World Cup final: 9 steps to nirvana
Saturday, 12 Jul 2014, 11:28 hrs IST

THE GHOST OF 1990: The previous encounter between these two sides ranks as one of the worst matches to have ever graced a final. A 12-year-old Miroslav Klose is one of the few players who would have a vivid memory of the game where Lothar Matthaus's Germans were crowned champions after 1-0 ill-tempered win over Diego Maradona's Argentina. Messi was a mere toddler. Gotze, thankfully, wasn't even born.