Cristiano Ronaldo won a special young player award and Pele was honoured with the FIFPro legend award.
Zidane, who headed two goals in the 1998 final, became the fourth player to score three times in finals after Brazilian duo Vava and Pele and England's Geoff Hurst, who got a hat-trick in the 1966 final.
Representing the football world will be several African greats, among them Liberia's George Weah, Cameroonians Roger Milla and Abedi Pele of Ghana.
BBC: SPORT | Football | African | Stars in Germany for 2010 party
After being elected in 1994, he formally pronounced it to be false, while taking modest steps towards making it real: he set up an advisory council on race issues, and appointed Pele, a legendary footballer, as probably Brazil's first black minister.
As continental champions in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982 and with Ghanaian legends including three-times African footballer of the year Abedi Pele and former Eintracht Frankfurt and Leeds United star Anthony Yeboah both rated in their time among the world's best players, Milla knew Ghana had the qualities to match some of the world's best.
Eto'o's fourth African crown takes him past other three-time winners Abedi Pele and George Weah.
Most of the people insisted that Pele and Maradona were above Messi and far above all others.
The Cosmos, a former powerhouse which once boasted Pele and Franz Beckenbauer as players, folded in 1985 but relaunched last August.
Pele and the Cosmos played on painted dirt on Randall's Island.
He lists meeting Brazilian legend Pele and being elected to FIFA as his "fondest football memory" and is also a supporter of English Premier League giants Liverpool.
"When you walked through the press centres at the World Cups everyone knew him, people like Pele and Bobby Charlton he was on first name terms with them, " he said.
In one of his first games for the club, Eusebio scored a hat-trick against Santos, a side that included Brazilian star Pele, and confirmed his status as one of Europe's most lethal strikers.
Maradona's second goal of that match, a waltzing solo from inside his own half, confirmed him as football's greatest talent since Pele, and not even a West German fightback from two goals down in the final could prevent Argentina being crowned champions as 3-2 winners.
And while the likes of Zimbabwe's Bruce Grobbelaar (Liverpool), Ghana's Abedi Pele (Marseille) and compatriot Sammy Kuffuor (Bayern Munich) all contested two European Cup finals, they only ever managed to win one title apiece.
He told them Edgar Martinez was the toughest hitter he ever faced, and he grew up worshipping Pele, the Brazilian soccer legend.
So, the chance to do what Pele could not and break soccer in the States or one last tilt at silverware with the national team?
Pele was injured and did not play in that game, meaning the pair of them never finished on the losing team together in yellow and blue.
He has rollers in Havana make him cigars with Pele de Oro tobacco and, in the 50-odd trips he's taken to Cuba since that drive in the country, he's ordered more and more and has had bands made for them bearing his name.
Even for footballing greats such as Pele, Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane, the tournament may arrive only once or twice at the peak of a player's talents, making legends of those whose careers have the good fortune to coincide with World Cup success.
It shows the authorities kept watch over Pele's personal, sporting and financial activities.
And, back then, the NASL didn't just bring in foreign superstars but also bought numerous seasoned pros from overseas to support Pele, Cruyff, Chinaglia, Best and Beckenbauer.
CNN: Comment: Beckham deal 'wake-up call' for U.S. soccer league
The Cosmos fielded a line-up that included Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and a host of other legends who, though no longer in their prime, were still highly entertaining.
Just last month, Pele described him as "much better" and "more complete" than Messi.
Unidentified Announcer (CBS): Pele is the most famous player in the history of soccer, and today...
NPR: Summary Judgment: 'A Scanner Darkly,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' 'Once in a Lifetime'
The released files show that the authorities kept a tab on Pele's activities in the 1970s, including his financial records and investigating alleged attacks on his home in the city of Santos.
应用推荐