The World Cup is the pinnacle of international football.
As such, it's never been a tournament in which the minnows of the global game have fared well.
Come the business end of proceedings, the world's top-ranked nations have dominated - and it's widely anticipated that the same will be true when the winners of the 2022 World Cup are crowned at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar on December 18.
Across the 21 tournaments held in history, just eight nations have earned the right to call themselves world champions.
Among those players that are fortunate enough to have a World Cup winner's medal on their mantlepiece, though, are a few surprising names.
Realistically, some were only selected to be squad players, while others were carried to glory by superior teammates.
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Below, we've put together a full XI of players that we still can't believe won the World Cup.
The 'we can't believe they won the World Cup' XI
GK: Felix (Brazil - 1970)
Once described by former Arsenal and Scotland shot-stopper Bob Wilson as "the most incompetent goalkeeper ever to win a World Cup medal," Felix Mielli Venerando won the World Cup as part of a side that included some spectacular talent, including Pele, Jairzinho and Rivelino.
"He was born lucky to play in a side which, if he let in three goals, had the talent to go up the other end and score four," said Wilson of the former Selecao 'keeper, who was an ever-present at the tournament.
CB: Polga (Brazil - 2002)
One of several inclusions from Brazil's victorious 2002 squad - which certainly turned out to be something of a mixed bag!
Polga played a full 90 minutes in two of Brazil's group games but never featured again in the tournament.
His international career would end in 2003, with the defender earning just 11 caps in total.
CB: Shkodran Mustafi (Germany - 2014)
Mustafi was hardly a central figure in Germany's 2014 triumph. However, his performances in Brazil were enough to earn him a move from Sampdoria to Valencia.
Two years later, Arsenal took a £35m punt on the player. Unfortunately, he looked anything but world-class for much of his time at the Emirates.
The Gunners terminated Mustafi's contract in February 2021, meaning they didn't recoup a penny for him.
Mustafi lifts the 2014 World Cup
CB: Roque Junior (Brazil - 2002)
A key member of Brazil's 2002 backline, Roque Junior makes this XI based on how severely his career declined after raising the World Cup.
Perhaps realising that the centre-back was past his best, AC Milan sent him on loan to the Premier League with Leeds United in 2003.
Elland Road was abuzz with excitement at the prospect of seeing a World Cup winner line up for the Whites. However, that feeling of positivity didn't last long.
Across his seven appearances for Leeds, the team conceded 25 goals.
He's still remembered as one of the worst defenders ever to play for the Yorkshire outfit to this day.
LEEDS, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Jose Roque Junior of Leeds scores the first goal during the Carling Cup, third round match between Leeds United and Manchester United at Elland Road on October 28, 2003 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
CM: Aldo Donati (Italy - 1938)
Officially recognised as a World Cup winner due to his status as a reserve player at the 1938 tournament. He never played a second of international football for the Azzurri.
CM: Simone Barone (Italy - 2006)
Included in Italy's squad as a utility player who could offer cover in a variety of positions.
Barone made two cameo appearances off the bench in Germany. He never represented his country again after the end of 2006.
CM: Kleberson (Brazil - 2002)
Kleberson was an ever-present for Brazil in the knockout phases of the 2002 World Cup, even notching an assist in the final.
A move to Manchester United followed in the summer of 2003, with the young midfielder arriving at Old Trafford at the same time as a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
While Ronaldo when on to establish himself as one of the best to ever play the game, Kleberson floundered.
He made just 20 Premier League appearances for United, before embarking on a nomadic career that ended in 2016.
MANCHESTER - NOVEMBER 22: Kleberson of Manchester United strikes the ball during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on November 22, 2003 in Manchester, England. Manchester United won the match 2-1. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
RW: Bernard Diomede (France - 1998)
Winger Diomede played three games for France in 1998. His second-round appearance against Paraguay, though, marked his final international cap.
Two years after lifting the World Cup, he moved to the Premier League with Liverpool.
Diomede spent three years at Anfield but played just five times. He retired a couple of years later, aged only 31.
22 Jul 2000: Bernard Diomede of Liverpool in action during a pre-season friendly match against Stoke City at the Brittania Stadium in Stoke, England. Stoke City won the match 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill /Allsport
LW: Junior (Brazil - 2002)
A left-sided squad player who had the unenviable task of competing with the legendary Roberto Carlos, Junior played just one game in the 2002 World Cup.
To his credit, Junior did score in that match - a 5-2 victory over Costa Rica - but wasn't called upon again by Luiz Felipe Scolari.
In total, Junior featured just 19 times for the Selecao. He never added to his sole World Cup goal.
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ST: Luizao (Brazil - 2002)
In a squad that included some serious attacking quality, including Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Kaka, Luizao was never likely to get much of a chance.
So it proved. The frontman played a total of just 39 minutes from the bench in Japan.
He struggled for goals at club level after the tournament too, never managing more than five goals in a season.
Shocking World Cup winners XI
ST: Stephane Guivarc'h (France - 1998)
Guivarc'h wore the number nine shirt for Les Bleus at their home World Cup in 1998, featuring in all but one of their fixtures as a lone striker, including the final.
He never found the back of the net during the tournament. However, Newcastle had seen enough to bring Guivarc'h to the Premier League from Auxerre in a £3.6m deal.
His brief stint on Tyneside was not a success. He made just four appearances, scoring once.
Following a top-flight career that lasted just 224 minutes, Guivarc'h was named the worst striker in Premier League history by the Daily Mail in 2014.
19 Sep 1998: Stephane Guivarc''h of Newcastle in action during the FA Carling Premiership match against Coventry at Highfield Road in Coventry, England. Newcastle won the game 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill /Allsport