Five Players to Watch in the World Cup
Mike DeCourcy - SportingNews.com
Jun 10, 2010
The World Cup may be driven by nationalism, spectacle and the planet's insatiable appetite for what others call football and we call soccer, but its greatest appeal may be its ability to coronate stars.
The World Cup fashioned Pele, Eusebio, Maradona and Ronaldo into international icons, but even those with two full names have a chance to put their stamp on the 2010 event.
These are a few to watch:
Steven Gerrard, MF, England. At last named England's captain, Gerrard could finally become the transcendent player for his country that he's often been for Liverpool. But it won't happen if he's asked to play deep defensively while teammate Gareth Barry recovers from injury. Gerrard is an attacking player. England can't afford to get that wrong, but might.
Maicon, D, Brazil. Such an extraordinary right back he keeps the gifted Dani Alves mostly on the bench, Maicon brings a physicality to Brazil that's helped coach Dunga change the team's identity. This Brazilian team might not be as flashy, but Maicon's ability to both advance and defend makes it more consistent.
Lionel Messi, F, Argentina. He has been the world's dominant player for Barcelona in club competition, but less influential for Argentina. He has only 13 goals in 44 appearances; given that he scores more than every other game for his club, this may be evidence of how poorly he's been used.
Cristiano Ronaldo, MF, Portugal. He scored 26 goals in 29 appearances after moving to Real Madrid this season, and yet somehow managed to disappoint. Every international tournament provides another opportunity to show there is no more gifted player, but he never seems to find the same rhythm with his national team.
Robin van Persie, F, Netherlands. With Ruud van Nistelroy left off the roster and van Persie finally healthy, this could be an opportunity for the Arsenal forward to shine. He has a strong left foot and a deft touch.
David Villa, F, Spain. While his nation frets about the health of Fernando Torres, a greater talent and bigger star, Villa keeps pumping in goals. His strike rate for Spain is almost cartoonish.
Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.
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