With the European Championship and Copa America finals taking place this weekend, we take a trip down memory lane and relive some iconic past fixtures.
Here are NetBet’s picks for the five best international finals of the 21st century.
Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 on penalties) – 2022 World Cup
Let us start with a match fresh in the memory, with this Qatar showpiece now regarded as arguably the greatest World Cup final in history.
Goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria had Argentina cruising to a 2-0 victory – but then Kylian Mbappe decided to show up.
A quickfire brace from the France striker in the second half sent the game to extra-time, where the drama levels increased tenfold.
Messi thought he had won it with a tap-in from open play but a late handball from Gonzalo Montiel presented Mbappe with the chance to equalise from the spot, a chance he took.
Both Messi and Mbappe converted their penalties in the shootout but misses from Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni saw Argentina claim victory, with Montiel scoring the crucial spot kick to make up for his earlier error.
Argentina 2-2 Brazil (2-4 on penalties) – 2004 Copa America
Perhaps the most entertaining meeting between these two great South American rivals since the turn of the millennium.
Argentina looked on course for a famous win after Cesar Delgado put them 2-1 ahead in the 87th minute but that was just the start of the chaos.
Adriano equalised for Brazil in the third minute of stoppage time, paving the way for a tense period of extra-time.
The two sides could not be separated in the additional 30 minutes but Brazil then claimed dominance in the resulting shootout.
Penalty misses from Gabriel Heinze and Andres D’Alessandro allowed ex-Roma defender Juan to step and convert the winning spot kick, sparking scenes of pandemonium in Lima.
France 2-1 Italy (after Golden Goal in extra-time) – Euro 2000
The first European Championship final in the new millennium was pretty darn spectacular and it is a night in Rotterdam the French will never, ever forget.
Marco Delvecchio looked to have downed France with a 55th-minute goal, only for Les Bleus to bounce back in dramatic style.
Sylvain Wiltord equalised in the fourth minute of injury time, a goal which sent the game to extra-time with the added pressure of the now deceased Golden Goal rule.
First goal wins in an international final? Absolute scenes and it was David Trezeguet who landed the decisive blow with a sensational half volley after a cutback from Robert Pires.
Entertainment of the highest order! Well, unless you are from Italy…
Portugal 0-1 Greece – Euro 2004
Okay, this was actually far from the most exciting of finals, as the scoreline above suggests. However, it does represent the end of one of the greatest underdog stories ever told in football, so it makes the cut for that sole reason.
No one gave Greece even the smallest chance of victory ahead of the tournament but they defied all the odds to claim a maiden Euros crown.
The Greeks defeated France and the Czech Republic in the quarters and semis, winning each match 1-0.
And they repeated the exact same feat in the final against the host nation thanks to a 57th-minute goal from Angelos Charisteas, which was their only shot on target while having just 42% possession.
The international equivalent of Leicester winning the Premier League, incredible stuff really.
Nigeria 2-2 Cameroon (3-4 on penalties) – 2000 Africa Cup of Nations
We end with the first AFCON final of the 21st century – and what a game it was.
Legendary African footballers in Samuel Eto’o and Jay-Jay Okocha were on the scoresheet, with Nigeria coming from 2-0 down to level proceedings in the 47th minute.
But the Super Eagles could not fully complete the comeback in front of their own fans and they then slipped up in the dreaded shootout.
Consecutive misses from Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba proved fatal as Rigobert Song stepped up to seal the win for Cameroon.
It was a match which really ramped up the rivalry between the two nations and the intensity has only increased in the years since.
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