World Cup 2010: Biggest Disappointments Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, France Team & Jabulani
The World Cup is said to be the biggest event of its kind, when it comes around every 4 years. This year's tournament has provided a great deal in terms of entertainment value, with the talents of the world's best players on offer. However, as we enter the last week of the competition, it is clear that there have been some disappointments as well.
The biggest, perhaps, has been the performance of, arguably, the two best players in the world right now. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not managed to transform the form they display for their respective clubs every week, at the international level. Portugal, with Ronaldo at the centre of everything, went out of the competition at the hands of Spain, rather weakly.
The Portuguese team may have put a little too much of its responsibilities on the broad shoulders of the Real Madrid man, but at the level Ronaldo plays, he has learnt to play with that kind of pressure. In the game against Spain, Ronaldo looked frustrated at the complete dominance displayed by the Spanish midfield, but he did nothing to change that scenario. He displayed a lack of maturity, similar to the one seen in his last season for Manchester United. At that time, the world's most expensive player wanted out. One wonders whether the difference in class between his Portugal side, and the Spain side in which so many of his club teammates play, played a part in the way he reacted during the game.
Lionel Messi's performances, comparatively, have been better but that could be attributed to the superior nature of the personnel in the Argentinean side. In the game against Germany, Messi struggled to assert himself in the game, like he does so well for Barcelona. Of course, La Liga does not provide a challenge quite like the World Cup, but players of the level of Messi must be able to perform at a high level, regardless.
Another major disappointment at the tournament this year has been the disaster that was the French campaign. Report of disunity and in-fighting appeared to be purely speculative at first, but after their first game of the tournament, it became evident that the Coach and the players were on opposing ends of a war, one which trampled the hopes of the French fans.
It is difficult to pinpoint a single person to blame for the debacle. That is probably because all of the parties involved are responsible, from the outgoing Coach, who refused to listen to his players, to the players, who stubbornly resisted the Coach's orders, to the French Football Federation who decided it wise to stick with a Coach for such an important tournament even though it was known he would be replaced after it. Once the authority of the Coach had been undermined, sticking with him for the tournament was a poor management decision and it cost the French side in the end.
Lastly, the controversy around the 'Jabulani' ball has been used way too much by Coaches and players alike, who were looking to make excuses for their bad performances. Regardless of the small tweaks sports manufacturers undertake every single year, the nature of the ball cannot change as much as the public has been led to believe. It is after all, a ball; one that was tested in wind tunnels and in the German league to see if it met performance standards, and it did. It is sad to see some of the biggest names in the game make accusations fit for a child, which threatened to undermine the organizers of the tournament, even before it had gotten underway.
All in all, the tournament has been a success. It would be unusual for things to go perfectly smoothly but that does not normally deter people from expecting perfection. Some faults can be fixed, like the complaining about the ball. Other can not be (the performances of players being a good example); but in the end everything's alright as long as the game goes on.
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