Photo by PICRYL 1.0
When it comes to iconic football matches, very few fixtures can compete with the grandeur of the FIFA World Cup final.
Since its inception in 1930, the World Cup has long been defined as the biggest event on the global footballing calendar, and it has served up some of the most incredible footballing moments over the past century.
Winning a World Cup remains the key objective for every footballing nation and when the tournament swings around every four years, excitement tends to be at fever pitch within the footballing community.
Punters and world cup betting sites are always looking for ways to get involved with World Cup betting and that should be the same ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Here is a look at 5 of the most memorable goals in World Cup finals from years gone by:
5. Pele – Brazil vs Sweden – 1958 World Cup Final
Few players are as synonymous with the FIFA World Cup as Brazilian icon Pele and his haul of 3 goals in World Cup finals has only been beaten by Kylian Mbappe.
The 1958 World Cup in Sweden was very much Pele’s breakthrough tournament, with the then 17-year-old propelling Brazil to their first World Cup triumph.
Across the tournament, Pele scored 6 goals, but it was his first goal in the final against hosts Sweden that has been etched into footballing folklore.
With the score at 2-1, the ball was speculatively chipped into the penalty area, but Pele managed to control it on his chest, chip it over the head of the Swedish centre back and hammer the ball home on the volley.
From there, the momentum was all with Brazil and they went on to win the game 5-2, with Pele scoring the again in injury time.
4. Carlos Alberto – Brazil vs Italy – 1970 World Cup Final
The aforementioned Pele was on the scoresheet in a World Cup Final once again in 1970, as Brazil cruised to an emphatic win over Italy in Mexico, but it was team mate Carlos Alberto who bagged stand out goal on the day.
Throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s, Brazil were undoubtedly the dominant force in world football – winning three out of four World Cups and by 1970, their golden era was in full flow.
Backed to the hilt by incredible support in Mexico, Brazil made light work of most of their games in the run up to the final against Italy and their dominance continued at the Estadio Azteca.
Pele gave Brazil the lead and while Italy equalised, further goals from Gerson and Jarizinho gave them a healthy cushion, before Carlos Alberto stole the show.
Fed the ball by Pele, Alberto ran on to a flowing Brazil attack to hammer the ball home with the outside of his right foot to seal a 4-1 win and yet another World Cup crown for Brazil.
3. Zinedine Zidane – France vs Brazil – 1998 World Cup Final
Hosts France were carrying the weight of expectation going into the 1998 World Cup and they had perhaps rode their luck a touch to reach the final against Brazil.
With the likes of Ronaldo and Rivaldo in their team, there was an expectation that Brazil would cruise to victory but a pre-match mystery surrounding Ronaldo seemed to give les blues increased hope.
When the game started, France were willed on by their passionate home support and up stepped Zinedine Zidane to etch himself into French footballing history.
Set pieces were far from France’s forte throughout the tournament but Zidane opened the scoring with a thunderous header from a corner and then backed it up with another before half time.
Both headers gave France a healthy 2-0 lead and despite Marcel Desailly being sent off in the second half, Emmanuel Petit sealed the win for France, as they lifted their first FIFA World Cup title.
2. Kylian Mbappe – France vs Argentina – 2022 World Cup Final
No team has dominated across recent World Cups in the way that France has and Kylian Mbappe has been a huge part of that success.
Having made his World Cup debut in 2018, as les Blues cruised to the title in Russia, he returned for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with increased responsibility and expectation, within an exciting French team.
Things weren’t going their way in the final though, as they fell 2-0 down to Argentina but Mbappe sparked a comeback, netting a penalty before his iconic World Cup final goal.
The ball was fizzed into Mbappe, who played a quick one-two with Marcus Thuram, before slamming the ball past Emiliano Martinez with a spectacular volley to make it 2-2.
Both Lionel Messi and Mbappe netted again in extra time, with Argentina ultimately going on to win on penalties but Kylian Mbappe’s second goal and hat-trick will always be remembered.
1. Andres Iniesta – Spain vs Netherlands – 2010 World Cup Final
Following their 2008 European Championship win, there was plenty of expectation placed on Spain ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In a side dominated by key names in both the Barcelona and Real Madrid setup, a first World Cup seemingly beckoned for the Spaniards and they managed to deliver on the biggest stage of all.
Barcelona’s midfield orchestrator Andres Iniesta may be better known for making assists but his strike in the 2010 final against a robust and physical Netherlands side, will go down in World Cup history.
Deep into extra time, as it looked as if the no nonsense tactics employed by the Dutch were going to pay off, Cesc Fabregas intercepted a misplaced pass and fed Iniesta.
The diminutive Spaniard took a sublime first touch, before rifling home on the half volley and Spain were crowned as men’s world champions for the very first time.
