6) Revenge of the Oldies
Prior to the 2006 World Cup, promising youngsters such as Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas, Lukas Podolski, Lionel Messi and Robinho were touted as world beaters and are set to take over the mantle of the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Pavel Nedved, Luis Figo, oldies who were supposed to be way past their expiry dates. In the aftermath of the World Cup, we now know that it is dangerous to embrace these young and inevitably inexperienced stars on the biggest stages and dismiss the "oldies" who had been there and done that. Let's take a look at the respective players. For youngsters, Wayne Rooney made an amazing recovery from his metetarsal injury only to be sent off in the quarter-final against crafty Portugal. Podolski might hace won the young player of the tournament and scored three goals but his composure in front of goal remains to be desired as seen from matches against Poland and Italy. Fabregas, tipped to upstage his ex teammate Vieira in Spain's match against France just like he did for Arsenal against Vieira in the Champion's league, ended by being taught a lesson about asserting authority in midfield. Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his contribution to Portugal's 4th placing, did himself no good to his reputation as a diver and a cheat. Lionel Messi, burdened by a long season and injury for Barcelona, scored against Serbia and Montenegro but faded as the tournament progressed. Robinho, tipped as the "new Pele", sparkled in matches against Australia and Japan but failed to deliver when it mattered most against France. Now how about the oldies? Zidane, despite his headbutt in the final, gave what was probably the best individual performance in the tournament against Brazil, not to mention his 2 goals which helped France to the final. Vieira, described by critics as a fading force, rolled back the years as he almost single-handedly dragged France past the group stage. Cannavaro of italy and Thram of France showed the world how good positioning and anticipation could make up for lack of pace against young and pacy forwards. Figo showered Ronaldo how to play as a winger effectively while Nedved served a masterpiece against Italy and despite losing, was by far the best performer on the field that day.
Youngsters, despite their obvious talents, often lack composure and temperament while their still growing bodies are more prone to injuries as well. Oldies, despite their lack of pace and legs, showed just how intelligent play can still win over pace and power in the modern game.
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