Rewind: Most incredible moments in World Cup history

The World Cup is the world's premier footballing tournament. It only happens once every four years, and the country that wins forever goes down as one of the sport's greatest teams. It is a tournament that unites football fans around the world. No matter what country you're from or the club you support, everyone comes together to enjoy the magic of the World Cup. Over the years, we've been treated to some fantastic moments in this tournament, and these are some of the best.

Maradona Vs England (1986) 

The late, great Maradona was never a stranger to the spotlight. Everyone always talked about Maradona, whether it was his magical skill on the ball or controversies off the field. No better is this dichotomy exemplified than in the 1986 quarterfinal win over England. With the scores level at 0-0, Maradona jumped for the ball with England keeper Peter Shilton and punched the ball into the net. However, the referee didn't see it, and the goal stood. Just four minutes later, Maradona danced through the England defence, scoring one of the most incredible individual goals of all time. Argentina won the match 2-1, thanks to Maradona's ridiculous and sublime goals.

That Grosso Penalty (2006) 

It's safe to say that Italy had a habit of leaving things late in the tournament. It seemed that the semi-final against hosts Germany would go all the way to a penalty shoot-out before Grosso and Del Piero scored in the 119th and 121st minutes. However, the main event was the World Cup final against Zidane's France. It was a tight game, best remembered for Zidane's headbutt on Materazzi. The game finished 1-1 after extra time, thanks to goals from Zidane and Materazzi, which meant a penalty shoot-out. Italy scored their first four penalties, with Trezeguet missing one for France, which meant that if Grosso scored next, he would give his country their fourth World Cup title. He kept his cool and blasted his spot kick into the top corner, winning the trophy for Italy.

Spain's first World Cup (2010) 

The talk of the 2010 World Cup was, without a doubt, the first-time champions, Spain. Their brand of tiki-taka football was beautiful to watch and got results, even if it didn't score many goals. They started with a shock loss to Switzerland but quickly found their groove, winning the rest of their group games. The tactical brilliance of Spain's coach, Del Bosque, revolved around a possession-based game where Spain would dominate the match. While no strategy works every time, it certainly worked this World Cup, as Spain won every knockout game 1-0. Spain’s strategy to win this World Cup was as precise as you would expect out of a blackjack pro playing at a live casino Ireland. While Spain was dominant throughout the tournament, it took until the 116th minute to break the deadlock in the Final, as Iniesta's goal gave Spain their first World Cup.

Gotze wins it for Germany (2014) 

After a couple of relatively quiet World Cups by his high standards, this was the tournament where Messi shone for Argentina. He scored four goals for his country, the third highest at the tournament, and won the Golden Ball award for the best player at the tournament. He took Argentina to the final against a strong German side who had just demolished Brazil in the previous round. It was a very tight game, but ultimately, Gotze scored Germany's only goal in the 114th minute to win the title for Germany and deny Messi a World Cup winner's medal.

It’s Ronaldo Time (2002) 

While Messi could not take his Argentina side to glory, there was no danger of that for the original Ronaldo. In 2002, he was the undisputed star of the tournament, winning the Golden Boot and narrowly missing out on the Golden Ball award. He scored 8 goals in the tournament and Brazil's only goals in the semi-final and final. Brazil faced a resolute German side, with star keeper Oliver Kahn in goal. No matter who was in goal that day, they weren't stopping Ronaldo, as he scored twice to give Brazil their fifth World Cup.