BRAZIL TRIUMPH
Final: June 30, 2002
Brazil: 2 | Germany: 0
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Cup Legend: Paolo Maldini (Italy)
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Regarded as the finest defender in the world, Maldini played in four World Cups. It was a measure of Maldini’s professionalism that he played on for AC Milan until the age of 40, retiring in May 2009 after over 900 club appearances. He retired from international football after the 2002 Cup with 126 caps and seven goals.
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TOP SCORERS
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Ronaldo (Brazil) 8 Goals
Rivaldo (Brazil) 5 Goals
Miroslav Klose (Germany) 5 Goals
Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark) 4 Goals
Christian Vieri (Italy) 4 Goals
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TRIVIA
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- Brazil’s captain Emerson was ruled out of the competition on the eve of the tournament after damaging a shoulder while clowning around in a training session.
- Brazil’s win over Germany in the 2002 final gave them a record fifth title and equalled the record for most consecutive victories in a tournament, the champions equalling the seven-in-row by Italy between 1934 and 1938.
- Controversy surrounded the naming of the tournament. Japan wanted the finals to be known as Japan-Korea 2002, but Korean officials successfully argued for the event to be known as Korea-Japan 2002.
