5. Ronaldo
JASPER JUINEN/AP/Press Association ImagesThe finest Brazil player of the 21st century, Ronaldo's career may have had some ups and downs through injury, fluctuating weight and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the 1998 World Cup Final, but it was much more full of success, goals and glory that saw the star striker truly earn the nickname "The Phenomenon". As a 17 year old the young Ronaldo was an unused sub when Brazil won the 1994 World Cup, but he would not be on the sidelines of success for long. After the tournament he moved to PSV Eindhoven, scored 54 times in 57 games in two years and moved to Barcelona where he won the European Golden Shoe for Europe's top scoring striker after 47 goals in 49 games. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1996, 1997 and again in 2002 and the Ballon d'Or in 1997 and 2002. The star player going into the 1998 tournament, Ronaldo was the best player in the competition right up to the final, with 4 goals and 3 assists before the strange circumstances and disastrous performance of the final. Four years later he returned to fitness just at the right time, scoring 8 goals (the most of any player in a single World Cup since 1970) as Brazil won the title. He won the 1998 Golden Ball and the runner up award, the Silver Ball, in 2002. Even with Miroslav Klose's goal last week, Ronaldo remains the joint highest World Cup scorer of all time with 15 goals.
4. Didi
AP/Press Association ImagesAfter the disappointments of 1938 and, in particular, 1950, Brazil were finally crowned World Champions in 1958 and the star was a young man from Rio whose leg had very nearly been amputated from an infection as a teenager: Waldyr Pereira, better known as Didi. While a teenage Pele emerged as the player to watch in future, it was this technically accomplished, driven creative midfielder who made the victory happen. Another star of the great Botafogo team of the 1950s, Didi won the Rio state championship before a post-World Cup move to Real Madrid. Rivalry with club icon Alfredo di Stefano limited his playing time there, but Didi still played an essential part in the last two of Real's run of five back to back European Cup wins. A return to Botafogo and more state titles followed. After impressing in the group stage of the 1954 World Cup, Didi played a part in the bad tempered brawl against Hungary known as The Battle of Berne. In 1958 he returned to win the Golden Ball as player of the tournament and played a central part in Brazil's successful defence of the title in 1962. He was named at 19, the fourth Brazilian, on FIFA's Player of the Century list.