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A list of all the World Cup winning captains in FIFA World Cup history
Grace Waruguru
March 15, 2024 at 7:49 AM
In this article:
How many World Cup winning captains do you know? These legends are the unsung heroes behind the success of the winning teams and players, helping them master their skills and attain incredible victories. This article compiles a list of all the captains since the inaugural World Cup held in 1930.
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Table of Сontents:
Did you know that only one captain has lifted the World Cup trophy twice? The achievement has earned these team captains recognition and career growth as their teams get recognized globally every four years. We have used reputable online sources like goal.com and others, to compile a list of all the World Cup winning captains.
A list of all FIFA World Cup winning captains
Some legendary footballers like Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi have advanced their playing careers and become team captains, continuing their excellent performances. Here is a list of all the World Cup winning captains since its inception:
World Cup winning captain | Year |
Jose Nasazzi | 1930 |
Gianpiero Combi | 1934 |
Giuseppe Meazza | 1938 |
Obdulio Varela | 1950 |
Fritz Walter | 1954 |
Hilderaldo Bellini | 1958 |
Mauro Ramos | 1962 |
Bobby Moore | 1966 |
Carlos Alberto | 1970 |
Franz Beckenbauer | 1974 |
Daniel Passarella | 1978 |
Dino Zoff | 1982 |
Diego Maradona | 1986 |
Lothar Matthaus | 1990 |
Dunga Carlos | 1994 |
Didier Deschamps | 1998 |
Cafu | 2002 |
Fabio Cannavaro | 2006 |
Iker Casillas | 2010 |
Phillip Lahm | 2014 |
Hugo Lloris | 2018 |
Lionel Messi | 2022 |
Jose Nasazzi - 1930
- Full name: José Nasazzi Yarza
- Date of birth: March 24th, 1901
- Died: June 17th, 1968
- Country: Uruguay
Which captain won the first World Cup? Uruguayan footballer and team captain Jose Nasazzi captained the inaugural FIFA World Cup when Uruguay beat Argentina. He was born in March 1901 and died in June 1968 at 67. As a player, he was a right-back or center-back.
Source: Twitter
Gianpiero Combi - 1934
- Full name: Gianpiero Combi
- Date of birth: November 20th, 1902
- Died: August 12th, 1956
- Country: Italy
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Gianpiero Combi was an Italian goalkeeper and captain. He won five Italian League titles with Juventus F.C., where he spent his entire club career. He led Italy in their 1934 win against the Czech Republic. Combi was born in 1902 and died in August 1956.
Source: Twitter
Giuseppe Meazza - 1938
- Full name: Giuseppe Meazza
- Date of birth: August 23rd, 1910
- Died: August 21st, 1979
- Country: Italian
Giuseppe Meazza is one of the football World Cup winning captains. The Italian athlete spent the bulk of his career with Inter Milan. Meazza won two consecutive World Cups as a player and captain (1934 and 1938). He was born in August 1910 and died in August 1979.
Source: Twitter
Obdulio Varela - 1950
- Full name: Obdulio Jacinto Muiños Varela
- Date of birth: September 20th, 1917
- Died: August 2nd, 1996
- Country: Uruguay
Obdulio Varela is one of the World Cup winning captains in football. He led Uruguay to victory against Brazil in 1950, the match famously known as the Maracanazo. The captain was born in September 1917 and died in 1996 at 78. The Black Chief, as he was famously known, is remembered as Uruguay's greatest leader.
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Source: Twitter
Fritz Walter - 1954
- Full name: Friedrich Walter
- Date of birth: October 31st, 1920
- Died: June 17th, 2002
- Country: West Germany
Known fully as Friedrich "Fritz" Walter, Fritz Walter is among the World Cup winning captains who led West Germany to victory against Hungary. He spent his entire senior career at F.C. Kaiserslautern as an attacking midfielder and inside forward. After retirement, he was named the honorary captain of the German national team.
Source: Twitter
Hilderaldo Bellini - 1958
- Full name: Hilderaldo Luiz Bellini
- Date of birth: June 7th, 1930
- Died: March 20th, 2014
- Country: Brazil
Hilderaldo Bellini led Brazil in their 1958 win against Sweden, the country's first of many victories. Bellini was a defender recognized as Brazil's most solid defender. The manager was born in June 1930 and died in March 2014. Hilderaldo also participated in the 1962 World Cup and captained the team again in 1966.
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Source: Twitter
Mauro Ramos - 1962
- Full name: Mauro Ramos de Oliveira
- Date of birth: August 30th, 1990
- Died: September 18th, 2002
- Country: Brazil
Mauro Ramos was a Brazilian Association Football player who was a central defender for various local clubs and the Brazilian national team. He attained 28 caps with the team and served as an unplaying crew member in 1954 and 1958 before leading the team to victory against Czechoslovakia in 1962.
Source: Twitter
Bobby Moore - 1966
- Full name: Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore
- Date of birth: April 12th, 1941
- Died: February 24th, 1993
- Country: United Kingdom
England's Bobby Moore also makes it to the list of World Cup winners and captains and was the first Englishman to raise the Cup. Besides his national team, he represented West Ham United for 16 years. The legendary Pele described him as one of the greatest defenders he ever played against.
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Source: Twitter
Carlos Alberto - 1970
- Full name: Carlos Alberto "Capita" Torres
- Date of birth: July 17th, 1944
- Died: October 25th, 2016
- Country: Brazil
Carlo Alberto was born in 1944 and died in October 2016. The deceased athlete played as an attacking right-sided full-back or wing-back and was among the best defenders of all time. He led Brazil to victory against Italy and scored the fourth goal in the final match, which was named one of the best in the tournament's history.
Source: Twitter
Franz Beckenbauer - 1974
- Full name: Franz Anton Beckenbauer
- Date of birth: September 11th, 1945
- Died: January 7th, 2024
- Country: Germany
German former player and football manager Franz Beckenbauer was among the nine players to win the FIFA World Cup, European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d'Or. He led West Germany to victory against the Netherlands. The athlete passed away in January 2024 at 78.
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Source: Twitter
Daniel Passarella - 1978
- Full name: Daniel Alberto Passarella
- Date of birth: May 25th, 1973
- Position: Defender
- Country: Argentina
70-year-old Daniel Alberto Passarella led Argentina to victory against the Netherlands in 1978. He was a defender who spent his career with clubs like River Plate and Florentina. Pele named the athlete as one of the greatest living footballers by Pelé at a FIFA awards ceremony in 2004.
Source: Twitter
Dino Zoff - 1982
- Full name: Dino Zoff
- Date of birth: February 28th, 1942
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Country: Italy
Former Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff is the oldest World Cup winning captain, lifting the trophy at 40 in 1982 and earning the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award. Additionally, Zoff is the only Italian player to win the World Cup and the European Championship.
Source: Twitter
Diego Maradona - 1986
- Full name: Diego Armando Maradona
- Date of birth: November 25th, 2020
- Died: November 25th, 2020
- Country: Argentina
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Argentina's Diego Maradona led his country to victory in 1986 against West Germany, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. The legendary footballer played in four FIFA World Cups and earned 91 caps in Argentina, scoring 34 goals.
Source: Getty Images
Lothar Matthaus - 1990
- Full name: Lothar Herbert Matthäus
- Date of birth: March 21st, 1961
- Position: Midfielder, Defender
- Country: Germany
German athlete Lothar Matthaus is on the World Cup winners list as the 1990 winner against Argentina. He was the first outfield player to appear in five FIFA World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998). Lothar is the most capped German player of all time, with 150 appearances in 20 years.
Source: Twitter
Dunga Carlos - 1994
- Full name: Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri
- Date of birth: October 31st, 1963
- Position: Defensive midfielder
- Country: Brazil
Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri is a former Brazilian player and manager who lifted the trophy in 1994 after beating Italy. Carlos and Xavi are the only two men to have played in a World Cup final, an Olympic final, a Confederations Cup final, and a continental championship final.
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Didier Deschamps - 1998
- Full name: Didier Claude Deschamps
- Date of birth: October 15th, 1968
- Position: Defensive midfielder
- Country: France
Frenchman Didier Deschamps is a former defensive midfielder who represented clubs like Chelsea and Juventus. He led the team to victory against Brazil and became the national team manager in 2012. He was also the captain when France won the Euro 2000.
Source: Getty Images
Cafu - 2002
- Full name: Marcos Evangelista de Morais
- Date of birth: June 7th, 1970
- Position: Right-back
- Country: Brazil
Cafu, whose full name is Marcos Evangelista de Morais, is the most-capped player for the Brazilian national team with 142 appearances. He featured in four FIFA World Cups between 1994 and 2006 and is the only player to appear in three World Cup finals (1994, 2002, 2006).
Source: Getty Images
Fabio Cannavaro - 2006
- Full name: Fabio Cannavaro
- Date of birth: September 13th, 1973
- Position: Centre-back
- Country: Italy
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Fabio played as a centre-back for clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, and the Italian national team. He was the team captain when his country won the World Cup in 2006 during a match against France. Cannavaro is the most capped player in Italy (136).
Source: Getty Images
Iker Casillas - 2010
- Full name: Iker Casillas Fernández
- Date of birth: May 20th, 1981
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Country: Spain
In 2010, Iker Casillas led his Italian team to a win against the Netherlands. He is rated as one of the greatest goalkeepers and the 10th most-capped footballer of all time (167). Additionally, this is the second-highest number of appearances for his national team.
Source: Getty Images
Phillipp Lahm - 2014
- Full name: Philipp Lahm
- Date of birth: November 11th, 1983
- Position: Full-back
- Country: Germany
German athlete Phillip Lahm served as Bayern Munich's captain, leading them to win the UEFA Champions League in 2013, one of the notable accolades. Phillip also captained Germany in 2014 during the final match against Argentina.
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Hugo Lloris - 2018
- Full name: Hugo Hadrien Dominique Lloris
- Date of birth: December 26th, 1986
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Country: France
The French goalkeeper served as his team's captain when they beat Croatia in 2018. Following his performance, Lloris was the first-choice captain in February 2012 before the UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. He has made 145 appearances for France (As of 2024), making him France's most-capped player.
Source: Getty Images
Lionel Messi - 2022
- Full name: Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi
- Date of birth: June 24th, 1987
- Position: Forward
- Country: Argentina
The Argentine football legend Lionel Messi makes it to the list of football World Cup winning captains. The football forward captains Inter Miami and his country's national team. He led his team to victory against France in 2022.
Source: Getty Images
Frequently Asked Questions
The success of any team significantly rests on its leadership, and these captains have played an integral role in their teams' victories. Here are some frequently asked questions:
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Which captain won the first World Cup?
The inaugural World Cup was held in 1930 and Uruguay took home the trophy. Jose Nasazzi was the team captain. He passed away in June 1968.
Which captain won the World Cup twice?
Italian player Giuseppe Meazza is the only player who won two consecutive World Cups, in 1934 and 1938, as a player and a captain. He died in August 1979.
When did Diego Maradona captain his team to victory?
The legendary Diego Maradona is one of the best footballers of all time. He led Argentina to victory in 1986. The former athlete died in November 2020.
Is Lionel Messi a World Cup winning captain?
Argentina's Lionel Messi is the team captain. The forward, who has been named the Greatest of All Time, won the World Cup in 2022.
How many times has Brazil won the World Cup?
Brazil first won the World Cup in 1958. The country has won the FIFA World Cup five times. Their last win (As of March 2024) was in 2002, captained by Cafu.
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Final word
The World Cup winning captains comprise players who have risen to become experts and leaders in the sport, attaining numerous victories for their countries. As the once-in-four-years global event continues, fans will be eager to see who comes up to the top to lead their nation to victory.
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