemed to have hit Hungary’s 3rd goal only to be deemed offside. After that West Germany managed their lead effectively and won their first-ever FIFA World Cup.
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Despite failing to win the tournament, Puskas was awarded the Golden Ball while his compatriot Sandor Kocsis won the Golden Boot. Puskas was already one of the biggest names in football, having won numerous honors at the club level and with Hungary. But it was his time with Real Madrid starting in 1958 that cemented his place as one of the all-time greats in the game’s history. While in his 30s, Puskas scored over 200 goals for Los Blancos, averaging more than a goal per game, and won multiple European Cups and League titles with them.
Johan Cruyff (1974)
Unlike Hungary in 1954, the Netherlands wasn’t an outright favorite when it entered the 1974 FIFA World Cup. It was their first appearance in the tournament since 1938 and the side had narrowly overcome Belgium to qualify for it. But that quickly changed by the time it reached the final.
Led by Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels’ men took the footballing world by storm with their exhibition of Total Football. Iconic victories over Uruguay, Bulgaria, Argentina, East Germany, and Brazil took them to the final in 1974, where they faced hosts, West Germany. With the very first move of the match, Cruyff won a penalty that Johan Neeskens scored to give the Dutch an early lead. But once again, West Germany came back into the match through Paul Breitner's penalty, before Gerd Muller gave them the lead. And despite Netherlands’ numerous attempts, the scoreline stayed 2–1 in favor of the hosts.
Cruyff would go on and win his third consecutive Ballon d’Or in 1974, overtaking Alfredo di Stefano’s record of two titles. While a big reason for Cruyff’s win could be attributed to Netherland’s run in the World Cup, it also came as a result of helping Barcelona win their first La Liga in over a decade. Although Cruyff would amass a host of other honors during his time as a player and as a coach, his exploits in 1974 remain the single greatest reason why football romantics cherish his legacy so much.
Michel Platini (1982 and 1986)
Just like Cruyff, Michel Platini would win three Ballon d’Or awards, consecutively from 1983-85. This came as a result of Juventus being victorious in Serie A and the European Cup, as well as him leading France to a dominating Euro win in 1984 where he scored 9 goals in 5 matches.
But encompassing this success were his two World Cup campaigns with France in 1982 and 1986. Both times, his team came harrowingly close to reaching their first-ever FIFA World Cup final, and both times, it was the West Germans who crushed his dreams.
1982 was a particularly nasty affair. The semifinal ended with a score of 3–3 between France and West Germany, with the latter winning on penalties. But the headlines were stolen by a controversial foul by West German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston which knocked him unconscious. While Battiston suffered from missing teeth, broken ribs, and damaged vertebrae, no foul was given against Schumacher, who trivialized the incident by later saying ‘tell him I’ll pay for the crowns.’
One could say justice was served against West Germany, who lost the final to Italy in 1982. In 1986, France again lost to West Germany, albeit in a much less controversial fashion. Goals by Andreas Brehme and Rudi Voller left Platini’s men in despair this time.
Diego Maradona (1990)
Out of all the names on this list, only Diego Maradona is fortunate enough to call himself a World Champion. Argentina’s Golden Boy won them the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Four years later, he came close to repeating the feat in Italy. For the Maradona fanatics, their messiah was just one miracle away from glory. But the ground reality was very different.
In all honesty, Maradona wasn’t the player he used to be in 86, nor was Argentina that strong. They even lost their first group match to Roger Milla’s Cameroon. But a win over the Soviet Union and a draw with Romania helped them scrape past as one of the best third-placed teams. The quarterfinal saw Argentina beat continental rivals Brazil 1–0, with Maradona weaving magic to provide a brilliant assist for Claudio Caniggia. After that, they needed penalties to go past their next two opponents, Yugoslavia and Italy.
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In the final, Argentina was up against West Germany, the same team they beat in Mexico to win the 1986 World Cup. If the Mexico final was an all-time classic with the scoreline being 3–2, the one in Italy was a forgettable affair. Andreas Brehme scored the only goal of the match through a penalty. Probably the only occasion where the football world was thankful to West Germany for winning the final. Carlos Bilardo’s Argentina would have set a precedent of negative football and quite likely become the worst FIFA World Cup winner of all time.
Lionel Messi (2014)
If someone told me that Lionel Messi hates playing against Germany, I would readily believe that person. Not once, not twice, but thrice has his team bowed out of the World Cup against Germany. In 2006 and 2010, it was in the quarterfinal. But in 2014, it was in the final itself, and that’s what we’ll be focusing on.
Argentina entered the 2014 World Cup with a very strong group of attackers, supported by an average midfield and defense. They won all their group matches with Messi scoring 4 goals in that stage. In the knockout stage, they narrowly beat Switzerland (1–0) and Belgium (1–0) via goals by Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain before defeating the Dutch in a goalless semifinal on penalties.
Argentina didn’t look particularly impressive in any of these matches, while Germany had thrashed Brazil 7–1 on their path to the final. But Argentina started the final strongly before Germany found their foot back. None of the teams could find a goal till the extra time when Mario Gotze’s strike won Germany their first World Cup since reunification at the expense of Argentine dreams. Messi, who won the Golden Ball in 2014, is still yearning for that one trophy that has always eluded him. Could that change in 2022?
