An underperforming World Cup ?

Written by Tom Wakefield Monday, 05 July 2010 00:00

England World Cup Blog

Despite all the hype of leading up to this World Cup it is sad to say that the big name players haven't lived up to expectations, and have completely underperformed in South Africa.

One player that is playing well could arguably one of the world’s best players, David Villa. He averages one goal a game, scoring five goals and he will definitely be a contender for the player of the tournament award.

But otherwise it's fair to say that the big name players haven't exactly shone in South Africa. One of the major underachievers so far is Villa's strike partner Fernando Torres. He has not been his usual goal scoring self like he was at Liverpool. He hasn’t yet scored for Spain and is looking more sluggish than usual, maybe he isn’t still fully fit, but if this is the case, why does he play?

Wayne Rooney was the obvious underachiever for England. The Manchester United man was supposed to showcase his talents to the world in South Africa, but he didn’t even score a goal. Rooney didn't look his normal self at all, his touch was poor, and his passing was woeful. Rooney began to get frustrated, and his outburst following the Algeria game

Rooney along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were touted as the three best players in the world prior to the World Cup, but none of the three were ever at their best. Messi failed to score, as he struggled to make an impact for Argentina, where as Ronaldo scored once (against North Korea) but looked lost in Portugal side.

Another player who could arguably be one of the world’s best players is Kaka. The Kaka we know likes to be involved in the game all of the time and loves to get forward. But for Brazil, he hasn't shown that kind of form, and again it he struggled to make any real impact.

It has been disappointing to see players underperform but it is fair to say that they have. But fortunately there has been very impressive displays from the players not so well hyped up. Diego Forlan, Wesley Sneijder and Bastian Schweinsteiger have all had superb World Cups, and proved that they have every right to be included in the worlds footballing elite.

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