Rooney, Ronaldo, Now Messi

Tuesday 6th July, 2010 15 Messi last year after he led Barcelona to defensive role behind Ronaldo. still has a chance. The 26-year-old striker an historic series of national, European Back in his favored position just has struggled since undergoing knee sur- and world club titles, and he continued behind the strikers with Brazil, Kaka was gery in April, but his team has reached Maradona his stellar performances with an astonish- sent off in the group match against Ivory the semifinals. That's been largely due to ing 47 goals for his team in the 2009-10 Coast. the scoring prowess of David Villa, neither genius season. The 23-year-old forward has often He came back for the round of 16 who leads the World Cup with been accused of failing to reproduce his match as Brazil beat Chile 3-0, and near- five goals. best form for Argentina, and will have ly scored for a two-goal lead in the "It's been a difficult tour- nor clown done little to erase that charge in quarterfinal against the Netherlands. nament for me because my PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - South Africa. But when the Dutch came storming fitness is bad, but I'm The World Cup proved that Diego Diego Maradona has called Messi back in the second half to win 2-1, Kaka improving every game," Maradona is no coaching genius. But his heir apparent. But in his second went quiet. Torres said. nor was he the clown that some World Cup, Messi failed to find the tar- Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Ivory Diego Forlan has also expected. get and never Coast's Didier Drogba have won cemented his status True, there were times when it five of the last seven African among the world's wasn't possible to observe the player of the year awards. With best marksmen. Argentine coach without humming the the weight of a continent on He scored a vital theme tune to Benny Hill. Picture, for their shoulders, neither free kick to example, the Argentine training session player could lift his team. keep Uruguay Eto'o, after moving alive in the where Maradona pretended to beat up Wayne a member of his staff and theatrically Rooney from Barcelona to Inter quarterfinals Milan, was coming off a against acted as a target for his players to second straight season in Ghana before shoot a hail of balls at. He came out of which his club won every- tucking away it furiously rubbing the back of his thing possible - a treble of his penalty as head. Ho-ho, what a jester! titles in the domestic his nation But as Argentina's victories piled league and cup, and the prevailed in a up, there seemed to be method in Champions League. He shootout. Maradona's madness. No other team scored twice in three games Another had Argentina's swashbuckling flair. striker who With Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos has starred is Miroslav Tevez slotting in goals and world player Klose, who of the year Lionel Messi supplying seemed inspiration, passes and even leadership washed up on the field it was possible to ignore the after a season holes in Maradona's defense and mid- Rooney, Ronaldo, now on the substi- field and not second-guess his decision tutes' bench to leave defender Javier Zanetti and for Bayern midfielder Esteban Cambiasso at Munich. The home. Maradona's strategy, if it can be rest has done called that, was to outscore not shut him well, as out opponents. "Permanently on the he's already Messi - stars misfire in Cup attack" is how he lovingly described scored one more goal in Argentina's style of play. the World Cup "We are here to give joy to the CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - - four - than he Argentines, to play as we like, in the Rooney, then Ronaldo and now Messi. Christiano did all season in way which makes us happy," he said. They were supposed to set the Ronaldo the Bundesliga. What fun, but naive too. World Cup alight after scoring a A new group Maradona used enthusiasm to total 114 goals for their clubs of talented young- compensate for his inexperience as a this season, but left South sters have also made coach. He smothered his players with Africa after hitting only one their mark on the world hugs and kisses before and after stage. The Netherlands goal in 13 matches. games because he had little else to Wayne Rooney huffed has been aided by 22-year- offer in terms of tactical wizardry. The and puffed but failed to score old wingback Gregory van before England was sent der Wiel, while 23-year-old instructions he barked in practice were packing by Germany. striker Luis Suarez has of the "Come on! Look alive!" variety, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scored three times in not useful nuggets of strategic insight. scored - once - but didn't run conjured Uruguay's run to the He talked about the need for "sacrifice, much at all before being eliminated by the magic of semifinals. blood and courage" from players, not Spain. Argentina's Lionel Messi couldn't Maradona Germany has proba- about playing formations. His players, produce the magic when it counted, when his nation bly the two best youngsters to in turn, praised the value of his experi- against the Germans in the quarterfinals. needed him, fading emerge in Mesut Oezil, 21, and ence of having competed in four World All aged 25 or younger and described out of the match as in Thomas Mueller, 20. Cups not his game plans - if indeed Argentina was South Africa, but What's most startling about Oezil is as three of the world's best players, they there were any. were the World Cup's biggest disappoint- thrashed 4-0 by Cameroon was the how composed he looks on the ball, slip- "Nobody ever told me where to ments. Germany. first team eliminat- ping passes left and right with startling For Rooney, it seemed a clear case of "To see Messi cry in the ed. ease. Add to that his darting runs into the play. So, I shouldn't have to tell Messi fatigue. Rarely did the 24-year-old dressing room, whoever Drogba broke a box and he looks like a young Kaka, a where to play either," Maradona said in Manchester United striker storm past says that he doesn't feel bone in his right arm description few Germans familiar with the best example of his let-them-get- defenders with a typically powerful run pride for his shirt is stu- just before the tourna- their team's typically stoic play could on-with-it approach. after a season in England in which he pid," Maradona said. ment and had to wear a soft have imagined a few years back. He made no apologies for it. In scored 34 goals to make up for Ronaldo's Rooney, Ronaldo and cast to play. He missed a late Mueller may be the star of the tourna- fact, after three group stage wins, he record transfer to Real Madrid. Messi weren't alone. chance to break a 0-0 draw ment so far. After only one full season as a was demanding apologies - "I'm not Ronaldo's lone goal was From Brazil, there against Portugal but scored a Bayern first-team player, the attacking suggesting you drop your trousers, but little solace for a player was Kaka. The 28-year- late consolation goal against midfielder has had a series of match-win- it would be honest and great," he said - old playmaker was Brazil. However, the damage ning performances, scoring twice as hyped in a well-publi- from critics who had predicted that cized commercial as voted the world's best was done - and even a compre- Germany hammered England 4-1 and Argentina could only flop with the for- Portugal's savior. player three years hensive 3-0 win over North another in the quarterfinal win over Even with the cap- ago, but was coming Korea couldn't rescue a talented Argentina. mer cocaine addict in charge and tain's armband, the 25- off a disappointing Ivorian team's tournament. Unfortunately, Mueller will be sus- waste its best chance in years of win- year-old forward did season after a euro65 There have been others ham- pended for the semifinal against Spain ning the World Cup that Maradona lift- little to inspire his million move to Real pered by injury. Italy goalkeeper after picking up his second yellow card on ed as a player in 1986. team. He rarely Madrid, forced to play a Lionel Gianluigi Buffon played only half Saturday. The upside of Maradona hogging tracked back in deeper, Messi of a match in Italy's poorest World "It will be a great loss," Germany the limelight in South Africa with his defense, lost the ball more Cup showing since 1974, while coach Joachim Loew said. large personality and entertaining and when dribbling and Franck Ribery failed to follow in Mueller might not possess Rooney's provocative news conferences was that looked a shadow of the play- Zinedine Zidane's footsteps for vigor, Ronaldo's flashiness or Messi's nat- he deflected attention from Messi and France after an injury-blighted ural elegance on the pitch. But there's er who was selected as the why the star forward wasn't scoring. world's best in 2008. season at Bayern Munich. hardly been a more dangerous player in But the downside for Argentina was That title went to Spain's Fernando Torres the tournament.

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