Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Last of the Summer Wine


Continuing on from my World Cup 2010 Series

At the other end of the spectrum, in a tournament filled with youthful vigour, we saw the final swansong of several of the world’s celebrated elder statesmen.  Having been household names for the better part of the last decade, this World Cup will see many of them retire and fade forever into the sunset.  These older players will long be remembered for what they have contributed to the sport.  Undeniably, most of them will never feature in another World Cup.

Thierry Henry, at 33, has seen his last World Cup matched.  Already tepid during a long, unedifying qualifying campaign for France, his reputation was tarnished irreparably with a blatant handball in the playoff win over Ireland.  Henry, along with the rest of France, was uninspired, bowing out early with nothing but bad press.  Joining him will be William Gallas and Sidney Govou, both old and past it.


England’s squad clocked in as the oldest at the tournament.  Despite boasting the much heralded golden generation, their campaign started with a whimper and ended with an emphatic crash at the hands of arch rivals Germany.  Potentially, the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Ashley Cole, all stalwarts of the current English game, will never see another World Cup.  And on this showing, it’s no great loss.

Fabio Cannavaro, 36, and the defending champions’ captain, has set the standard for centre halves for over a decade, with both phenomenal heading and an excellent reading of the game.  However on this showing, he is well past it and should have retired after Euro 2008.  Slow and ponderous, with his best years past him, the former FIFA World Player of the year can see out his career in the relative obscurity of Al Ahli in the UAE.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who captained the Dutch team to the silver medal, will at least go out with some sort of glory.  At 35 years of age, he ended an excellent career, taking in stops at Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona with a solid, consistent tournament, punctuated with a fulminating drive to take the lead against Uruguay.  Three World Cups, six international tournaments and over a 100 caps later, he retires with a stellar legacy.  Although the Dutch squad is stacked, they will continue to compete without Mark van Bommel, one of Europe’s most long-lived and notorious bruisers, who is now 33.

Carles Puyol, had the perfect ending to a long career for both Barcelona and Spain.  Seemingly hewn from rock and with infinite reserves of strength and stamina, Puyol has been the first name on many a team-sheet for both Blaugrana and La Furia Roja.  Already having won the treble last season and the Euros, the season before, he now adds the World Cup to his impressive resume.  One of his generation’s best defenders, and perhaps one of the best ever, at 32, Puyol will nevertheless be hard pressed to return in four years’ time.

Denmark will see the retirement of striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, and wingers Dennis Rommedahl and Jesper Gronkjaer.  Although not necessarily from the top echelon of talent, these three have been mainstays for Denmark for over a decade while suiting up for some of the continent’s biggest clubs.  Japan meanwhile, will bid adieu to Shunsuke Nakamura and Junichi Inamoto, veteran stalwarts of the Asian county’s rise and presence in Europe.  Further afield South Korean captain Park Ji-Sung is also probably done, with a great performance at age 32.

Cameroon will play again but not with Rigobert Song who turned 34 during the tournament.  Once at Liverpool, Song has now played five World Cups.  Joining him will be Nigerian legend Nwanko Kanu, who, despite never fully realizing his obvious potential, will retire a national legend, having won Olympic gold in 1996.

Finally, all three of Diego Forlan, Diego Milito and Didier Drogba, legends at both club and national level, have probably played their last World Cups as well.  Despite prolific club seasons, all are over 30.  At least Forlan finished with the Golden Ball; poor Drogba only has a broken arm to remember this tournament by, while Milito can reflect on watching the 4-0 demolition by Germany from the bench.


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