The 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea – the best tournament ever?

Many football fans still think back fondly to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was a great success both on and off the pitch, with some huge upsets and more than-deserved winners. Join us as we head back to 2002!

The tournament was hosted by Japan and South Korea, two countries that welcomed the world with open arms and, for the most part, built brand-new stadiums for the occasion.

Defending champion France had the honour of opening the tournament against Senegal. Thierry Henry and his countrymen started poorly as the Africans won 0–1 thanks to a goal from Papa Boupa Diop.

France was eventually eliminated in the first round, but that was not the only major football country to had to go home befor we even entered the knock-out stage.

Portugal, Argentina and Croatia, too, all had to pack their bags after the group stage.

Host Japan played an excellent opening round and qualified as group winners for the round of 16, ahead of second-placed Belgium in Group H.

Co-host South Korea, too, went through to the knock-out phase together with the US, upsetting and eliminating Portugal and Poland in Group D.

The Japanese story eventually ended in the round of 16, against a strong USA side.

The USA was one of the surprises of the tournament, under the guidance of a strong Landon Donovan. But do you remember who the other surprises were?

Senegal, with stars like El Hadji Diouf and Kaililou Fadiga in its ranks, took their good form into the round of 16 and eliminated Sweden for a place in the quarter-finals thanks to a golden goal from Henri Camara. Their story ended there, however, as they were beaten 0-1 by a surprisingly strong Turkey after extra time.

Turkey played its best-ever World Cup in 2002 and advanced to the semi-finals, where Brazil beat them 1–0 thanks to a Ronaldo goal.

A round earlier, the United States were also beaten by the Germans, with a goal from star midfielder Michael Ballack.

Meanwhile, host South Korea surprised the world by beating Italy in the round of 16 and Spain in the quarter-finals, making it to the semi-finals for the first time ever. This match was mired in controversy as it featured two disallowed Spanish goals that FIFA later determined should have stood. It remains one of the most contentious World Cup games to this day. South Korea would be sent home soon in the semis as Michael Ballack sealed Germany's place in the final.

Ballack played an important role for Germany, balancing the team both offensively and defensively, and scoring important goals. Between the posts, 'Die Mannschaft' could rely on arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at the time, Oliver Kahn.

But they weren't the only stars of the 2002 FIFA World Cup – in fact, this was a breakout event for some now legendary players!

Brazil could count on Roberto Carlos, a young Ronaldinho - who led the 'Canary Team' past England with a legendary free kick - and many other big names. Ronaldo, however, was the South Americans's biggest star, with no fewer than eight goals during the tournament.

One row down, it was Rivaldo who entertained the world with outstanding passing and fabulous technical skills, while also scoring some very important goals, such as Brazil's equalizer against the Three Lions.

Other players who performed at their top level and deserve to be mentioned include Hasan Sas (Turkey), Hong Myung-bo (South Korea), Landon Donovan (USA), Sol Campbell and El Hadji Diouf (Senegal), amongst other players.

After the semi-finals, only the match for third place and the final were left. The bronze medal went to Turkey, who defeated South Korea 2–3 in an entertaining match.

Shortly after, the world was preparing for the final, which was played between Germany and Brazil, two absolute international football giants.

The first half ended 0-0 in Yokohama's International Stadium, but after the break the Germans saw the world title slipping away as Oliver Kahn made a famous mistake, which allowed Ronaldo to score his seventh goal of the tournament.

That was the cue for Ronaldo to seal the Brazilian deal after a superb strike and score his eighth of the tournament: 0-2.

The Germans did not recover from that blow, after which Brazil took home the coveted trophy, the fifth and final world title for the South Americans, which was celebrated well into the Japanese night.

This concluded the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which is still remembered by many and very often dubbed 'the best World Cup ever'. Can you think of a better one?