World Cup Soccer 2010 Heroes and prospective Golden Boot winners
The World Cup has taken off, but the fans of the game are cheering for their favorite teams and players, hoping that they end up winning the World Cup trophy as well as the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the top goal scorer in FIFA World Cups.
Some might cheer for Lionel Messi, while some feel Portugal skipper Christiano Ronaldo will lead Portugal to a triumphant return to his country. But there are many who feel the fit again Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney, Drogba and Kaka are all good bets to finish as the leading scorer of the mega event.
Since the World Cup has lost most of the star power even before the kick off, there can be an unexpected Golden Boot winner, someone who has been in the shadows of those who have been booted out either due to injury or bad form. If one has to narrow down the most expected of Golden Boot winners, the list might have some names as follows:
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is in tremendous nick, and he is being cheered as the most likely candidate for the award. Prior to the World Cup, he scored as many as 34 goals in 35 matches for Barcelona, stamping his authority as the best striker in the world. But his form as an Argentinean is different from his club form, In his 45 appearances for his country, Messi has scored just 13 goals, and if he wants to win the Golden Boot, he might need to better his skills when wearing the national colors. The advantage he might have over others is there in the form of Coach Diego Maradona who will try to make Messi do his country proud.
England’s hopes of winning their second World Cup title rest on Wayne Rooney who has been impressive whenever he is in form. Right now, Rooney has returned from an injury that threatened his chances in the World Cup, and he might struggle in the first few games. But if he strikes form midway through the event, the defenders of sides playing against England will have to work hard to calm the Rooney mania that has seen him score 25 goals in 60 games for England.
The most important development in Rooney’s career with Manchester United came in the form of Christiano Ronaldo's departure. Since then he has been in pristine form, and the absence of David Beckham for England might do the trick for the 24-year-old who scored 34 goals in all competitions last season.
David Villa may have missed part of the semi-final and final of the Euro Cup in 2008, but he was instrumental in guiding Spain to the title and his form will be a worry for his opponents. His tally of 38 goals in 58 international matches shows his value to the side that is one of the favorites to win the Cup.
Brazil might be all Kaka for some, but Luis Fabiano might be the hero this time, since he has performed brilliantly in Brazilian colors in Kaka’s absence. With 25 goals in 38 matches, Fabiano was the top scorer in the last Confederations Cup with five goals while his form in all club competitions has been sensational, where he has scored over 90 goals in 152 games.
No player has won the Golden Boot twice but Germany’s Miroslav Klose might want to be the first to do so. His five-goal haul in 2006 got him the award while he finished a joint second in 2002, behind Brazil’s Ronaldo.
Whoever wins the World Cup Soccer in South Africa or the Golden Boot, fans of the game all over the world hope that this event has more goals scored than any edition before it, so that the competition could be stiff, tough and full of surprises.
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