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 2010, silver in 2002 and gold in 2014), joining a club with earlier German players like Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Wolfgang Overath (1966–1974), as well as Italian Franco Baresi (1982–1994). According to FIFA, 1.013 billion individuals globally watched the final match of this tournament. The two teams had met in 20 previous matches, with nine wins for Argentina, six wins for Germany and five draws. In these games, both teams had scored a total of 28 goals. Six of these matches were at a World Cup, two of them in the final. The 2014 final was the seventh World