80 DAYS TO GO...
Asia World Cup qualifying: What’s next?
5 years ago
Monday, 22 March 2010
Friday, 19 March 2010
THE TROPHY TOUR
The World Cup trophy is currently on a 'World Tour' in preparation for this summer's Finals in South Africa.
Recently in London, it's now in St Petersburg for a brief stop and is due to move on to Moscow tomorrow. On Monday it will travel on to Donetsk in southern Ukraine and then on March 25 it will be in Bratislava.
The stops are part of a 225-day tour of the trophy which started last September and which will include stops in all 54 countries on the African continent.
In total the 'World Cup' will have travelled 134,000 kilometres and visited 86 countries, ending up in South Africa in May, where it will lie in waiting for the 19th World Cup tournament, which kicks off at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on June 11.
Recently in London, it's now in St Petersburg for a brief stop and is due to move on to Moscow tomorrow. On Monday it will travel on to Donetsk in southern Ukraine and then on March 25 it will be in Bratislava.
The stops are part of a 225-day tour of the trophy which started last September and which will include stops in all 54 countries on the African continent.
In total the 'World Cup' will have travelled 134,000 kilometres and visited 86 countries, ending up in South Africa in May, where it will lie in waiting for the 19th World Cup tournament, which kicks off at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on June 11.
Monday, 15 March 2010
CLASSIC WORLD CUP ENCOUNTERS
SPAIN 1982, Semi-Final: France v West Germany
This game had everything. Considering what was at stake on that extraordinary summer evening in Sevilla, southern Spain, this has to be remembered as one of the most dramatic football matches ever played. It's the sort of game that will never be forgotten by those who watched it. The sort of game that will haunt the players who played on the losing side all the way to their graves. A game which summed up so perfectly how football mirrors life through the intertwining of the cruel, the absurd, and the triumphant. A game that one almost feels it would be a insult to try and describe.
Let me leave it with the words of Michel Platini, who played on the losing side:
"That was my most beautiful game. What happened in those two hours encapsulated all the sentiments of life itself. No film or play could ever recapture so many contradictions and emotions. It was complete. So strong. It was fabulous."
This game had everything. Considering what was at stake on that extraordinary summer evening in Sevilla, southern Spain, this has to be remembered as one of the most dramatic football matches ever played. It's the sort of game that will never be forgotten by those who watched it. The sort of game that will haunt the players who played on the losing side all the way to their graves. A game which summed up so perfectly how football mirrors life through the intertwining of the cruel, the absurd, and the triumphant. A game that one almost feels it would be a insult to try and describe.
Let me leave it with the words of Michel Platini, who played on the losing side:
"That was my most beautiful game. What happened in those two hours encapsulated all the sentiments of life itself. No film or play could ever recapture so many contradictions and emotions. It was complete. So strong. It was fabulous."
DAVID BECKHAM OUT OF WORLD CUP
Former England captain David Beckham's hopes of making another World Cup were left shattered last night after he suffered a heart-breaking injury.
The LA Galaxy midfielder tore his Achilles tendon whilst playing for loan club AC Milan in their 1-0 Serie A victory over Chievo on Sunday. Beckham had moved to Milan in a bid to keep his match fitness up through the Major League Soccer off-season.
Early reports suggest the injury will keep Beckham out until the middle of June and with England manager Fabio Capello set to name his squad for the World Cup on June 1, Beckham's hopes of a fourth World Cup look certain to be over.
Capello himself has admitted that Beckham looks extremely unlikely to make the World Cup after this injury.
He said in a statement, "We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup. I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support, as did Franco Baldini. David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."
Many expected the World Cup to be Beckham's last hurrah in an England shirt and considering he will be 35 after the tournament it looks like "Goldenballs's" international career could be over.
There was more bad news on the injury front for Fabio Capello with Tottenham Hotspur claiming they are disappointed at Aaron Lennon's level of recovery from his groin muscle injury.
Lennon is yet to play for his club this year and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has admitted the pacy winger is "quite a way off" from a first team return.
Capello may also have to plan for life without first choice left-back Ashley Cole, who is currently sidelined through injury, and second choice Wayne Bridge who has ruled himself out of contention for the national team after problems in his private life relating to England and Chelsea defender John Terry.
The LA Galaxy midfielder tore his Achilles tendon whilst playing for loan club AC Milan in their 1-0 Serie A victory over Chievo on Sunday. Beckham had moved to Milan in a bid to keep his match fitness up through the Major League Soccer off-season.
Early reports suggest the injury will keep Beckham out until the middle of June and with England manager Fabio Capello set to name his squad for the World Cup on June 1, Beckham's hopes of a fourth World Cup look certain to be over.
Capello himself has admitted that Beckham looks extremely unlikely to make the World Cup after this injury.
He said in a statement, "We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup. I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support, as did Franco Baldini. David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."
Many expected the World Cup to be Beckham's last hurrah in an England shirt and considering he will be 35 after the tournament it looks like "Goldenballs's" international career could be over.
There was more bad news on the injury front for Fabio Capello with Tottenham Hotspur claiming they are disappointed at Aaron Lennon's level of recovery from his groin muscle injury.
Lennon is yet to play for his club this year and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has admitted the pacy winger is "quite a way off" from a first team return.
Capello may also have to plan for life without first choice left-back Ashley Cole, who is currently sidelined through injury, and second choice Wayne Bridge who has ruled himself out of contention for the national team after problems in his private life relating to England and Chelsea defender John Terry.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
PLAYER FOCUS: BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER
Many German footballers have left their mark on the World Cup; Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Jurgen Klinsmann to name but a few. This summer may be the turn of another as Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger attempts to put his name in the FIFA record books.At just 25 years old, Schweinsteiger is yet to reach his prime and, after a bright start to his career, has failed to make the impact on the world stage than was perhaps expected of him. However, that’s not to say he’s not tasted his fair amount of success.
Schweinsteiger was a national champion in successive years at under-17 and under-19 level, before winning his first senior honour with Bayern Munich the following season, at the tender age of just 18. Schweinsteiger’s debut season at Bayern saw him pick up both a league and cup winner’s medal and the Kolbermoor born star has since gone on to win an impressive eight major honours, achieving the Bundesliga and German cup double on four occasions.
It’s not just club football where Schweinsteiger has shown his ability, by the time he steps onto a pitch in South Africa he will be amongst the twenty highest cap winners in German football history. With 73 caps, at the age of just 25, he is more experienced on the world stage than many older international stars such as club mate Franck Ribery (42 caps), former England captain John Terry (59) and Real Madrid’s Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso (66).
Those caps have been earned on the big stage too, after making his international debut at the age of just nineteen, he reached the semi-final of his first major tournament at the 2006 World Cup and then went one step further by making the final of the European Championships in 2008, before losing out to eventual champions Spain. This time around Schweinsteiger will be looking to go one step further again and pick up yet another piece of silverware for his ever expanding trophy cabinet.
According to his player profile on Bayern Munich’s official website Bastian has all the attributes needed to conquer the world. His interests are listed as “travel and new experiences” so he shouldn’t find himself too far out of his comfort zone in South Africa this summer. His personal motto - “Never lose your belief” - will undoubtedly come in handy as his country have been drawn in a tricky group alongside Australia, Serbia and African Nations Cup runners-up, Ghana.
Combine his ‘never-give-up’ attitude with accomplished shooting and passing over great distances and Schweinsteiger could well prove to be Germany’s secret weapon.
Friday, 5 March 2010
TOP FIVE......WORLD CUP GOALSCORERS
Two Brazilians, two Germans - no surprises there. The two most successful nations in the history of the World Cup have produced four of the five all-time top scorers. But what is the nationality of the player third in the list? And who tied for fifth place with the German striker who also managed his country to a third-placed finish four years ago on home soil?
1. RONALDO (Brazil, 15 goals)
Ronaldo scored four goals at France 1998 (including one penalty), top-scored in 2002 with eight goals as Brazil won their fifth World Cup (including both goals in the 2-0 win against Germany in the Final) and added three more at Germany 2006. When he scored Brazil's opening goal in the fifth minute of their second round clash with Ghana, he overtook Gerd Muller's record to become the leading World Cup marksman of all time. Rumours of him returning to the Brazilian squad for South Africa 2010 to try and add to his record tally are surely wide of the mark.
2. GERD MULLER (Germany, 14 goals)
Muller's international goals record makes sensational reading: 62 appearance for his country, and 68 goals. He notched up 10 goals at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, which included one penalty and two hat-tricks in the group stages. In 1974 in Germany Muller scored another four goals, including the winning goal against Holland in the Final to secure Germany's second World Cup triumph.
3. JUST FONTAINE (France, 13 goals)
The truly extraordinary thing about Just Fontaine is that his 13 goals were all scored at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. He scored six times in the groups stages, two in the quarter-final and one in the semi-final defeat against Brazil. Leaving the best to last, he then added a further four in the third place match with Germany to create a record for goals in one World Cup tournament which will surely never be broken.
4. PELE (Brazil, 12 goals)
Pele's World Cup goals haul was spread over the four tournaments between 1958 and 1970. In 1958 in Sweden he scored six, setting a host of records in the process. Brazil won the World Cup that year for the first time, and Pele's goal in the quarter-final win over Wales made him the youngest player ever to score in the finals. In the semi-final he became the youngest ever player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup in the 5-2 battering of France. And a goal in the Final made him the youngest player to find the net in a World Cup Final. All three records stand to this day. In 1962 he scored in Brazil's opening group match against Mexico but was injured in the next game and missed the rest of the tournament. Brazil successfully defended their title, and had Pele played throughout it's quite conceivable that his name would be at the top of this list instead of Ronaldo. He added another goal in the 1966 tournament in England, before hitting four in 1970 as Brazil claimed the trophy yet again.
5= JURGEN KLINSMANN (Germany, 11 goals)
The German maestro was an integral member of West Germany's World Cup winning side of 1990, scoring three times, including a vital goal in the second-round win against European neighbours and historical rivals Holland. Five goals at USA 94 was an impressive haul given that the Germans went out in the quarter-finals to Bulgaria, and at France 98, in his last World Cup as a player, Klinsmann added three more goals to take his total to 11 and place him fifth in the list of all-time World Cup goalscorers.
5= SANDOR KOCSIS (Hungary, 11 goals)
A prolific goalscorer from Hungary's golden era. Like Just Fontaine, Kocsis netted all of his 11 goals in one tournament - the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, which was the only tournament he played in. The 'Magical Magyars' won their two group games 9-0 and 8-3 respectively, with Kocsis scoring seven times in the two matches. He added two more in both the quarter-final and semi-final wins over Brazil and Uruguay. His average of 2.2 goals per game in the tournament remains a record.
1. RONALDO (Brazil, 15 goals)
Ronaldo scored four goals at France 1998 (including one penalty), top-scored in 2002 with eight goals as Brazil won their fifth World Cup (including both goals in the 2-0 win against Germany in the Final) and added three more at Germany 2006. When he scored Brazil's opening goal in the fifth minute of their second round clash with Ghana, he overtook Gerd Muller's record to become the leading World Cup marksman of all time. Rumours of him returning to the Brazilian squad for South Africa 2010 to try and add to his record tally are surely wide of the mark.
2. GERD MULLER (Germany, 14 goals)
Muller's international goals record makes sensational reading: 62 appearance for his country, and 68 goals. He notched up 10 goals at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, which included one penalty and two hat-tricks in the group stages. In 1974 in Germany Muller scored another four goals, including the winning goal against Holland in the Final to secure Germany's second World Cup triumph.
3. JUST FONTAINE (France, 13 goals)
The truly extraordinary thing about Just Fontaine is that his 13 goals were all scored at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. He scored six times in the groups stages, two in the quarter-final and one in the semi-final defeat against Brazil. Leaving the best to last, he then added a further four in the third place match with Germany to create a record for goals in one World Cup tournament which will surely never be broken.
4. PELE (Brazil, 12 goals)
Pele's World Cup goals haul was spread over the four tournaments between 1958 and 1970. In 1958 in Sweden he scored six, setting a host of records in the process. Brazil won the World Cup that year for the first time, and Pele's goal in the quarter-final win over Wales made him the youngest player ever to score in the finals. In the semi-final he became the youngest ever player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup in the 5-2 battering of France. And a goal in the Final made him the youngest player to find the net in a World Cup Final. All three records stand to this day. In 1962 he scored in Brazil's opening group match against Mexico but was injured in the next game and missed the rest of the tournament. Brazil successfully defended their title, and had Pele played throughout it's quite conceivable that his name would be at the top of this list instead of Ronaldo. He added another goal in the 1966 tournament in England, before hitting four in 1970 as Brazil claimed the trophy yet again.
5= JURGEN KLINSMANN (Germany, 11 goals)
The German maestro was an integral member of West Germany's World Cup winning side of 1990, scoring three times, including a vital goal in the second-round win against European neighbours and historical rivals Holland. Five goals at USA 94 was an impressive haul given that the Germans went out in the quarter-finals to Bulgaria, and at France 98, in his last World Cup as a player, Klinsmann added three more goals to take his total to 11 and place him fifth in the list of all-time World Cup goalscorers.
5= SANDOR KOCSIS (Hungary, 11 goals)
A prolific goalscorer from Hungary's golden era. Like Just Fontaine, Kocsis netted all of his 11 goals in one tournament - the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, which was the only tournament he played in. The 'Magical Magyars' won their two group games 9-0 and 8-3 respectively, with Kocsis scoring seven times in the two matches. He added two more in both the quarter-final and semi-final wins over Brazil and Uruguay. His average of 2.2 goals per game in the tournament remains a record.
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