World Cup Team of the Tournament
unwavering faith in his young team got him named coach of the World Cup 2010 XI.
Goalkeeper
Iker Casillas (Country: Spain)
Spain's cult hero. Unsurpassed as a shot-stopper, the golden glove winner and Spanish captain only conceded two goals the entire tournament. Perhaps his reporter girlfriend Sara Carbonero was motivation for his outstanding performance.
Left-Back
Philipp Lahm (Country: Germany)
At 1.7m the left-back does not have the height typical of most defenders, but he captained his side with some gritty defensive displays, exuded cool consistency, was unhesitant in clearing, and brimmed with confidence.
Center-backs
Lucio (Country: Brazil)
Creating a formidable partnership with Juan, he was fearless and dependable. Lucio stood resolute in defence and put up a rock-solid performance, knowing when to assert himself and when to track back selflessly.
John Mensah (Country: Ghana)
Ghana's solid rearguard, Mensah captained superbly from the backline for the Black Stars to proceed the furthest amongst the African nations to reach the quarter-finals. The brick wall portrayed defensive strength and thwarted any attacks that came his way.
Right-Back
Sergio Ramos (Country: Spain)
A skilled defender equally at home going forward, Ramos was the tournament's top dribbler. He made a total of 31 individual runs, an impressive number for a defender, beating top attackers Lukas Podolski (27), Andres Iniesta (26), David Villa and Lionel Messi (25 each).
Midfield
Xavi (Country: Spain)
Xavi's ability to turn into unimaginable spaces for his mesmerizing passing game resulted in a whooping 669 passes made, with the next contender Bastian Schweinsteiger not even coming close with 104 less attempts. He also made the second-highest number of crosses at 42, behind Diego Forlan's 50.
Thomas Mueller (Country: Germany)
Golden boot, Best Young Player award and three assists to his name, the Bayern Munich boy is not even 21 yet. He holds another record for this World Cup's fastest goal at two minutes and 39 seconds in their game against Argentina. A German star in the making.
Keisuke Honda (Country: Japan)
His raw competitiveness had him at the top of the disciplinary records, with 19 fouls committed, behind Sergio Ramos and Mark van Bommel's 17. Nonetheless Japan's blond star scored Japan's opener of the tournament against Cameroon, breaking the Blue Samurai's record of always losing their first match outside the country. He turned 24 the day before the start of the World Cup.
Wesley Sneijder (Country: Netherlands)
His two-footed passing ability as a playmaker coupled with his distribution skills and penetrative runs made him the star for the Oranje. Against favourites Brazil, his unerring heading ability and cross was suffice for a 2-1 comeback to see his team through to the semi-finals.
Forwards
Diego Forlan (Country: Uruguay)
The golden ball winner proved to be a set-piece specialist scoring a free-kick equalizer against Ghana and also driving home a 25-yard strike against the hosts. In addition, he made the highest number of crosses - 50, in the entire tournament. He supplied constant ammunition to teammate Luis Suarez and his inventive form has attracted attention from the premier league side.
David Villa (Country: Spain)
Scored half of Spain's total goals in the tournament, although Spain's total tally of eight has been the lowest ever in World Cup history for champions. La Roja's savior on numerous 1-0 occasions.
source:espn
Manager
Joachim Low (Country: Germany)
Uncultured habits aside, Joachim Low's split second counter-attacking tactics andunwavering faith in his young team got him named coach of the World Cup 2010 XI.
Goalkeeper
Iker Casillas (Country: Spain)
Spain's cult hero. Unsurpassed as a shot-stopper, the golden glove winner and Spanish captain only conceded two goals the entire tournament. Perhaps his reporter girlfriend Sara Carbonero was motivation for his outstanding performance.
Left-Back
Philipp Lahm (Country: Germany)
At 1.7m the left-back does not have the height typical of most defenders, but he captained his side with some gritty defensive displays, exuded cool consistency, was unhesitant in clearing, and brimmed with confidence.
Center-backs
Lucio (Country: Brazil)
Creating a formidable partnership with Juan, he was fearless and dependable. Lucio stood resolute in defence and put up a rock-solid performance, knowing when to assert himself and when to track back selflessly.
John Mensah (Country: Ghana)
Ghana's solid rearguard, Mensah captained superbly from the backline for the Black Stars to proceed the furthest amongst the African nations to reach the quarter-finals. The brick wall portrayed defensive strength and thwarted any attacks that came his way.
Right-Back
Sergio Ramos (Country: Spain)
A skilled defender equally at home going forward, Ramos was the tournament's top dribbler. He made a total of 31 individual runs, an impressive number for a defender, beating top attackers Lukas Podolski (27), Andres Iniesta (26), David Villa and Lionel Messi (25 each).
Midfield
Xavi (Country: Spain)
Xavi's ability to turn into unimaginable spaces for his mesmerizing passing game resulted in a whooping 669 passes made, with the next contender Bastian Schweinsteiger not even coming close with 104 less attempts. He also made the second-highest number of crosses at 42, behind Diego Forlan's 50.
Thomas Mueller (Country: Germany)
Golden boot, Best Young Player award and three assists to his name, the Bayern Munich boy is not even 21 yet. He holds another record for this World Cup's fastest goal at two minutes and 39 seconds in their game against Argentina. A German star in the making.
Keisuke Honda (Country: Japan)
His raw competitiveness had him at the top of the disciplinary records, with 19 fouls committed, behind Sergio Ramos and Mark van Bommel's 17. Nonetheless Japan's blond star scored Japan's opener of the tournament against Cameroon, breaking the Blue Samurai's record of always losing their first match outside the country. He turned 24 the day before the start of the World Cup.
Wesley Sneijder (Country: Netherlands)
His two-footed passing ability as a playmaker coupled with his distribution skills and penetrative runs made him the star for the Oranje. Against favourites Brazil, his unerring heading ability and cross was suffice for a 2-1 comeback to see his team through to the semi-finals.
Forwards
Diego Forlan (Country: Uruguay)
The golden ball winner proved to be a set-piece specialist scoring a free-kick equalizer against Ghana and also driving home a 25-yard strike against the hosts. In addition, he made the highest number of crosses - 50, in the entire tournament. He supplied constant ammunition to teammate Luis Suarez and his inventive form has attracted attention from the premier league side.
David Villa (Country: Spain)
Scored half of Spain's total goals in the tournament, although Spain's total tally of eight has been the lowest ever in World Cup history for champions. La Roja's savior on numerous 1-0 occasions.
source:espn
