Maradona most popular

Published June 20, 2002

YOKOHAMA (Japan), June 19: Diego Maradona, Argentina’s 1986 World Cup hero, received most votes in FIFA’s internet poll of fans to select a World Cup dream team.

More than one-and-a-half million fans worldwide voted in the poll, conducted by the official FIFA website, FIFAworldcup.com, with Maradona receiving 111,035 votes.

Brazil’s Pele, who played for three World Cup-winning teams, won 107,539 votes and Zinedine Zidane, who scored twice for France in their 1998 triumph, came in third with 80,527.

Dream team (3-4-3):

Lev Yashin (Soviet Union); Paolo Maldini (Italy), Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany), Roberto Carlos (Brazil); Roberto Baggio (Italy), Zinedine Zidane (France), Michel Platini (France), Diego Maradona (Argentina); Romario (Brazil), Johan Cruyff (Netherlands), Pele (Brazil)—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...