The 2022 World Cup is just eight days away! This a warm reminder that only eight countries have won the World Cup, with 79 different National teams participating, as at Russia 2018.

Today, we focus on the best players who wore the Number 8 shirt from the last eight World Cup tournaments.

8. Claudio Caniggia (Italia 90)

Caniggia was nicknamed “Son of the Wind” because of his explosive pace, which allowed him to breeze past opponents. He had a stint as a 100metre athlete before taking to football.

Despite his evident pace, he never shied away from physical duels. 

Despite being a capable goalscorer, he was sometimes deployed in deeper roles due to his ability to create chances for his teammates. He scored two critical goals for Argentina. The first was an 80th-minute goal that eliminated Brazil, and his second goal broke Walter Zenga’s streak of 517 minutes without conceding a goal. Argentina won the resulting shootout, but Caniggia was suspended for the final, losing 1-0 to West Germany.

7. Hristo Stoichkov (USA 94)

Stoichkov was runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 1992 and 1994. Nicknamed “The Gunslinger” in his time at Barcelona, he was also noted for his short temper on the pitch, an attribute which earned him another nickname, “The Dagger,” according to Football 365.

He had an explosive pace and was physically strong but technically gifted. He was very capable of producing powerful scorchers from long range. Stoichkov chipped in with five goals to help Bulgaria qualify for their first major tournament since Mexico 86 and finished the campaign in USA 94 with six goals. He was awarded the Golden boot along with Oleg Salenko and helped Bulgaria to a fourth-placed finish.

6. Dunga (France 98)

Brazil’s captain divided the opinion of fans across the country. He was slow, gritty, and very direct in his approach. However, he was a very effective midfield anchor due to his ability to break play and initiate counterattacks with his passing.

Dunga was an excellent reader of the game who rarely went to the ground to win tackles, instead using his anticipation and positional discipline to win the ball. He was also a fiery figure and had to be pulled away from Bebeto by his teammates during the first-round game against Morocco.

5. Gilberto Silva (Korea/Japan 2002)

Following his idol’s footsteps, another Brazilian anchorman makes the cut; this time, it’s none other than the one nicknamed “The Invisible Wall” in Brazil. Gilberto was not a traditional Brazilian flair player. His work often goes unnoticed as he quietly snuffs out opposition attacks before gaining momentum.

Gilberto was a surprise inclusion to the 2002 World Cup squad but played every minute due to an injury suffered by the team’s captain, Emerson, in training before the first game. In the words of Veja magazine, Gilberto “carried the piano for Ronaldo and Rivaldo to play their tunes on.”

4. Gattuso (Germany 2006)

Despite not particularly passing the “Eye test,” Gattuso was considered one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation. He was an aggressive and consistent ball-winner. His robust style of play and excellent positional awareness helped him forge a solid midfield partnership with Andrea Pirlo. You can argue that if Pirlo was Batman, Gattuso was Robin.

Gattuso won more tackles than any other player in the tournament, with his 47 successful tackles beating Patrick Vieira’s 36. He was notorious for running around the pitch in his underpants to celebrate Italy’s shootout triumph over France in the final.

3. Xavi (South Africa 2010)

Xavi Hernandez was the Chief Orchestrator in midfield as the La Fura Roja won their first World Cup. He was renowned for his metronomic passing, vision, ability to dictate play and superb reading of the game.

Argentine football legend Jorge Valdano once said, “if football were a science, Xavi would have discovered the formula because, with the ball at his feet, nobody ever communicated that intelligently with every other player on the pitch.” Xavi covered more kilometers than any other player in the tournament and made the most crosses into the opposition’s 18-yard box. He also ended the tournament with the highest number of accurate passes.

2. Mesut Ozil (Brazil 2014)

Ozil was Germany’s top scorer in qualifying with eight goals playing from his more favoured Number 10 role. However, due to an injury to Marco Reus in Pre-World Cup warm-up game, he was deployed as a left winger at the 2014 edition and started all of Germany’s seven games. He was a key player for Germany as they became the first European side to win the World Cup on South American soil.

He scored a late goal in the 119th minute of their entertaining second-round game against Algeria and also assisted a goal in Brazil’s 7-1 demolition.

1.  Marouane Fellaini (Russia 2018)

Fellaini was a member of Belgium’s golden generation of footballers but was unique in a certain way. Due to his aerial prowess, he became a handy weapon for the Red Devils whenever they had to go Route One and chase games. He played one of his best games for Belgium as he scored the equalizer against Japan in the Round of 16 match after the Japanese had gone two goals up.

Belgium Coach Roberto Martinez described him as a deceptively technical player and one every coach would love to have on his team.