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From fan to champion: Five underdogs who became World Cup legends
From forgotten substitutes to retired veterans, these unlikely World Cup heroes defied the odds and etched their names into football’s richest folklore
- PUBLISHED: Wed 3 Jun 2026, 9:36 PM UPDATED: Thu 4 Jun 2026, 1:53 PM
The World Cup doesn’t just inspire heroes to earn a place in the pantheon of immortals, but it also allows the underdogs to script soul-stirring stories.
While the tears and joys of Pele, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) and Lionel Messi are now woven into the fabric of football history, a few unlikely heroes made stories of their own, showing incredible courage against all odds.
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Now as the countdown to the 2026 edition of the sporting spectacle continues, let’s celebrate the players who became the unlikely heroes of the World Cup.
FIVE: Toto Schillaci (Italy, 1990 World Cup)
In the football-obsessed Italy, Toto Schillaci could walk on the streets without people even recognising him. The journeyman striker was languishing in the second division of the Italian league with Messina in the late 1980s. In 1989, a year before Italy hosted the World Cup, Schillaci moved to Juventus, one of the giants of European club football. He scored 15 goals for the Old Lady in Serie A in his first season, which eventually earned him his first Italian cap. Still, nobody expected him to be the star of the World Cup campaign on home soil for the star-studded Italian team. But Schillaci found the form of his life at Italia 1990 — scoring six goals and winning the Golden Boot for being the top-scorer. Remarkably, he was also named the player of the tournament ahead of Germany’s Lothar Matthäus and Argentinian magician Diego Maradona. Italy failed to win the tournament, losing to Argentina on penalties in the semifinals. But Schillaci, who was not even a household name in Italy before the tournament, became a global superstar.
FOUR: Geoff Hurst (England, 1966 World Cup)
The only surviving member of England’s 1966 team that won the country’s only World Cup, Hurst was not among the absolute elite players in club football. The striker earned his first England cap only a few months before the start of the 1966 World Cup. Nevertheless, he found himself in the squad for the big tournament. But he remained a squad player, with Jimmy Greaves, one of England’s greatest players of all time, starting as the front man. It wasn’t until the knockout stages that Hurst got a chance to start. An injury suffered by Greaves opened the door for Hurst, who scored the only goal in the quarterfinal against Argentina in what was one of the most brutally physical games of all time. Hurst came up with another solid performance in the semifinal against Eusebio-inspired Portugal, delivering an assist in a memorable 2-1 win. Greaves was fit for the final, but Hurst was allowed to start against West Germany. That turned out to be the greatest moment in England’s football history as Hurst scored a hat-trick in a stunning 4-2 win over the Germans at Wembley. This remains England’s only World Cup triumph, which could not have happened without a player who didn’t even feature in the starting eleven at the start of the tournament.
THREE: Emiliano Martinez (Argentina, 2022 World Cup)
Emiliano Martinez moved from one club to another in Europe without ever coming close to becoming a first-choice goalkeeper. His failure to become a starter at club level also hurt his chance of breaking into the Argentina national team. Putting the disappointments aside, the tall goalkeeper went to the Russia World Cup in 2018 — not as an Argentina player. He was in the stands as a fan in every Argentina match alongside his brother. He remained a mere spectator as Argentina suffered a humiliating second-round exit in Russia. Following the World Cup disaster, Argentina were looking for a solid goalkeeper. And Lady Luck finally smiled on Martinez as he made a move to Aston Villa. The English Premier League club offered him a starting role, and Martinez went on to deliver some outstanding performances. Then in 2021, barely 18 months before the Qatar World Cup, Martinez earned his first Argentina cap and played a big role as the team ended their major trophy drought by winning the Copa America title. However, he saved his best for the biggest tournament. Martinez was immense at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, pulling off incredible saves in open play and penalties as Argentina went on to win their third World Cup after a gap of 36 years. When the final against France was tied at 3-3 until the dying seconds of extra-time, Martinez rescued Argentina with a stunning save, denying an unmarked Kolo Muani a clear opportunity to score. That save in the penalty box with his left leg has now become a part of the World Cup folklore as Argentina went on to win the final on penalties with Martinez completing a fairytale turnaround in his life — from a World Cup fan in Russia to his country's messiah in Qatar.
TWO: Paolo Rossi (Italy, 1982 World Cup)
Paolo Rossi, a talented striker, was a man everyone loved to hate in Italy. The reason was simple. Rossi was found guilty in a match-fixing investigation, which led to his two-year ban from the game. As Italy prepared for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Rossi had just completed his two-year suspension. But he was in no condition to play a tournament as big as the World Cup. The Italians still took a chance by picking him in the squad. Rossi's lack of fitness and form meant he was unable to score a single goal in the first four matches. But as the tournament progressed to the second stage, Rossi exploded, causing one of the biggest upsets in football history. Italy knocked out Brazil of Zico, Socrates, Falcao, and Júnior — the overwhelming favourites for the title — on the back of a stunning hat-trick from Rossi. He followed his Brazil heroics with two more goals in the semifinal against Poland and scored the first goal in Italy’s 3-1 victory over West Germany in the final. With six goals in the tournament, after failing to score in the first four matches, Rossi was named the player of the tournament. He also won the 1982 Ballon d’Or for his World Cup exploits. From an Italian villain, Rossi, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 64, became a global hero. But to this day, he has remained a villain in Brazil, where he was once asked to get out of a taxi after the driver recognised him. The Brazilians still have not forgiven him for crushing the World Cup dreams of one of their greatest teams of all time.
ONE: Roger Milla (Cameroon, 1990 World Cup)
Cameroon striker Roger Milla was already 30 when he made his World Cup debut in 1982. Cameroon and Milla didn’t produce any outstanding football in that tournament. A prolific striker at club level, Milla decided to retire in 1988. But as the country prepared for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, having qualified for the tournament, Milla was content with his retired life. All he wanted to do was to watch the World Cup from the comfort of his living room. It was then that he received a phone call from the Cameroon president who pleaded with him to come out of retirement and play for the national team in Italy. Unable to say no to the president, Milla announced his return and boarded the flight to Italy. The Milla-inspired Cameroon stunned Diego Maradona’s Argentina in the opening match of the tournament, sending shock waves across the world. Cameroon declared a National Holiday after the historic win over the defending world champions. But that was only the start of the celebrations as Cameroon went on to become the first African team to reach the World Cup quarterfinals with Milla scoring four goals. He celebrated each of those goals by dancing around the corner flag, which became the most iconic moment of the 1990 World Cup. Four years later in the US, Milla was 42 when he became the oldest player to score a goal at a World Cup — a record that still has not been broken.
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.