will have
been plenty of Arsenal fans cheering on Germany on Sunday evening,
attempting to share in the triumph of a World Cup win that seems to edge
further away from England's dreams.
And
rightly so, as the Gunners can now boast more World Cup winners than
any other English club after Germany's dramatic 1-0 victory at the
Maracana.
German
trio Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker doubled Arsenal's
winners' tally to six, overtaking Manchester United and West Ham.
Winners! Arsenal pair Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker celebrate after clinching the World Cup on Sunday
Proud: Lukas Podolski barely played in the tournament but couldn't wait to get his hands on the trophy
Arsenal's other three winners were Cesc Fabregas (Spain, 2010), Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit (both France, 1998).
And
200 miles north of the Emirates, Manchester City fans were looking to
register their first ever World Cup winners, but Argentinian trio Pablo
Zabaleta, Sergio Aguero and Martin Demichelis missed out in extra-time
to Mario Gotze's winner.
Two
European powerhouses lead the way in the overall winners' tally;
Juventus on 22 and Bayern Munich, now on 21, after seven of their stars
took home a medal on Sunday night.
Inter
Milan trail with 18 and Roma continue the Italian dominance with 13,
with the Azzurri having won the World Cup four times - in 1934, 1938,
1982 and 2006 - with heavy Italian-based squads.
When it comes to divisions, Italy and Germany triumph again.
The
Italian league, now seen as behind the Premier League, La Liga and
Bundesliga for entertainment and quality value, boasts 90 World Cup
winners, while the German league has now leapfrogged the Campeonato
Brasileiro Serie A into second with 64.
Keeping it in the family: Patrick Vieria and Emmanuel Petit won the World Cup with France as Gunners
Differing fortunes: Cesc Fabregas won with Spain four years ago but Martin Demichelis was on the losing side
WINNERS FROM ENGLISH LEAGUES (24)
Mesut
Ozil (Arsenal, 2014), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal, 2014), Per Mertesacker
(Arsenal, 2014), Andre Schurrle (Chelsea, 2014), Fernando Torres
(Liverpool, 2010), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, 2010), Juninho
(Middlesbrough, 2002), Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, 1998), Emmanuel Petit
(Arsenal, 1998), Frank Leboeuf (France, 1998), Gordon Banks (Leicester
City, 1966), George Cohen (Fulham 1966), Ray Wilson (Everton, 1966),
Nobby Stiles (Manchester United, 1966), Jack Charlton (Leeds United,
1966), Bobby Moore (West Ham, 1966), Alan Ball (Blackpool, 1966), Jimmy
Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur, 1966), Bobby Charlton (Manchester United,
1966), Geoff Hurst (West Ham, 1966), John Connelly (Manchester United,
1966), Terry Paine (Southampton, 1966), Ian Callaghan (Liverpool, 1966),
Roger Hunt (Liverpool, 1966)
Golden boys: Geoff Hurst (left), Bobby Moore and Martin Peters all won the World Cup while at West Ham
Big men: Blackpool's Alan Ball played for England in 1966 (left) as Moore paraded the trophy at Wembley
LEADING THE WAY - JUVENTUS (22)
Gianluigi
Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Del Piero, Mauro Camoranesi,
Gianluca Zambrotta (all Italy, 2006), Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane
(both France, 1998), Dino Zoff, Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile,
Gaetano Scirea, Marco Tardelli, Paolo Rossi (all Italy, 1982), Alfredo
Foni, Pietro Rava (both Italy, 1938), Luigi Bertolini, Felice Borel,
Gianpiero Combi, Giovanni Ferrari, Luis Monti, Raimundo Orsi, Virginio
Rosetta (all Italy, 1934)
Totting up: The disgraced Paulo Rossi is one of the 24 Juventus players to win a world title (in 1982)
The
English top flight, for all its foreign imports over the past two
decades and more, can only register 24 winners, seventh behind the
Spanish, Uruguayan and Argentinian leagues.
Spanish
failure in major competitions before the turn of the century mean two
of the world's most successful clubs - Barcelona and Real Madrid - have
just 18 winners between them.
West
Ham, forever regarded as the team that won the World Cup for England in
1966, have as many winners associated with them as the likes of United,
Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense and Monaco.
But no club can boast such an impact from just three of their players on a World Cup finals.
Winning
captain Bobby Moore, World Cup final hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst and
final goalscorer Martin Peters were all playing at Upton Park at the
time England beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley, and the three's
achievements are immortalised in a statue outside of the Hammers'
ground.
Fancy feet: Juninho was part of the triumphant Brazil side of 2002 while still playing for Middlesbrough
England's
success has starved since, and with the globalisation of the Premier
League and an increasing preference for club over country, fans can
support other nations if their players are represented elsewhere.
Manchester
United supporters adopted Holland in anticipation of signs of a change
of fortune with manager Louis van Gaal, while Aston Villa fans took some
comfort in seeing Dutchman Ron Vlaar keep the world's best in his
pocket. Even fans of Championship side Charlton had something to cheer
about, with midfielder Reza Ghoochannejhad representing Iran.
It's not the same, but it's something.
But
while some in north London were looking to the continent to claim a
World Cup win of their own on Sunday evening, we'll be hoping the wait
for success on our own shores isn't too far around the corner.
FULL LIST OF WORLD CUP WINNERS BY DIVISIONS
ITALY (90)
Juventus
(22), Inter (18), Roma (13), Milan (8), Fiorentina (5), Palermo (4),
Bologna (4), Lazio, (4), Udinese (2), Triestina (2), Sampdoria (2),
Lucchese (1), Sampdoria (1), Parma (1), Reggiana (1), Napoli (1), Lecce
(1), Cagliari (1)
GERMANY (64)
Bayern
Munich (21), Koln (7), Kaiserslautern (5), Monchengladbach (5),
Eintracht Frankfurt (4), Schalke (3), Borussia Dortmund (3), Leverkusen
(2), Stuttgart (2), Fortuna Dusseldorf (2), Hamburg (2), Werder Bremen
(2), SpVgg Furth (1), Hessen Kassel (1), Rot-Weiss Essen (1), Nuremberg
(1), FSV Frankfurt (1), Koln (1)
BRAZIL (62)
Santos
(11), Botafogo (10), Sao Paulo (8), Palmeiras (6), Corinthians (5),
Cruzeiro (4), Vasco da Gama (4), Flamengo (4), Gremio (3), Fluminense
(3), Bangu (1), Portuguesa (1), Atletico Mineiro (1), Atletico
Paranaense (1)
SPAIN (31)
Barcelona (9), Real Madrid (9), Valencia (5), Deportivo (2), Bilbao (2), Villarreal (1), Sevilla (1), Real Betis (1), Elche (1)
ARGENTINA (30)
River
Plate (8), Independiente (6), Boca Juniors (5), Talleres de Cordoba
(3), Argentinos Juniors (2), Racing Club (2), Newell's Old Boys (1),
Velez Sarsfield (1), Ferro Carril Oeste (1), San Lorenzo (1)
URUGUAY (30)
Penarol
(10), Nacional (10), Cerro (2), Bella Vista (2), Huracan (2), Central
(1), Montevideo Wanderers (1), Rampla Juniors (1), Club Olimpia (1)
ENGLAND (24)
Arsenal
(6), Manchester United (3), West Ham (3), Liverpool (2), Chelsea (2),
Middlesbrough (1), Leicester (1), Fulham (1), Everton (1), Leeds (1),
Blackpool (1), Tottenham Hotspur (1), Southampton (1)
FRANCE (13)
Monaco (3), PSG (2), Marseille (2), Auxerre (2), Bordeaux (1), Nantes (1), Lyon (1), Metz (1)
