Franklin, who was 41 years and 184 days in 2012, is the oldest player to appear in the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ final. The goalkeeper marked the occasion by telling his coach PC de Oliveira, with whom he was at loggerheads, that he was substituting himself on and duly headlined Brazil’s penalty-shootout victory.
20.7 seconds was all the 2012 decider was from going to penalties when Neto scored the wonder goal that snatched Brazil the trophy. Spain had been three minutes away from triumphing in normal time when Falcao, playing through the pain of facial paralysis, sent the contest to extra-time.
Portugal pivot Zicky, who was 20 years and 32 days in 2021, is the youngest player to appear in the fixture. He is followed by Russia’s Artem Niiazov (20 years & 63 days in 1996) and Fininho of Brazil (20 years & 138 days in 1992).
Brazil’s 6-4 win over Spain in 1996 is the FIFA Futsal World Cup’s highest-scoring final. Russia 4-5 Argentina from 2016 is next.
Eight nations have appeared in the final: Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain and USA. Brazil are set to extend their record number of participations in the showpiece to seven, while Argentina will take their tally to three. Spain, with five – all in successive editions – are the only other team to have played in more than one.
Manoel Tobias and Eder Lima hold the record for goals in the final: three. The Brazil legend is the only man to score in three different deciders (1992, 1996 and 2000), while the Russia pivot netted a hat-trick in defeat to Argentina in 2016. Jorginho (1992), Danilo (1996), Vicentin (1996), Javi Rodriguez (2000), Torras (2008 & 2012), Neto (2012), Alan Brandi (2016) and Pany Varela (2021) all have two final goals to their name.
Three teams have come from behind to win the final – all from just a goal. Spain beat Brazil 4-3 from 3-2 down in 2000, Brazil beat Spain 3-2 from 2-1 down in 2012, and Argentina beat Russia 5-4 from 1-0 down in 2016.
Brazil’s 4-1 victory over USA in 1992 remains the record victory in the decider. It hasn’t been won by more than a one-goal margin in 28 years.
One man has become a world champion at football and futsal. Adilio helped a Zico-inspired Flamengo sink Liverpool 3-0 in the 1981 Intercontinental Cup, before playing in Brazil’s 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the FIFA Futsal World Cup final in 1989. Jeff Agoos, Fernando Clavijo and Mike Windischmann, who represented USA in the Hong Kong 1992 decider, also appeared in the FIFA World Cup.
No team has kept a clean sheet in the final. Spain came the closest in 2004, only for Sandro Zanetti to get what proved to be a consolation for Italy with 32 seconds remaining.
