superstars:
Netherlands jersey,
wesley sneijder jersey,
sneijder jersey,
arjen robben jersey,
robin van persie jerseyJOHANNESBURG (AP)—The World Cup is winding down, and with the final days come the big awards. Let FIFA decide the best player and stingiest goalkeeper. After a month packed with 62 games and 32 teams, there are lots of other prizes to be handed out for this first World Cup on the African continent.
Here are some World Cup awards for the good, the bad, the ugly and, of course, one for the octopus:
The Golden Vuvuzela: South Africa may have been the first World Cup host to fail to get out of the group stage, but Bafana Bafana was a delight from Siphiwe Tshabalala’s blistering left-footed shot in the opening game to the team dancing its way into the stadium for its final match (a win over the French, more on them later). The home fans were even better, enthusiastically cheering for every team and giving this World Cup a most distinct soundtrack with the blare of their vuvuzelas.
The New Glasses: England got robbed of a goal and Argentina was gifted one as officials created a highlight—or lowlight—reel of errors at this World Cup. The bad calls raised howls anew that soccer use video replay or other technologies, and FIFA president Sepp Blatter grudgingly agreed to consider it. But this is the same guy who once said, “Let’s leave football with errors,” so don’t bet on changes.
The Hand of God: Diego Maradona was every bit as entertaining as a coach as he was a player. Whether he was stalking the sidelines, grimacing over fouls as if they were personal assaults, or celebrating Argentina’s wins as if each was the tournament final, you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. There were no outrageous outbursts, and while the verdict is still out on whether he really can coach, he didn’t do anything to hurt Argentina, either.
The Silver Earplugs: Love ‘em or hate ‘em, those vuvuzelas and their swarm-of-bees sound stamped this World Cup as South Africa’s own. But don’t expect them to sweep the sports world. Wimbledon, the rugby World Cup, the Ultimate Fighting Championship all banned them. Not to be outdone, the United Arab Emirates’ General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments issued a fatwa against vuvuzelas if they exceed 100 decibels, which they usually do.
The Tarnished Ball: France behaved so abominably it might have locked this up for 2014, too. The defending runners-up staged a mutiny and refused to practice, pouting like a bunch of 3-year-olds in need of naps over coach Raymond Domenech’s decision to send Nicolas Anelka home following Anelka’s expletive-filled rant at halftime of the second group stage game. Oh, the French played abysmally, too, slinking home with one lousy point and one measly goal. Quelle catastrophe!
The Rusty Shoes: Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may be the biggest thing going in the game these days, but they were World Cup flops. Messi was the main reason Argentina reached the quarterfinals, creating plays for his teammates and occupying opposing defenses’ attention. But he left without scoring a single goal. Ditto for Rooney. C’mon, guys. Even offensively challenged Greece managed to knock in a pair of goals. Ronaldo at least scored one goal, but it was more accidental than intentional. And stop with the flopping and the whining. It’s beyond tiresome.