In many ways I’m glad that the World Cup has proven, till now at least, that it is still the team that triumphs over individual talent at the end of the day.
Argentina may have had the world’s best player, but Germany now looks like they have the world’s best team.
Totally unselfish play, always looking to make the extra pass, putting the team’s success far above any thoughts of individual glory.
It is ironic that despite the trumpeting of “superstar players” such as Rooney (England), Ronaldo (Portugal), Messi (Argentina), Drogba (Ivory Coast), and Kaka (Brazil) in the lead-in to the World Cup, all of them have now been knocked out of the tournament.
True, team play doesn’t make for sexy marketing.
It’s always harder to market a team like Germany, or the Celtics, or even the Pistons back in 2004.
Ultimately, we still tend to watch because we want to look out for the star players.
But I’m just glad that the world is now starting to appreciate the beauty of team play, and also the fact that no one player in the world can possibly beat a team of 11 dedicated, unselfish players.
p.s. I’m not sure if anyone has picked up on this angle…but does Germany really need Ballack? Would Germany have been better/same/worse if Ballack were playing in this World Cup? My gut feeling is that Germany would not have been as good if Ballack were playing in the squad.
Although I don’t really follow the game, but I think the best goalkeeper ever (well, what I know of) is Germany’s Oliver Kahn.
Hmm, yeah I think you could make a pretty good case for that! He was certainly one of the best keepers in world football in recent memory. =)