World Cup 2014 - Players To Watch

Last week I gave you the World Cup teams and who are the favourites and scores prediction and as to who are likely to go through: 
http://gforce-guru.blogspot.sg/2014/06/world-cup-2014-favourites.html

This week it is all about the players but first, the World Cup theme songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGtWWb9emYI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWgpYMCe548
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjfWuHMSZg8

Will Qatar World Cup 2022 be rescinded? What a sham! They should then award China to be the host and bring soccer to the masses. China has done a wonderful job for the Olympics so the World Cup is just another feather on the cap. It is not just China, it would be for Asia and we will be watching televised matches in our own time zone.

Can you imagine a World Cup without Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Zidane, Ronaldo (Brazil), Ronaldinho, Romario, etc.? For the current day, imagine one without Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and some others? The injury list lengthens as the World Cup gets closer after a long season of league soccer, do you really need the extra friendlies so close to the World Cup? When the next World Cup comes along, a player may then be 30 or 32 and more. Messi will be 30 and Ronaldo 33 by the next one. Time and tide wait for no man. Some of the world's most exciting players are already on the treatment table and won't be performing or sweating to be ready.

 Some top players were out even before the league season was over - Barcelona/Spain's Victor Valdes, Belgium's Christian Benteke, Arsenal/England's Theo Walcott, Netherlands' Rafael van der Vaart, Spain's Thiago Alcantara, Colombia's Radamel Falcao, France's Franck Ribery and even more cruel Italy's Riacrdo Montolivo and Mexico's Luis Montes who got broken legs in recent friendly matches. Germany's Marco Reus too was out too. Even Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Costa, Jack Wilshere, Alex Chamberlain and many others are trying to be fit or to recover in time. 

Soccer may be a team game and if you look at today's soccer teams, it is more likely that every player looks the same and teams play like robots. Lots of physical fitness and speed involved but lesser on the subtle art of ball-players. Take Germany's Gerd Muller for example. He is no dribbler and nothing exciting about him but the man who is short and stocky is one of the World Cups' enduring heroes. He scored more goals for Germany than the number of times he played for his country. Do you remember Mario Kempes? Argentina's striker when they won the World Cup in 1978 and he won the Golden Boot for top-scoring and Golden Ball for being the best player. He was of course outstanding but he never reached the dizzying heights of Pele, Cruyff, Maradona or Zidane. 

World Cup Ball 2014

Before we talk about the Golden Ball, you need to know that David Beckham was nicknamed Golden Balls. And this is the World Cup ball in 2014 - the Brazuca. adidas got it tested by some 600 top players from 30 teams in 10 countries over two and a half years. So it should be the mother of all balls and of course it takes balls to play. We used to kick around with drab black and white ones. I love this colourful one. I only remembered vividly the Telstar in 1974 and the Tango from 1978 as I have personally played with them.

I was having a quick bite at a coffee shop when a group of students came handing out fans that several people rejected. I accepted one. 

I saw that they were just happy to get rid of them as soon as possible perhaps so that they could go home. Later, I saw that they were actually led by a neighbourhood policeman in police t-shirt. It is a good community project getting the police to work with young people.

Golden Ball

Going back to the Golden Ball for the best player, there is one that won't be there. The most famous and best of all that we will miss is the arrogant but very spectacular and supremely talented Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - (You must watch these goals)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM_5tJncHww

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgqsaDnsEq8

Nobody scores goals like that. His second was quite identical to what our very own Dollah Kassim did to Pahang in the Malaysia Cup. This is my kind of player worth the ticket price. Ibrahimovic is really tall and yet blessed with such sublime skills. He has the power of Ronaldo and the skills and unpredictability of Messi. What a loss! I like my soccer and players audacious and spectacular. I'd played it that way too. Even when playing golf. So who do I think will be the World Cup's favourite?

My World Cup favourite is the "curry puff". Yes, the humble curry puff. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner even supper. At midnight, 3-4am or 6am. It can go with coffee, tea, hack even with beer. Very good just before you get down to watch a game. Bruce Lee said be like water, yes but I shall add that we should be like a curry puff and you can get along with many people regardless of race, language or religion. Here's one from Ikea - the furniture people from Ibrahimovic's land, Sweden.

It is fabulous but there are some good curry puffs everywhere.

Who are the key players to watch who could take this tournament by storm?

Neymar (Brazil): No intro needed. Next boy wonder:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3in9BW7k9fg

 

Oribe Peralta (Mexico) - Oribe Peralta scored two goals against Brazil to win the London Olympics gold. Arriba Yeeha Andale! Oribe Oribe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO4QPOIxFh0

Mandzukic (Croatia) -  Their most famous  goalscorer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu1nuY556u8

Andres Iniesta (Spain) - The heartbeat of Spain with a magical touch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzBiC9e0R3w

Arjen Robben (Netherlands) - He has already started a fight with his team mate in training:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haqgTTpjtt8

Alexis Sanchez (Chile) - He can create havoc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEHwhtKcdA8

James Rodriguez (Colombia) - With Falco out, he carries his nation's hope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoOaXOtPk7c

Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) - A beast of a player.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQF-amzIGNE

Keisuke Honda (Japan) - The rising son.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mO1J_YWn08

Edison Cavani (Uruguay) - Great striker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulanuMYrwk0

Luis Suarez (Uruguay) - Possibly Europe's best last season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCTsXGtEue4

Daniel Sturridge (England) - England's goal hope.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN14AjDpLXA

Andrea Pirlo (Italy) - Master class play-maker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yer49BdodVg

Karim Benzeema (France) - Brilliant French hope.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRpFWzLcYxA

Paul Pogba (France) - Next great French maestro?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2CLCbGmdkU

Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) - Swiss Rolex that Liverpool wanted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzwEnQdld4E

Lionel Messi (Argentina) -  Messi is incomparable. He does not have Ronaldo's physique nor power and is to me the most gifted player onplanet earth. In fact, he is from another planet. He is humble, plays with a smile and picks himself up when fouled. All opponents knew how he plays but no knows where he is going or what he is going to do. Not even Messi himself knows. Pure instinct. A gift from heaven!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEhniGlFDtA

Sergio Aguero (Argentina) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbHP4_x53fk


Edin Dzeko - (Bosnia-Herzegivina) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z045rWspzMI

Mario Goetze (Germany) - The German Messi as Beckanbauer called him: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8QyCC9U01U

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - The talented and supreme athlete. Powerful and very quick. If there is any close to or better than Messi it is him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4y1ypgttwU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDA6rWLIhHA

 Eden Hazard (Belgium) - Belgium's brightest star.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJQ9AWwnA2Q

It helps that in the World Cup you play for a successful team that should at least get to the semi-finals to have a chance to win the Golden Ball to be the tournament's best player. If you get K.O. after 3-4 matches it is going to be difficult even if you play well. My pick for the top four teams as mentioned in last week's article would have been Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain. 

Brazil always have a good team and as host have home ground advantage which is an advantage as well as a weakness as there will be higher expectations and more pressure. The climate suits them well and their players are mostly playing in Europe's top leagues and they will know their opponents well. In Neymar, they have a boy wonder that will some day be the next Messi or Ronaldo. He has every chance to claim the honour if Brazil do well and he reach his potential.

Argentina will cope well with the weather and their weakness could be defence but they have a superb forward line - Messi, Higuain, Aguero and Angel di Maria. Messi has been playing like from another planet for years for Barcelona but has not been the same for Argentina so provided he is played in a certain free roaming role it will be more difficult to shine. He was breaking all scoring records and this season he came in with 41 goals a paltry sum for his own high standard (it is already a big thing to hit 30 goals in a season). At 26, this is his best chance to shine and help his team land the trophy.

Germany already have one of the best teams in the last World Cup but they were much younger. Now the same team would have evolved to even better with the experience. With so many talented players they have a well balance and deep squad in each position. Somehow the Germans are World Cup machines. Even Lukas Podolski who do not score so often for Arsenal would suddenly be scoring for Germany. Mario Goetze is a precocious talent ready to shine. 

Spain as defending champions still have the same squad with a fw players now older. As a Mediterranean country, they will bask in sunshine and the heat. They are still a very good team but others have learned how to tackle their tiki and taka. Xavi has doubts on his fitness and Iniesta is the conductor in the orchestra. Can he take the tournament by storm?

Two other player could shine and that would be Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Portugal and Eden Hazard for Belgium. Both teams are jut dark horses and outsider that could threaten to spoil the party. The World Cup is also about team work and team spirit - esprit de corps or what we call "semangat" in Malay. 

If they do well and their team gets further they will have a better chance. Likewise what their team can do for them. In this respect, if Messi brings out his best then Argentina are going to be a treat. Look at it this way. A soccer player is at his peak between 26-30, more around 26-28 than 30. Pele, born in 1940 was at his best in 1966 and 1970 (26 and 30 years old), Johan Cruyff was at his best in 1974 at age 27, Maradona was top of the world in 1986 when he was 26 years old and Zinedine Zidane was 26 in 1998 and at the top of his game. This is Messi's year at 26 years old! Cristiano Ronaldo at 29 will give him a run for the money. Finally, how can you forget Luis Suarez who is now 27 and one of the best this season!

The World Cup 2014 is here. Let the action begins!