[Reading level: C1 – Advanced]
While Cristiano Ronaldo is absent, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are the only two active players to make the top 10, according to rankings by the British magazine Goal.
10. Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Klose is not usually regarded as one of the greatest strikers in football history. At club level, he was always a high-quality forward but was rarely considered among the very best, although he remains a legend at Lazio.
However, in a Germany shirt, Klose was a true goal-scoring machine. He scored 71 goals in 137 international appearances, including 16 goals across World Cup tournaments. That tally allowed him to surpass Ronaldo Nazario and become the highest goalscorer in World Cup history at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Klose set the record during Germany’s 7–1 victory over Brazil in the semi-finals, while also becoming the first player to appear in four consecutive World Cup semi-finals.
Consistency was Klose’s greatest strength. He ended his international career by lifting the 2014 World Cup trophy after Germany defeated Argentina 1–0 in the final. To this day, his record of 16 World Cup goals has only been matched by Lionel Messi.
9. Zinedine Zidane (France)
Zidane embodied both genius and controversy. The World Cup showcased those two contrasting sides better than anything else. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the French midfielder nearly ruined his own tournament after receiving a red card in the group stage for stamping on Saudi Arabia’s Fuad Anwar. But when he returned, he delivered a match-winning performance with two headed goals in the final against Brazil, helping France win their first-ever World Cup title with a 3–0 victory.
Four years later, France were eliminated in the group stage. Zidane subsequently retired from international football before making a comeback for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. At the age of 34, he inspired France to the final with a series of outstanding performances. However, the final match of his international career ended with the infamous red card following his headbutt on Marco Materazzi.
France lost to Italy in the penalty shootout, but Zidane’s exceptional performances throughout the tournament still earned him the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2006 World Cup.
8. Kylian Mbappe (France)
Although he is only 27 years old, Mbappe is already regarded as a World Cup legend. At his first World Cup in 2018, the French forward scored four goals and won the Best Young Player award. He also became the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score in a World Cup final.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. Although France lost in the penalty shootout, he still claimed the Golden Boot after finishing with eight goals.
After scoring twice against Senegal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mbappe has now scored 14 goals in just 15 World Cup matches, moving up to fourth on the tournament’s all-time scoring list. Given his relatively young age, he is expected to break many more records in the years ahead.
7. Gerd Muller (Germany)
Gerd Muller (second from the left) is widely regarded as the greatest penalty-box striker in football history. The Bayern Munich legend did not possess an ideal physique, but he was exceptionally quick in tight spaces and dominant in the air. More importantly, he had a rare instinct for scoring goals.
Muller scored 69 goals in just 62 appearances for West Germany. At the World Cup, he maintained an astonishing strike rate as well, scoring 14 goals in just 13 matches across two tournaments.
His defining moment came at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, when he scored the winning goal in West Germany’s 2–1 victory over the Netherlands in the final on home soil, securing the title. That goal cemented his status as one of the tournament’s greatest icons.
6. Cafu (Brazil)
Cafu was the prototype of the modern full-back long before the role became widely recognized. In Italy, he earned the nickname “Il Pendolino” (“The Express Train“) thanks to his tireless ability to surge forward in attack and race back in defense throughout the full 90 minutes. Former manager Alex Ferguson once joked that Cafu must have had two hearts to sustain such extraordinary stamina.
Cafu appeared in four World Cups and holds the record for playing in three World Cup finals. In 1994, he came off the bench in the final against Italy and helped Brazil lift the trophy after a penalty shootout.
By the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Cafu was widely regarded as the best attacking right-back in the world. Although Brazil lost to France in the final, he remained one of the national team’s pillars.
The pinnacle of Cafu’s career came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. As captain, he lifted the trophy after Brazil defeated Germany 2–0 in Yokohama, becoming the first player ever to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals.
The 10 greatest players in FIFA World Cup history (Part 2) | Read to lead
Source: https://vnexpress.net/10-cau-thu-vi-dai-nhat-lich-su-world-cup-5088243.html
WORD BANK:
active /ˈæk.tɪv/ (adj): đương đại
striker /ˈstraɪ.kɚ/ [B2] (n): tiền đạo
forward /ˈfɔːr.wɚd/ (n): tiền đạo
legend /ˈledʒ.ənd/ [B1] (n): huyền thoại
goal-scoring machine /ˈɡoʊl ˌskɔːr.ɪŋ məˈʃiːn/ (n): cỗ máy săn bàn
tally /ˈtæl.i/ (n): thành tích, tổng số
surpass sb/sth /sɚˈpæs/ [C1] (v): vượt qua ai/cái gì
set a record /set ə ˈrek.ɚd/ (v): lập kỷ lục
semi-final /ˌsem.iˈfaɪ.nəl/ [B2] (n): trận bán kết
consecutive /kənˈsek.jə.t̬ɪv/ [C1] (adj): liên tiếp
consistency /kənˈsɪs.tən.si/ [C1] (n): sự ổn định
lift the trophy /lɪft ðə ˈtroʊ.fi/ (v): nâng cao chiếc cúp
final /ˈfaɪ.nəl/ [B1] (n): trận chung kết
match sb/sth /mætʃ/ [B2] (v): bắt kịp, cân bằng
embody sth /ɪmˈbɑː.di/ [C1] (v): hiện thân cho, tiêu biểu cho
controversy /ˈkɑːn.trəˌvɝː.si/ [C1] (n): tranh cãi
two contrasting sides /tuː kənˈtræs.tɪŋ saɪdz/ (n): hai mặt đối lập
midfielder /ˈmɪdˌfiːl.dɚ/ (n): tiền vệ
ruin sth /ˈruː.ɪn/ [B2] (v): phá hỏng cái gì
group stage /ˈɡruːp steɪdʒ/ (n): vòng bảng
stamp on sth /stæmp ɑːn/ (v): giẫm lên cái gì
headed goal /ˈhed.ɪd ɡoʊl/ (n): bàn thắng bằng đầu
title /ˈtaɪ.t̬əl/ [B2] (n): chức vô địch
eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ə.neɪt/ [B2] (v): loại
subsequently /ˈsʌb.sə.kwənt.li/ [C1] (adv): sau đó
outstanding /aʊtˈstæn.dɪŋ/ [B2] (adj): xuất sắc
performance /pɚˈfɔːr.məns/ [B1] (n): màn trình diễn
infamous /ˈɪn.fə.məs/ [C1] (adj): tai tiếng
headbutt on sb /ˈhed.bʌt ɑːn/ (v): húc đầu vào ai
penalty shootout /ˈpen.əl.t̬i ˈʃuːtˌaʊt/ (n): loạt sút luân lưu
exceptional /ɪkˈsep.ʃən.əl/ [C1] (adj): xuất sắc, đặc biệt
move up to /muːv ʌp tuː/ (v): vươn lên
relatively /ˈrel.ə.t̬ɪv.li/ [B2] (adv): tương đối
penalty-box /ˈpen.əl.t̬i bɑːks/ (n): vòng cấm địa
possess /pəˈzes/ [B2] (v): sở hữu
physique /fəˈziːk/ [C2] (n): thể hình
dominant /ˈdɑː.mə.nənt/ [C1] (adj): vượt trội, áp đảo
instinct /ˈɪn.stɪŋkt/ [B2] (n): bản năng
astonishing /əˈstɑː.nɪ.ʃɪŋ/ [C1] (adj): đáng kinh ngạc
strike rate /ˈstraɪk reɪt/ (n): hiệu suất ghi bàn
defining moment /dɪˈfaɪ.nɪŋ ˈmoʊ.mənt/ (n): khoảnh khắc mang tính bước ngoặt
cement sth /səˈment/ [C2] (v): củng cố, khẳng định vững chắc
status /ˈsteɪ.t̬əs/ [B2] (n): vị thế
icon /ˈaɪ.kɑːn/ [B2] (n): biểu tượng
prototype /ˈproʊ.t̬ə.taɪp/ [C1] (n): hình mẫu
full-back /ˈfʊl.bæk/ (n): hậu vệ biên
express train /ɪkˈspres treɪn/ (n): tàu cao tốc
surge forward in attack and race back in defense (v): lên công về thủ
sustain /səˈsteɪn/ [C1] (v): duy trì
extraordinary /ɪkˈstrɔːr.dəˌner.i/ [C1] (adj): phi thường
stamina /ˈstæm.ə.nə/ [C1] (n): thể lực, sức bền
come off the bench /kʌm ɔːf ðə bentʃ/ (v): vào sân từ ghế dự bị
attacking right-back /əˈtæk.ɪŋ raɪt bæk/ (n): hậu vệ phải tấn công
pillar /ˈpɪl.ɚ/ [C1] (n): trụ cột
pinnacle /ˈpɪn.ə.kəl/ [C2] (n): đỉnh cao
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