The 6 Duds of the 2010 World Cup: Wayne Rooney, Torres, Ronaldo, Nicolas Anelka, Kaka, Thierry Henry
The FIFA World Cup is near its end, with just one match (Spain vs Netherlands) left to decide the champion. During the extravaganza that brought the world together for one month, there were many players who came out of nowhere and ended the tournament as superstars, with Germany’s Thomas Mueller being one of them. There were also those who were expected to do well, and matched expectations, like Spain’s David Villa and Lionel Messi of Argentina. However, the biggest disappointments of the event were the star footballers who forgot their skills as soon as the event was declared open. A look at the top six super flops of the tournament will give you an idea of who couldn’t deliver, and how that mattered!
WAYNE ROONEY, England: England’s Italian coach Fabio Capello believed in Wayne Rooney more than he believed in himself, yet the star forward was the biggest disappointment of the event. He fought with the officials in the practice matches; he sulked when the ball missed his foot and screamed when something went wrong. Yet he didn’t do the one thing that was expected from him, and that was to score a goal. He went into the mega event as a leading contender for the Golden Boot award, yet couldn’t net even once, or prove that he was a worthy contender.
FERNANDO TORRES, Spain: He was the lone striker who led Spain to the Euro 2008, yet he seemed a shadow of his former self in the World Cup. He didn’t start in any of his side’s matches and was sent in to boost the side when usually the match was won. Pundits termed him as a bright prospect ahead of the event, yet he couldn’t live up to the expectations. His talents deserted him just like his hair, and had his shirt not been the same, people might have questioned whether it was the same Torres they knew and believed in. He still has one match to prove his critics wrong, but one battle doesn’t win a war. Even if Fernando Torres returns to form, it will be too late.
CRISTIANO RONALDO, Portugal: The FIFA Footballer of the Year in 2008 failed both as a skipper and a star striker for his Portuguese side. In the initial matches, he scored one and missed one. That was the closest he could get throughout the tournament. Though his side drew their match with Brazil, the Cristiano Ronaldo we all knew was nowhere in sight.
NICOLAS ANELKA, France: France failed to reach the second round of the event, despite being runners-up the last time around. Their main player Nicolas Anelka made more strikes off the field than on it. His spat with coach Raymond Domenech was more ferocious than his kicks on the field, and had he used his head on the field more than off it, France could have done better.
KAKA, Brazil: Brazil looked like the five-time champions in the first three rounds, yet in the quarterfinals, all they could manage were yellow and red cards. Kaka, their striker on whom a lot depended, was extremely good in passing the ball to his fellow players, yet the Kaka who was awarded FIFA Player of the Year Award in 2007 was more famous for scoring than being a helping hand. He was not part of the Round of 16 Clash because of being yellow carded twice, yet when he returned against Holland in the quarterfinals, he was more of a burden to his side than a relief. Most of the time he got the ball, he sprayed it to opponents like freebies, and his appearance against Holland helped the Dutch more than the Brazilians.
THIERRY HENRY, France: It was Henry’s hand that saw France reach the finals of the World Cup qualifications, yet the coach Raymond Domenech didn’t feel he was needed when the side actually played in the finals. He was on the bench more than he was off it, and may be it was his absence that led his team to fare poorly. But the French believe that had Henry been on the field, their side wouldn’t have fared better because they lacked common sense, and didn’t have a game plan against tougher opponents.
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