Ranking All Twenty World Cup Winners
By Josh Sippie
Top World Cup Winners All-Time: Number Fifteen – West Germany, 1974
West Germany had this uncanny knack for beating the best team in the tournament. Whether the fact that they were not the best team taints their title or proves that they were indeed the best team, after all, is up for interpretation.
After defeating a near-unbeatable Hungary 20 years earlier, it fell to the West Germans to beat Johan Cruyff’s Dutch in 1974. “Total Football”, the brand of play which the Dutch use and the brand that is still used by the likes of Barcelona today, was on display from the start.
The Netherlands showcased in the first round of group stages, scoring six goals and surrendering one while in the second scoring eight and surrendering zero. Meanwhile, the West Germans that won the Cup couldn’t even win their first group.
Still, West Germany came to life the further the competition went on and when it came to staring down the greatest footballer who ever lived, they did so with iron gazes, winning the final 2-1. The Netherlands ‘Total Football’ scored only a penalty in the second minute before going 88+ scoreless minutes.
Next: 14. Hello, controversy