Inter coach Jose Mourinho is renowned for making controversial remarks,  for using the media to hammer his point  and for manipulating the press to engage in psychological games against his toughest opponents. The focus here will be on Mourinho’s latest statement which is actually inaccurate if one is to consider the many factors associated with the World Cup and involved in the buildup to the biggest sports tournament in the world. The outspoken Portuguese claimed the Champions League final is the most important game in the world and even more important than the World Cup.

There is no doubt Mourinho is a capable coach and is probably one of the best at motivating his players, preparing for games and disrupting the plans of opponents through various means including psychological ploys. However, in this case the Portuguese has erred andone only needs to look at Brazilian legend Pele to understand being a great player does not make you an expert on football (whether predictions or various assessment of players & teams) and in Mourinho’scase a number of his outrageous remarks have really little ground to stand on. Below is a brief summary of small scale comparison between the Champions League and the World Cup to make it easier for the public to make their own judgment:

- Most-Watched & TV Audience: Unfortunately we have to go back to 2006 since this was the last time the World Cup and the Champions League were contested in the same year. The World Cup Final in Germany 2006 which featured Italy taking on France was the most watched event in 2006 ahead of the Super Bowl while the Champions League Final (Barcelona vs Arsenal) was actually in fourth place.

- Duration: The qualification process for World Cup 2010 actually begun in August 2007 and ended in November 2009. As for the Champions League the qualifying phase began in June 2009 and the tournament ends this Saturday, May 22nd in Madrid. This might be an unfair comparison but this is part of the process which gives a better assessment of the scale of the respective tournaments and which is bigger.

- Number of Teams: Less than 100 total in the Champions League compared to 204 national teams participating in the World Cup qualifying rounds.

- Matches Played: The World Cup qualifiers alone witnessed 848 matches while the Champions League as a whole features 124 games.

- Prestige: Winning the World Cup is by far the most coveted achievement of a football player’s career. Some of the best players over the decades became legends and cemented themselves in the history books by winning the World Cup. Winning the Champions League is the greatest achievement on the club level but to triumph in the World Cup is to reach the peak of football at all levels.

- Talent on Display: The Champions League and the World Cup are an elitist competition with the best clubs andteams qualifying to main draw (the group stages in both competitions) however the World Cup is even more selective since teams in Italy, Spain andEngland can still make the Champions League despite finishing 3rd or even 4th (after the qualifying stage). This means the Champions League leaves room for some of the less competitive teams. In the World Cup this is balanced by having the different Confederations yet these limit the number of qualifiers to the best teams from most of these Confederations. This allows for a great diversity of talent to be on show. The Champions League does not have the same number of surprise players emerging as stars since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (Ronaldinho and Kaka before them) have shown time and again they’re the best. In the World Cup, there have been a number of unexpected surprises such as Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci in World Cup 1990.

- Emerging  Talent: Again the World Cup often serves as the perfect stage for the supporters to watch emerging players (such as Roberto Baggio in World Cup 1990) or even hear about future stars (Brazil’s Ronaldo did not play in USA 1994 but was in the squad). Stars are made in the World Cup and careers are often ended as well with many players retiring after participating in the World Cup (Note: Zinedine Zidane of France retiring after Germany 2006).

- Major Controversies: The controversies in the World Cup continue to be discussed for generations and the most notable examples in recent decades are Zidane’s headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the Germany 2006 Final in Berlin and Argentina star Diego Maradona’s “Handof God” against England in World Cup 1986. These events continue to be discussed by fans.

- The Money Factor: Mourinho says the Champions League gains the edge over the World Cup because the rich clubs can afford to buy the best talent while national teams pick from the best players available from their country. The logic here might be counterproductive as Barcelona’s Messi will be in the World Cup representing Argentina yet teammate Xavi Hernandez will play for Spain. While the talent might be further dispersed, it does ensure a more competitive tournament while in the Champions League the top teams such as Barca, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Inter and Real Madrid continue to have a monopoly over the best players.

- National Pride: While at the club the salary of the player is a decisive factor, the same players seek and try their best to play for their country at the World Cup. While there are financial rewards offered by a country’s Federation to the players who achieve certain objectives, the competing players in the World Cup are after the prestige and the experience of playing in the World Cup. Players who excel at the World Cup often become national heroes and lift the spirits of their fellow compatriots.

- Social Role: While football in general unites fans whether poor or rich, and of any race or background, to watch the games, the World Cup gets the nod here because of the global presence and coverage it generates.

- World Cup vs Champions League: Simply put winning the World Cup is Marcello Lippi’s greatest achievement and not winning the Champions League with Juventus in 1996. Zidane’s greatest honour was leading France to triumph in World Cup 1998 and then comes other honours such as Euro 2000 with Les Bleus and the Champions League triumph with Real Madrid (Zidane might pick winning the Champions League with R. Madrid over Euro 2000 but he certainly considers France 1998 as his greatest achievement).

- Mourinho Factor: The Portuguese is simply the type who does not rate anything high unless he is the main benefactor or the driving force behind it. Some might argue that when Chelsea won the domestic double (Premiership and FA Cup) in Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in charge one of those who were not really impressed was Mourinho because he used to try and instigate the Italian into a verbal war when Ancelotti was still in charge of rivals Milan. Mourinho considered beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge one of his greatest moments only to retract his statement after eliminating Barca in the Champions League semi-final not because the Catalans are the most talented team in the world (which they probably are with Messi & Xavi leading the line among others) but because he assisted Bobby Robson when he was in charge at the Camp Nou before leaving the club (he was bitter at not being offered the chance to coach the team in the years after). This is one additional motivational factor behind his strong desire to take charge of Real Madrid in order to make Barca suffer on the domestic front.

- Main Focus: The Champions League is on Saturday yet many supporters are preoccupied with the provisional teams and the cuts made by the national team coaches while Mourinho is desperately trying to engage in mind games with BayernMunich. Admittedly the Bavarians did start this round of psychological warfare when they accused Inter of being a defensive team and not entertaining which prompted Mourinho to sarcastically taunt Bayern for the decisive refereeing errors which helped the German club overcome Fiorentina in Munich as well as the sending off of Rafael of Manchester United at Old Trafford which helped turn the tide in Bayern’s favour.

There are a number of other factors which can be considered but once again nothing really surpasses the feeling of winning what is recognised as the world’s greatest honour in sports and the most watched event in the world. In addition, the Champions League is played on a yearly basis while the World Cup is a major event played every four years which gives it even more emphasis and makes it more exclusive. Only seven countries have won the World Cup   at one of the 18 total events played so far while the Champions League is in its 55th season (and ironically in its 18th under the current format) and has been won by 21 different clubs.

What is on paper a strong team could end up being a weak one when tested by a tricky opponent. How the players gel and work together, how effective the coach is in bringing the best out of players, the strength of the defensive line and often the rise of  a relative unknown to help carry the team can all influence who ends up winning. Other factors which must be considered include the lack of key injuries and having some luck in order for a team to advance far in this highly anticipated tournament.

Luck does not necessarily imply winning the whole tournament due to fortunate circumstances but as often the case some tough teams get eliminated on a particular nation’s side of the draw which can pave the way for that specific country to advance further in the tournament. Other lucky incidents can come in the shape of referee calls such as penalties given,  a red-card missed or overlooked, the woodwork coming to the rescue on more than one occasion or even scoring against the run of play.

In 2006 Italy was not expected to win but with a strong defensive unit, a great goalkeeper, a clever coach, some luck and the team working together as one cohesive unit the Azzurri were able to triumph in Berlin. If the World Cup started today, then Brazil would be one of the main picks because of the talented players who can change the course of a match in a single move or a split-second. The Brazilians have talent all over the pitch.

Other contenders would include Argentina largely due to the presence of one of the most gifted players of his generation who happens to be Lionel Messi. He is simply a genius and while he does not perform as well with the national team, Messi can still turnaround matches with one creative move. The main reason the Argentines have not been performing up to their potential is a result of having Diego  Maradona as the national team coach. Maradona was a great player but he is simply out of depth in terms of managing a talented country and his  inexperience shows whenever his players step on the pitch. He is an incapable coach who must rely on Messi to change games by himself if Argentina has any chance of advancing through the tournament. Maradona ought to surround Messi with the right players because it is a shame to see such a  talent go to waste on the international stage.

It could be argued Messi is even a better player at this stage of his career than Maradona was. Again the stress is on comparing the two talented players at the same age and period of their career. At 22-years-old Messi has accomplished more than Maradona and if he can lead Argentina to a World Cup triumph then few can doubt Messi has the better record as a player and whether he is the more talented of the two legends.

Another dangerous team would be England because of Manager Fabio Capello and what he brings to the table.  Capello is a great and highly skilled Manager when it comes to motivating players, creating harmony, suppressing egos, building team spirit and exploiting weaknesses in other teams. The main issue at this point is the injury crisis which has affected the national team in recent weeks. Ashley Cole and David Beckham will miss out unless left-back Cole makes a late comeback while others such as Rio Ferdinand have spent most of the season injured or recovering from an injury.

One other factor which could cause distraction is the behaviour of certain players with John Terry on top of the list of players being carefully followed due to his much-publicised affair. The media is now trying to keep an eye on his actions and any simple mistake made by Terry will be aggressively covered by the British Press.  To their advantage the English have Wayne Rooney to rely on and at this stage of the season the striker can do no wrong as he continues to score at a torrid pace.

The Spanairds cannot be underestimated because by winning Euro 2008 they showed they deserve to be respected. The Spaniards have Fernando Torres and David Villa as well as Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas and David Silva. Those are all talented and experienced players. In addition, who can forget the midfield duo of Xavi and Andres Iniesta who often pull the strings for the might Barcelona? Barca does depend on Messi but he is surrounded by great players and some of them hail from Spain as evidened by a few of the names mentioned above.

The Azzurri have the smallest chance from amongst the favourites because of the struggles faced by Juventus this season, the aging of the team and the fact three key players are no longer as effective: Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo. Gattuso is actually spending considerable time on the Milan bench while Cannavaro has been one of the weak links in Juve’s defensive line this season. Only Giorgio Chiellini is to be given credit in the Juve and Azzurri back-line.

Anything can happen though and World Champions usually do not give up easily. The onus will be on having a healthy Gianluigi Buffon who is as good as anyone in goal when healthy enough but once again Cannavaro is too old and slow to compete over a month even if Marcello Lippi says it is only four weeks and not a season. This is a shocking excuse from a coach of Lippi’s stature who is now resorting to various forms of alibis to justify his choices. This shows the extent of the pressure on his shoulders and this could easily backfire as Lippi was one of the main architects of the Azzurri triumph in Germany 2006.

Finally, France cannot and will not win when one considers the national team is coached by someone like Raymond Domenech who is still clinging to the job despite his obvious ineptitude. As for the Germans, they are rarely the type of team which is flashy but they tend to play solid football during the World Cup as shown in the 2002 and 2006 editions. Their strength is in the group and the effort, hard-work and commitment displayed by the players who often rely on their physical prowess and methodical approach to win matches. Perhaps waiting till end of May will give a better idea as to the teams which can be considered as the clear favourites but at this stage it would be a surprise if any other team can be regarded as a serious contender.

1st of all, Happy New Year to you and may 2009 be as exciting and intriguing as 2008. This past year was witness to some great moments and some truly historic performances from Liga De Quito’s monumental Libertadores victory to Spain shaking off their underachievers label with their impressive Euro 2008 title to Argentina repeating as Olympic champions. Many great players kept us suspended to our chairs or sofas or bar stools and made us realize that soccer players are the true sports magicians. As a fan of offense the 2008 WCB World XI will have a 3-5-2 look to it. That said, here are the magicians the 2008 WCB World XI:

Goalkeeper:
Iker Casillas

This is a no brainer, Real Madrid’s portero is the best in the world and my choice for Ballon D’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, refer here. He was brilliant in the Euros as he anchored a Spanish defense that was not given enough credit for La Furia Roja‘s championship.

Defense:
On the right Barcelona’s Dani Alves.
 
The Brazilian defender has been the best & most used of Barcelona’s ’08 summer signings. He is obviously an attack minded right back (what Brazilian defender isn’t) but he is an underrated defender and for all his attacking, he is not a defensive liability.

In the middle is Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic. 
 
Sir Alex’s Serbian Minister of Defense, Vidic might be Fergie’s best signing since he acquired Ruud Van Nistelrooy from PSV in 2001. It is quite possible that Vidic is Manchester United’s most valuable player even more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only is he a rock in the back, he’s shown a knack for scoring timely goals ask Hull City, Sunderland, and Gamba Osaka.

On the left is another Blaugrana defender, Catalan icon Carles Puyol.
 
The Barcelona captain is a natural center back but he’s so good that he can play any position on the backline and has. His partnership with Valencia’s Carlos Marchena in the middle of the Spanish defense was critical in Spain’s Euro success. Puyol managed to keep Barca’s backline serviceable when Lillian Thuram & Gabi Milito were consistently getting burned during the 07-08 season. You can’t have a a Best XI defense without Carles Puyol.

Midfielders:
Let’s begin with the central midfield and the men that back up the attacking players.  They don’t get as much attention as the attacking players but their teams would suck without them. 

Xavi
 
The player of the tournament for Euro 2008 and many people’s choice for the Ballon D’Or.  He is not spectacular but he does everything well. He has been Barcelona’s savior on many occasions and is mainly responsible for Barcelona being able to play in the Champions League despite the drama surrounding the team during the 07-08 season. 

Sebastián Battaglia

Boca Juniors were recently crowned Apertura champions after a dramatic 3-team playoff.  The fact they made it to that point is a credit to coach Carlos Ischia and Battaglia.  Without goal scoring icon Martin Palermo and public bickering amongst teammates, Battaglia helped to keep the team together on & off the pitch.  With a young group of talent forced into action, Boca’s #5 was the veteran presence in the midfield that helped Los Xeneizes become champions. El Pibe De Oro needs to include him for Los Albicelestes in World Cup qualifying.

In Part II, we’ll reveal the guys who get the goals, glory, and the women.  The attacking players will be revealed in Part II as well as the DT.  

We are coming up on that time of the year when the next three months we will dress up as someone or something, eat some turkey or some bird till we get fat, and open some presents from our families that we will probably return 2 weeks later. It is also the time when the major awards in football will be awarded.

The Ballon D’Or given to the European Player Of The Year and FIFA World Player Of The Year have been “kissing cousins” since the FIFA award’s inception in 1991.  In fact, 10 of the last 17 Ballon D’Or winners have won the FIFA award including the last 3 winners.  Only 3 times since 1991 has the Ballon D’Or winner not finished in the Top 3 of the FIFA award voting. It is likely this year once again, the winner of the Ballon D’Or will also win the FIFA P.O.Y., so let’s look at the 3 best candidates. 

Cristiano Ronaldo
 
The Portuguese superstar was a virtual lock for both awards at the end of the club season. His play carried Manchester United to the Premiership and a 3rd European Cup. He scored in the Champions League final but got cute with a PK, lucky for him John Terry messed up too. 42 goals in 49 total matches is a great feat but his steam ran out at the 2008 European Championship where he was ineffective to say the least. Maybe he was tired from the club season, whatever the case his lock on both awards were broken.

Iker Casillas

The Real Madrid goalkeeper is the best at his position in the world right now. He also has a double winning La Liga with Los Merengues and then capturing the European Championship with Spain. He was brilliant in Euro 2008 keeping a clean sheet throughout the knockout stage and his PK saves versus Italy in the quarters propelled Spain to the title. In addition, who knows how many points he saved Real Madrid throughout the course of the La Liga season.

Xavi
 
Xavier Hernández Creus does not have as much hardware as the Ronaldo or Casillas this year but he is just as valuable. The man known as Xavi won the European Championship with Spain and was named the player of the tournament.  He didn’t win anything with Barca but they might be in the UEFA Cup if it weren’t for him.  He scores timely goals and is the prototypical midfielder connecting the defense to the offense.  That is why the Blaugrana will lock up the Catalan star contractually for the rest of his career.

Since we’re lumping both the FIFA P.O.Y. & Ballon D’Or together, the winner should be:
Iker Casillas

Cristiano Ronaldo is a VERY close 2nd, Iker gets the nod because he did it at both the club and national team levels. If there were no international competitions this year than Ronaldo is a runaway winner but that’s not the case. Show the netminders some love, its hard being a good keeper at Real Madrid besides no keeper has won either award.

Award Winners – Part II.  Next up the candidates for South American Player Of The Year.