1) Brazil finally played up to the hype they've been getting. Ronaldo scored twice but still looks very lethargic and he's being carried by the rest of the team. Robinho, who's subbed for Ronaldo twice, looks fantastic and is clearly a star on the rise. But the man who controls the team is Ronaldinho. He's a midfield general in the mould of Zico and Socrates and his dribbling, passing and shots on goal are a joy to watch. As his is enjoyment of the game with that toothy grin. Ghana will have a tough time against them but if they play without any fear (like the match against Czech republic) it'll be a great game to watch.
2) When did all the footballers start wearing white shoes? I remember Beckham and a few others in the last world cup wearing those awful looking shoes but not too many. Black shoes (or spikes) always seemed more in tune with a tough game. With those knee-length white socks they look even more wimpish. Or like retired 70 yr olds in Florida.
3) There's an Indian presence in the world cup - Vikash Dhorasoo. Though he plays for France and comes on as a substitute only.
4) I still haven't seen a great curling free kick goal. A lot of them have come close but none which leaves everyone (including the goalkeeper) open-mouthed.
5) Fifa's clamped down on hard fouls but still nothing on the fake injuries. De Rossi's been banned for 4 games.
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9 comments:
the pitch is dead. didn't see too much of it - even the 2nd day. munaf bowled really well and looks like a mcgrath/pollock kind of bowler with more pace. wicket to wicket and between 85-90 mph. the rest were ok. but it's boring as hell right now. looks like another draw.
Welcome! Reading your blog for the first time. Will come back for more later.
Indian presence? That's stretchig things a bit far, isn't it?
And, I'm not sure we should be talking about Zico and Ronaldinho in the same breath...at least not as players of equal calibre. According to Socrates, Zico used to create more magic moments in a match than Ronaldinho does in an entire season! I like Ronaldinho too but gold old Zico was far superior :-)
ghostoftomjoad
i agree with you on both counts. the indian presence is stretching it. considering he's mauritian born. i meant it more as a joke - this is the closest any person of indian origin has come to playing in the world cup.
about ronaldinho - i've also seen him play in the last two world cups. actually, for the last 7 years i haven't seen much soccer and was too young to see zico and socrates in their prime. what i meant was that he's the first midfield general in the brazilian team that i've seen in a long time (rivaldo wasn't in the same league). i don't know how much of zico and socrates you've seen but i'm always sceptical of people who claim the players in their day (in every sport) were superior to the new kids these days. ronaldinho is still only 26 and has many years ahead of him. saying someone from a different generation was a better player is always dicey.
correction
i've only (not also) seen ronaldinho in the last 2 world cups.
white shoes seem more classic, not sissy or arthritic!
i'd actually go with ronaldinho over zico. and this is coming from someone who still maintains that the france vs brazil quarterfinal in 1986 was the greatest game ever. zico's first half goal in that game was one of my peak world cup watching moments (surpassed by very few others, one of which would be ronaldinho's free kick against england in 2002).
I may have been too young then, but I did see a lot of Zico during the '82 and '86 World Cups...I'm not relying simply on what others, including Socrates etc., say. I'm also not such a fan of comparing sportspersons from different generations but sometimes the difference is obvious. While he is good, Ronaldinho also benefits from the modern-day hype and marketing, which makes superstars out of people like Beckham. In the same side that Zico played in, there used to be this player called Eder...if you saw him, you'd know what bending the ball really means.
TR: I don't remember who it was against, but do you remember the bicycle kick goal that Zico scored?
unfortunately, no :-( but yeah, eder was brilliant! but my personal favorite bender was enzo scifo. what a banana.
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