World Cup Disappointments

This here is a list of some of the top footballers who achieved almost
everything a footballer can,everything except, one trophy which may not be as big as
the trophies but its significance is unmatched.

1)Alfredo de Stefano
In the Madrid dynasty of the 50’s he was the king. De Stefano and Goals
went hand in hand. He was instrumental in Real Madrid's domination of
European football during the 1950’s.He won 8 la liga titles and 5 consecutive
European cups, a record that probably will never be broken.In spite of this
success De Stefano never got a chance to play in the world cup,which left
the footballing fans wondering of “what might have been”.

2)Ferenc Puscas
Puscas and distafano, the 2 words opposition clubs feared the most.Like
de Stefano, Ferenc puscas enjoyed great success with Real Madrid winning
5 la liga titles and 3 European cups.He was the leader of the Hungarian
side that inculcated fear into the minds of opposition during the early
1950’s.Unfortunately in a potential banana peel in West Germany, Hungary
lost in the 1954 world cup final leaving one of the greatest strikers of all
time without the trophy he dreamed of lifting ever since he was a little boy.

3)George Best
With great names like Beckham,Cantona,Ronaldo hogging the lime light,
it is easy to forget the man who put Manchester United on the World
map.George Best is probably the first man who was daring enough to
believe that a single man can terrorize any defence-AND SO HE DID!
When the goal was in his sight he just ran past everyone .He helped Man Utd win
their first ever European cup in 1968.Best represented Northern Ireland
where he continued doing what he did 'best'.But he was the big fish in a small
pond,which made it easy for the opposition to stop him and his world cup dreams.

4)Eusebio
While Best terrorized defenders in England,Eusebio was doing the same
in Portugal.Under Eusebio’s leadership Benfica became the team everyone
wanted to avoid.Eusebio won an unprecedented 11 titles with Benfica and
1 European cup.He was the top scorer in the 1966 world cup.In an aging Portuguese side the 1966 World Cup was their best chance to achieve glory on the world stage.They failed to do it leaving Eusebio,the most prolific striker of the
1960’s without a World Cup Winner's title to add to his resume.

5)Johan Cryuff
Johan Cryuff is the man that introduced the word playmaker into the
footballing dictionary.He orchestrated many an attack that was instrumental
in the dutch reaching the finals of the 1974 world cup. He is probably the
best product of the world renowned Ajax Youth Academy.He enjoyed great
club success with Ajax and Barcelona.
In the 1974 world cup Cryuff was the heart of the midfield.Every attack emanated from him which is why the germans resorted to MANMARKING to put an end to the fairy tale run of the dutch in the 1974 world cup.This was the first instance of man-marking in any form of football.

6)Ian Rush
Liverpool dominated Europe in the 1980’s,winning almost everything they
laid their eyes on.Ian rush was not only the focal point of their attack but
also an inspirational leader.But just like George best Ian rush was a Big
fish in a small pond called Wales who were never strong enough to mount a
challenge on the world stage.

7)David Beckham
Whatever be said about David Beckham,that he was always a pin up boy,
a man who spent more time with hairspray than a football,one cannot
ignore his achievements.He was the man that everyone loved to hate.People
criticized David of being a movie star rather than footballer.In spite of all
this David Beckham did what he did best, play and win! He Was a part of
the Manchester dynasty of the 1990’s that won everything in English football
including the coveted Champions League…Coaches loved to hate him but David stuck
to his game…even at Real Madrid where he fell out of favour. But when everyone
around him faltered David Beckham raised his game,thereby helping the
galacticos win their 1st title in 5 years.He is the most capped English player.Who knows,had people actually given him the chance to concentrate on his football, he could have been the man to bring the World Cup back to England.

8)Michael Ballack
People might argue about the inclusion of Michael ballack in this list,but
what this young man did at the turn of the century cannot be ignored.He
single handedly took Bayer Leverkusen to the Champions League final in
2002. Leverkusen were a team that lived in the darkness for many years.He
was probably Germany’s best attacking player which helped them reach the
World Cup finals of 2002.He helped Bayern Munich Become the undisputed
kings of Germany.But as you can see the words “helped reach the finals”
is mentioned too often. Twice in 2002 and again in 2008 with Chelsea
and Germany Michael suffered finals heartbreak. He is regarded as one of the
most unluckiest players in professional football,but people still remember
him as the wonder kid that could inspire everyone around him.

9)Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano ronaldo burst onto the footballing scene in 2003 with Manchester
United. At first he was a flashy,trickster who could never sleep without stepover on the field.Later as he matured he became the most prolific striker in the premier league.With the help of Wayne Rooney he brought the glory days back to Old Trafforded with 3 consecutive titles and the champions league title in 2008.After leaving for Real Madrid in 2009 Ronald0 continued where he left of!But his international career never took off.The Portuguese team were always considered as a team that faltered when it was time to perform….Even though he has a long career ahead of him,his world
cup dreams look like they might never materialize..Portuguese football is on
the decline and if they are to ever pull of the unthinkable, Ronaldo will have
to do the impossible!

10)Lionel Messi
He is without a doubt the best player on the planet at this moment!He has the ability to run past everone in his way with absolute ease.He is often compared to
the great Diego Maradona and rightly so.With Barcelona he has Won
almost everything.With Messi leading the way Barcelona look set to be the
greatest football club ever..But again club success doesn’t guarantee national
success.In an Argentinian team filled with talent, people wonder why they
never win anything.Over the next 10 years, Lionel Messi looks set to seal his place as the greatest player that ever lived..If anyone deserved a fairy tail ending it is
Messi…It's as simple as this: if he wins the world cup he will be known as the
greatest footballer that ever played the game,but if he fails to do so,it
will be without a doubt the biggest disappointment in world football...!