The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup

[ONeill]

Good bye and good riddance to the shittiest World Cup in my memory. Dampened the anticipation for the new league season.

[muppet]

Glad to see Spain win that. Truly they are an exceptional team and if Torres had have been on form they would have spanked teams in the way their football deserved.

For me, Iniesta and Xavi are both edging their ways into the bracket of best footballers of all time. In terms of movement, intelligence, precision and energy, they have no peers in modern football.

Ironically their only competition in this regard was on the Spanish bench and the next closest was at home in Spain.

[paco]

Can't understand how people continue saying Messi was a dissapointment, he made the shortlist for best player! You can't mention his performance with those of Ronaldo, Rooney etc.

[Geoff Tipps]

Can't understand how people continue saying Messi was a dissapointment, he made the shortlist for best player! You can't mention his performance with those of Ronaldo, Rooney etc.

He was below his Barca form but still had a decent tournament. Ronaldo and Rooney didn't even show up.

[paco]

That's my point! You can't compare the three. Roll on Brazil 2014.

[ross4life]

Can't understand how people continue saying Messi was a dissapointment, he made the shortlist for best player! You can't mention his performance with those of Ronaldo, Rooney etc.

The fact he has been tipped as the new Maradona might have something to do with it? some will say he played to deep in this world cup but only Asamoah Gyan had more shots on goals than him, also how many goal assists did Messi have or man of the match performances? Can't understand how he made shortlist for best player when someone like Dirk Kuyt was better

I'll hold my judgment on Messi until the next world cup where the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo & Messi will all be at there peaks

[paco]

Can't understand how people continue saying Messi was a dissapointment, he made the shortlist for best player! You can't mention his performance with those of Ronaldo, Rooney etc.

The fact he has been tipped as the new Maradona might have something to do with it? some will say he played to deep in this world cup but only Asamoah Gyan had more shots on goals than him, also how many goal assists did Messi have or man of the match performances? Can't understand how he made shortlist for best player when someone like Dirk Kuyt was better

I'll hold my judgment on Messi until the next world cup where the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo & Messi will all be at there peaks

Off the top of my head, he set up all 4 goals in the South Korea game, one in the Greece game and set up Carlos Tevez's offside goal in the Mexico game, think that's it? MOTM in the Nigeria game and South Korea. He's only 22, like Maradona in '78 and will be 26 in 2014. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, they're still a fairly young team and can only get better, whereas the future looks fairly dull for Portugal and England!

[The Real Laoislad]

Can't understand how people continue saying Messi was a dissapointment, he made the shortlist for best player! You can't mention his performance with those of Ronaldo, Rooney etc.

I'll hold my judgment on Messi until the next world cup where the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo & Messi will all be at there peaks

I'd say he can't wait for your approval

[ross4life]

Can't understand how people continue saying Messi was a dissapointment, he made the shortlist for best player! You can't mention his performance with those of Ronaldo, Rooney etc.

The fact he has been tipped as the new Maradona might have something to do with it? some will say he played to deep in this world cup but only Asamoah Gyan had more shots on goals than him, also how many goal assists did Messi have or man of the match performances? Can't understand how he made shortlist for best player when someone like Dirk Kuyt was better

I'll hold my judgment on Messi until the next world cup where the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo & Messi will all be at there peaks

Off the top of my head, he set up all 4 goals in the South Korea game, one in the Greece game and set up Carlos Tevez's offside goal in the Mexico game, think that's it? MOTM in the Nigeria game and South Korea. He's only 22, like Maradona in '78 and will be 26 in 2014. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, they're still a fairly young team and can only get better, whereas the future looks fairly dull for Portugal and England!

I think FIFA Stats says Messi had only one assist & that was the offside goal

Yes they are a young team and can only get better but if they don't learn how to defend (find new defenders) in 4 years time they will flop again

Not sure how Portugal and England will do in 4 years but you would imagine Rooney28/Ronaldo29 would be better then

[paco]

To be fair Ross, FIFA also gave Sneijder 2 own goals! I wouldn't pay much attention to those things, he set up a pile. Said it earlier myself, 4 years is plenty of time to find some new defenders, thought Romero looked a decent keeper too. Rooney might be better, but what about the rest of the team? They'll still be unable to find a decent keeper or right back and all the main players will be over 30, that's if they're even still playing.

[ross4life]

To be fair Ross, FIFA also gave Sneijder 2 own goals! I wouldn't pay much attention to those things, he set up a pile. Said it earlier myself, 4 years is plenty of time to find some new defenders, thought Romero looked a decent keeper too. Rooney might be better, but what about the rest of the team? They'll still be unable to find a decent keeper or right back and all the main players will be over 30, that's if they're even still playing.

Yep most the main guys will be over 30 Terry,Rio,Ashley Cole,Gerrard i guess they will be hoping Arsenal,United,liverpool can produce some new talent

[Minder]

You could argue Rooney will be past his peak, I don't think he has the genetics/body shape (as opposed to Giggs for example) to have a long career.

[ONeill]

Some interesting views:

Carlos Pi, Barcelona, says:

My father is one of six brothers from Barcelona. My mother is one of five sisters from Madrid. We grew up in Madrid, driving to Catalonia every year for Christmas. I have always felt frustrated by the tensions between Spanish regions, which now seem at an all-time high in my lifetime. The night we won I heard people chant centralist slogans: "Hola hola hola, Barcelona es Espanola!". Back at the office today there were still some disgruntled Catalans complaining about 'excessive TV coverage' of the celebrations yesterday and last night. I am so proud of the Spanish team, my team. If only the rest of the population could have a more pragmatic attitude, closer to that of the players that brought the World Cup home.

Joseba, Elorrio, Basque country, says:

I am Basque and live in the Basque country. I, along with most of the people in our town, wanted Holland to beat Spain. Unlike other not-yet independent countries such as Wales, Scotland or NI, we are not allowed to field our own Basque national team in international competitions. Basque players such as Xabi Alonso in my opinion should not play for Spain out of protest, but I understand that they need to further their careers. Personally, I could never put a Spanish shirt on my back, knowing the oppression that they impose daily on Basque people. But this is a country where politics rules and no Basque national team indirectly means more votes for the Spanish parties, in the same way that it is in the interests of the Spanish government that ETA continues to exist (despite what they say). As long as there is 'terrorism', there are votes for PP and PSOE.

Oier Aristizabal, Oiartzun, Basque Country, says:

Well, I do not think it will have a major impact on the Catalan and Basque issues. The fact that after the referee blew the final whistle Carles Puyol (Barcelona's captain) and Iker Casillas (Real Madrid's captain) euphorically hugged each other does not mean, despite some other arguments, that we are facing a new era to solve this problem. Afterwards, Puyol proudly waved the Catalan flag and so did Casillas with the Spanish one. Football is a good example for many aspects in life, including politics, but in the end it is a game. It is, as I see, strictly sports and not politics. Anyway, we tend to mix them, we cannot help it. I am an Euskaldun (Basque) and I was happy to see Spain winning the World Cup. They definitely deserved the trophy. I would love to see one day the Basque National team qualifying for the World Cup. At least we should have the same chance as the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish do, alongside England within the United Kingdom. All in all, Spain is an artificial union. It was never united in a friendly manner but with blood and fire. Different kingdoms in Spain did not get together happily, but after being defeated in bloody wars. That is why the problem still exists and I do not think the World Cup winning will make Spain a more united nation.

Richard Smith, Bilbao, says:

Here in Bilbao I've watched the Spanish team progress, and had hoped for the dream formula; that Athletic de Bilbao's Fernando Llorente would score the goal that won them the World Cup. Sadly, in my local bar on the night of the final, there was a sign that read: "Here we support only Holland. Spaniards no thanks!"

Asier, Bilbao, Euskal Herria, says:

As a Basque myself I want independence for my country more than ever, after seeing with dismay this show of Spanish intransigent nationalism. And of course I wanted Holland to win the final. It's not nice to see people with the Spanish flag (most of them Spanish colonialist immigrants), some of them shouting "Franco, Franco" in your city, knowing that they don't let us decide our future or have our national teams. Independence and freedom for the Basque Country and Catalonia NOW!

Barrie Jackson, Madrid, says:

The World Cup victory is fantastic and it takes the magnifying glass away from the incompetent government for a while. But nothing has changed sadly. The sale of flags and tee shirts has increased but I suppose the vast majority have been produced in China so the Spanish economy doesn't even benefit from this. The sale of beer and soft drinks in bars has increased as a result of the televised matches but that's all. Living in Madrid I can't comment on Catalunya or the Basque Country save to say that before the WC putting a flag on your car or on your balcony was a right wing fascist symbol. Temporarily it's been accepted as reflecting the football team. So I repeat, business as usual, high unemployment, increased taxation, corrupt politicians, pesimism, number one concern to everyone is the threat of being made unemployed, no light at the end of the tunnel of the economic recession, no political unity.

Albert Busquets, Barcelona, says:

I'm from Catalonia. I just feel Catalan, not Spanish. I don't hate the Spanish. In fact, being an "independentist" doesn't imply I hate Spain. But I don't want to be part of that country. They don't understand our language, our culture and our traditions. In fact, there are a lot of Spaniards that hate us, giving derogatory names to us, but on the other hand they don't want independence for us because of our taxes. We pay more than other people from the same country. We have different rights and responsibilities, but we receive less facilities than others. I don't trust that journalist when he says that you can speak Catalan in Madrid. That's completely false. You can have a problem if you do that. Anyway, independence can't be a reality if our politicians don't act with responsibility and unity in Madrid.

Borja, Ferrol, Galicia, says:

Whenever people talk about nationalism problems in Spain, many usually forget that in Galicia there are many people who support greater autonomy from Madrid. Galicia is arguably the territory with more signs of distinction in the Iberian Peninsula, apart from Portugal, including language (the second most spoken in Spain after Castellano and Catalan), culture, weather and geography. The reason why there is no more Galician nationalist representation in the Spanish Parliament relates to the fact that nationalist parties in Galicia (concentrated in a group called BNG - Bloque Nacionalista Galego) are more supportive of independence, unlike the most representative nationalist Basque and Catalan parties, which support greater autonomy without breaking the structure of the Spanish nation. This make them seem less radical than BNG in Galicia and, thereby, get electoral support from non-nationalist voters who wish more power in Madrid's parliament.

Beatriz Garcia Duecias, Madrid, says:

I fed up with this "separatist" thing. Plenty of Catalans are as well. I live in Madrid but I have family and friends in Barcelona. I love that city! And I really don't understand why a few politicians want to split apart the whole peninsula territory. But I also think that there are a few politicians making a lot of noise. When you go to Catalunya in a big city nobody cares about separation; no-one wants it. Usually it is in smaller towns where people want to be separated. And the funniest thing is that Montilla (a strong Catalan person) is naturally from Aragon. Celebrating the football victory it isn't a question of flags or patriotism! I think that Spanish people used these items to express a collective feeling without thinking about politics and so on. What I loved here is that there was a spontaneous feeling of happiness and sympathy for this young football team! Viva la fiesta!

Iso Peyer, Sursee, Switzerland, says:

Dear Mr Oppenheimer. You write that the Catalans "might be ready to support independence one day if necessary, but not yet", thus suggesting that Spain is still in unity thanks to Catalan good will and benevolence (among other factors, I suppose). Perhaps things are as you say, perhaps they are not. Why do you use words like "if necessary" and "not yet"? In my opinion, a more judicious choice of words would be appropriate, considering that the Catalans do not represent a majority in Spain.

Nicolas, Madrid, says:

I read Walter Oppenheimer's articles on the UK regularly in El Pais and since he seems to understand Britain better than many Britons, it is interesting to read his ideas about his own country. The only point I would take issue with in this article is the conclusion he draws about the significance of the demonstration in Barcelona against a judicial decision to reduce the powers of the Catalan parliament one day before the joyous celebration in the same city of the World Cup victory. Therein lies the dilemma for many Catalans. They can't help but feel Spanish, much as many of them would like to reject this inconvenient part of their own identity. Finally, I would like to add a point Mr Oppenheimer, perhaps as a Catalan, doesn't make. And that is that whilst Catalans remain fascinated by questions of their own identity, they don't quite see the effect that immigration, especially from South America, is having, and will increasingly have, on that very identity. These immigrants are Castilian speaking and may have other ideas about the linguistic, cultural and social future of Catalonia then the traditional notions of what it means to be Catalan. Anyone who witnessed the explosion of joy amongst immigrants at Spain's World Cup victory in the Madrid neighbourhood of Lavapies or in Barcelona's El Raval would have seen more than a fledgling sense of integration and pride amongst people not born in Spain. That pride and that new sense of identity is Spanish. It's hard to see the same communities in Barcelona joining a demonstration in defence of Catalan powers or of the Catalan language with quite the same enthusiasm.

[ross4life]

Photoshop Arjen Robben

[nrico2006]

You could argue Rooney will be past his peak, I don't think he has the genetics/body shape (as opposed to Giggs for example) to have a long career.

What kind of body shape do you need and what makes one think that his gentics are so different from any other English footballer who had a long and successful career?