Spain win FIFA World Cup 2010

The Images of the Spanish Victory showered in Golden Confetti, Sunday night from Soccer City, are still splashing all over news channels. Spain has won the FIFA World Cup for the first time; it’s a moment for the pages of history.

With both Netherlands and Spain being the only teams to have won all their qualification matches and Netherlands having been undefeated all throughout the tournament, the stage was set for an exciting match on Sunday night. Added to that was the anticipation running around 5 key players, each vying for the Golden Ball.

All eyes were on Sneijder and Villa to battle it out and put up the best game of the tournament. But neither could create magic for their teams. The last game of the FIFA 2010 turned out to be quiet a drag through the 90 minutes of play, until Andres Iniesta swooped in during extra time, hitting a pass from mid-fielder Fábregas past through the Dutch defence to score the winning goal for his team, with only 4 minutes time left.

The game had its moments, including a record 14 Yellow cards (9 of which were issued to Dutch players) and 1 red card for the Netherland’s defender, John Heitinga which left the Dutch with only 10 men to battle out the last 11 minutes. A loss that cost them heavily in the 116^th minute when Iniesta scored. Eight players were booked in little over an hour in Soccer City and the constant interruptions proved to be quiet frustrating, for those on field as well as for the spectators.

This is Netherland’s 3^rd final defeat in the World Cup and the first time that a European nation has won the World Cup outside of Europe. For Spain, coming after their Euro Cup win in 2008 against Germany and a long struggle, it’s a case of Beauty winning over the Beast. The team has been lauded for their artistic style which won over the brute force of Netherlands. The Spanish media is calling it “Poetic Justice” while others call it the victory of football as the Spanish side stuck to its attacking philosophy and won the game “the right way”, without ugly tactics or physical force. It was truly the beautiful game, classic style.

Thomas Meuller, of Germany, won the Golden Boot with his 5 goals and 3 assists, while Uruguay’s Diego Forlan won the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player. Mueller also won the title of Best Young Player.

The 2010 World Cup cannot be termed the most breath-taking ever, but drama and excitement did come in dozes. There were several disappointments with individual players such as Ronaldo, Rooney and Kaka but in the end, team effort has shown its strength. Spain very splendidly proved till their last game that the best performers are teams.

This World Cup will also be remembered for some unconventional reasons including several referee blunders which lead to debates regarding the use of better technology during matches. For Shakira’s “Waka Waka”. For Paul, the octopus who achieved celebrity status through his predictions. For South Africa's unbreakable enthusiasm as first-time hosts and for the vuvuzela which, despite all debates, will forever be synonymous with the South African World Cup.

And for the official song which captured a million hearts with its unique style. When I get older, I will be stronger, They’ll call me freedom, Just like the waving flag......And Spain’s flags are waving away to glory.

So Goodbye FIFA 2010.

Next installation: Brazil, 2014

The Golden Question - Who get's the Golden Ball?

The World Cups finals are tonight and many eyes are on the Golden ball.

The Golden Ball trophy is awarded every World Cup to the best player of the tournament. Followed by a second place Silver ball and third place Bronze ball.

FIFA’s Technical Study Group announced the Golden ball nominees on 9^th July. Here’s a quick review of the nominees and what the FIFA Technical Study Group have to say about them:

Diego Forlan (Uruguay) – Striker

Architect of the team’s attack, very influential, great impact for his team, provider of quality final passes, goal scorer, set pieces/shots from long range

Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) – Striker

Huge work rate, efficient, good dribbler, creates problems to each defence, good goal scorer

Andres Iniesta (Spain) – Mid-Fielder

Very fine ball-playing attacking midfielder, a star for the team, impressive dribbling ability

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – Forward

The best footballer around , Outstanding in his pace and creativity for his team, dribbling, shooting, passing – spectacular and efficien

Mesut Oezil (Germany) – Mid-Fielder

A real talent for the present and the future, quick feet and great vision, good final and decisive passes

Arjen Robben (Netherlands) – Forward

Very good pace and dribbling skills, wonderful ability to cut inside from the right, effective to his team

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) – Mid-Fielder

Impressive by his first pass (forward and accurate), very good passer, has moments of individual brilliance, ball-winner

Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) – Mid-Fielder

A maestro in midfield, exceptional work rate, the engine of Netherland’s attacks, excellent passer and scorer

David Villa (Spain) – Forward

Top scorer; quick, two footed, very good on one-on-one situations, provides good final passes, excellent finisher

Xavi (Spain) – Mid-Fielder
The metronome and the engine of the Spanish team, very influential in the passing style of the game, one of the finest midfielders in the tournament

The winners would be voted on by accredited media representatives and announced tonight after the final game. This time around, however, FIFA has decided to wait until the final whistle at Soccer City before the votes are cast, an important decision coming after Zidane’s head-butting right after he had just won the Golden Ball at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

The absence of top players such as Rooney, Kaka and Ronaldo, who were favourites at the beginning of the tournament is another in a long string of disappointments since the World Cup began in June. However, the player whose absence is angering most fans is Thomas Mueller of Germany who emerged as an overnight success with his four goals, including two against England and one against Argentina.

Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan, the player with the most shots in the tournament at 33, has made it to the list as he spearheaded Ghana's charge to the quarter-finals with three goals and looked set to be the star player for Africa until he missed the crucial penalty shot against Uruguay.

The presence of both Oezil and Schweinsteiger reinstates Germany’s mid-field dominance in this tournament. A relative unknown, Oezil proved to be a surprise as he scored a stunning long range strike against Ghana and ripped England to shreds in the 4-1 second round, while Schweinsteiger superbly headed the midfield for Germany's young team.

But the clear favourites are David Villa and Wesley Sneijder, with 5 goals each so far in the tournament, which also puts them in the lead for the Golden Boot. Since votes will be cast after the match, both players have a last chance to outshine the other. Iniesta and Xavi of Spain are also top competitors and will have the same edge of being part of the final game. With Dutch player Arjen Robben also in the top 10 list, we can be sure of an exciting game tonight as 5 players compete for the top spot.