Brazil and Germany winning matches is a familiar World Cup story. But Brazil meeting Germany in the World Cup - that's strictly fantasy.
Pele vs Franz Beckenbauer, Socrates vs Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Romario vs Lothar Matthaeus?
It's the World Cup's phantom match - it's never happened and it's become one of the great curiosities in soccer history.
The two teams have played more matches in the finals than any other teams (Brazil 83, Germany 82) but, like two ships passing in the night, four-time winners Brazil and three-time champions Germany seem destined to be kept apart.
The draw has once again conspired to prevent a first meeting at this tournament. It can only happen if both reach the final in Yokohama on June 30.
They have been close a number of times. In 1958 a Brazil vs West Germany final seemed on the cards before hosts Sweden upset the Germans in the semi-finals.
Twelve years later in Mexico, it again looked to be a Brazil vs West Germany final when Gerd Mueller put the Germans 2-1 up in extra time of the semi-final with Italy. But the Italians fought back memorably to win 4-3.
In 1974, both countries looked set to end up in the same second round group. But West Germany astonishingly lost their final first round group game to neighbours East Germany and ended up in a different section.
Brazil did at least play the East Germans that year and beat them 1-0, the nearest they have come to meeting a full German team in the World Cup.
Champions' clashes
Only seven countries have won the World Cup - Argentina, England, France, Italy and Uruguay are the others - and there have been World Cup meetings between all of them, except for the phantom Brazil vs Germany fixture.
In fact, all of them have met at least twice apart from England vs Italy and France vs Uruguay, which has only cropped up once in each case.
Argentina, who played and lost to England in Japan a few days ago, have met the English five times in the World Cup and also met Italy in five consecutive finals tournaments. They have played Brazil four times too.
In total they have played 22 World Cup matches against the six other World Cup winners. Italy have played 21 such fixtures and Germany have been involved in 18, one more than Brazil.
So can it be Ronaldo vs Michael Ballack this time? You would not want to bet your house on it.