The Top 10 – Panini FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014

Son Heung-min is known for his exceptional speed, dribbling ability, and versatility on the field. He primarily operates as a winger or forward, capable of playing on either flank or through the center. His playing style is shaped by his explosive acceleration, quick feet, and agility, allowing him to beat defenders with ease and create goal-scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. Son possesses a powerful and accurate shot, which is effective on both feet.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, despite being one of the youngest players in the squad, Son showcased his immense talent and potential on the world stage. He contributed with energetic performances and displayed his versatility by playing in different attacking positions throughout the tournament and scored 1 goal.

This being his first sticker with Korea (International Rookie), makes this a sticker with great potential longterm.

Kevin De Bruyne has exceptional vision, passing range, and technical ability and is capable of playing in various midfield roles and even as a winger. His playing style is characterised by his creativity, intelligence on the ball, and ability to dictate the tempo of the game from midfield. He is one of the world’s best with the ball at his feet. Whether its passing or shooting, Kevin always hits his mark. As of the time of writing (2024), I think he is the best midfielder on the planet!

During the tournament, De Bruyne was still a young man and was subjected to appearances off the bench. He managed to get on the scoresheet in the round of 16, scoring a goal in extra time against USA.

Kevin had quite started cooking at the domestic level yet, but this sticker represents one of his first and will definitely be one for the future!

Toni Kroos is known for his exceptional passing ability, vision, and tactical intelligence. His precise passing, composure on the ball, allow him to control the tempo of the game. Kroos possesses an impressive passing range, capable of delivering accurate short passes to maintain possession or long, incisive balls to break through opposition defences.

During the tournament, Toni Kroos played a crucial role in Germany’s successful campaign. As a key midfielder in the German national team, Kroos showcased his exceptional passing ability and tactical awareness throughout the tournament. His performances were instrumental in Germany’s journey to the final, where they emerged victorious against Argentina to claim the World Cup title.

His career is a testament to his quality. He is a serial winner!

Paul Pogba is known for his versatility, athleticism, and technical skills. In his locker, Pogba has an impressive range of passing, dribbling ability, and long-range shooting prowess. He can initiate attacks from deep positions with his accurate passes and has the vision to pick out teammates with incisive through balls. Additionally, Pogba’s dribbling skills and close ball control enable him to evade opposition challenges and drive forward with the ball at his feet.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, Paul Pogba played a significant role in the French national team’s campaign. Despite being relatively young at the time, Pogba showcased his immense talent and potential on the world stage. His performances in midfield were marked by his ability to dictate play, win possession, and contribute both defensively and offensively. Pogba won the Young Player of the Tournament award.

I think deserving of making the list.

Arjen Robben primarily operated as a right winger throughout his career, one of Robben’s trademark moves is cutting inside onto his favoured left foot from the right wing, making him a constant threat to opposition defences. He is known for his trademark dribbling runs, where he accelerates past defenders with rapid changes of pace and quick footwork. Robben’s exceptional close control and dribbling ability allow him to maneuver through tight spaces and create goal-scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Robben was at his terrifying best during the tournament His performances were marked by his trademark attacking runs, incisive dribbling, and clinical finishing. He finished the tournament with 3 goals and 1 assist. More importantly, he was a driving force on the left wing helping the Netherlands to the semi-final.

Robben knew how to turn up in the big tournaments, the 2014 World Cup was no different!!

Götze is renowned for his vision and creativity, often acting as a playmaker and orchestrating attacks for his team. His passing range and ability to pick out teammates with pinpoint accuracy make him a potent offensive threat. Additionally, Götze possesses excellent spatial awareness, enabling him to find pockets of space in the opposition’s defence and exploit gaps with his intelligent movement off the ball.

Despite facing stiff competition for places in the starting lineup, Götze’s technical ability and versatility made him a valuable asset for head coach Joachim Löw. Götze’s standout moment came in the final match against Argentina, where he scored the decisive goal in extra time to secure the World Cup title.

At this point he forever immortalised himself in football history! His career has panned out how he would have hoped but he will always be remembered for this moment! Deserving of making the list!

Neymar is widely regarded for his exceptional dribbling skills, creativity, and flair on the pitch. Operating primarily as a forward or attacking midfielder, his lightning-quick feet and quick changes of direction make him a nightmare for defenders to mark. One of Neymar’s trademark attributes is his ability to execute audacious tricks, flicks, and feints to outfox opponents and create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. He is known for his inventive playmaking, often delivering incisive passes, crosses, and through balls to unlock defences.

Neymar was Brazil’s star player and talisman in his first World Cup. Neymar carried the weight of expectations from the passionate Brazilian supporters. Despite facing immense pressure, Neymar rose to the occasion and delivered several standout performances throughout the tournament, showcasing his exceptional talent and creativity on the world stage. He scored 4 goals, assisting once in 5 matches.

Neymar’s World Cup campaign was cut short in the quarterfinals when he suffered a back injury in Brazil’s match against Colombia, ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament. Despite his absence in the semifinals and the subsequent 7-1 defeat to Germany, Neymar’s impact and influence on the 2014 World Cup were undeniable.

Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, is known for his exceptional dribbling ability, close ball control, vision, and precise finishing. Operating primarily as a forward or attacking midfielder, Messi’s low center of gravity, agility, and quick acceleration make him incredibly difficult to dispossess and mark

One of Messi’s most potent weapons is his left foot, known for its accuracy, power, and ability to produce spectacular goals from various positions on the pitch. Messi’s vision and football intelligence allow him to anticipate the movements of his teammates and exploit spaces in the opposition’s defence, making him a lethal playmaker as well as a goal scorer.

Throughout the tournament, Messi showcased his exceptional talent and leadership, guiding Argentina to the final. He played a pivotal role in Argentina’s journey to the final, scoring 4 and assisting once. Although Argentina ultimately fell short in the final against Germany, Messi’s performances were widely acclaimed, earning him the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player.

A big sticker! 1: it’s Messi. 2: he won the Golden Ball!

James Rodríguez, is known for his creativity, technical skills, and playmaking ability. Operating primarily as an attacking midfielder, Rodríguez possesses exceptional vision, passing range, and ball control, allowing him to dictate the tempo of the game. One of Rodríguez’s trademark attributes is his powerful and accurate long-range shooting, particularly with his favored left foot. He is known for his ability to score stunning goals from outside the box, often catching goalkeepers off guard with his unexpected strikes.

This was evident in the tournament as he finished as the top scorer of the tournament, netting six goals in five matches, including a memorable volley against Uruguay that was later voted as the FIFA Puskás Award winner for the best goal of the tournament. Rodríguez’s stellar displays at the 2014 World Cup not only propelled Colombia to the quarter-finals, their best-ever finish in the tournament, but also earned him widespread recognition and acclaim from football fans and pundits worldwide.

It has to be said, he never shined quite as bright as this ever again. Nonetheless , in this tournament, he was absolutely electric, and unlucky not to take the number 1 spot! What a sticker this is! Nostalgia!

Thomas Müller is renowned for his versatility, intelligence, and goal-scoring ability. Müller’s greatest strength lies in his ability to make well-timed runs into the penalty area, often catching defenders off guard and creating goal-scoring opportunities for himself. He possesses a natural goal-scoring instinct and is known for his clinical finishing with both feet and his head.

Müller played a pivotal role in Germany’s triumph, showcasing his exceptional talent on the global stage. Operating as an attacking midfielder or forward, Müller was putting up numbers! He bagged 5 goals and assisted 3 times, helping Germany to the World Cup title.

Müller’s performances at the 2014 World Cup exemplified his versatility, creativity, and ability to deliver in high-pressure situations. His intelligent movement off the ball, combined with his clinical finishing and vision, made him a key player for the German national team and solidified his reputation as one of the best attackers in world football.

With these sort of numbers and the World Cup title, it was impossible not to put Müller in the number 1 spot. Not a glamorous player but extremely effective and, I think, incredibly underrated.