FIFA World Cup 2006 Team
By Users Jemma and Alex Holowczak
After a long, pressurised debate, (well a ten minute chat on MSN Messenger...), Jemma and I came up with our ideal World Cup Squad. I went for the solid, expected pros, whereas my associate concentrated on the under-rated stars of the competition. I hope you like our picks.
| Position | Starter | Backup | Honourable Mention | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Richard Kingson | 
| Jens Lehmann | 
| Gigi Buffon | 
|
| LB | Juan Pablo Sorin | 
| Phillip Lahm |
| Fabio Grosso |
|
| CB | Lucas Neill | 
| John Terry | 
| ||
| CB | Fabio Cannavaro |
| Lucio | 
| ||
| RB | Gianluca Zambrotta |
| Willy Sagnol | 
| ||
| LM | Arjen Robben | 
| Joe Cole |
| ||
| DM | Patrick Vieira |
| Owen Hargreaves |
| ||
| AM | Zinedine Zidane |
| Juan Riquelme |
| Maniche | 
|
| RM | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Maxim Kalinichenko | 
| Maxi Rodriguez |
|
| LF | Fernando Torres | 
| Carlos Tevez |
| ||
| RF | Miroslav Klose |
| Emmanuel Adebayor | 
| ||
| Manager | Jurgen Klinsmann |
| Marcello Lippi |
|
[edit] Richard Kingson
Kingson was an under-rated star of the Ghana team, and a string of great saves helped them to advance from the "Group of Death", knocking out the Czech Republic and the USA.
[edit] Jens Lehmann
Penalty saver supreme, Lehmann was confident and assured as the Germans reached the Semi Finals. Saved two penalties to help Germany beat Argentina in the Quarter Final Penalty Shootout.
[edit] Gigi Buffon
Buffon was solid if not spectacular for Italy, but was definitely solid throughout the World Cup. It's not that he wasn't great, but the Italian defence did not give him the chance to sparkle.
[edit] Juan Pablo Sorin
Dominant at Left Back, both in defense and going forward, Sorin was one of the best Argentines until their elimination.
[edit] Phillip Lahm
Scored the opening goal of the tournament, and plays alot like Sorin. However, being Right footed makes it harder for a Left Back, hence his role as backup.
[edit] Fabio Grosso
Brilliant in both the Semis and the Final, Grosso scored all the important goals for Italy. He played brilliantly yesterday.
[edit] Lucas Neill
Aussie Centre Back who has impressed the likes of AC Milan and FC Barcelona, Neill was dominant for Australia. He guided Australia through to the knock-out phase, and was the Aussies best player.
[edit] John Terry
Terry was a rock at the heart of the English defence, with a great goal-line clearance against Trinidad & Tobago to prevent a huge upset. To be honest, it was difficult to choose between him and Neill, but Terry was not his usual self in attacking mode, hence Neill got the spot.
[edit] Fabio Cannavaro
Solid for Italy, no-one could find a way past him. Brilliant with the ball, and made no real errors in the whole competition.
[edit] Lucio
You can tell he's Brazilian with his darting runs from centre back - often found as the furthest Brazilian forward! However, despite this, he's been in great form at centre-back - having been dominant in the air and in the tackle.
[edit] Gianluca Zambrotta
A feature of this World Cup has been adventurous fullbacks - and the master of this has been Zambrotta, who scored a couple of great goals along the way. Not too shabby defensively either - he is Italian!
[edit] Willy Sagnol
A very underrated fullback, Sagnol is a real anomaly as his strengths lie not in attacking but in solid defending. Often interchanging with Thuram, it provides a constant challenge for opposing left wingers.
[edit] Arjen Robben
In a poor but young Dutch side, Chelsea winger Arjen Robben ripped defences to pieces with lightining intelligent running and powerful clever defenc-splititng passes. Robben also pooped up with a couple of goals before going AWOL in the last 16.
[edit] Joe Cole
In an underperforming England side, Joe Cole showed his brilliance with some neat touches and clinical passes. Englands Man of the Match in 3 of their 5 games, he topped off a great performance against Sweden with a contender for Goal of the Tournament.
[edit] Patrick Vieira
Forever known as the rock of the French side, Vieira, like France as a whole, started the tournament slowly. However, as he improved, he lifted the side, and has scored two rare goals in aiding the French to the World Cup Final. For one player to have such an impact must mean he is a sensational player.
[edit] Owen Hargreaves
Surprised many, and put in some great performances first as an emergency right-back, then as a defensive midfielder. His passing was excellent, and his defending was top draw. His offensive skills were not quite up to the mark, but his other attributes give him a berth in this side.
[edit] Zinedine Zidane
Simply brilliant. His performances in the knock-out phase were either inspirational or solid, his play single-handedly took France into the Final. However, in his final game ever he disgraced himself, his team, and his country with a stupid headbutt on Materazzi.
[edit] Juan Riquelme
Riquelme wasn't at his best, but he was still Argentina's best playmaker.
[edit] Maniche
Maniche was excellent going forward for Portugal, and showed great creativity. His only flaw was the end product, which summed up the Portuguese as a whole.
[edit] Christiano Ronaldo
Cheat, yes. But great player, yes. Ronaldo made up for his awful diving with some excellent play throughout the competition. It cannot be denied he was Portugal's best player.
[edit] Maxim Kalinichenko
Ukraine's best player, and played excellently on the Right against Saudi Arabia in the Group Stage in particular. Kalinichenko can look forward to the host of names after his services this season as a result of his excellent play.
[edit] Maxi Rodriguez
Simply mentioned for his wonder goal in extra time against Mexico in Round Two. Brilliant on the Right Wing for Argentina.
[edit] Fernando Torres
The Spanish youngster was instrumental in getting Spain into the knockout phase. He kept Raul out of the team, and played excellently. He was a perennial threat, and gets the nod ahead of Adebayor.
[edit] Emmannuel Adebayor
The bright light for the disappointing Togo, Adebayor was a constant threat wherever he played. His crosses were excellent, passes precise, and his lack of goals was scant reward for his excellent play.
[edit] Miroslav Klose
The German marksman won the Golden Boot, but his goals could not quite put Germany in the Final. Was always in the right place at the right time, and deserves his place in this team.
[edit] Carlos Tevez
Tevez was outstanding in the Group Stage and against the Germans in the Quarter Final. Provided brilliant support for Crespo and was the under-rated star of the Argentine squad.
[edit] Jurgen Klinsmann
Klinsmann coped perfectly with the pressure, and put to bed the claims that doing his job from California was hindering them. Klinsmann lead the worst German side in memory to Third Place.
[edit] Marcello Lippi
Lippi deserves huge credit for winning the World Cup with the Italian side he had. It wasn't the best, and lacked pace up front, but he still showed the skills to win the trophy.
