My suggestion is to have a board of judges to vote for the team that played better. Probably it won't happen.
I think the World Cup was really bad for Ferguson. Through no fault of his, "politics" and nationalism got in the way, and he would be a very brave man trying to bring Ronaldo back to MU. Well, at least Ferguson tried his best to get the two to patch up for the sake of MU but the current English anger for Ronaldo makes it impossible for Ronaldo to step on English soil again. How sad, two great talents becoming victims of the blame game. BTW if we were to leave it to the rules, Rooney got a red card plus two more match suspensions from FIFA, Ronaldo none. By the rules Ronaldo has done no wrong but tell that to Rooney.
haha....My prediction was right except for the 3rd and 4th place....WOW!!! i'm a psychic(is the spelling correct??)......Anyway,congrats to Italy for making my dreams came true...!!
As a completely biased gooner (Arsenal fan) the highlight for me was seeing Henry come alive in the second half and really run at the Italian defence. One of the disappointments for me in this tournament was seeing some of the worlds best players playing out of position (Henry, Rooney, Ronaldinho etc). As for the penalty shoot-outs, there has to be a way of deciding the winner. Germany, Italy and France have shown that taking penalties requires practice and skill (the Germans also showed that research is quite useful!). Trezeguets shot came off the bar and bounced on the line so if it had been just 1cm lower it would have gone in, it just doesn't get any closer than that....that was the difference between the teams in the end, 1 cm!!
Just saw first half of the game and my verdict for a few things: - no penalty. Malouda just hurled himself forward and got himself caught between the Italian legs and got a penalty - Zidane is either a madman or a genius with balls/nerves of steel to chip the penalty. If that didn't go in, the game would've been over in 90 minutes - as ants mentioned, the Italians defended very well today, not in a sense that they camped in their own half but the ability to keep the French at bay was spectacular at best - Pirlo, ever since last season's CL finals he's been one of my favourite players and didn't disappoint. That corner kick looked to be swinging outwards but it doesn't. - shame for Zizou to get sent off at such a late period of his swansong. I wonder what did he and Grosso spoke about to provoke such a kind of attack - Zidane's known to be a patient gentleman
1998 - The Fench lose a Wimbledon final but win the World Cup final 2006 - The French win a Wimbledon final but lose the World Cup final Coincidence?
hmmm... not sure if he has always been a gentleman... one of my friends told me that this sort of offence is not new to Zidane... somebody else too mentioned in this thread (prolly 6-7 posts before this one... )... This was a very shameful act... ppl around the world idolize him, take inspiration from him... he can't do that... it was such a nasty hit with all contempt... but anyways, expect that moment, zidane was superb... well deserved golden ball winner...
He speaks French well, I reckon. Four times champions now Italy. A good long rest for the players, back to the office for the fanatics, relief for the bosses.
But Zizou is not known to be that aggressive to people, in fact he's a very calm and collected person. Many people on the radio and media said it was very uncharacteristic of him. I mean, come on, he's a pro and had heard more than his share of "your missus wears Nike" kinda things on the pitch, surely it could be something really bad. Even a "legend my *toot*" won't provoke him to react like that.
Off topic sorry to bring this up again, but looking at the WC ending, hey it reminds me, at least Lin Dan's action in the recent MO is not as bad as Zidane's header...i mean, imagine how many million people watched it in comparison..hehe
Facts about what happened will probably trickle out in the next few weeks and months. Both Materazzi and Zidane are tight-lipped about it right now. According to Zidane's manager, he only told him that Materazzi said something "very serious," but refused to elaborate further. I think we all agreed that what he did was inexcusable. However, we should also consider the context during which it happened. It wouldn't've happened in the first 90 minutes of the match or had this been a group match or perhaps even a SF. IOW, emotions were running quite high at that moment. Anyhow, I'm sure we'll find out more about this. There's no way the press' going to let this go.
To sacrifice your team's success over an opponent's vulgar language? Geez, i'll say italian's tactic paid dividend with minimum expense in getting france's key player red carded.
What Zidane *might have* said.. Speaking of PK as a way to decide the outcome, personally i'm not really into it. Personally, i would prefer they play all the way til someone scores a goal. Even if the players are already tired and all and ready to collapse. Or FIFA needs to look at different solution(s). PKs, at least to me, is like a FT contest in the NBA Final to decide the outcome of a game. Or a FG kicking contest in the NFL. Or a homerun derby contest in the MLB...P Anyway, here's what i found on the media, not sure if it's actually true or not abt what was said, but what cooler said abt the Italian's tactic of pulling Zidane out, "worked". They took a chance and thought the only way they could win is thru PK. LONDON : Zinedine Zidane's World Cup final assault on Marco Materazzi was provoked by a "very serious" comment made by the Italian defender, according to the French playmaker's agent. Zidane, 34, floored Materazzi with a butt to the chest in the second half of extra-time in Sunday's final and was sent off, missing a penalty shoot-out in which he would have been expected to take one of France's spot-kicks. The former Real Madrid star's moment of madness in his last match before retiring may have been provoked by Materazzi calling his sister a prostitute, according to a report on Brazilian television channel Globo. Although neither player has yet revealed the nature of their disagreement, Fantastico, a programme on Globo, employed lip-reading experts who said footage of the incident showed the Italian twice insulted Zidane's sister. The programme claimed Materazzi made the same comment twice before then using a "coarse word" at the French player. Italy went on to win the match on penalties and Zidane's agent Alain Migliaccio confirmed to the BBC on Monday that it had been verbal rather than physical abuse from the Italian defender which had triggered his violent reaction. "He told me Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell me what," Migliaccio said. "Zinedine didn't want to talk about it but he will talk about it in the next couple of days. "He is a man who normally lets things wash over him but on Sunday night something exploded inside him. "He was very disappointed and sad. He didn't want it to end this way." Zidane has not given his account of the incident but there have also been reports Materazzi had called him a "terrorist" or suggested he did not have the right to play for France - both insults based on French-born Zidane's Algerian heritage. Football's world governing body FIFA meanwhile has denied video evidence played any role in Zidane's dismissal. Referee Horacio Elizondo missed the clash with Materazzi and only issued a red card after being contacted by the fourth official at the match. There had been speculation, from France coach Raymond Domenech among others, that the official had intervened after seeing the incident replayed on the numerous television screens close to the side of the pitch. But FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren denied there had been a de facto use of video evidence in this case. "The fourth official saw it as it happened on the pitch and directly advised the referee and the referee took action. Full stop," he said. "It appears the referee was waiting for the situation to clear up a little bit before taking action." - AFP/de
I believe it was Materazzi and not Grosso. It was between them, it will be something like 'you said...' and the other 'I did not...'. Anyways, it was not first time for Zidane to act rashly, but still got the best player award. Why C. Ronaldo did not get the young player's award? Role model? Politics and influences. Smaller countries has less influence on big decisions...
Ah yes, Materrazzi it was, not Grosso. I was probably still awestruck by his goal in the dying minutes vs Germany. Seems like footie is coming to an end for this season, to be dominated by that incident and before you know it, 4 weeks later the Premier League restarts. A new thread then for pre-season, stay tuned. As with this thread coming to an end it will be most fitting to mention those whose international or footballing career had ended with the conclusion of the World Cup. Zinedine Zidane Nice swansong for him eh? First heard about 'Zizou' at Juventus before taking the train to Madrid. Remember him best for that 2002 winning volley vs a Ballack-inspired Leverkusen in the Champions League Final. Probably on the same level or better than Platini is. Two headed goals in the 98 World Cup Finals when he's known to be quite rubbish with headers. One of the finest player of his generation. Not a bad player, is he? Ronaldo Yes, call him fat and passed it as you like but Ronaldo's record for Brazil is a fact; 101 appearances in Joga Bonito colours and 66 goals. Surpassed Muller's all time record by scoring his 14th during the '06 World Cup (yes, the arl farts will be talking about Fontaine et al). La Phenom they call him back then at PSV (and Cruzeiro before that) before becoming a journeyman to Barca, Inter and Madrid. Could still be moving clubs next season. Adriano will have huge pair of shoes to fill. Luis Filipe Madeira Figo Definitely the best ever Portuguese player to wear the Iberian team's colours apart from the legendary Eusebio, Figo was one of the golden generation that won U-16 and U-20 tourneys. Raised eyebrows serveral notches by moving from Barcelona to eternal rivals Madrid in 2000. Keen vision and fantastic passing, no less. His missus is the lovely Helen Svedin. Will play for Inter in the coming season. David Joseph Beckham Free kick specialist extraordinaire, caught my eye when he scored a curler which was identical to the one Grosso put past Lehmann in the SF of the World Cup and thought, "He is going to become very good". The following season he scored for 50-yards against Wimbledon. Laser-guided crosses and accurate free kicks, he is a potent weapon for target men with aerial presence to feed on in the team. Equally loathed for his celebrity madness, Beckham is nevertheless a hard worker - stays back after training to put in hours of practice on free kicks, shooting the ball past dummies through wheels tied at the corner of goalposts. One of the few players who played well when Madrid slumped. 'Golden Balls' as Posh calls him (or Golden Bollocks elsewhere...), lost a lot of pace but still a good passer on the ball. Should continue at Madrid next season although Newcastle is showing great interest. Henrik Larsson A legend at Celtic Park, Larsson made the switch to Barcelona, failing to command a regular place but doesn't disappoint when called upon. A professional, he works and battles hard for the ball. European Golden Boot winner in 2001, scored two spectacular goals in the UEFA Cup finals but lost to Jose Mourinho's Porto. Wikipedia: On June 20 Henrik Larsson became the 19th player in the history of the FIFA World Cup to score in three different editions, with a goal scored to England that represented the final tie in the game. Henrik Larsson scored at least one goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Hidetoshi NakataIn the era when the Japanese economy was stagnant and the market outlook was gloom, out came a footie player to lift up their spirits (alongside Suzuki Ichiro, baseball player). Hidetoshi Nakata is by all means, the best ever player from Japan and did not disappoint from playing away from Japan, most notably in Italy for Perugia and then AS Roma which he won the Scudetto with. Perhaps the best Asian player? Only time will tell as he decided to hang his boots at the age of 29 after a loan stint to Bolton. A true superstar indeed, matched by great vision with the ball and inspired passing. Roberto Carlos When you mention 'leftback' to footie fans of this generation, more often than none his name will be mentioned. Famous for his thunderous shots, Carlos is what you call an attacking fullback of the truest sense (causing problems to those covering his back as well...). Ask Fabien Barthez what was he thinking what he saw that free kick in 1997 taken by the Brazilian. One of the most famous free kicks in the world I reckon. Anymore?
