It’s been an exciting month so far, with two world champions visiting the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich in October. Anja Mittag, 2007 Women’s World Cup Winner with Germany, and Kaká, 2002 Brazilian World Champion, enjoyed being reunited with their respective FIFA World Cup Trophies.
Anja Mittag visited the museum on her way back to Germany from a FIFA event in Zurich. In her 13-year national team career, the striker played 158 international games and scored 50 goals. As well as winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2007, she has also been European champion three times with the German national team and won both Gold and Broze medals at the Olympics. At club level, she won several German and Swedish championships and cup titles and is still the record scorer in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
During her visit to the FIFA Museum, Mittag was particularly pleased to rediscover some of her former team-mates' personal belongings in the various World Cup showcases during her tour of the museum. Including a hat of Nadine Angerer, who did not concede a single goal throughout the 2007 Women’s World Cup.
A few days later, the men's FIFA World Cup Trophy was also hoisted by a former champion. Kaká won the tournament in 2002 in with Ronaldo leading him and his Brazilian team-mates to victory in South Korea and Japan.
He was visibly moved when, years after winning the title, he received the trophy in his hand once again from museum director Marco Fazzone. In his enthusiasm, he did not want to give the trophy back and carried it through the museum throughout the tour of the FIFA World Cup Gallery.
For Kaká, whose real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, the 2002 FIFA World Cup title was the greatest success as a national team player, however as a club player - 2007 was his highlight year. He not only led AC Milan to victory in the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup, but was also named Europe's Footballer of the Year and World Player of the Year. Later, the attacking midfielder also won La Liga and Copa Del Rey with Real Madrid.