Big name players failed to ignite the FIFA World Cup!

One thing you can be sure of when watching the World Cup is that you are witnessing the greatest players in the world. Some come into the World Cup already household names, while others look to turn the tournament into a showcase for their skills. No matter what the situation, the World Cup is a beautiful thing to watch as it highlights who makes it, and who doesn’t, when it comes to the world’s stage.

The World Cup 2010 has so far provided a fantastic opportunity for many of the great players of the world to excel, but a number of “big name” players failed to live up to the hype coming into the tournament. A great example would be Ronaldo, of Real Madrid and formerly of Manchester United. In the 2008-2009 season, Ronaldo was voted the world player of the year; having scored an extraordinary 42 goals for Manchester United and propelled them to an 18th league title. He is undoubtedly one of the world’s best players, and he started the World Cup as a heavy favorite to score a host of goals and help lead Portugal to new heights. Ronaldo walked away from the tournament after going out at the round of 16, scoring only one goal that was amongst seven scored by Portugal against hapless North Korea. He had very little impact on his team’s games, and was very disappointing overall.

Another star that didn’t shine was England forward Wayne Rooney. While he has lit up the English Premier League the last few seasons with Manchester United, he was touted to be one of, if not the best player at this year’s World Cup. Most of England placed the hope of their country’s success on the young striker’s shoulders, and the burden looked as if it weighed a thousand pounds every time he took to the field. He was a shadow of the player that plays every week for United as he failed to score any goals and had no real influence on any of England’s four dismal matches.

A few others who failed to shine at this tournament were Lionel Messi, Kaka, and Didier Drogba. That being said, the World Cup is not just a place for already established players to shine, but also for new players to make their mark. Diego Forlan has played an immense role in Uruguay getting to the semifinals. He is regarded as a great player, but no one expected him to do this well. The same goes for Holland’s Wesley Sneijder. Also a wonderful player, he has been the inspiration and leading scorer for the Dutch with four goals. It may not have been a tournament for the stars to shine, but it’s been a great pleasure watching new stars form in the galaxy of soccer.

Guest post by Leah Thompson a writer for Futon Covers for Less. Browse the internet’s largest selection of futon covers including leather futon covers at the lowest prices.