There's simply no contest: soccer (or football, as most of the world calls it) is the planet's most beloved sport, uniting billions of fans and players on every continent
While modern soccer's rules trace back to the mid-19th century in England, the concept of a ball-kicking game has roots stretching back thousands of years across various ancient civilizations
Nothing in the world of sports quite compares to the sheer scale and intensity of the FIFA World Cup.
A few unique talents manage to transcend the sport itself, becoming cultural symbols who define an entire era.