2014 FIFA World Cup Final best player (Lionel Messi) versus the world's best team (Germany). Before the match, Germany had reached the World Cup final seven times (six times as West Germany from 1954 to 1990), winning three (1954, 1974, 1990) and being runners-up four times (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002); Argentina had reached four finals, winning twice (1978, 1986) and placing second twice (1930, 1990). The result marked Germany's fourth World Cup title and their first World championship as a unified nation. The victory meant that three consecutive World Cups have been won by teams from the same continent, following Italy and Spain in 2006
2014 FIFA World Cup Final meeting 4–2. Among the players in the 2014 World Cup squads, the following played in the 2006 and 2010 meetings: Klose scored one goal in the 2006 meeting and two goals in the 2010 meeting, while Müller scored one goal in the 2010 meeting. Germany manager Joachim Löw was the assistant manager in 2006 and the manager in 2010. The match ball for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, announced on 29 May 2014, featured a variation of the Adidas Brazuca named the "Adidas Brazuca Final Rio". Whilst the technical aspects of the ball were the same, the design was