32 Players to Watch For From 32 Countries
- By Joseph Schoenbauer
Group A
1. Germany – Michael Ballack – The most influential German player since current coach Jurgen Klinsmann and former World Cup winning captain Lothar Mattheus starred in the early 1990’s, Ballack was the inspirational engine behind Germany’s run to the 2002 World Cup final and has only grown in stature over the past 4 years.
2. Costa Rica – Paolo Wanchope – Costa Rica’s all-time leading scorer, Wanchope will have to be at the top of his game for Costa Rica to have a chance of reaching the second round. Costa Rica were dramatically eliminated in 2002 after they went out on goal difference having conceded 5 against Brazil.
3. Poland – Ebi Smolarek – One of the revelations in the German Bundesliga this year, Smolarek led Borussia Dortmund to a seventh place finish, providing 13 goals along the way. Before this year Smolarek was not even considered a goal scorer, but with the loss of Ewerthon to Real Zaragoza and "Dinosaur" Jan Koller to an ACL injury, Smolarek was forced into a central striking position, and took it with aplomb. Poland will no doubt be expecting much of the same come summer time.
4. Ecuador - Agustin Delgado – The leading scorer for an Ecuador team that has qualified for their second consecutive World Cup, behind only Brazil and Argentina. More will be expected of Ecuador this time around, especially as they have kept out the likes of Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile in the process.
Group B
1. England – Joe Cole – Following the serious injury to Wayne Rooney, and the likelihood that Michael Owen will be nowhere near match fitness come June, Joe Cole has stepped up and publicly declared he can fill their shoes. He has grown immensely as a player since his days as the captain of West Ham, playing a prominent role in Chelsea’s march to consecutive league titles, and could prove essential to the Three Lions' cause.
2. Sweden – Zlatan Ibrahimovic – One of the most skillful big men in the game today, Zlatan has come in for criticism in the second half of Juventus’s season for his lack of proficiency in front of goal. But without his quality, Juventus would not likely be headed towards their second Serie A Championship in as many years. Sweden will be expecting even more when the World Cup comes around, especially as he led the team in qualifying with 9 goals.
3. Trinidad & Tobago – Dwight Yorke – Known as a playboy during his time at Aston Villa and Manchester United in England, he has since moved on to Sydney FC in Australia where he has guided his team to two straight championships. Now at 34 years old, Yorke has dropped further back from his forward position to become an influential midfielder with more of a leadership role. Trinidad & Tobago has benefited from his leadership in the form of a ticket to the biggest party in the world.
4. Paraguay – Roque Santa Cruz – Having spent most of the year sidelined with a serious knee injury, Santa Cruz is coming to form at just the right time for Paraguay. After his comeback performance at the end of the season where Bayern Munich defeated Stuttgart 3-1, in which Santa Cruz filled in just behind Makaay and Pizarro, he was likened to the Brazilian Kaka for his vision and goal scoring abilities. Paraguay will need his best efforts to pass to the knockout stages of the World Cup once again. Paraguay is praying he can stay fit.
Group C
1. Argentina – Lionel Messi – Precocious left footed youngsters coming out of Argentina will always be surrounded by enormous hype. Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona is no exception, gathering a large and passionate following despite having never played professionally in Argentina after moving to Barcelona when he was just 12 years old. If his performances for Barcelona and initial games for Argentina are any indication of how he will fare this summer, his fans will no doubt grow by the bucket load by the time the World Cup is over.
2. Serbia & Montenegro – Dejan Stankovic – His qualities have taken him to the top teams in Serie A, where he currently holds down a starting midfield position for Inter Milan. With Serbia & Montenegro’s defense one of the sternest in the business, it may be down to Stankovic’s ability to score goals to determine whether they can make it out of the toughest group in the World Cup.
3. Holland – Dirk Kuyt – The image of Marco Van Basten’s new look Holland side, he scores goals by the bunches in the Dutch league for Feyenoord, the team which he captains. The goals he scores are skilful yet also often a result of hard work and determination in and around the 18 yard box.
4. Ivory Coast – Didier Drogba – After storming onto the scene after a memorable year with Marseille in which he led the team in scoring and to the UEFA Cup finals, Drogba made his big money move to Chelsea, where he has since spearheaded a side that has won 3 trophies in 2 years. While he has not led the team in scoring, this year he led Chelsea and the English Premier league in assists, a statistic surely not overlooked by his coaches.
Group D
1. Mexico – Jared Borgetti – The overall top scorer in World Cup qualifying with 16 goals in CONCACAF, Borgetti is also the all-time leading scorer in Mexican history going into the World Cup finals. The crazed Mexican supporters will surely have high hopes for the man coming off his first season in Europe.
2. Angola - Fabrice Akwa – The man who scored the winning goal against Rwanda to send Angola to the World Cup, Akwa is yet another African player who was primed to be a future superstar when he was a teenager, only to never progress as was hoped. Now he has helped an Angolan nation, devastated by civil war over the years, to qualify for the most important tournament in the world. A goal scored, or a point taken, and Akwa may go down as one of Angola’s all-time greatest national heroes.
3. Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo – He has the ability to open up almost any defense with his dribbling skills and speed, and has now acquired a stronger eye for goal, something that may prove crucial to Portugal’s chances of reaching the same heights in Germany as they reached in Euro 2004.
4. Iran – Ali Karimi – The most skilful of Iranian futbol players, Ali Karimi earned himself a move to German champions Bayern Munich at the beginning of the year. Over the season, he has performed admirably when given the chance, even scoring crucial goals when other key players have been out injured. Now coming back from injury himself, the status he holds in the Iranian public’s eyes will be his motivation.
Group E
1. United States – Landon Donovan – Following his high profile performances in South Korea and Japan in 2002, Donovan has become a pivotal part of Bruce Arena’s team that finished first in CONCACAF qualifying ahead of Donovan’s most bitter of rivals, Mexico.
2. Italy – Francesco Totti – A star with undoubted class, Francesco Totti has had it rough in international football. Following a heartbreaking loss in the finals to France in Euro 2000, Totti saw red in spectacular fashion in both World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004. Having only returned to match fitness in early May of this year following nearly 3 months out after a horrendous injury to his ankle, Italy will be praying Totti has the legs to set the world alight like the Romanistas know he can.
3. Czech Republic – Tomas Rosicky – Czech’s influential central midfielder, Rosicky is responsible for holding the team together and dictating the pace of the game. With the likes of Pavel Nedved and Milan Baros further forward, Rosicky’s vision will be crucial to Czech’s success in a very tough group.
4. Ghana – Michael Essien – The most expensive African player in club history, Essien held up to the reputation he built at Lyon as one of the toughest midfielders in the world today. It’s this tough tackling that has brought Ghana to their first World Cup appearance ever.
Group F
1. Australia – Harry Kewell – Once one of the most exciting players in the English Premier League when he played for Leeds, Harry Kewell had a rough couple of years after joining Liverpool where muscle injuries hampered his mentality and perhaps a bit of his pace. However, he has held down a regular role with Liverpool this year on the left wing and performed creditably, weighing in with a number of gamewinning performances. With Australia’s first appearance in a World Cup since 1974 on the cards, the traveling Aussies will party regardless, but a performance or two from Kewell will give them good reason.
2. Brazil – Ronaldinho – Slightly overshadowed by the outstanding performances of Ronaldo and Rivaldo at World Cup 2002, Ronaldinho has since become the indisputable world star of futbol and has been named World Player of the Year two years running for his outstanding displays for Barcelona and Brazil. The greatest stage awaits the greatest player.
3. Japan – Shunsuke Nakamura – A star for Reggina in Italy for a number of years, he moved to Celtic in Scotland at the beginning of the year, where doubts arose that he may struggle to adapt to the extreme change in style of play. However, his class has shown through, and he now looks to be Japan’s greatest weapon.
4. Croatia – Dario Srna – After scoring the vital goal that saw Croatia through to the World Cup, Srna’s prominence rose greatly in his home country, where pride allows the team to reach far greater milestones than countries with double the population. Srna is the captain and organizer of the stingy Croatian defense.
Group G
1. South Korea – Ji Sung Park - South Korea as a whole will no doubt still be riding high after last World Cup’s extraordinary run to the semifinals, and fans' expectations have increased exponentially. Ji Sung Park will have to use all the experience he has gained from his time in Europe at PSV and now Manchester United to help deliver a victory in the World Cup, a milestone South Korea had never reached until being the host nation.
2. Togo – Emmanuel Adebayor – The pride of the Togo nation after leading all players in goal scoring in African World Cup qualifying with 10 goals and leading Togo to their first ever World Cup appearance, his stature was such that when a dispute arose with Stephen Keshi, the head coach, Keshi was promptly removed from his position.
3. France – Thierry Henry – Yet to set the world a light with a masterclass performance in a major national team competition, Thierry Henry has to be regarded as one of the best players in the world over the past 5 years. His extraordinary performances have seen him averaging around 30 goals a season, a fact that seemingly goes unnoticed by pundits when it comes time to vote for World and European player of the year awards. It can only be down to the fact that he has been so consistently remarkable; when he scores 30 goals in a season it is merely another standard season for him.
4. Switzerland - Alexander Frei – Having been one of the top scorers in France club football for Rennes for several years running, Frei is the greatest reason Swiss will be attending this years' celebration, and will no doubt be the greatest danger opposing defenses will face when up against Switzerland.
Group H
1. Spain – Fernando Torres – While it seems he has been around for years and years, Torres is still only 21 years old and has yet to really announce his goalscoring skills to the world. With greater confidence following the number of goals he scored in World Cup qualifying, Torres will be looking to get Spain over the hump they so often run into when it comes to big events.
2. Ukraine – Andrii Shevchenko – The leader of a Ukrainian team that qualified for the first time ever in style as the first European team to book their ticket to Germany, Shevchenko will no doubt relish the opportunity to perform in the world’s greatest tournament.
3. Tunisia – (Feuciludo) dos Santos – Tunisia’s leading scorer and outstanding player over the past several years, dos Santos has helped to turn Tunisia, champions of Africa in 2004, into one of the most consistent and respected teams in all of Africa. They will be looking towards his goals to finally propel Tunsia into the second round, a feat they have yet to accomplish.
4. Saudi Arabia – Yasser Al Qahtani – The Saudis lack a dominant and consistent scorer, but Al Qahtani could be the closest thing they have to a true number 9. At twenty three years old and fresh off a move to top Saudi club Al-Hilal, he will be relied upon to bag the goals if the Saudis are to improve on their nightmare performance in Japorea.