Brazil’s Top World Cup Moments

The 2002 World Cup

The South Korean 2002 World Cup was one of the greatest in history. It is known for being the Brazilian World Cup, where Luis Ronaldo scored twice in the final to beat Germany 2-0. During the 2002 World Cup, Brazil won the competition for a record fifth time. It was also the second time that Ronaldo won the World Cup, having narrowly missed out in 1998.

In the 1998 final, Brazil lost to France 3-0. The headlines were focused on Brazil against France but more so on Zinedine Zidane against Ronaldo. Following the unfortunate result for the Brazilians, Ronaldo silenced his critics by winning the 2002 tournament and claiming the golden boot with 8 goals.

The First Ever World Cup Triumph

In 1958, the World Cup was hosted in Sweden. The 1958 World Cup was the first time that 17-year-old Pelé had ever played in the competition. The World Cup final saw the hosts Sweden play against Brazil. The Brazilian team managed to beat Sweden 5-2 with two of their goals scored by Pelé. He was the only teenager to ever score in a World Cup final until 2018, when Kylian Mbappé scored against Croatia.

The 1958 World Cup win for Brazil was the first time the country ever won the competition. They later went on to become the most decorated nation in World Cup history, winning it five times. It was also the first time Pelé won it, having later gone on to win it two more times. He is the most decorated player in World Cup history, winning an unmatched three World Cup trophies.

The Famous Pelé Dummy and Miss Against Uruguay

The 1970 Mexico World Cup was the third and final time that Pelé won the tournament, scoring in the 4-1 final win over Italy. However, the tournament will always be remembered for a magnificent bit of play from Pelé, where he missed an open goal.

In the semifinal, Brazil faced Uruguay and managed to beat them 3-1. The magical moment happened in the second half, where Pelé was put through on goal courtesy of a Tostão pass. Instead of touching the ball, Pelé let it run past the goalkeeper and went around him the other way. This left the goal empty and Pelé with the task of slotting the ball in the back of the net. Surprisingly, Pelé missed the target completely. The moment is one of the best bits in World Cup history, displaying the magical side of Pelé but showing that even he is capable of making a mistake.

The Ronaldinho Lob over Seaman

In the 2002 World Cup quarterfinal, Brazil faced England and narrowly managed to score in a 2-1 comeback win over the ‘Three Lions’. After the second half kicked off, Ronaldinho had a freekick from roughly 40 yards out. It was assumed that the former Barcelona star player would cross the ball into the box. However, the Brazilian had decided to go for goal, lobbing the ball over the 6’4” Arsenal goalkeeper, David Seaman.

The goal turned out to be the match winner after Michael Owen opened the scoring and Rivaldo equalized for Brazil right before half-time. It is known as one of the most incredible goals at a World Cup finals tournament that saw Brazil go on to win the competition.

Ronaldo Breaks World Cup Goal Scoring Record

The 2006 Germany World Cup was not a memorable one for Brazil. The national side were knocked out in the quarterfinals by France, losing 1-0. It was another meeting between the two nations and another match where all the eyes were on Ronaldo and Zidane.

However, there were a few things to take away from the 2006 World Cup. Ronaldo scored twice in the final group stage fixture against Japan. His two goals equaled the record held by Gerd Muller of 14 World Cup goals. In the round of 16, Brazil beat Ghana 3-0 with Ronaldo scoring in the 5^th minute. The goal was celebrated by Brazil fans around the world, as it made Ronaldo the outright record goal scorer at World Cup finals.

In 2014, Miroslav Klose beat this record by scoring the first goal in a 7-1 defeat of Brazil in the semifinals. The former German international scored a record 16^th goal in the competition and went on to win the final, as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time. This was the largest ever defeat in a World Cup semifinal and was played at the Estádio Mineirão in Brazil.