FIFA.com: You played in three FIFA World Cups, 1986, 1990 and 1994. What are your memories of these tournaments and what do these FIFA World Cups mean for you?
Rudi Voller: Taking part in the World Cup is the ultimate achievement for any footballer. Of course, that's partly because the World Cup is only held every four years, that's why it's a real highlight. However successful you might have been at club level, the World Cup is the best of all. And if you're lucky enough to win a World Cup with a good team, holding that trophy in your hands is the best thing there is. It's just an unforgettable feeling.

What was your best match, your highlight at a FIFA World Cup?
Most of the time, I played as a striker so the highlights were the games when you scored goals. In 1994, I scored twice in a 3-2 win against Belgium in the last 16 and we went on to the quarter-finals. That was a very good team display, and I had a good game too. That was my personal highlight.

Apart from winning the title what was your most memorable experience at a FIFA World Cup?
Personally, I was fortunate that the 1990 World Cup was held in Italy. I was playing in Italy for Roma at the time, and I was also fortunate that the World Cup Final was held at AS Roma's stadium, where I'd already been playing for three years. Ultimately winning the World Cup in that stadium was like something out of the movies! I can't think of a better way of describing it.

It was a fantastic feeling being in your home city, and in your home stadium. Luck also favoured us in that we were virtually the home team in the Final. Our opponents Argentina had knocked out Italy in the semi-final, so all the Italians at the ground wanted us to win. It was like a home game, and for that reason it was a fair certainty we would win.

Who were the hardest opponents, and who was the best individual you ever faced?
It's hard to say.

Who gave you the most difficult time?
There were always teams or countries we found especially hard to play. They had a history of doing well at the World Cup and we had our problems against them. There were the Dutch, and England in the 1990 semi-final. And it was always an incredible struggle against the French, although we usually managed to beat them in the end. Those matches were always real highlights.

What were your overall feelings about the 1990 tournament in Italy?
In 1990, we had the good fortune to play five successive matches in Milan. The rules were changed after that, and from 1994, you didn't play at the same ground as often. Now, all your games take place in different cities. We played all three group matches at the San Siro stadium in Milan, as well as our Round of 16 tie and the quarter-final. It was like playing every game at home. It wasn't far for German fans to travel over the Brenner Pass for our games. The opportunity to play in a stadium like that was amazing. The transfer to the stadium was always a great event, and when we left after the match the streets were full of people celebrating, with a sea of flags and horns blaring. It was fantastic!

Were there many Germans there?
Oh yes, there were lots of Germans there.

What would you say was the key match that shaped the outcome of the tournament?
The very first game against Yugoslavia was definitely an important game. They had a very, very strong team. We had tremendous respect for them, we were even a little bit afraid that it could all go wrong. Then we put in a fantastic performance, winning 4-1. Only then did we really believe in ourselves, and we told ourselves that if we can beat Yugoslavia like that, we can go a long way in this tournament. And that's what happened.

So that was the most important match in the competition?
No, the most important match was the last-16 meeting with the Dutch. We could easily have gone behind early on. We rode our luck and succeeded in beating a great team. Unfortunately, it was a last-16 tie. The tournament was organised in a different way back then. The Dutch were only third in their group and only qualified as one of the best third-placed teams. We were first in our group, so we came up against Holland in the last 16. That was a bit too early.

It was a memorable game for you because of your contretemps with Rijkaard. What did you think at the moment when you saw the red card?
The worst thing for me personally was being spat at. It's not exactly what anyone wants to happen to them at the World Cup. But it wasn't the worst thing overall - that was the red card I was shown. Obviously, the ref's idea was to send Frank Rijkaard and me off and cool the game down a bit, but it was just so unfair. I don't know to this day why I was sent from the field. Just think about it for a moment: you get spat at and then sent off.

I had managed to maintain my self-control and was rather proud that I hadn't lost my temper. You could ask the ref today, and I think he still wouldn't be able to explain the decision. Of course, that's something you forget very quickly when you win the World Cup, but it did knock me out of my stride to a certain extent. I had had a very good first round, was the top goalscorer and then of course I was banned for a match. So I couldn't play against the Czechs in the quarter-final. That's probably why I wasn't the top scorer at the end. It's easy enough to deal with when you've won the World Cup, but I've never forgiven that referee. I haven't got anything against the Dutch, or Rijkaard. The problem was the referee: to this day, I've never understood why he sent me off.

And there's nothing you can do about it!
No, you can't do anything about it.

And you were banned for one match.
There was an appeal and I had to appear in front of a committee in Rome. At the time, TV footage wasn't allowed as evidence. My appeal was rejected and I was banned for a match.

So what was your personal highlight at the 1990 FIFA World Cup?
The Final was my highlight. It was the feeling as we travelled to the stadium in Rome, a ground I knew very well from my time with AS Roma, as I'd played there for three years. We entered the stadium, the stands filled up, the atmosphere in and around the ground was terrific, and especially so when you're out on the pitch yearning for the final whistle. We had two players more than them by this time, as two of the Argentine players had been sent off. It was fundamentally clear we were going to win - we had the game comfortably under control. In the last five, six or seven minutes, we kept possession and just played it round in circles. Then the final whistle came and it was a wonderful, wonderful feeling.

At what point did you think you could win the match?
A few days earlier, at our training camp in Elba, we'd watched Italy play Argentina in Naples. Once the Argentines had beaten the hosts Italy, we felt that if we won the semi-final against England the following day we'd go on and win the World Cup. The Argentinians were simply not as strong as they had been four years previously, when they deservedly won the World Cup Final against us. They still had an excellent team in 1986, but they were quite simply no longer as good by 1990. They'd scrambled their way to the World Cup Final, and had a lot of luck in penalty shoot-outs. We knew it would have been very tough against Italy. They had home advantage and they had a very good team. But if we won the semi-final against England, we felt we'd go on and win the World Cup.

Maradona wasn't as good as four years before in Mexico.
Not just Maradona. The team as a whole weren't as good as they'd been four years before. Caniggia was in great form but he was suspended for the Final. Obviously, we were aware Argentina were without their most dangerous player, so we were relatively sure we'd win. The Final was pretty dull, as not very much happened. The Argentinians played a spoiling game with everyone behind the ball, and there were very few opportunities. We had most of the possession, and eventually we made the breakthrough. The biggest risk would have been if Argentina had again managed to keep the game goalless through to the end of extra time, as they'd already won on penalties twice in that tournament, and maybe they'd have had a chance against us in a shoot-out. But we knew that if we somehow managed a goal, we'd win the World Cup.

What did you feel about the penalty? You were fouled and Andreas Brehme scored from the penalty.
I was totally certain Andi would score. Their keeper Goycoechea had developed a bit of a reputation as a penalty expert in previous games. He almost got to the ball, but I was still sure Andi would bury it.

How did you feel when the referee blew the final whistle and you knew you'd won the FIFA World Cup?
You always play a few things through in your mind. We knew we had a team capable of winning the World Cup. Every footballer, every boy dreams of winning the World Cup. Of course, you want to be a professional footballer, to become famous, to win the German championship, but no-one remembers who won the championship four years ago. In Germany, everyone would say Bayern Munich, and you probably wouldn't be far off. But a championship is basically soon forgotten. A World Cup is different, it's forever. If you were on the winning team 30, 40 or 50 years ago, you stay a World Cup winner. It's something no-one can take away from you. German champions and champions in other countries are soon forgotten, but a World Cup win stands for ever. I knew that and all the others knew that at the time.

How was it up on the platform, holding the Trophy for the first time?
It was tremendous of course! It wasn't so much the Cup itself as the feeling: "You've won the World Cup and you'll be a World Cup winner forever." That feeling was really fantastic.

Just stay in your seat for a moment, Mr. Voller.
(Seeing the Trophy) There it is!

Here's the Cup you won a few years ago. What do you feel now? What does seeing it again after all these years mean to you?
It's great of course, but I'm from the generation that still remembers the old World Cup Trophy. In 1974, when I was 14 years old, I had a chance to assess the new one. You got used to it very quickly, and I like it much more than the old one. It's the ultimate feeling, taking it in your hands and enjoying the sensation of being a World Cup winner. We all received a small replica World Cup Trophy from the DFB. I've still got it at home, in my cellar. It's just fantastic.