Football’s greatest extravaganza ‘FIFA World Cup 2018’ is around the corner and it’s hard to contain one’s excitement levels. There are debates already on, as to who will win the Football World Cup to be held in Russia this year. Will Cristiano Ronaldo lead Portugal to a World Cup win or will Lionel Messi one-up Argentina’s 2014 FIFA World Cup performance?

Will it be Germany or Brazil might spring a surprise? There are quite a few contenders to the title, but then it is really hard at this stage to pick and choose a winner amongst all the 32 participating nations.

Which team will make to the finals is surely a tough ask. However, we do know that the final game of the World Cup tournament has been captivating at all times! With so many contenders vying for football’s most glittery trophy, this year, we take a look back at the FIFA World Cup Finals of the yesteryears that went down the line and made you hold your nerves till the very end.

1. Watch FIFA World Cup 2006 Video Highlights: Italy Beat France 5-3 on Penalties!

The final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup took place at the Olympiastadion Stadium, in Berlin, in Germany. After the scoreline read 1-1 at the end of the match, the match went on to the penalty shoot-out to decide the winner of the match. It was Italy who eventually emerged victorious at the end of the night with the scoreline of 5-3.

However, the match is more remembered for France’s Zinedine Zidane’s send-off after he had head-butted Italy’s Marco Materazzi after the latter’s provocation during the course of the match. Andrea Pirlo (Italy) was adjudged as the Man of the Match.

2. Watch FIFA World Cup 2010 Video Highlights: Spain Defeated Netherlands 1-0.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final was played at the Soccer City Stadium, in Johannesburg, in South Africa. Who can forget Andres Iniesta’s goal in the ending moments of the match! The match, however, is remembered for a lot of cards (9 in total) being shown by the match referee.

With both the countries vying their first World Cup win, it was Spain who came upon the top as the night ended. Iniesta was declared as the man of the match.

3. Watch FIFA World Cup 2014 Video Highlights: Germany Won Against Argentina 1-0.

The World Cup 2014 final was an exciting contest between the two sides. With both sides evenly poised and aggressive as the match went on. However, it was Mario Gotze who scored a blinder in the ending moments of the match which saw Germany lift their fourth World Cup trophy.

Miroslav Klose (Germany) went past Brazil’s Ronaldo and became the most goal-scorer in the World Cup history with a goal tally of 16 goals. As per official FIFA’s figures, the match was watched by 1.03 billion individuals globally, which saw it become one of the most watched sporting events in the history!

The 2018 World Cup in Russia is only three days away and one cannot wait to see their favourite players in action. It will Russia vs Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener as they will play the first match on June 14. Which team will it be this time? Do let us know in the comments section below.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 11, 2018 11:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).