From Brazil to France: Listing winners of past five editions of the FIFA World Cup
1) Brazil champions in 2002
A star-studded Brazil defeated Germany to win the FIFA World Cup in the 2002 edition, in Japan. The Oliver Kahn-led Germans were trounced by Ronaldo-starrer Brazil, 2-0, as the Men in Yellow won their fifth World Cup 20 years back. Brazil have most FIFA WC trophies (5). They will like to repeat their heroics this time around in Qatar and get a hand on the trophy after 2002.
2) Italy adjudged winners in 2006
In what was a riveting final in the 2006 edition of the FIFA World Cup, Italy beat France 5-3 at the Olympiastadion, Berlin in front of nearly 70,000 people after the regulation time ended at 1-1.
The match is remembered to date for the infamous headbutt of the then France captain Zinedine Zidane to Italy's Marco Materazzi. The Italians aren't part of the upcoming Qatar World Cup after being eliminated in the qualifiers.
3) Spain champions in 2010
In the 2010 edition of the World Cup, Spain lifted the trophy after beating the Netherlands 1-0 with Andres Iniesta being Player-of-the-Match whereas captain Iker Casillas returned with the Golden Glove as FIFA's outstanding goalkeeper in the mega tournament. They have recently announced a 26-man squad for the showpiece event in Qatar, which gets underway on November 20.
4) Germany in 2014
Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 -- courtesy of Mario Götze's goal in the 113th minute -- to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup final in Brazil. The Germans, however, failed to reach the last four in the following edition and will now aim to go the distance this time around in Qatar.
5) France in 2018
In a highly-entertaining World Cup, France won the championship after beating Croatia 4-2 in the summit clash in Russia. With this, the French line-up won their second World Cup title and after a gap of 20 years. The Neymar, Kylian Mbappe-starrer France squad are one of the favourites for the forthcoming edition in the Middle East.
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