During the last 5 World Cups, the 5 players designated as the best player unbelievably share a special commonality.
Unlike the 2002 World Cup where Oliver Kahn, the goalkeeper of the German national team, was chosen, the best players in the subsequent 5 World Cups were outfield players. So far, still nothing surprising!
The catchy element is that all 5 players who were crowned had the number 10 on their backs during these tournaments.
Furthermore, except for Diego Forlan, who was the vice-captain of Uruguay in 2010, the other four players were also captains of their respective teams.
In 2006 in Germany, Zinedine Zidane, captain of the French team under Raymond Domenech, was named the best player.
He led his team to the final before losing on penalties to Italy. Zizou was sent off during that match following his headbutt on Marco Materazzi. In 2010 in South Africa, Diego Forlan, who wore the number 10 for the Uruguayan team, had a great tournament and was named the best player.
In Brazil in 2014, despite Argentina losing in the final to Germany, Lionel Messi was named the best player with the number 10 on his back and the captain’s armband.
In 2018 in Russia, the captain of the Croatian national team, Luka Modric, was named the best player after losing the final to France, still wearing the number 10.
Finally, in 2022 in Qatar, Lionel Messi, this time a World Cup champion, was again named the best player of the tournament with his armband and his lucky number on his back.
In essence, if wearing the number 10 and captaining one’s national team bring luck in being the best player of the World Cup, then Kylian Mbappé is clearly on the right path.
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