9 of the Most Unstoppable World Cup Teams Ever Seen

The 2018 World Cup is now well under way and the eyes of the world are squarely on Russia. It's arguably the biggest sporting event on the planet and for those

The 2018 World Cup is now well under way and the eyes of the world are squarely on Russia. It's arguably the biggest sporting event on the planet and for those that excel, it's a chance to be thrown into the hat for future debates about 'the best ever World Cup teams'.

There have been some pretty unstoppable forces at tournaments down the years, and here are nine of the best teams football fans have ever seen...

Brazil 1970

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Undoubtedly one of the most frightening teams that, not just football, but sport has ever seen. Brazil's bunch from the 1970 tournament in Mexico were utterly dominant that year, showcasing exceptional attacking play rather than the physical styles that had been on show in previous tournaments.

They won all six of their games on their way to glory, and Carlos Alberto scored one of the finest goals ever seen at a World Cup finals.

Argentina 1986

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1986 winners Argentina were unstoppable largely thanks to talisman Diego Maradona, whose speed and dribbling was simply too much for defenders to deal with in Mexico.

The diminutive ex-forward is still despised to this day by the English for his infamous 'Hand of God' goal in the quarter-final, but he then went on to score one of the best solo efforts of all time.

Argentina had a fine all-round team that year, but the influence of Maradona certainly made them one of the best to grace a finals.

Spain 2010

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Probably the greatest World Cup side of the modern era. In 2010, Spain added the title of world champions to their European crown of two years before by triumphing in South Africa.

Made up of largely Real Madrid and Barcelona players, La Roja passed their opponents into submission, wearing them down expertly before delivering the killer blows.

They never battered anyone and actually lost their opening game of the tournament, but they were still a total joy to watch.

West Germany 1974

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Led by Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany stormed to World Cup glory in 1974 - their second world crown.

This side played with the kind of ruthless efficiency that forms the nucleus of the modern Germany teams of today.

The Netherlands 1974

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They may have lost in the final to the West Germany side mentioned above, but the Netherlands team of 1974 is still one of the best teams ever seen at a World Cup finals.

Their brand of 'Total Football' was totally revolutionary, and has served as inspiration for many a football side ever since.

Arguably, they are the best team never to win a World Cup, having come within a whisker in both 1974 and 1978.

Brazil 2002

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Brazil had some great sides back in the day, but one of their best of all time went all the way in South Korea and Japan in 2002.

Featuring stars such as Dida, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Lucio, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, the South Americans were absolutely impenetrable and at times unstoppable in attack as they tricked and styled their way past stunned defences.

France 1998

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The French team of '98 were unstoppable in every sense of the word, going on to win the World Cup without losing and conceding just two goals along the way.

They contested the final against Brazil and turned them over 3-0 - a huge statement to the watching world that perhaps France's time was to begin. Unfortunately they haven't followed up that victory with any more since, but 2018 sees their squad looking terrifyingly strong.

Germany 2014

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The last winners of the World Cup, Germany had audiences around the world in awe of their incredible prowess and efficiency.

That was on show in particular at the semi-final stage as they absolutely destroyed the mighty Brazil 7-1 in front of their own embarrassed fans - an historic result that will surely never be toppled in terms of sheer shock production.

Italy 2006

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Italy's victory in 2006 was mainly made possible through their incredible defence. The Azzurri boasted stars such as Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta and Gianluca Zambrotta and Gennaro Gattuso, and their sturdiness at the back allowed the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Del Piero, Filippo Inzaghi, Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino the freedom to perform.

Their side had a perfect balance, and Italy stormed to victory that year after beating France on penalties in the final.

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