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All eyes were on Argentina/Portugal, billed as the Messi v. Ronaldo clash by just about everyone, but I like to think of it as the inferior version of El Clasico.  Barcelona and Real Madrid are better than Argentina and Portugal in just about every way, mostly thanks to the Spanish internationals playing at the peak of their careers right now.

I don’t mean to snub great players like Ever Banega, Esteban Cambiasso, Joao Moutinho or Raul Meireles, and I am aware the match was a friendly and so the players, mindful of upcoming games, may not have given everything.  And I do not think that only the Spanish contribute to the superiority of the club teams, but Casillas, Valdes, Xavi, Pique, David Villa, Puyol, Xabi Alonso, Ramos, Iniesta, and Pedro would surely find their way into the international set-up of either Portugal or Argentina.  Similarly, I think other Barcelona/Madrid players would do the same, especially Dani Alves, Mesut Ozil, Kaka and Eric Abidal.

While many rightly focus on Messi and Ronaldo as the two centerpieces of their teams, I believe last night’s match was really a battle between the coaches, and I can say that both won, despite the 2-1 scoreline favoring Argentina.  The underwhelming World Cup performances of both Argentina and Portugal were probably due to bizarre selection, and even stranger tactics from Argentina’s and Portugal’s respective managers.

Last night, finally, after an excruciating World Cup where Messi would collect the ball at the halfway line and attempt to create chances/dribble the entire opposition, Lionel was advanced to positions where he could much more effective.  The first goal even looked like one of those vintage Messi moments that have become his trademark of genius: the Argentine, on the right, ran at the (terrified) defenders at pace, cut in left at the top of the eighteen yard box, ran parallel to the goal line while skipping around two challenges, and then, when everyone was expecting a glory-finish, La Pulga split two more defenders with a pass so perfectly weighted that Angel di Maria could tap it around the goalkeeper with his weaker right foot.

If the top left corner of the eighteen yard box is called “La Zona Del Piero” in Italian football, the top right must now be called “La Zona Messi” in Spanish football.

And, finally Cristiano Ronaldo he has stopped being the lone center forward of Portugal.  While he certainly has the attributes of no. 9 finishers (pace, two-footed shooting, heading, goal-hunger bordering on selfishness, quick reactions), I think the new Ronaldo is better behind a forward, even a not-so-thrilling one like Hugo Almeida.  And while CR7 still has the tendency to try huge shots from distance that rarely come off, Ronaldo is more likely to pass with someone in front of him, to involve players like Nani in the buildup, etc.  Portugal look much better for this tactical shift.  The painful long passes to Ronaldo that we all saw towards the end of Portugal/Spain in the World Cup are hopefully things of the past.

The new coaches of Argentina and Portugal, it seemed to me, may have swallowed their egos, their desires to find new ways to field the best players in the world and be hailed for it, and simply did the obvious: they played no. 10 and no. 7 in the positions from which they have profited the most at the club level.  There is no shame in taking lessons from great coaches, and if Paulo Bento and Sergio Batista were inspired by the style of Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola, Alex Ferguson, and Jose Mourinho, then two of the best national teams in the world can only benefit.

Don’t let the title of this article fool you: of course I think Cristiano Ronaldo is still Portugal’s best player.  It’s just that sometimes recently, he’s had to do it on his own.  And when he hasn’t shown up to work, the results have been downright embarrassing.

In the past decade, football fans have witnessed Portugal wax to almost Euro 2004 winners and routine vanquishers of Brazil (in friendlies mostly, but still), and then wane to something less than.

Currently they occupy an ambiguous position where they’re not real contenders for a major international trophy, but on their day, can trash anybody.  It’s difficult to see them negotiating a knockout stage the way Spain did — beating Holland, Germany, Paraguay and of course, Portugal, to win the World Cup.  But it’s also hard to see them treading the Dutch’s route (Slovakia, Brazil, Uruguay before losing to Spain) or Germany’s (England and Argentina before losing to Spain).  What’s happening here?

During the 2010 World Cup they escaped their challenging group by avoiding loss to Brazil and got dumped out of the tournament by Spain.  Through this game we can see Portugal’s problem.  They still have  the problem today, but maybe they have a way out of it, too.  Towards the end of the Spain game and down a goal, the Portuguese team would often just lob a ball to lonely Cristiano Ronaldo up top, who was quickly and comfortably closed down by the Spanish defense.  The Portuguese support players didn’t know how to get past their Iberian counterparts, and the attacks usually died before the commentators could begin to describe it.

When talking about Spain, people can’t refer to “the support” because over half the team has ability to change games.  Fabregas, ostensibly a support player for Spain though clearly one of the most complete midfielders in England, played the ball to Iniesta to win the tournament.  The support team on Portugal can be the ten players behind Ronaldo, which is never the recipe for success in football.  I don’t mean to slight the very solid players they have, but as of summer 2010, only Cristiano Ronlado was a game changer.

Now, as Nani said of himself recently, there could be another one in the works.  While it’s easy to mock his arrogance, Nani is right in that he is winning games for Manchester United.  He is decisive, or at least he has been for the opening part of the season.  Whether he can continue this form will be vital for United, but more so for Portugal.

If someone can help the Real Madrid man create chances, take on opponents, score goals — and do this all well enough to win matches — then Portugal will have a much better chance than they’ve had in the past 2 major tournaments, where “Ronaldependencia” might have cost them.  Look at the demolition that Portugal inflicted on Spain most recently.  It’s not as if Ronaldo was the only player on the pitch.  To be sure he was excellent, and his excellence raised the game of his compatriots.  But Nani showed up in fine form too, making Portugal that much harder to contain.

It’s currently unclear if midfield players like Raul Meireles, Miguel Veloso and Coutinho can hold the center of the pitch adequately against top opponents, or if the center back pairing of Pepe and Bruno Alves will be stingy enough (after Carvalho hangs up his boots).  But perhaps a newly excellent Nani in attack, coupled with the exciting Fabio Coentrao and the always-determined Ronaldo can lead Portugal towards something great again.

This isn’t to say Nani is the only other good player on the team.  There is plenty of talent in Portugal, as evidenced by the savage defeat of Spain.  It’s just that of all the players, Nani is the most likely to help bring the team to new heights.

You often hear people talking about how soccer players should use their head when playing the sport. But you seldom hear or see them talking about using their neck.

However, that’s exactly what Portugal maestro Cristiano Ronaldo did Monday during his team’s 7-0 mauling of North Korea when he rolled the ball off the back of his neck into his path to score one of the goals of the tournament.

Amazing!

A number of players can stake a claim for being part of the best team in the world at this early period of the European domestic leagues. However, very few players standout the way those listed below have in terms of their contribution to their team, their role as leaders, and certainly their crucial involvement in their respective clubs.

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon- the Juventus and Azzurri custodian is back to his best and his outstanding saves have ensured the Bianconeri remain on course to qualify from their group in the Champions League as well as continue to challenge Internazionale for the Serie A title. Buffon has conceded only one dubious goal in Europe against Bordeaux. He saved the Old Lady on numerous occasions both in the domestic league and Europe. A poll in a previous segment of the website revealed that 65% of our readers voted for Buffon as the goalkeeper expected to be the best in South Africa (Please refer to The Best Goalkeepers in South Africa article written on November 5, 2009). Buffon has also been instrumental in Italy’s qualification to South Africa 2010.

Defense: John Terry, Carles Puyol, Maicon Douglas and Giorgio Chiellini- (Please refer to The Best Defenders Headed To South Africa piece written on November 11, 2009)

- Terry is quite influential and anchors the Chelsea defense which has conceded a mere eight goals in 12 Premiership matches. He is one of the players Fabio Capello will be relying on to help England safely navigate through the group stage. Terry is one of the most respected and acclaimed defenders in the world. His name and that of Chelsea have been linked together since the Premier League titles began to arrive at Stamford Bridge during the Jose Mourinho era.

- Puyol is the captain of a Barcelona side which won the treble last season and has conceded only seven goals in 10 la Liga matches up to this point.

- Maicon is the flying right-back who not only retrieves the ball for Internazionale but often starts attacking moves from his flank. He is one of the Nerazzurri’s most prized assets. The Brazilian has more votes than Terry, Puyol and Manchester United’s Vidic put together in our poll in the article mentioned above.

- Chiellini is the player who adds steel to both Italy’s and Juve’s defensive line. He can score the occasional goal but is renowned for his solid tackling and tough approach to the game. He is expected to lead the line once Fabio Cannavaro retires. Almost half of our readers who voted in a poll chose Chiellini as the best defender heading to South Africa.

Midfield: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marek Hamsik and Xabi Alonso

- Lionel Messi is one of the main catalysts behind Barcelona’s treble last season and has continued his devastating form for his club having notched seven goals in la Liga this season. His performances with Argentina are not as impressive but then perhaps that is down to Diego Maradona’s ill management of the players at his disposal as well as his debatable choice of players and tactics. When firing on all cylinders, Lio is a nightmare for defenders.

- Cristiano Ronaldo could perhaps be the only player from the current best 11 to miss out on South Africa 2010. Despite injury, Ronaldo has already found the back of the net on five occasions in la Liga not to mention his four goals in the Champions League. He will be hoping that his country will overcome his absence to beat Bosnia to qualify to the World Cup. The Portuguese hold a 1-0 edge after the weekend home win against the Bosnians.

- Marek Hamsik is perhaps a surprise inclusion to many but he has been one of the rising stars in Serie A the past couple of years and has helped Slovakia qualify to next summer’s World Cup. Hamsik is a wanted man and elite clubs in Italy and Europe have shown interest in his capture. It will only be time before he is snapped up by a bigger club than Napoli. He has already scored seven goals in Serie A this season including his brace in the stunning come-from-behind victory against Juventus in Turin.

- Xabi Alonso has been severely missed by Liverpool which lost much of its midfield structure when it sold the player to Real Madrid. The negative results suffered by Liverpool cannot be attributed to the loss of Alonso alone but it is still a testament to his importance and value to any team he plays for. Alonso recently stamped his authority in the friendly match against Argentina and led his country to a win by scoring both of Spain’s goals.

Attack: Didier Drogba and David Villa

-Didier Drogba has already scored nine goals in 12 Premiership matches not to mention the assists for a Chelsea team on top of the Premier League. Drogba has the speed and physical strength to out-muscle most defenders in England and Europe. He is a scoring threat in any match and can pop up to score a goal at any moment. He also led his country Ivory Coast to next summer’s World Cup.

- David Villa has been in demand for the past couple of years yet he remained with Valencia and his goals have helped his club to fourth place in la Liga’s standings. Villa has already scored eight times in nine games played in the Spanish league. He is one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe and the world. He will partner Fernando Torres in a lethal attack as they attempt to add World Cup 2010 to Spain’s trophy cabinet after securing Euro 2008 for their country.

There are clearly other qualified players who can make the list yet all those mentioned above have played a key role for their club and/or country. All the players, except for Cristiano Ronaldo at this stage, will be participating in South Africa 2010.

The World Cup is almost set in terms of the teams that will qualify and once the play-offs are completed it will be clear whether the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Franck Ribery will be present or missing. In the meantime, Sweden’s talented forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic will certainly not be going to the World Cup after his country failed to qualify from the same group which saw eventual winners Denmark earn automatic qualification and runners-up Portugal reach the play-offs.

Perhaps the African continent will see many of its star players missing in comparison with other regions since countries such as Nigeria, Egypt and Togo will likely miss out unless they win and results fall in their favor. Still, with the likes of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien making it to South Africa, the missing players such as Egypt’s Amr Zaki (previously on loan with Wigan Athletic) and Nigeria’s Obafemi Martins (previously with Newcastle United) do not share the same prestige and talent. Thus, the most important missing players will likely come from Europe and Barcelona’s Ibrahimovic must be one of the most talented players on the list of absentees. If both France and Portugal fail to qualify then the list will extend to include a number of other notable names.

Other players who will likely miss out due to various reasons include Italy’s Antonio Cassano who continues to be overlooked by Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi despite his influential role in Sampdoria’s strong start to the domestic league. Cassano has yet to feature in any of the matches since Lippi took over again following coach Roberto Donadoni’s unconvincing tenure. Spain’s Raul will probably be another familiar name missing once the World Cup begins next summer. The Real Madrid icon has witnessed a steady decline the past couple of years as age kicks in yet he remains Spain’s all-time leading scorer.

Two other names that could be missing on South Africa despite their country’s qualification include Brazilians Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Ronaldo is a few goals behind legend Pele on the Brazilian all-time scoring list yet he might not play again for his country due to injuries which have decimated his career. The former Barcelona, Internazionale and Milan striker is also the World Cup’s top scorer after netting a total of 15 times.

His compatriot Ronaldinho, who ironically also played for Barcelona and now wears the Rossoneri shirt, was instrumental in many of Barcelona’s victories in Spain and Europe as well as Brazil’s World Cup 2002 triumph when he scored the infamous free-kick against England in the quarter-final stage. Ronaldinho is desperately trying to revive his career after a stuttering start to the season with Milan. Unless Ronaldinho rediscovers his old form then he is unlikely to earn a recall from coach Dunga.

The Brazilian coach may spring a surprise if his roster does not include Milan’s young striker Alexandre Pato. The Rossoneri’s attacker played a fundamental role in Milan’s famous away victory against Los Galacticos and is currently beginning to fire on all cylinders. Pato was not included in Dunga’s latest squad which will play England and Oman in friendly matches.

Finally, Italy’s Lippi may also not call up Alessandro Del Piero as the veteran forward begins his journey to regain full fitness after a series of niggling injuries at the start of this season. Del Piero has often delivered for his club Juventus yet the same cannot be said of his international career with his two main contributions to the Azzurri including the ending of Germany’s hopes in the semi-final in Germany 2006 when he scored the second goal in over-time and clinching a draw against Mexico in South Korea 2002. Del Piero scored to bring the Azzurri on level with the Mexicans and helping his country qualify to the second round in the process.

Italy will perhaps miss two other World Cup winners in the shape of the returning defensive maestro Alessandro Nesta and Roma’s talisman Francesco Totti. Nesta has had a solid start to the season yet he has quit the international game despite calls for his return based on his recent performances while Totti continues to struggle with various injuries and it seems unlikely he will feature for the Italians in South Africa.

Portugal will most likely be missing Cristiano Ronaldo when it hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina on 11/14/09 as it looks to build some momentum prior to the return leg in Bosnia on the 18th of November. Unfortunately for the Portuguese the latest report claims Ronaldo will be out for about a month which means he will not feature in both matches for the national team.

It is hard to determine the extent of the damage that Portugal will suffer as a result of his absence yet his performances during the qualifiers have been mediocre at best by his standards. Regardless of previous displays, missing out on the current world player of the year is definitely not an encouraging sign, in particular when the opponent is a dangerous Bosnian side full of offensive menace. While Bosnia’s defense remains susceptible, which would have meant more chances for Ronaldo to shine, the country’s attack features some lethal forwards in the shape of Edin Dzeko (pictured above right), Vedad Ibisevic, and Zvjezdan Misimovic. The Bosnian national team registered 25 goals in the group stage, trailing only England, Spain and Germany in the goals scored by any national team in European qualifiers. It would be wrong to assume the Bosnian team is limited to a potent attack although the defense has leaked 13 goals during the campaign. The Bosnians also have the advantage of playing the return leg on home soil.

On the other hand and despite the likely absence of Ronaldo, Portugal will still have its plethora of stars with Chelsea’s Deco, Manchester United’s Nani and of course defenders Pepe (Real Madrid), Jose Bosingwa & Ricardo Carvalho (both Chelsea), Atletico de Madrid’s Simao Sabrosa. The Portuguese side might have sneaked into the play-offs after a stuttering start, yet the fixture list featured a single defeat and revealed a water-tight defense which conceded a mere give goals in a group which also included Denmark and Sweden. It will be an interesting tussle between Portugal’s stingy defense and Bosnia’s elusive attack force. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to underestimate the set of skills that defines Portugal’s creative players such as Deco. One factor that may serve in Bosnia’s favour is the experience of the shrewd coach Miroslav Blazevic who led Croatia to the semi-finals in France 1998 when the French eliminated the Croatians on route to the World Cup triumph.

With Ronaldo missing, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the Portuguese players react and whether they will work hard together in order to offset his absence. On the other side, a hungry opponent in the shape of the Bosnian players will try to feed off the frenzy that has been created by the advancement to this stage of the qualifiers. Let the fireworks begin in what should be a cracking game between two sides more than capable of scoring on their day.

Argentine ace and Barcelona star Lionel Messi has had quite a year.  After leading Barcelona to an unprecedented treble in the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Ray he is now up for both the Ballon d’Or (European footballer of the year) and the equally prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year.

Last year Messi was beaten to both awards by Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo, then at Manchester United.  Chosing between the two stars is an almost impossible task in all honesty but for me personally Messi just about edges it and he is the favourite for both awards this time round.  After playing a massive part in Barcelona’s success it would be scandalous if he didn’t win one of the awards, if not both.  Ronaldo may have made the mega-money move to Real Madrid and he too enjoyed a fantastic season, but perhaps not quite as fantastic as the campaign he enjoyed when he lifted both awards.

Anyway, here are the shortlists of nominations for both awards.

FIFA World Player of the Year (23 players):

Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Diego (Brazil), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast),

Michael Essien (Ghana), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Steven Gerrard (England), Thierry Henry (France), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Kaka (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England), Luis Fabiano (Brazil),

Lionel Messi (Argentina), Carles Puyol (Spain), Franck Ribery (France), Wayne Rooney (England), John Terry (England), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain), Xavi (Spain).

The Ballon d’Or (European footballer of the year – 30 players):

Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona),

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Kaka (Real Madrid), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Maicon (Inter Milan), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), David Villa (Valencia), Xavi (Barcelona),

Yaya Toure (Barcelona) Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Diego (Juventus), Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg), Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal).

The winner of the Ballon d’Or will be announced on December 1, while the winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year will be announced on December 21.

The majority of these players will be on display at next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.  The French contingent still have to get through a play-off with the Irish, which is by no means a done deal.  Portugal face the relatively unknown quantity of Bosnia-Herzegovina in their own play-off so Ronaldo may not make the tournament in South Africa if the Bosnians pull off an upset.  I wouldn’t dismiss Bosnia either in fairness, they have their own stars such as Edin Dzeko (a fellow Ballon d’Or nominee) amongst others and they will put up a decent fight.  Messi will certainly be at the tournament, and that can only be a good thing for the spectator.

Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer who provides World Cup 2010 betting news for Betfair.

Now that Argentina has qualified to the World Cup ensuring the presence of star player Lionel Messi, barring any injury or outlandish suspension,  how does one evaluate the comments made by FIFA President Sepp Blatter? Prior to the decisive qualifiers which yielded  Argentina’s qualification to South Africa as well as Portugal’s opportunity to do so through a  two-legged playoff clash with Bosnia & Herzegovina, Blatter declared that the World Cup will not be affected if Messi or Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo were missing.

Obviously, some will attribute Blatter’s remarks as a way to minimise the adverse effects the World Cup tournament might have suffered had any star players missed on South Africa. On current form, Messi is probably one of the world’s best players if not the best and he is listed as a nominee for the title of world footballer of the year by French magazine France Football which hands out the Ballon d’Or. Also on that list is current holder Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Real Madrid for a record fee. With Messi’s presence in South Africa 2010 now guaranteed, will the tournament need Ronaldo to be a successful one in terms of TV viewership, sponsorship and overall appeal or will his potential absence be overcome by Argentine Messi’s qualification?

The World Cup is by far the most prominent football trophy and is considered the top attraction for fans worldwide so it would have been unlikely that Messi’s or Ronaldo’s absence could drastically affect the event. The very talented and much-maligned French team of 1994 missed on the World Cup and yet the tournament was not doomed. The World Cup itself serves as a stepping-stone and centre stage for emerging and unknown talents with the likes of Italy’s Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci and Russia’s Oleg Salenko claiming the scoring crown  in 1990 and 1994 respectively yet failing to shine afterwards. Thus, the tournament is a distinct feature from club football and most of the club and international football matches which took place prior to the event are set aside and considered meaningless. It can be argued that missing Ronaldo and Messi would have been damaging, yet Blatter might have a point this time when he claims that the World Cup would not have been hindered by their absence.

Part II of WCB’s World XI will reveal the attacking portion of the team as well as the coach that puts it all together or keeps it together. Let us begin with the right side of the formation.

FORWARDS:
On the right side, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Everyone knows about the year he had with Manchester United and the trophies he won. As much as I don’t like his attitude, his numbers are undeniable. He singlehandedly carried the goal scoring load while Rooney and whomever else Sir Alex put in the lineup struggled. 42 goals in 49 games all from a right wing position. Can’t have a 2008 World XI without Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the middle, Mohamed Aboutrika

The Egyptian playmaker had a great year. He was instrumental in Al-Ahly winning its record 6th African club championship and led Egypt to the 2008 African Cup of Nations trophy as well. Aboutrika scored the trophy winning goal in the final against Cameroon. He is consistently tagged as the best African player playing in Africa despite a poor showing in the FIFA Club World Cup. Aboutrika will have to continue to play well for The Pharoahs in their march toward South Africa 2010.

On the left, Joffre Guerron.

Guerron made his name on the right side but since Cristiano Ronaldo is there and we couldn’t leave the face of Ecuador’s 1st ever Libertadores champion on the bench, I put him on the left. He’s a professional he should be effective either way. Guerron was named the player of the Copa Libertadores as Liga De Quito made history. He was shockingly left off the ballot when El Pais named Juan Sebastian Veron as South American Player of the Year. Guerron was WCB choice for the title of “Rey del Fútbol de América” and an easy selection for WCB World XI.

STRIKERS:
Lucas Barrios

Who? Those who know South America & more specifically Chile know who he his. This year for Chilean super club Colo Colo, the Argentinean striker scored 37 goals in 38 appearances and was the leading goal scorer in both Clausura & Apertura tournaments leading Colo Colo to the Clausura title. He was named by the IFFHS as the Best Goalscorer in the World for 2008 quite easily making him one striker on the WCB World XI.

David Villa

The Valencia striker was the leading scorer of Euro 2008 and for the 07-08 season finished 5th in the Pichichi standings with 18 goals in 27 La Liga appearances. Villa currently sits 2nd on the Pichichi list for 08-09 with 12 goals in 16 games for Los Che. He is the best Spanish striker right now, one of the Top 5 in Spain, and one of the Top 10 in the world. Villa has been rumored with a move to Manchester City to join fellow Spanish striker, Fernando Torres in the English Premiership. Wherever he plays he’s gonna be a consistent goal scoring monster.

DT/Coach:
This position was a decision between former Liga De Quito coach Edgardo Bauza, Spain’s Euro 2008 winning coach Luis Aragones, and Manchester United’s legend Sir Alex Ferguson. Finally, the coach of the WCB World XI is:

Edgardo Bauza

The man known as El Patón was the mastermind behind Liga De Quito’s historic Copa Libertadores win. As a player he was best known as a defender for Rosario Central in the late 70s & early 80s and was part of the Argentina 1990 World Cup squad that lost to West Germany in the final. Ironically, he guided Liga past two Argentine squads on his path to the Libertadores title beating Estudiantes in the Round of 16 and San Lorenzo in the quarters. Bauza famously couldn’t watch the PK shootout at the Maracana where his keeper Jose Cevallos saved 3 of 4 PKs to seal history as they defeated Rio’s Fluminense in the final. Bauza resigned his post after the FIFA Club World Cup where Liga finished 2nd but his icon status with Los Albos is secure.

So the World Cup Buzz World XI formation is:
Casillas
Dani Alves – Vidic – Puyol
Xavi – Battaglia
C.Ronaldo – Aboutrika – Guerron
L. Barrios – D. Villa

So there it is. The Best XI from all over the world for 2008. Its going to be interesting to see who is going to make the Best XI for 2009. Whomever makes the lineup you better believe they are going to be amazing. Enjoy 2009! Peace!

Its the most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season is the only time of the year when you are nice to people you don’t like and the whole thing about being naughty or nice doesn’t matter cause you will still receive gifts. I’ve been more naughty than nice this year, especially that one night at Club Madonna’s. Anyway, I’m thankful that i’ll be receiving gifts but I’m still a bit greedy hoping that these Christmas wishes will come true.

Wish #1:

Stop the negative press about South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 World Cup. There is a sense of prejudice and anti-African sentiment when a negative report or story about South Africa’s preparations is written. If you love The Great Tournament, then you want to see South Africa host this historic World Cup.

Wish #2:

For Barcelona to win the treble this year. Its painful as a Barca fan to suffer through 2 straight trophy less seasons. Not to mention the cloud of Real Madrid, its 9 European Cups and fafillion La Liga titles lingering overhead. I want their lead in La Liga to extend to 24 points by the end of the season and for Real Madrid to qualify for the UEFA Cup or Europa League or whatever its gonna be called.

Wish #3:

For Cristiano Ronaldo to admit that he does not want to play for Manchester United anymore. The world’s most arrogant player wants to play for Real Madrid. He has yet to come out and pledge his undying devotion to Old Trafford. I already transferred him to Real Madrid in FIFA 09. Its getting annoying to hear all this speculation, Man U is the faithful wife, Real Madrid is the freaky mistress and Cristiano is the husband who is afraid to admit that he wants to leave his wife for the freak.

Wish #4:

That Sylvie Van der Vaart, model wife of Real Madrid midfielder Rafael, be loaned to Club America of Mexico or some 1st division Mexican team so that we can see her in a tight and skimpy Porrista outfit before every Mexican League match. “Hot” is not the word to describe this woman’s sex appeal. WOO! If I was Rafael, Sylvie would have had 5 or 6 kids by now. It would be impossible to focus on playing ball.

Wish #5:
VS.
Please put the Italian Serie A back on GOL TV. Fox is screwing up coverage of one of the great leagues in all of sports. This past Sunday, Fox Soccer Channel had Milan-Udinese live and then Fox Sports Espanol at halftime showed the 1st half of the same game on delay. On both Fox channels the same game was on simultaneously, with about 30 minutes game time difference. That’s ridiculous and the weekly wrap up show, Serie A Weekly is nothing but a music video of soccer highlights, its a 30 minute YouTube clip. “Ciao, Italia”, the 1 hour weekly wrap up show that was on GOL TV had commentary and game highlights of every match of the week with standings and the leading goal scorers chart at the end. Much like “Ole, La Liga” for Spain. Per Favore, ritorna calcio italiano alla GOL TV.

Wish #6:

That Ronaldo changes his mind and plays for SC Internacional of Porto Alegre. We know all know that the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer recently signed with Corinthians and rumors are swirling that Juan Sebastian “La Brujita” Veron may join Timão as well. Instead, Ronaldo & Veron should sign for O Colorado. It would be intriguing to see Ronaldo up top with Nilmar and Veron acting as Andres D’Alessandro’s midfield enforcer for the newly crowned Copa Sudamericana champs. Its not going to happen but a squad with those players would form the #1 challenger to São Paulo for the 2009 Brasileirão title.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Happy Holidays to you and yours. Celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa safely and I hope your Christmas wishes come true.