The Marcello Lippi revolution - FIFA.com · Gilardino Toni THE 32 TEAMS PLAYERS ... Likely line-up...

JUNE/JULY 2006 JUNE/JULY 20069494

magazine

9595

Buffon

Nesta ZambrottaCannavaroGrosso

Gattuso

Totti

Pirlo Camoranesi

ToniGilardino

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

The top 20 by qualifying match appearances

Likely line-up

Did you know?

Preliminary competition

THE COACH AND THE STAR

The Marcello Lippi revolution

On the evening of 1 March 2006,

Marcello Lippi was beaming from ear

to ear. His team had just won a friendly

in Florence, but not just against any old

opponents – this was Germany. Italy

gave the World Cup hosts a lesson in

modern football. Th e match ended 4-1,

but they could have easily scored six.

Th e Azzurri are among the favourites

to lift the 2006 World Cup – thanks

to Lippi. He has caused a revolution

in the Italian national team. After

succeeding Giovanni Trapattoni, who

had to go after Italy were knocked out

of EURO 2004 at the group stage,

Lippi brought in no fewer than nine

new players. Eight of the 17 goals that

Italy scored in the World Cup qualifi ers

were provided by newcomers such as

Daniele Rossi, Manuele Blasi, Luca

Toni, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo

Iaquinta.

But Lippi did not just introduce

new players – he also launched a new

philosophy. Italy now play an attacking

brand of football that has seldom been

seen before. Lippi’s predecessors have

also had excellent midfi elders and strikers

at their disposal, but they rarely allowed

them to develop their creative abilities

and instead stifl ed their attacking

qualities.

Lippi also focuses primarily on a very

strong defence in front of Gianluigi

Buff on, possibly the best goalkeeper

around at the moment. Having said

that, Italy are no longer reliant on

tactical defensive play and controlled

results. Th ey celebrate football, viewing

it as an art form and looking to beat

the opposition with skilful play. During

the World Cup qualifi ers, Norway,

Scotland and Slovenia were little more

than sparring partners for the squadra

azzurra, who lost only one of their ten

matches.

Yet even Marcello Lippi is not

completely free of worries. Will Francesco

Totti be fi t in time for the World Cup?

What position should Alessandro Del

Piero play? Should he take Christian

Vieri to Germany? Having such a galaxy

of stars does not always make it easy for

Lippi to select the ideal team – but it is

a problem that other coaches would be

more than happy to have.

… Italy will travel to the World Cup finals with a different coach for the fifth time in succession. At the 1990 World Cup, the squadra azzurra was coached by Azeglio Vicini, in 1994 by Arrigo Sacchi, in 1998 by Cesare Maldini, in 2002 by Giovanni Trapattoni and now by Marcello Lippi.

… Italy have been knocked out of the last two World Cups by the host nation. In 1998, Italy lost on penalties to France in the quarter-finals, and in 2002, they were

defeated by Korea Republic in the round of 16 (2-1 after extra time).

… Italy have lost none of their 39 home World Cup qualifiers to date. Their record stands at 35 wins and four draws.

… No other team has played more extra-time matches at the World Cup than Italy, who have appeared in nine. Four finished in an Italian victory, one in defeat and four ended in a draw and had to go to penalties – all of which Italy lost.

Marcello Lippi(58/Italian/since 2004)The man with the white hair is one of Italy’s top coaches and has won the UEFA Champions League and Serie A with Juventus. A crafty tactician, Lippi has signifi cantly changed and reju-venated the squadra azzurra. Under his stewardship, Italy now play with variable tactics and a fairly atypical attacking style.

Luca Toni(29/striker/Fiorentina)Toni previously played for minor clubs such as Treviso, Vicenza, Brescia and Palermo. Since his move to Fiorentina last year, the 1.94m striker has been virtually unstoppable, fi nding the net regularly for both club and country. Despite his height, Toni is agile, a constant threat in the penalty box and very effective.

Italy v. Norway 2-1Moldova v. Italy 0-1Slovenia v. Italy 1-0Italy v. Belarus 4-3Italy v. Scotland 2-0Norway v. Italy 0-2Scotland v. Italy 1-1Belarus v. Italy 1-4Italy v. Slovenia 1-0Italy v. Moldova 2-1

Top scorer:Luca Toni, 4

GROUP E: ITALY

1. Gennaro Gattuso (8 matches) AC Milan

2. Gianluca Zambrotta (8) Juventus

3. Alberto Gilardino (8) AC Milan

4. Daniele De Rossi (8) Roma

5. Luca Toni (8) Fiorentina

6. Alessandro Nesta (7) AC Milan

7. Fabio Cannavaro (7) Juventus

8. Gianluigi Buffon (6) Juventus

9. Andrea Pirlo (6) AC Milan

10. Marco Materazzi (6) Inter Milan

11. Francesco Totti (6) Roma

12. Daniele Bonera (6) Parma

13. Mauro Camoranesi (6) Juventus

14. Fabio Grosso (5) Palermo

15. Aimo Diana (5) Sampdoria

16. Cristian Zaccardo (4) Palermo

17. Christian Vieri (4) Monaco (FRA)

18. Vincenzo Iaquinta (4) Udinese

19. Angelo Peruzzi (3) Lazio

20. Manuele Blasi (3) Juventus

Alessandro Del Piero goes past Torsten Frings during the 4-1 friendly win over Germany.

1934 Italy 1st

1938 France 1st

1950 Brazil 7th

1954 Switzerland 10th

1962 Chile 9th

1966 England 9th

1970 Mexico 2nd

1974 Germany 10th

1978 Argentina 4th

1982 Spain 1st

1986 Mexico 12th

1990 Italy 3rd

1994 USA 2nd

1998 France 5th

2002 Korea/Japan 15th

Most World Cup matches:Paolo Maldini, 23 (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)

Top World Cup scorers:Christian Vieri (1998, 2002), Roberto Baggio (1990, 1994, 1998), Paolo Rossi (1978, 1982), 9 each

All-time World Cup ranking:3rd

(70 matches, 39 wins, 17 draws, 14 defeats, 110 goals for, 67 goals against).

Previous World Cup appearances

Area: 301,336 km²Population: 57.6 millionCapital: Rome (2.5 million)Association: Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC)Founded: 1898FIFA member since: 1905Website: www.fi gc.itNumber of players: 4,042,900Number of clubs: 16,100Number of teams: 63,500

Italy


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Pappoe

Mensah Kuffour

Pantsil

AppiahEssienIssahMuntari

Amoah Gyan

Adjei

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up


GROUP E: GHANA

Area: 238,537 km²Population: 20.7 millionCapital: Accra (2 million)Association: Ghana Football Association (GFA)Founded: 1957FIFA member since: 1958Website: www.ghanafa.orgNumber of players: 125,000Number of clubs: 250Number of teams: 1,500

Round 2Somalia v. Ghana 0-5Ghana v. Somalia 2-0

Round 3Burkina Faso v. Ghana 1-0Ghana v. South Africa 3-0Uganda v. Ghana 1-1Ghana v. Cape Verde Islands 2-0Ghana v. Congo DR 0-0Congo DR v. Ghana 1-1Ghana v. Burkina Faso 2-1South Africa v. Ghana 0-2Ghana v. Uganda 2-0Cape Verde Islands v. Ghana 0-4

Top scorers:Stephen Appiah and Asamoah Gyan, 4 each

qualifi ers will show. Of the 30 countries

who contested the group phase, only

eight still had the same coach at the end

of the competition.

Reaching the World Cup fi nals

does not mean Dujkovic and his men

have already achieved their goal. In

Germany, they aim to be more than just

an obstacle for Italy, the USA and the

Czech Republic in Group E. Ghana are

targeting the last 16. But the Black Stars

will get there only if they exhibit the

same consistency, focus and effi ciency as

they did in qualifying – otherwise they

run the risk of a repeat of their Egypt

fl op.

From flopsto the last 16?

At last! Although Ghana have won the

Cup of African Nations (CAN) four

times as well as various FIFA youth

competitions, the west African country

had never qualifi ed for the FIFA World

Cup™ before. Now, the heirs of Abedi

Pele, Anthony Yeboah, Osei Kofi and

Ben Acheampong have done it. “Th is

team has made history,” said Abedi Pele

once qualifi cation had been secured.

“Th e whole country is immensely proud

of them.”

Ghana’s third coach on the road to

Germany was the one to bring them

success. In December 2004, Ratomir

Dujkovic took over from Mariano

Barreto, who himself had come in for

Sam Arday. Th e Serb was handed the job

after leading Rwanda to the 2004 CAN

to the complete surprise of many.

Dujkovic proceeded to build a

disciplined team that has gelled around

two outstanding midfi elders in Michael

Essien and Stephen Appiah. Ghana

ultimately topped their qualifying group

with the best defensive record on the

continent.

Th e association and the players have

so much trust in Dujkovic that he even

survived a disappointing showing at the

CAN in Egypt earlier this year, when

Ghana surprisingly went out at the group

stage. Th is is not something that goes

without saying, as African associations

are often quick to punish failures on the

pitch, as a glance at the 2006 World Cup

Ratomir Dujkovic(60/Serbian/since 2005)Kept goal for Yugoslavia 15 times. Turned to coaching at the end of his career, beginning with Red Star Bel-grade and then moving to Venezuela, Myanmar, the United Arab Emirates and Rwanda. Qualifying for the 2006 World Cup is his biggest success as a coach to date.

Michael Essien(23/midfi elder/Chelsea)Won the French league twice with Lyon. In August 2005, he switched to Chelsea for 36 million euros – the highest transfer fee ever paid for an African player. Essien is technically gifted and immensely fit. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho calls him the “perfect player”.

… Seven of Ghana’s 24 goals during qualification came in the last ten minutes of matches.

… Ratomir Dujkovic is the third coach from the former Yugoslavia to manage an African team at the World Cup finals. Before him came Blagoje Vidinic – who led Morocco in 1970 and Zaire in 1974 – and Bora Milutinovic (Nigeria in 1998).

… Ghana have already enjoyed considerable success in continental competitions and FIFA tournaments. In 1992, they became the first African country to win a medal at the Olympic football tournament (bronze).

Ghana have also won the FIFA U-17 World Championship twice (1991 and 1995) and reached the final on two other occasions (1993 and 1997). They have reached the FIFA World Youth Championship final twice (1993 and 2001) and won the Cup of African Nations four times (1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982).

… Ghana had the best defensive record of any team in the African qualifying zone. Dujkovic’s team conceded just four goals in twelve matches. Ghana let in just one at home, when they overcame Burkina Faso 2-1 on 5 June 2005.

1. John Mensah (11) Rennes (FRA)

2. Stephen Appiah (11) Fenerbahce (TUR)

3. Emmanuel Pappoe (10) Hapoel Kfar Sava (ISR)

4. Sammy Adjei (10) Ashdod SC (ISR)

5. Michael Essien (9) Chelsea (ENG)

6. Sulley Muntari (7) Udinese (ITA)

7. Asamoah Gyan (7) Modena (ITA)

8. Samuel Kuffour (6) Roma (ITA)

9. Matthew Amoah (5) Borussia Dortmund (GER)

10. Hamza Mohammed (5) Real Tamale United

11. Kwadwo Poku (5) Midtjylland (DEN)

12. John Pantsil (4) Hapoel Tel Aviv (ISR)

13. Baffour Gyan (4) Dynamo Moscow (RUS)

14. Gabriel Issah (4) Asante Kotoko

15. Daniel Edusei (4) Egaleo (GRE)

16. Frimpong Asamoah (4) Enyimba (NGA)

17. Abukari Yakubu (4) Vitesse Arnhem (NED)

18. William Tiero (3) Liberty

19. Daniel Quaye (3) Hearts of Oak

20. Kingston Laryea (3) Terek (RUS)

A mainstay of the Ghana team: midfi eld dynamo Stephen Appiah.

-

Most World Cup matches:-

Top World Cup scorer:-

All-time World Cup ranking:-

Ghana


Did you know?



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Johnson McBride

DempseyBeasley

Donovan Reyna

CherundoloOnyewuBerhalterLewis

Keller

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up


GROUP E: USA

Round 1USA v. Grenada 3-0Grenada v. USA 2-3

Round 2Jamaica v. USA 1-1USA v. El Salvador 2-0Panama v. USA 1-1El Salvador v. USA 0-2USA v. Panama 6-0USA v. Jamaica 1-1

Round 3Trinidad and Tobago v. USA 1-2Mexico v. USA 2-1USA v. Guatemala 2-0USA v. Costa Rica 3-0Panama v. USA 0-3USA v. Trinidad and Tobago 1-0USA v. Mexico 2-0Guatemala v. USA 0-0Costa Rica v. USA 3-0USA v. Panama 2-0

Top scorers:Ed Johnson and Landon Donovan, 7 each

DaMarcus Beasley(23/striker/PSV Eindhoven)Rose to fame at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan and moved toPSV Eindhoven two years later. This lightweight striker has incredible pace and is constantly on the move, making him very diffi cult for oppo-sition defences to mark. Much is expected of Beasley – he is, after all, only 23 years old.

Bruce Arena(54/American/since 1998)Has coached various North American clubs and once looked after the affairs of the US Olympic team. Owing to his sustained record of success, Arena, who likes to give new players a chance to shine, is fi rmly in control. After almost eight years in charge, he is something of a “veteran” among national team coaches.

.

“We should consider playing in Alaska

in future. Maybe then we would have

home advantage,” he quipped.

Arena oversees a close-knit team

containing several players who are

under contract to European clubs

or are due to move to the continent

soon. Th e days when US footballers

were largely unknown and laughing

stocks are fi nally over. Note has been

taken of the progress made by Arena’s

team. And with good reason, because

Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley,

Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo,

Kasey Keller and Ed Johnson are more

than capable of springing a surprise in

Germany.

No longer laughing stocks

Weary of offi ce? Not in the slightest.

Bruce Arena is motivated, hungry for

success and willing to experiment. It is

almost as if he had taken over the United

States national team only recently rather

than back in 1998. At that time, the USA

had just fi nished in 32nd and last place at

the World Cup in France. Th e frustrated

coach, Steve Sampson, resigned. Arena

inherited a team that appeared to be

on its knees, unable to inspire any

enthusiasm for football at home or off er

any competition to the top four US

sports of basketball, baseball, American

football and ice hockey.

Although football still lags some way

behind these sports in the USA, it has

gained in popularity in recent years,

thanks not least to Bruce Arena. At the

2002 World Cup, he led the national

team to the knock-out stage and lost

only narrowly to subsequent fi nalists

Germany. Th e performance of the team

in Korea and Japan was a huge boost for

the game in the USA.

In the qualifying competition for

the 2006 World Cup, the USA gave

an impressive demonstration of the

progress they have made. Th ey were the

fi rst team from the CONCACAF zone

to qualify for Germany despite having

to play most of their matches “away”,

as Arena put it sarcastically. By this, the

USA coach was referring to the home

games his team play on the west and

east coasts, home to large numbers of

Latin American immigrants who pack

the grounds whenever Mexico, Costa

Rica or Guatemala come to town.

… The USA went 632 minutes without conceding a goal during the qualifying competition for the 2006 World Cup.

… Bruce Arena will be the first coach to manage the USA at two World Cup finals, having also been in charge in 2002. His predecessors were Sampson (1998), Milutinovic (1994), Gansler (1990), Jeffrey (1950), Gould (1934) and Miller (1930).

… Ed Johnson is only the third USA player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifier, a feat he accomplished in the 6-0 win

over Panama on 13 October 2004. The others were by Aldo Donelli in 1934 (4-2 against Mexico) and Peter Miller in 1970 (6-2 against Bermuda).

… On 17 August 2005, the USA celebrated their 100th win in a World Cup qualifier when they beat Trinidad and Tobago 1-0.

… Brian McBride and Cobi Jones are the only USA players to score in three FIFA World Cup™ qualifying competitions, having found the net ahead of the 1998, 2002 and 2006 finals.

USA striker Ed Johnson in action.

1. Landon Donovan (16 mat.) Los Angeles Galaxy

2. Kasey Keller (14) Borussia

Monchengladbach (GER)

3. Brian McBride (14) Fulham (England)

4. DaMarcus Beasley (13) PSV Eindhoven (NED)

5. Carlos Bocanegra (11) Fulham (England)

6. Eddie Lewis (11) Leeds United (ENG)

7. Eddie Pope (9) Real Salt Lake

8. Pablo Mastroeni (9) Colorado Rapids

9. Steve Ralston (9) New England Revolution

10. Claudio Reyna (8) Manchester City (ENG)

11. Frankie Hejduk (8) Columbus Crew

12. Steve Cherundolo (7) Hannover 96 (GER)

13. Bobby Convey (7) Reading (ENG)

14. Oguchi Onyewu (7) Standard Liege (BEL)

15. Gregg Berhalter (7) Energie Cottbus (GER)

16. Ed Johnson (7) Kansas City Wizards

17. Clint Dempsey (7) New England Revolution

18. Cory Gibas (6) Den Haag (NED)

19. Kerry Zavagnin (6) Kansas City Wizards

20. Chris Albright (6) Los Angeles Galaxy


1930 Uruguay 3rd

1934 Italy 16th

1950 Brazil 10th

1990 Italy 23rd

1994 USA 14th

1998 France 32nd


Most World Cup matches:Ernie Stewart (1994, 1998, 2002) and Cobi Jones (1994, 1998, 2002), 11 each

Top World Cup scorers:Brian McBride (1998, 2002) and Bertran Patenaude (1930), 3 each

All-time World Cup ranking:24th (22 matches, 6 wins, 2 draws, 14 defeats, 25 goals for, 45 goals against).

Area: 9,809,155 km²Population: 290.8 millionCapital: Washington, D.C. (564,000)Association: US Soccer Federation (USSF)Founded: 1913FIFA member since: 1914Website: www.ussoccer.comNumber of players: 17,892,000Number of clubs: 1,700Number of teams: 11,000

USA

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Koller Baros

Poborsky

GalasekRosicky

Nedved

Jankulovski Ujfalusi Rozehnal Grygera

Cech

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



major tournament. At the World Cup in

Germany, the Czechs will be aiming to

conjure up another display of footballing

fi reworks. Karel Bruckner’s side provided

a taste of their artistic style of play

during the qualifying competition, when

they scored more goals than any other

European team (37) in a celebration of

refreshing attacking play. In Jan Koller

(nine goals), they had the continent’s

Return of the workhorse

Fans of cultured, bold attacking football

enjoyed a genuine treat at the 2004

European Championship as the Czech

Republic served up performances that

were a joy to behold. In the semi-fi nal,

though, they were ineff ective, and thus

came a cropper at the hands of eventual

winners Greece.

Two years later, the most attractive

team in Portugal are ready for the next

second top scorer. Nevertheless, all of

this was only enough to secure them

second place in Group 1 behind the

Netherlands and ahead of Romania.

Th e Czechs had to take the play-off

route, eventually easing their way past

Norway. Four years earlier, they had lost

to Belgium at the same stage and were

forced to watch the 2002 World Cup on

television at home.

In Germany, they are hoping to

rekindle the success they enjoyed in

their Czechoslovakia days (World Cup

runners-up in 1934 and 1962 and

European Champions in 1976). Th ey

most certainly have the potential,

especially as Pavel Nedved is back

on board. Th e Juventus midfi elder

announced his international retirement

after EURO 2004, but returned for the

play-off s against Norway and now intends

to play at the World Cup fi nals. Strong in

the tackle and full of intelligence, Nedved

is a tireless workhorse and the heart and

mind of the Czech team, directing play

along with Tomas Rosicky. In the likes of

Jan Koller, whose place in the squad is in

doubt, however, following a serious knee

injury, Milan Baros, Marek Jankulovski,

Tomas Galasek, Vladimir Smicer and

Petr Cech, who some say is the best

goalkeeper in the world, the Czechs will

have more than enough other talent to

cause a splash in Germany.

GROUP E: CZECH REPUBLIC

Netherlands v. Czech Republic 2-0Czech Republic v. Romania 1-0Armenia v. Czech Republic 0-3Macedonia v. Czech Republic 0-2Czech Republic v. Finland 4-3Andorra v. Czech Republic 0-4Czech Republic v. Andorra 8-1Czech Republic v. Macedonia 6-1Romania v. Czech Republic 2-0Czech Republic v. Armenia 4-1Czech Republic v. Netherlands 0-2Finland v. Czech Republic 0-3

Play-off:Norway v. Czech Republic 0-1Czech Republic v. Norway 1-0

Top scorer:Jan Koller, 9

Tomas Rosicky(25/midfi elder/Borussia Dortmund)Is slowly emerging from the shadow cast by Pavel Nedved, who will defi ni-tely end his international career after the World Cup. Rosicky is a genuine playmaker with wonderful ball control and vision who is capable of deciding a game on his own. The only downside is that he does not score enough goals and is still too inconsistent.

Karel Bruckner(66/Czech/since 2002)Was in charge of the Czech under-21-team before being appointed senior coach. Has clear ideas about attacking football and knows exactly how to put them across. Bruckner commands respect and is very popular with his players. After Otto Pfi ster (Togo), the silver-haired gent will be the oldest coach at the World Cup in Germany.

… The Czech Republic are back in the World Cup finals for the first time in 16 years, having last qualified as Czechoslovakia in 1990. Of the 32 teams starting in Germany, only Australia have been away longer (32 years).

… Thirteen players who were in the Czech under-21 squad that won the European Championship in 2002 featured in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.

… The Czechs have not drawn any of their last 21 World Cup qualifiers. Their last draw was against Denmark on 28 March 2001 (0-0).

… No other team scored more goals in the European qualifying campaign than Karel Bruckner’s men, who netted 37 times and won eleven of their 14 matches.

… In the World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on 8 June 2005, Jan Koller scored four in a 6-0 win.

1. Tomas Ujfalusi (14 matches) Fiorentina (ITA)

2. Petr Cech (13) Chelsea (ENG)

3. Tomas Rosicky (12) Borussia Dortmund (GER)

4. Milan Baros (12) Aston Villa (ENG)

5. Karel Poborsky (11) Ceske Budejovice

6. Zdenek Grygera (11) Ajax (NED)

7. Jan Polak (10) Nuremberg (GER)

8. Tomas Galasek (9) Ajax (NED)

9. Marek Jankulovski (9) AC Milan (ITA)

10. Marek Heinz (9) Galatasaray (TUR)

11. Jan Koller (8) Borussia Dortmund (GER)

12. Vladimir Smicer (8) Bordeaux (FRA)

13. David Rozehnal (7) Paris St. Germain (FRA)

14. Vratislav Lokvenc (7) Austria Salzburg (AUT)

15. Tomas Jun (7) Besiktas (TUR)

16. Rene Bolf (6) Auxerre (FRA)

17. Martin Jiranek (5) Spartak Moscow (RUS)

18. Stepan Vachousek (5) Austria Vienna (AUS)

19. Jaroslav Plasil (5) Monaco (FRA)

20. Radoslav Kovac (4) Spartak Moscow (RUS)

The heart and soul of the Czech team: Pavel Nedved.

Area: 78,866 km²Population: 10.2 millionCapital: Prague (1.2 million)Association: Football Association of Czech Republic (CMFS)Founded: 1901FIFA member since: 1907/1994Website: www.fotbal.czNumber of players: 587,200Number of clubs: 2,000Number of teams: 3,900

Czech Republic

1934 Italy 2nd

1938 France 5th


1958 Sweden 9th

1962 Chile 2nd

1970 Mexico 15th

1982 Spain 19th

1990 Italy 6th

Most World Cup matches:Ladislav Novak, 12 (1954, 1958 and 1962)

Top World Cup scorer:Oldrich Nejedly, 6 (1934, 1938)

All-time World Cup ranking:18th


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Th ey are the World Cup holders and they

also won last year’s FIFA Confederations

Cup. Th ey have an experienced and

astute coach and two or three players

for each position. Every squad player

is under contract to a top club. Can

anyone stop Brazil lifting the trophy for

a sixth time?

It is a good question. Although Brazil

go into every World Cup as favourites,

The measure of all things

opinion has rarely come out so much

on the side of the Selecao. When the

Brazilians get going, when they exploit

their technical supremacy to the full,

and when Ronaldinho or Adriano

embark on one of their inimitable runs,

Brazil are almost unstoppable. Coach

Carlos Alberto Parreira is safe in his job,

unusual in a country where the national

team is a constant subject of debate. And

it is also testimony to the work of the

Brazil manager.

Brazil have world-class players in

every department, players who are

willing to adapt according to the needs

of the team. Ze Roberto, for example,

is noted more for his spectacular

contributions at Bayern Munich, but

he helps out in Brazil’s defence without

batting an eyelid. Not that he has

much choice. In no other squad is the

competition so plentiful and keen as in

the Brazilian.

In this star ensemble, only one player

is irreplaceable: Ronaldinho. If he is

missing, even a team that has won the

World Cup fi ve times suddenly lacks its

genius. But stand-in Juninho also has

exceptional qualities. His free-kicks are

similar to those of team-mate Roberto

Carlos. Both drive the ball towards goal

with heavy swerve.

Th e holders are again the measure of

all things going into the 2006 World

Cup. If there is any slight doubt, it is

about the form of some established

players. Dida and Roberto Carlos have

not always been on top of their form

recently, and Ronaldo has not had the

best of seasons with Real Madrid either.

Th is was also the case in the run-up to

the 2002 fi nals, though, when the then

Inter Milan striker was not fi ring on

all cylinders. Th e outcome is common

knowledge. Ronaldo fi nished as the top

scorer in Korea and Japan…

… Brazil captain Cafu can this year set the record for the most number of appearances for Brazil at the World Cup finals. The defender has played 16 matches so far.

… Parreira is the fourth coach to manage Brazil at more than one World Cup, having already taken charge of the Selecao in 1994. The others are Mario Zagallo (1970, 1974 and 1998), Vicente Feola (1958 and 1966) and Tele Santana (1982 and 1986).

… Brazil are the only team to have played at all 18 World Cups. The five-time winners top the list for the number of matches played (87), the number of victories (60) and the number of goals scored (191).

… Carlos Alberto Parreira’s team can beat their own record of seven consecutive victories at the World Cup if they overcome Croatia in their opening match in Germany.

Colombia v. Brazil 1-2Brazil v. Ecuador 1-0Peru v. Brazil 1-1Brazil v. Uruguay 3-3Paraguay v. Brazil 0-0Brazil v. Argentina 3-1Chile v. Brazil 1-1Brazil v. Bolivia 3-1Venezuela v. Brazil 2-5Brazil v. Colombia 0-0Ecuador v. Brazil 1-0Brazil v. Peru 1-0Uruguay v. Brazil 1-1Brazil v. Paraguay 4-1Argentina v. Brazil 3-1Brazil v. Chile 5-0Bolivia v. Brazil 1-1Brazil v. Venezuela 3-0

Top scorer:Ronaldo, 10

Carlos Alberto Parreira(62/Brazilian/since 2003)Took part in his fi rst World Cup in 1970 – as a fi tness coach – and led Brazil to the title in 1994. A meticulous worker, Carlos Alberto Parreira always manages to form a harmonious team from the best individuals. His motto: if you want to play for Brazil, you have to leave your ego in the dressing room. Parreira’s favourite hobby, incidentally, is fi shing.

Ronaldinho(25/striker/Barcelona)Although he still has his best years in front of him, this brilliant attacking player has won almost everything there is to be won in the international game. The FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 is creative, unpredictable and technically superb. Ronaldinho performs his tricks with inimitable ease and can be used in any attacking position.

GROUP F: BRAZIL

Leading scorer at the 2002 World Cup: Ronaldo.

1930 Uruguay 6th

1934 Italy 14th

1938 France 3rd

1950 Brazil 2nd


1958 Sweden 1st

1962 Chile 1st

1966 England 11th

1970 Mexico 1st

1974 Germany FR 4th

1978 Argentina 3rd

1982 Spain 5th

1986 Mexico 5th

1990 Italy 9th

1994 USA 1st

1998 France 2nd

2002 Korea/Japan 1st

Most World Cup matches: Taffarel, Dunga (both 1990, 1994, 1998), 18

Top World Cup scorers:Ronaldo (1998, 2002) and Pele (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970), 12

All-time World Cup ranking: 1st

(87 matches, 60 wins, 14 draws,13 defeats, 191 goals for, 82 goals against).Did you know?

1. Dida (16 matches) AC Milan (ITA)

2. Cafu (15) AC Milan (ITA)

3. Roberto Carlos (15) Real Madrid (ESP)

4. Ronaldo (15) Real Madrid (ESP)

5. Kaka (15) AC Milan (ITA)

6. Roque Junior (14) Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

7. Ze Roberto (14) Bayern Munich (GER)

8. Renato (13) Sevilla (ESP)

9. Ronaldinho (11) Barcelona (ESP)

10. Juninho (11) Lyon (FRA)

11. Alex (11) Fenerbahce (TUR)

12. Lucio (10) Bayern Munich (GER)

13. Juan (10) Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

14. Gilberto Silva (10) Arsenal (ENG)

15. Emerson (9) Juventus (ITA)

16. Adriano (9) Inter Milan (ITA)

17. Robinho (8) Real Madrid (ESP)

18. Edu (5) Valencia (ESP)

19. Rivaldo (4) Olympiakos (GRE)

20. Luis Fabiano (4) Sevilla (ESP)

Area: 8,547,404 km2

Population: 176.6 millionCapital: Brasilia (200,000)Association: Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol (CBF)Website: www.cbfnews.com.brFounded: 1914FIFA member since: 1923Number of players: 7 millionNumber of clubs: 6,000Number of teams: 20,000

Brazil

Adriano Ronaldo

KakaRonaldinho

Ze Roberto Emerson

CafuLucioRoque JuniorRoberto Carlos

Dida



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105105

SimicTudorTomas

Butina

Kranjcar

Klasnic Prso

ModricBabic SrnaN. Kovac

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



Father and sonCroatia’s fi rst appearance at the World

Cup fi nals in France in 1998 went off

with a bang as the debutants fi nished

in third place, with Robert Prosinecki,

Davor Suker, Zvonimir Boban and

Robert Jarni starring.

All have since retired to make way for

a new generation of talent. And while

coach Zlatko Kranjcar’s team may not

have quite the same individual quality,

it does have a balanced, compact and

hungry look about it. Croatia were

unbeaten in qualifying and even claimed

a win in Sweden.

Th e backbone of the side is formed by

players who earn their money abroad.

With one interesting exception. Th e

youthful looking Niko Kranjcar, son

of the Croatian boss, plays behind

the two strikers with great verve and

creativity. In the season just ended,

Kranjcar junior played for Hajduk

Split, but he has long been a target of

foreign clubs.

Croatia are well equipped in attack.

Dado Prso, the never-say-die Glasgow

Rangers striker who is strong in the air,

is the ideal foil for Ivan Klasnic, a player

who instead of simply roving the penalty

area often prefers to drift out wide. In

defence, Kranjcar senior tends to opt for

experience. Niko Kovac, Dario Simic,

Igor Tudor and Darijo Srna have a stack

of caps between them. He can also fall

back on Robert Kovac, though the

Juventus defender is not an automatic

fi rst choice.

Robert Kovac is not the only member

of the Croatian squad who does not

always start for his club. At fi rst glance

this would appear to be a disadvantage,

but it could prove to be a plus as these

players may well be fresher than others.

Th e expectations in this football-

crazy country are high. Anything less

than a place in the last 16 would be a

bitter disappointment. Th e draw for the

group phase also set up a tasty clash with

Australia, who have a number of players

with Croatian roots in their side.

… In finishing third at the 1998 World Cup, Croatia achieved the best final position by a debutant since Portugal in 1966 (also third).

… Dario Simic is the only player in the Croatia squad to play in the qualifying competitions for the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

… Zlatko Kranjcar could become the third coach to manage his own son at the World

Cup finals. In 1966, Uruguay’s Ondino Viera picked his son Milton, while in 1998 Italy’s Cesare Maldini placed his faith in son Paolo.

… Croatia qualified for the World Cup finals on each of their first three attempts (1998, 2002, 2006), a feat only two countries had achieved before them. Sweden and Switzerland also succeeded in reaching the finals in 1934, 1938 and 1950.

Almost unstoppable: Niko Kranjcar (number 19)

GROUP F: CROATIA

Ivan Klasnic (25/striker/Werder Bremen)A striker who also shines as a creator of goals. His ball control is outstanding and he is now much more consistent than at the start of his career. Klasnic’s stronger foot is his left one. He is a “footballing striker”, who when in doubt prefers an elegant lob to a hard shot. Gathered experience in the UEFA Champions League with his club Werder Bremen.

Zlatko Kranjcar (49/Croatian/since 2004)Succeeded Otto Baric after EURO 2004, having previously led home club NK Zagreb to three league titles. Son Niko is tipped to become Croatia’s next play-maker and was called up by his father for the fi rst time in June 2005. Kranjcar is an undisputed authoritarian coach. In March 2006, his team defeated Argen-tina 3-2 in a friendly.

Croatia v. Hungary 3-0Sweden v. Croatia 0-1Croatia v. Bulgaria 2-2Croatia v. Iceland 4-0Croatia v. Malta 3-0Bulgaria v. Croatia 1-3Iceland v. Croatia 1-3Malta v. Croatia 1-1Croatia v. Sweden 1-0Hungary v. Croatia 0-0

Top scorers:Dado Prso, Darijo Srna, 5 each

Dado Prso.

1. Marko Babic (9 mat.) Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

2. Darijo Srna (9) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

3. Niko Kovac (9) Hertha Berlin (GER)

4. Dado Prso (9) Glasgow Rangers (SCO)

5. Niko Kranjcar (9) Hajduk Split

6. Tomislav Butina (8) Bruges (BEL)

7. Josip Simunic (8) Hertha Berlin (GER)

8. Igor Tudor (8) Siena (ITA)

9. Robert Kovac (8) Juventus (ITA)

10. Ivan Klasnic (8) Werder Bremen (GER)

11. Jerko Leko (7) Dynamo Kiev (UKR)

12. Ivan Bosnjak (6) Dinamo Zagreb

13. Stjepan Tomas (5) Galatasaray (TUR)

14. Jurica Vranjes (5) Werder Bremen (GER)

15. Mario Tokic (5) Austria Vienna (AUT)

16. Bosko Balaban (5) Bruges (BEL)

17. Ivica Olic (5) CSKA Moscow (RUS)

18. Dario Simic (4) AC Milan (ITA)

19. Ivan Leko (3) Bruges (BEL)

20. Stipe Pletikosa (2) Hajduk Split

Area: 56,542 km2

Population: 4.45 millionCapital: Zagreb (1 million)Association: Hrvatski Nogometni Savez (HNS)Website: www.hns-cff.hr/Founded: 1912FIFA member since: 1992Number of players: 697,000Number of clubs: 1,186Number of teams: 3,205

Croatia

1998 France 3rd

2002 Japan/Korea 23rd

Most World Cup matches:Robert Jarni, 11 (includes 1 match for Yugoslavia; 1990, 1998, 2002)

Top World Cup scorer:Davor Suker, 6 (1998)

All-time World Cup ranking:23rd (10 matches, 6 wins,4 defeats, 13 goals for, 8 goals against).

Did you know?



magazine

107107

Aloisi Viduka

Grella EmertonCahillKewell

Chipperfi eld Popovic Vidmar North

Schwarzer

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up

Did you know?



GROUP F: AUSTRALIA

the game is fi nally well on the way to

establishing itself.

Th is process has, of course, been helped

by the fact that Australia’s best players are

under contract with foreign clubs. Mark

Viduka is a seasoned Premier League

professional, while Brett Emerton has

also established himself at Blackburn

Rovers, as have Vince Grella and Marco

Bresciano in Italy. At the moment,

though, all of them are being outshone

by Tim Cahill, an attacking midfi elder

who is the driving force behind Everton.

Along with the eccentric Harry Kewell,

Cahill has the task of breathing life into

the Socceroos’ attacking play. Th e man

responsible for ensuring that the various

sections of the team gel is someone

who is idolised as much in Asia as he is

down under. Guus Hiddink, a Dutch

coach with a strong understanding of

group dynamics and tactics, is chiefl y

responsible for taking Australia to the

World Cup fi nals in Germany for the

second time after 1974. “Th e team spirit

was one of the reasons we made it,”

says Viduka, “but the main reason was

Hiddink. He’s just unbelievable.”

Australia will nevertheless be among

the underdogs in Germany. Several

players have European roots, which is

why the match against Croatia will take

on added signifi cance. “It’s going to be a

fascinating game,” predicts Viduka.

Guus Hiddink (59/Dutch/since 2005)The successful coach led Korea Repub-lic to a sensational fourth place in the 2002 World Cup on home soil. He resigned as manager of Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven at the end of the season just finished. Hiddink sees football as a genuine team sport and repeatedly brings out the best in his players. He is regarded as a master of motivation and tactical fi nesse.

Harry Kewell (27/midfi eld/Liverpool)Made his breakthrough at Leeds United in the English Premier League. The leftwinger moved to Liverpool in 2003, but then suffered numerous injuries, eventually becoming a fi rst-team Anfield regular under coach Rafael Benitez in 2006. Kewell is a fast attacking player with an eye for goal, although he is occasionally accused of having an attitude.

Round 2Australia v. New Zealand 1-0Australia v. Tahiti 9-0Australia v. Fiji 6-1Vanuatu v. Australia 0-3Solomon Islands v. Australia 2-2

Round 3Australia v. Solomon Islands 7-0Solomon Islands v. Australia 1-2

Play-offUruguay v. Australia 1-0Australia v. Uruguay 1-0 aet, 4-2 on penalties

Top scorer:Tim Cahill, 7

Area: 7,692,030 km²Population: 20 millionCapital: Canberra (320,000)Association: Football Federation Australia Limited (FFA)Website: www.footballaustralia.com.auFounded: 1961FIFA member since: 1963Number of players: 389,000Number of clubs: 1,200Number of teams: 12,000

1974 Germany FR 14th

Most World Cup matches: 10 players each with 3 games (1974)

Top World Cup scorer: -

All-time World Cup ranking: 57th

(3 matches, 1 draw,2 defeats, 0 goals for, 5 goals against).

Australia

Guus Hiddinkthe key

When Australia took on Uruguay in

the return play-off match in Sydney last

November, the interest was huge. Some

80,000 spectators witnessed the crucial

encounter for a place in the World Cup

fi nals. Th e match turned into a giant

party that ended on a high note when

goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and his

team-mates became heroes by clinching

victory in a penalty shoot-out. World

Cup qualifi cation was a further boost for

football down under. Australia now has

a professional league again, and its youth

teams have repeatedly proved that they

have no reason to fear the competition.

Th e senior side’s triumph over Uruguay

completed the picture that Australian

football is painting at present, i.e. that

Tim Cahill (no. 10), Australia’s midfi eld dynamo.

… Guus Hiddink is the first Dutch coach to take part in three World Cups.

… Australia are one of six teams that have qualified for a World Cup but have yet to score a goal.

… Based on past performances, Australia have the advantage over two of their three group rivals in Germany. Only Brazil have a better head-to-head record. Japan and Croatia have both lost more games against Australia than they have won.

… The Socceroos have never won acompetitive match on German soil.Australia lost twice and drew once at the 1974 World Cup, and they lost allthree games at the 2005 Confederations Cup.

… Australia are the second-highest scorers in World Cup qualifying matches. In 91 games, they have hit the net 267 times, a figure surpassed only by Mexico (340 goals in 123 games).

1. Brett Emerton (8 mat.) Blackburn Rovers (ENG)

2. Vince Grella (8) Parma (ITA)

3. Tony Vidmar (7) NAC Breda (NED)

4. John Aloisi (7) Alaves (ESP)

5. Zeljko Kalac (6) AC Milan (ITA)

6. Tim Cahill (6) Everton (ENG)

7. Scott Chipperfi eld (6) Basel (SUI)

8. Josip Skoko (6) Wigan Athletic (ENG)

9. Jade North (5) Newcastle United Jets

10. Marco Bresciano (5) Parma (ITA)

11. Mile Sterjovski (5) Basel (SUI)

12. Ahmad Elrich (5) Fulham (ENG)

13. Jason Culina (4) PSV Eindhoven (NED)

14. Lucas Neill (4) Blackburn Rovers (ENG)

15. Mark Viduka (4) Middlesbrough (ENG)

16. Adrian Madaschi (4) Dundee (SCO)

17. Stan Lazaridis (4) Birmingham City (ENG)

18. Mark Schwarzer (3) Middlesbrough (ENG)

19. Patrick Kisnorbo (3) Leicester City (ENG)

20. David Zdrilic (3) Sydney FC



magazine

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Santos

Takahara

K. Nakata Nakazawa Miyamoto Tanaka

Kawaguchi

Inamoto H. Nakata Nakamura Ono

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up

Did you know?



A midfield to be proud of

Refreshing – that was how Japan’s

appearance at the Confederations Cup

in 2005 was described by many experts

after Zico’s team put in some convincing

performances at the World Cup dress

rehearsal.

Th e Brazilian was one of the best

midfi eld players of his time. It is

therefore interesting that the midfi eld

is Japan’s strongest department, too,

as Zico has a wide choice of talented

players at his disposal. Alessandro

Santos can dictate a match just as well

as Shunsuke Nakamura, who is now

starring in Scotland with Celtic. Th e

best-known Japanese player, however,

is still Hidetoshi Nakata, who has twice

been voted Asian Player of the Year.

Nakata is now under contract to Bolton

Wanderers. He used to play in Italy and

has acquired pop star status at home, an

image he his happy to maintain.

At the World Cup, Japan will be

bidding to replicate their huge success of

2002, when they staged the tournament

along with Korea and, under the

stewardship of French coach Philippe

Troussier, fi nished ninth. It is doubtful,

however, whether Shinji Ono and

Junichi Inamoto, for example, two of

the celebrated stars four years ago, will

be able to reach such heights again. Ono

recently returned to Japan after four-

and-a-half years with Feyenoord. It is

also unclear how eff ective Japan will be

in attack. Masashi Oguro and Naohiro

Takahara are the leading candidates for

a place in the starting line-up, although

Takahara has yet to achieve a real

breakthrough at German club Hamburg

despite being there for three-and-a-half

years, while Oguro moved to French

second-division outfi t Grenoble in

January 2006.

Japan’s strength – their exceptionally

gifted midfi eld – is also their weakness,

since their attack-minded players

are prone to neglect their defensive

duties. In short, great discipline will

be needed if the two-time Asian

champions are to match the success

of 2002.

GROUP F: JAPAN

Japan v. Oman 1-0Singapore v. Japan 1-2Japan v. India 7-0India v. Japan 0-4Oman v. Japan 0-1Japan v. Singapore 1-0Japan v. Korea DPR 2-1Iran v. Japan 2-1Japan v. Bahrain 1-0Bahrain v. Japan 0-1Korea DPR v. Japan 0-2Japan v. Iran 2-1

Top scorers:Takashi Fukunishi, Mitsuo Ogasawara, Masashi Oguro, Takayuki Suzuki, 3 each

Alessandro Santos (28/midfi eld/Urawa Red Diamonds)Brazilian by birth, he moved to Japan as a student. Santos is a creativeplaymaker who creates chances for the strikers with his text-book passing. Tricky and quick, opponents often have to resort to fouls in order to stop him. “Alex”, as he is known, is the idol of young fans in Japan. He can also play in defence and is responsible for Japan’s set pieces.

Zico (53/Brazilian/since 2002)Took part in three World Cup fi nals as a player, scoring 52 goals in 72 inter-national matches, and went down in football history as the “white Pele”. As national coach of Japan he won the Kirin Cup and the Asian Cup in 2004. Zico prefers a cultured passing game, true to his own football background. During the qualifying competition, he often had to manage without the players based abroad.

Shunsuke Nakamura (No. 10) is diffi cult to stop.

… Japan have scored six goals in seven World Cup matches – all in the first 30 minutes of the second half.

… Japan’s previous World Cup match against Croatia resulted in a 1-0 victory for the Europeans (France ‘98).

… Japan have never won a competitive FIFA match against a team from South Amer-ica on European soil, having lost 1-0 to Argentina at the 1998 World Cup and 1-0 to Colombia at the 2003 Confederations

Cup (both in France), 4-3 to Paraguay at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece and drawn 2-2 against Brazil at the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany.

… Japan were the first team to qualify for this year’s World Cup. At 5.35 pm local time on 8 June 2005, Zico’s men sealed a 2-0 victory over Korea DPR in Bangkok to secure qualification. Five hours later, Iran also booked their ticket for Germany.

1. Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (12) Gamba Osaka

2. Akira Kaji (11) Gamba Osaka

3. Alessandro Santos (10) Urawa Red Diamonds

4. Takashi Fukunishi (9) Jubilo Iwata

5. Yuji Nakazawa (9) Yokohama Mariners

6. Mitsuo Ogasawara (9) Kashima Antlers

7. Takayuki Suzuki (9) Red Star Belgrade (SCG)

8. Keiji Tamada (9) Kashiwa Reysol

9. Shunsuke Nakamura (8) Celtic (SCO)

10. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (7) Jubilo Iwata

11. Makoto Tanaka (7) Jubilo Iwata

12. Naohiro Takahara (7) Hamburg (GER)

13. Hidetoshi Nakata (5) Bolton Wanderers (ENG)

14. Shinji Ono (5) Urawa Red Diamonds

15. Yasuhito Endo (5) Gamba Osaka

16. Atsushi Yanagisawa (5) Messina (ITA)

17. Junichi Inamoto (5) West Bromwich Albion

(ENG)

18. Seigo Narazaki (4) Nagoya Grampus Eight

19. Masashi Oguro (4) Grenoble (FRA)

20. Toshiya Fujita (4) Jubilo Iwata

Area: 377,837 km²Population: 127.5 millionCapital: Tokyo (8.5 million)Association: Japan Football Association (JFA)Website: www.jfa.or.jp/e/index.htmlFounded: 1921FIFA member since: 1929Number of players: 190,000Number of clubs: 700Number of teams: 28,500

Japan

1998 France 31st


Most World Cup matches: Hidetoshi Nakata, 7 (1998, 2002)

Top World Cup scorer: Junichi Inamoto, 2 (2002)

All-time World Cup ranking: 41st

(7 matches, 2 wins, 1 draw,3 defeats, 9 goals for, 12 goals against).



magazine

111111

Henry Trezeguet

MakeleleVieira

Zidane Dhorasoo

Gallas Boumsong Thuram Sagnol

Coupet

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



GROUP G: FRANCE

France v. Israel 0-0Faroe Islands v. France 0-2France v. Republic of Ireland 0-0Cyprus v. France 0-2France v. Switzerland 0-0Israel v. France 1-1France v. Faroe Islands 3-0Republic of Ireland v. France 0-1Switzerland v. France 1-1France v. Cyprus 4-0

Top scorer:Djibril Cisse, 4

Area: 543,965 km²Population: 59.8 millionCapital: Paris (2.1 million)Association: Federation Francaise de Football (FFF)Founded: 1919FIFA member since: 1904Website: www.fff.frNumber of players: 795,600Number of clubs: 19,800Number of teams: 142,600

Zinedine Zidane(33/midfi elder/Real Madrid)One of the best players of recent times, a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year and a member of the sides that won the World Cup in 1998 (two goals in the fi nal) and the European Championship in 2000. Son of Alge-rian immigrants. His idol was Enzo Francescoli, after whom he named one of his sons. France rely heavily on Zidane, although “Zizou” has not been his usual peerless self recently.

Raymond Domenech(54/French/since 2004)The former international (six caps) who once played under Aime Jacquet (the World Cup-winning coach in 1998) worked as a youth coach for the French FA for twelve years. Domenech has made stage appearances in several plays and loves astrology. Unpopular with many fans after a poor qualifying campaign.

Raymond Domenech has lofty goals.

“We’re going to Germany to win the

World Cup,” says the France boss. When

said in reference to a team that ruled the

football world in 1998, such a remark

is not unreasonable. Yet Domenech’s

words raised a few eyebrows even among

supporters at home. First of all, there

was the small matter of the 2002 World

Cup, when the holders were eliminated

at the group stage after failing to win

Reliant onZinedine Zidane

a game or score a goal. Th en there was

EURO 2004, when France went out in

the quarter-fi nals, and fi nally, there was

their struggle to qualify for Germany

after being held to three scoreless draws

at home.

After winning the World Cup in

1998 and the European Championship

in 2000, France were the undisputed

kings of international football, but the

European triumph six years ago was

the beginning of the end. A nation

apparently blessed with a host of talent

also failed to come to terms with the

retirement of experienced players such

as Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Th uram,

Claude Makelele and Bixente Lizarazu.

Th e glory days had suddenly departed,

to be replaced by a hangover. France

produced a string of poor performances,

failing to see off opponents or produce

convincing football, so when their bid to

qualify for Germany looked as if it might

founder, Zidane and Makelele returned

to the fold. “I had to help the team,” said

Zidane. And help them he did. Les Bleus

were on the way back.

France still have a wealth of

outstanding talent at their disposal,

but while most of their stars have been

playing to the peak of their ability for

their clubs, in the national team they

look inhibited, short on inspiration and,

above all, ineff ective. Strikers Th ierry

Henry, David Trezeguet and Djibril

Cisse have been the main culprits.

During the qualifying campaign, they

squandered a series of excellent chances,

which almost proved to be the team’s

downfall.

Th e situation is compounded by the

fact that France rely heavily on Zidane.

If he fails to spark, they struggle even

against average opposition. But France

are capable of beating anyone when

their playmaker is on form. Which side

of “Zizou” will we see in Germany?

A disappointed Thierry Henry after missing a chance.

… A Frenchman scored the first goal in the history of the FIFA World Cup™. Lucien Laurent achieved this historic feat in Montevideo on 13 July 1930, netting against Mexico in the 19th minute of a game France eventually won 4-1.

… None of the 32 teams who made it to Germany scored fewer goals in qualifying than France. Les Bleus hit the target just 14 times in ten games.

… Raymond Domenech is France’s eleventh coach in twelve World Cup appearances.

Only Michel Hidalgo has managed the French team at two World Cup finals (1978 and 1982).

… France are one of three teams to win the World Cup and then go out at the group stage when defending their title. The French suffered this mishap in 2002 (0-1 against Senegal, 0-0 against Uruguay, 0-2 against Denmark). In 1950, holders Italy were eliminated in the preliminary round; the same fate befell Brazil in 1966.

France

1930 Uruguay 7th

1934 Italy 9th

1938 France 6th


1958 Sweden 3rd

1966 England 13th

1978 Argentina 12th

1982 Spain 4th

1986 Mexico 3rd

1998 France 1st


Most World Cup matches:Maxime Bossis, 15 (1978, 1982, 1986)

Top World Cup scorer:Just Fontaine, 13 (1958)


(44 matches, 21 wins, 7 draws,16 defeats, 86 goals for, 61 goals against).

1. William Gallas (10 matches) Chelsea (ENG)

2. Patrick Vieira (9) Juventus (ITA)

3. Sylvain Wiltord (8) Lyon

4. Gael Givet (7) Monaco

5. Vikash Dhorasoo (7) Paris St Germain

6. Jean-Alain Boumsong (6) Newcastle United (ENG)

7. Gregory Coupet (6) Lyon

8. Thierry Henry (6) Arsenal (ENG)

9. Djibril Cisse (6) Liverpool (ENG)

10. Willy Sagnol (5) Bayern Munich (GER)

11. Sebastien Squillaci (5) Monaco

12. Fabien Barthez (4) Marseille

13. Claude Makelele (4) Chelsea (ENG)

14. Lilian Thuram (4) Juventus (ITA)

15. Zinedine Zidane (4) Real Madrid (ESP)

16. Florent Malouda (4) Lyon

17. Robert Pires (4) Arsenal (ENG)

18. Ludovic Giuly (4) Barcelona (ESP)

19. Alou Diarra (4) Lens

20. Sidney Govou (4) Lyon

Did you know?



magazine

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THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



An unexpected success

When the Swiss Football Association

(SFV) handed the reins of the national

side to Jakob Kuhn fi ve years ago, the

new coach presented his bosses with a

document stating that he would build

a new team that would go on to win

the European Championship in 2008.

One or two gentlemen will no doubt

have shaken their heads in disbelief at

the very thought. Switzerland, European

champions in 2008?

Today, no one smiles politely when

it comes to Switzerland’s footballers

any more. For decades, they led a

largely anonymous existence, but

recently, thanks to an exemplary youth

development scheme that was launched

in 1995 and is co-funded by a major

bank, this relatively small country has

produced several outstanding players,

among them Tranquillo Barnetta,

Philippe Senderos, Alexander Frei,

Philipp Degen, Marco Streller and

Johan Vonlanthen.

Word of the excellent work of the

SFV, which reaped its fi rst reward

in 2002 when Switzerland won the

U-17 European Championship, has

since spread across Europe. More than

60 Swiss players currently play their

football abroad for clubs of the calibre

of Arsenal, AC Milan, Lazio, Lyon,

Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen

and Hamburg.

Kuhn did not expect to qualify for

the 2006 World Cup, particularly as

his team is comparatively young and

was up against renowned opposition

such as France, the Republic of Ireland

and Turkey (in the play-off ). Yet the

Swiss showed astonishing maturity

and self-assurance in the qualifying

competition, maintaining their

composure, shape and discipline even

under the fi ercest pressure. With their

tactical fl exibility, cultured build-up

play and attacking outlook, this close-

knit outfi t under captain Johann Vogel

has gained widespread admiration and

recognition.

Switzerland’s carefree and gutsy style

of play has sparked a wave of euphoria

across the country and raised the level

of expectation among fans. Th ey are

more than capable of springing another

surprise at the World Cup.

A permanent fi xture in the Swiss attack: Marco Streller (right).

… Switzerland lost only one of their twelve matches en route to Germany, stringing together an eleven-game unbeaten run (five wins, six draws) before going down 4-2 to Turkey in the second play-off match in Istanbul (having won the first 2-0).

… Jakob Kuhn will be the first Swiss coach to manage his country at the World Cup in 56 years. His predecessors were the Austrian Karl Rappan in 1954 and 1962, the Italian Alfredo Foni in 1966 and the Englishman Roy Hodgson in 1994. The last

Swiss coach at the World Cup was Franco Andreoli in 1950.

… Switzerland have never played a team from Africa, Asia or Oceania at the World Cup. In their previous 22 matches, their opponents have all been from Europe (16), South America (4) or the CONCACAF region (2).

… Although Switzerland have scored at least once in each of their 22 World Cup matches to date, they have led at half-time on just four occasions.

Jakob Kuhn(62/Swiss/since 2001)The former Switzerland and FC Zurich playmaker led the national team to EURO 2004 qualifi cation. He places great emphasis on personal responsi-bility among his players and prefers a diamond formation. Kuhn, previously a youth coach at the Swiss FA, possesses natural authority and is well-respected and popular across the country.

Alexander Frei(26/striker/Rennes)Has scored 22 goals in 40 inter-nationals – an excellent record. A strong-running, penalty-boxpredator and free-kick specialist who was the leading scorer in the French top fl ight in 2004-2005. Frei under-went hip surgery earlier this year that put him out of action for quite a while.

Switzerland v. Faroe Islands 6-0Switzerland v. Republic of Ireland 1-1Israel v. Switzerland 2-2France v. Switzerland 0-0Switzerland v. Cyprus 1-0Faroe Islands v. Switzerland 1-3Switzerland v. Israel 1-1Cyprus v. Switzerland 1-3Switzerland v. France 1-1Republic of Ireland v. Switzerland 0-0

Play-off:Switzerland v. Turkey 2-0Turkey v. Switzerland 4-2

Top scorer:Alexander Frei, 7

Area: 41,285 km²Population: 7.4 millionCapital: Berne (122,000)Association: Schweizerischer Fussball-verband (SFV)Founded: 1895FIFA member since: 1904Website: www.football.chNumber of players: 437,800Number of clubs: 1,500Number of teams: 11,800

GROUP G: SWITZERLAND

1. Patrick Muller (12 matches) Lyon (FRA)

2. Johann Vogel (12) AC Milan (ITA)

3. Pascal Zuberbuhler (12) Basel

4. Alexander Frei (10) Rennes (FRA)

5. Ricardo Cabanas (10) Cologne (GER)

6. Ludovic Magnin (10) Stuttgart (GER)

7. Johan Vonlanthen (10) NAC Breda (NED)

8. Daniel Gygax (10) Lille (FRA)

9. Philipp Degen (9) Borussia Dortmund (GER)

10. Tranquillo Barnetta (9) Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

11. Philippe Senderos (8) Arsenal (ENG)

12. Raphael Wicky (6) Hamburg (GER)

13. Christoph Spycher (6) Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)

14. Hakan Yakin (6) Young Boys Berne

15. Johann Lonfat (5) Sochaux (FRA)

16. Benjamin Huggel (4) Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)

17. Bernt Haas (3) Bastia (FRA)

18. Murat Yakin (3) Basel

19. Marco Streller (3) Cologne (GER)

20. Reto Ziegler (3) Wigan Athletic (ENG)

1934 Italy 7th

1938 France 7th

1950 Brazil 6th


1962 Chile 16th

1966 England 16th

1994 USA 15th

Most World Cup matches:Kiki Antenen, 8 (1950, 1954, 1962)

Top World Cup scorer:Sepp Hugi, 6 (1954)



SwitzerlandDid you know?


Streller Frei

BarnettaCabanasVogelWicky

Magnin Senderos Muller Ph. Degen

Zuberbuhler


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Lee Dong-gook Seol Ki-hyeun

Lee Eul-yongPark Ji-sungKim Nam-il

Lee Young-pyo Choi Jin-cheul Kim Jin-kyu

Lee Chun-soo

Kim Dong-jin

Lee Woon-jae

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



Korea Republic’s fourth-place fi nish at

the 2002 World Cup was one of the

greatest sensations in the history of

the tournament. Th e achievement was

celebrated all over the country, and coach

Guus Hiddink, the architect behind the

success, became a national hero. When

the Dutchman returned to his home

country shortly afterwards, thousands of

South Koreans cried bitter tears.

Significant improvement needed

Following in Hiddink’s footsteps

proved too big a task for his successor,

Humberto Coelho. Th e South Korean

FA quickly replaced the Portuguese

coach with Hiddink’s compatriot Jo

Bonfrere, but he could not live up

to expectations either. In September

2005, yet another Dutchman, Dick

Advocaat, took the helm. Th e vast

majority of fans expect him to reach at

least the quarter-fi nal stage at the 2006

World Cup.

Although 2002 heroes such as

goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, midfi elder

Park Ji-sung and striker Ahn Jung-

hwan remain key fi gures, overall Korea

Republic look substantially weaker than

four years ago, when they benefi ted

from home advantage, a carefree style

of play, and the fact that they were

underestimated by the opposition.

In the qualifying competition for the

2006 World Cup, the Koreans did not

leave a strong impression, a circumstance

refl ected by the changes of coach. Draws

against Lebanon and the Maldives and

two defeats against Saudi Arabia are not

exactly hallmarks of a top-class team.

Despite these disappointments, the

euphoria in the country ahead of the

2006 World Cup remains sky high.

Th ousands of fans will fl y to Germany

to support their idols in the group

matches against France, Switzerland and

Togo. And then? It is not inconceivable

that Korea Republic will survive the

preliminary round. Th ey have a strong,

athletic team that can pose a threat to any

opposition. But if they are to survive the

group stage, they will need a substantial

improvement in performance compared

with their qualifying campaign.

Korea Republic’s Chung Ho-kyung escapes the attentions of an opponent.

… No Asian nation has qualified for the World Cup finals as often as Korea Repub-lic. They are taking part for the sixth time in succession and the seventh time overall. In addition, no Asian country has played as many World Cup qualifying matches as Korea Republic (89).

… Of the 19 goals that Korea Republic have scored in World Cup final competitions, only four came in the first half.

… Korea Republic lost just two of their twelve matches on the road to the 2006 World

Cup finals, thus equalling their record set during the 1962 qualifying competition.

… World Cup finals on European soil have not brought Korea Republic much luck so far. In France in 1998, their best result was a 1-1 draw against Belgium. All other seven World Cup matches in Europe ended in defeat.

… All three of Korea Republic’s World Cup victories were achieved on home soil four years ago, when the team finished in an outstanding fourth place.

Park Ji-sung(25/midfi eld/Manchester United)Had such an outstanding World Cup in 2002 that coach Guus Hiddink took him with him to PSV Eindhoven. A tireless driving force who never shirks a tackle, Park moved to Manchester United in August 2005. He is a quiet, tactically adept team player who is popular with coaches, players and fans alike.

Dick Advocaat(58/Dutch/since 2005)The former midfi elder managed the Dutch national team at the 1994 World Cup and EURO 2004. He has also coached teams of the calibre of PSV Eindhoven, Glasgow Rangers and Borussia Monchengladbach. Shows great authority, but his critics often accuse him of being arrogant. At home, Advocaat is nicknamed the “Little General”.

GROUP G: KOREA REPUBLIC

Area: 99,313 km²Population: 48 millionCapital: Seoul (9.9 million)Association: Korea Football Association (KFA)Founded: 1928FIFA member since: 1948Website: www.kfa.or.krNumber of players: 520,400Number of clubs: 60Number of teams: 620

Round 2Korea Republic v. Lebanon 2-0Maldives v. Korea Republic 0-0Korea Republic v. Vietnam 2-0Vietnam v. Korea Republic 1-2Lebanon v. Korea Republic 1-1Korea Republic v. Maldives 2-0

Round 3Korea Republic v. Kuwait 2-0Saudi Arabia v. Korea Republic 2-0Korea Republic v. Uzbekistan 2-1Uzbekistan v. Korea Republic 1-1Kuwait v. Korea Republic 0-4Korea Republic v. Saudi Arabia 0-1

Top goal scorer:Lee Dong-gook, 5

Korea Republic

1. Lee Woon-jae (12 matches) Suwon Samsung

2. Lee Young-po (11) Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)

3. Ahn Jung-hwan (9) Duisburg (GER)

4. Seol Ki-hyeon (9) Wolverhampton

Wanderers (GER)

5. Park Ji-sung (8) Manchester United (ENG)

6. Lee Dong-gook (8) Pohang Steelers

7. Kim Dong-jin (7) FC Seoul

8. Kim Do-heon (7) Seongnam Ilhwa

9. Chung Kyung-ho (7) Gwangju Sangmu

10. Choi Jin-cheul (6) Chonbuk Hyundai

11. Yoo Sang-chul (6) Ulsan Hyundai

12. Lee Chun-soo (6) Ulsan Hyundai

13. Cha Doo-ri (6) Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)

14. Park Jae-hong (5) Chonbuk Hyundai

15. You Kyoung-youl (5) Ulsan Hyundai

16. Song Chong-gug (5) Suwon Blue Wings

17. Kim Nam-il (5) Suwon Samsung

18. Kim Jung-woo (5) Ulsan Hyundai

19. Park Dong-hyuk (4) Chonbuk Hyundai

20. Cho Byung-kuk (3) Suwon Blue Wings

Did you know?


1986 Mexico 20th

1990 Italy 22nd

1994 USA 20th

1998 France 30th


Most World Cup matches:Hong Myung-bo, 16 (1990, 1994,1998, 2002)

Top World Cup scorers:Ahn Jung-hwan (2002), Yoo Sang-chul (1998, 2002), Hwang Sun-hong (1994, 2002) and Hong Myung-bo (1994), 2 each

All-time World Cup ranking:31st




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THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



GROUP G: TOGO

Round 2

Equatorial Guinea v. Togo 1-0

Togo v. Equatorial Guinea 2-0

Round 3

Zambia v. Togo 1-0

Togo v. Senegal 3-1

Liberia v. Togo 0-0

Togo v. Congo 2-0

Togo v. Mali 1-0

Mali v. Togo 1-2

Togo v. Zambia 4-1

Senegal v. Togo 2-2

Togo v. Liberia 3-0

Congo v. Togo 2-3

Top scorer:Emmanuel Adebayor, 11

Emmanuel Adebayor(21/striker/Arsenal)The undisputed star of the team, he scored eleven goals in the qualifying matches. Strong both physically (he is 1.90m tall) and technically, he played a key role in the dismissal of coach Stephen Keshi, who for disciplinary reasons picked Adebayor only occa-sionally during the 2006 African Cup of Nations.

Otto Pfi ster(68/German/since 2006)Pfister took over as national boss only last February. It is his 18th coaching job in his 14th country. He has already managed four national teams: Rwanda, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Senegal and Ghana. Pfi ster won the FIFA U-17 World Championship with Ghana (1991) and various titles with Egyptian side Zamalek, including the African Cup Winners’ Cup.

not the more prominent globetrotter

Velibor Milutinovic, was handed the

Togo job.

Pfi ster is in charge of a team that

took everyone by surprise by qualifying,

including themselves. After losing

their fi rst match against the football

minnows of Equatorial Guinea, Togo

ultimately secured qualifi cation ahead

of Senegal and Zambia.

Pfi ster rejects claims that he has too

little time to prepare the team for the

World Cup fi nals, but as he is well

aware, it will not be an easy task: “If

the team win three matches, the coach

is good; if they lose three matches, the

The moodsof Adebayor

African football is entertaining,

colourful, and full of joie de vivre – but it

can also be unpredictable and merciless,

as Stephen Keshi painfully discovered in

February. He had sensationally led Togo

to the 2006 World Cup and been voted

African Coach of the Year, but just days

after receiving his award, Keshi was

removed from offi ce. Togo’s miserable

showing at the African Cup of Nations

in Egypt (three matches, three defeats)

and a row with the headstrong star of

his team, Emmanuel Adebayor, led to

his immediate dismissal.

Th e former Nigerian international

has been replaced by Otto Pfi ster, who

has lived in Switzerland since 1959

and has now worked in 14 diff erent

countries, including the African

countries of Rwanda, Upper Volta

(now Burkina Faso), Egypt, Ghana

and Senegal. More recently, however,

the 68-year-old German, who will be

the oldest coach at the World Cup, had

been out of a job. It was therefore all

the more surprising when Pfi ster, and

coach is bad.” According to the experts,

Togo will merely be a sparring partner

for their opponents in Germany. Th e

general view is that the team does not

have the right balance and is too reliant

on Adebayor and his moods. It also

lacks quality, consisting of too many

players who are with lower-league

clubs and even there often only second

choice.

Yet this is not really important. Togo

have already pulled off a tremendous

victory simply by qualifying for the

World Cup fi nals. But in football it

is only the here and now that counts

– perhaps even more so in Africa.

… To date, Togo have played in the final round of a FIFA tournament just once, at the World Youth Championship in 1987 when they lost all three of their group matches (2-0 against Australia, 3-0 against Chile, 4-1 against Yugoslavia).

… Emmanuel Adebayor scored nine of his eleven goals at home in the race to qualify for Germany 2006. He put Togo in front in every game in front of his home crowd.

… Ignor ing teams f rom the former Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, none of the 32 nations in Germany has played fewer World Cup qualifying games in the history of the competition than Togo. The small African country has played just 43 matches so far.

… Togo did not lose a home game in qualifying for Germany and have won the last eight matches played in front of their own fans.

Yao Aziawonou and Togo will be making their World Cup debuts in 2006.

Area: 56,785 km²

Population: 4.9 million

Capital: Lome (730,000)

Association: Federation Togolaise de

Football (FTF)

Founded: 1960

FIFA member since: 1962

Website: www.ftf-enligne.tg

Number of players: 20,000

Number of clubs: 600

Number of teams: 600

Togo

1. Emmanuel Adebayor (12) Arsenal (ENG)

2. Jean-Paul Abalo (11) Dunkerque (FRA)

3. Kossi Agassa (11) Metz (FRA)

4. Yao Aziawonou (11) Young Boys Berne (SUI)

5. Mohama Atte-Oudeyi (10) Lokeren (BEL)

6. Eric Akoto (9) Admira Wacker (AUT)

7. Junior Senaya (9) YF Juventus (SUI)

8. Moustapha Salifou (9) Stade Brest (FRA)

9. Abdul Mamah (8) FC 105 Libreville (GAB)

10. Dare Nibombe (8) RAEC Mons (BEL)

11. Abdel Coubadja (6) Guingamp (FRA)

12. Cherif-Toure Mamam (6) Antwerp (BEL)

13. Adekanmi Olufade (6) Al Sailiya (QAT)

14. Sherif Toure (5) Metz (FRA)

15. Komlan Amewou (5) Liberty (Ghana)

16. Emmanuel Mathias (4) Esperance Tunis (TUN)

17. Guyazou Kassim (3) AS Douane

18. Lantame Ouadja (3) Wisla Krakow (POL)

19. Ismaila Atte-Oudeyi (2) AS Douane

20. Jacques Romao (2) Louhans Cuiseaux (FRA)

Did you know?

-

Most World Cup matches:-




Agassa

AbaloAkotoZ. Atte-OudeyiNibombe

AziawonouToure-MamanSalifouSenaya

Coubadja Adebayor


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THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



Out to justify their reputation

Will Spain fi nally succeed in playing to

their potential at the 2006 FIFA World

Cup™? Fourth place in Brazil in 1950 is

the best fi nish ever achieved by a Spanish

team in the fi nals. A derisory return, in

view of the quality players the country

has produced.

Th e 2006 squad is once again packed

with famous names, players who most

experts would not hesitate to term

world-class. Raul and Fernando Torres

form a strike pairing to put fear into any

defence, while Luis Garcia staked a claim

for a regular place up front by scoring a

hat trick in the fi rst-leg of the play-off

against Slovakia. Albert Luque was long

considered the new hope in attack, and

Jose Antonio Reyes has shone for Arsenal

in the UEFA Champions League. If the

supply of exceptionally gifted strikers

were not large enough already, coach Luis

Aragones can also fall back on Fernando

Morientes or Valencia’s shooting star

David Villa.

In midfi eld, two of Villa’s club

colleagues, the robust David Albelda

and Ruben Baraja, are fi ghting it out for

a place in the starting line-up. Th ey are

joined by Francesc Fabregas, who only

made his debut in the national team

earlier this year. Th e young Arsenal

talent is said to have all the qualities a

playmaker needs. Vicente and Joaquin

are among the best wide players in

the world, and Spain’s build-up play is

set to be directed by Xavi, Barcelona’s

supremely assured ball distributor. Th e

list ends with Real Madrid’s Guti, who

also considers himself a candidate for a

regular fi rst-team berth.

Aragones is spoilt for choice at the back,

too. Real’s Michel Salgado and Sergio

Ramos, Carlos Marchena of Valencia and

Barcelona’s Carlos Puyol are dependable or

even outstanding defenders. Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas also has the experience

needed to play at the top level.

If Aragones succeeds in fi nding the

right blend, Spain will surely live up to

their reputation in Germany.

Pulls the strings in midfi eld: Xavi.

… Spain have been to the last eight World Cups. The last time they failed to qualify was for the first tournament in Germany in 1974, when they lost 1-0 to the then Yugoslavia in a play-off.

… Luis Aragones, 67, will be the fourth oldest coach ever at the World Cup. Only Gaston Barreau (France, 1954 World Cup) and Cesare Maldini (Italy, in charge of Paraguay in 2002) and Togos present German coach Otto Pfister were older.

… Spain have had only one player sent off in over 30 World Cup matches – Nadal against Korea Republic (2-2) in 1994.

… Spain finished their last three qualifying competitions unbeaten and have not lost in their last 35 World Cup qualifiers.

… Spain are also unbeaten in seven World Cup matches (four wins, three draws). In 2002, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Korea Republic after a penalty shoot-out.

Luis Aragones (67/Spanish/since 2004) The former striker (nickname: fl atfoot) took charge after EURO 2004. Apart from Real Madrid, Aragones has coached all the top sides in Spain, most recently Mallorca. His biggest success came in 1996, when he won the double with Atletico Madrid. Aragones is a controversial fi gure who is considered wise, yet impulsive. His headstrong nature constantly gets him into trouble.

Raul(28/striker/Real Madrid)Averages almost a goal every two games for Spain and played for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League at the tender age of 17. Eleven years later, he is a legendary figure far beyond the Spanish capital. A brilliant goalscorer with a strong left foot. Al-though Real Madrid have been buying new star strikers year in, year out, in the recent past, Raul has shrugged off the competition every time.

GROUP H: SPAIN

Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Spain 1-1Spain v. Belgium 2-0Lithuania v. Spain 0-0Spain v. San Marino 5-0Serbia and Montenegro v. Spain 0-0Spain v. Lithuania 1-0Spain v. Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1Spain v. Serbia and Montenegro 1-1Belgium v. Spain 0-2San Marino v. Spain 0-6

Play-offSpain v. Slovakia 5-1Slovakia v. Spain 1-1

Top scorer:Fernando Torres, 7 1. Iker Casillas (12 matches) Real Madrid

2. Raul (12) Real Madrid

3. Carlos Puyol (11) Barcelona

4. Fernando Torres (11) Atletico Madrid

5. Michel Salgado (10) Real Madrid

6. Xavi (10) Barcelona

7. David Albelda (9) Valencia

8. Vicente (8) Valencia

9. Carlos Marchena (7) Valencia

10. Joaquin (7) Real Betis

11. Jose Antonio Reyes (7) Arsenal (ENG)

12. Asier del Horno (6) Chelsea (ENG)

13. Xabi Alonso (6) Liverpool (ENG)

14. Ruben Baraja (6) Valencia

15. Albert Luque (6) Newcastle United (ENG)

16. Antonio Lopez (5) Atletico Madrid

17. Pablo (4) Atletico Madrid

18. Sergio Ramos (4) Real Madrid

19. David Villa (4) Valencia

20. Juanito (3) Real Betis

Did you know?

1934 Italy 5th

1950 Brazil 4th

1962 Chile 13th

1966 England 10th

1978 Argentina 10th

1982 Spain 12th

1986 Mexico 7th

1990 Italy 10th

1994 USA 8th

1998 France 17th


Most World Cup matches:Andoni Zubizarreta, 16 (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998)

Top World Cup scorers:Fernando Hierro (1994, 1998, 2002), Emilio Butragueno (1986), Fernando Morientes (1998), Estanislao Basora (1950), 5 each



Area: 504,782 km²Population: 41.1 millionCapital: Madrid (3.2 million)Association: Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol (RFEF)Website: www.rfef.esFounded: 1913FIFA member since: 1904Number of players: 2.5 millionNumber of clubs: 33,555Number of teams: 102,000

Spain


Raul Torres

SalgadoPuyolMarchenaDel Horno

Casillas

JoaquinXaviReyesVicente


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Voronin Shevchenko

HusinHusyev Tymoshyuk

YezerskiFedorovRusolNesmachny

Shovkovski

Vorobey

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



Not just Shevchenko

Ukraine secured their fi rst-ever

qualifi cation for the World Cup fi nals at

the third time of asking. Th ey were the

fi rst European team to book their ticket

to Germany, emerging from a very strong

group that included Turkey, Denmark

and European champions Greece.

For head coach Oleg Blokhin, then,

it was a happy end to what had been

a turbulent journey. In March 2005,

the former striker announced his

resignation, only to go back on his

decision later. Th e change of heart

allowed him to make his prediction

reality, because before the World Cup

qualifying campaign, Blokhin had stated

that his team would go to Germany as

group winners, a remark that prompted

the Ukrainian media to claim that

he was suff ering from delusions of

grandeur. Th e critics have long been

silenced, though, so convincing were

Ukraine during the qualifi ers. Blokhin

continued the legacy left by legendary

coach Valeri Lobanovsky with great

care. He operated with diff erent systems,

preferring a forceful pressing game at

home, but content to sit deep and wait

for opportunities away.

Blokhin generally puts his faith in

players from the Ukrainian league, whom

he primarily recruits from top clubs

Dynamo Kiev, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

and Shakhtar Donetsk. His key man,

however, is Lobanovsky’s “foster son”,

Andriy Shevchenko. Th e AC Milan

striker scored six goals in the qualifying

competition to become his country’s

leading scorer once again.

Yet Ukraine are more than just

Shevchenko. Andriy Vorobey and

Andrey Voronin, for example, have

blossomed magnifi cently in the shade

cast by this outstanding player. On their

day, the three of them form one of the

most dangerous strike forces anywhere

in the world. Ukraine have an excellent

coach, a clear tactical approach and an

above-average team. Th e last 16 is a

realistic target.

Andriy Shevchenko’s strike partner, Andrey Voronin.

… Apart from Russia, Ukraine are the first team from the former Soviet Union to qualify for the World Cup finals.

… Coach Oleg Blokhin also took part in two World Cups. In 1982, he made five appearances (one goal) for the then Soviet Union, and in 1986 he played twice (one goal).

… Ukraine came through the qualifying competition unbeaten.

… The Ukrainians have played two World Cup qualifiers on German soil and lost

both, going down 2-0 to Germany in Bremen in the qualifying campaign for 1998 and 4-1 in Dortmund in the play-off for the 2002 tournament.

… Andriy Shevchenko is the only Ukrainian player to score in three different World Cup qualifying competitions, netting twice in the 1998 campaign, ten times in the 2002 preliminaries and six in the qualifiers for Germany. This gives him 18 goals altogether, a tally that in Europe is bettered only by Portugal’s Pauleta.

Oleg Blokhin (53/Ukrainian/since 2003)The former world-class striker and European Footballer of the Year is a headstrong coach who instils discipline and togetherness in his side. He prefers players who are with domestic clubs, but maintains an excellent relationship with his star man, AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko. Blokhin temporarily resigned in March 2005, but on his return, he steered his team safely to the World Cup fi nals.

Andriy Shevchenko (29/striker/AC Milan)The attacking all-rounder shoulders more responsibility in the national team than he does at his club. “Sheva” is possibly the most complete striker in the world. Quick, opportunistic and physically strong, Shevchenko has been a prolifi c goalscorer no matter where he has played, be it for Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan or the Ukraine. He is married to an American model.

Area: 603,700 km²

Population: 48.4 million

Capital: Kiev (2.7 million)

Association: Football Federation of

Ukraine (FFU)

Website: www.ffu.org.ua

Founded: 1991

FIFA member since: 1992

Number of players: 753,000

Number of clubs: 1,088

Number of teams: 8,487

Denmark v. Ukraine 1-1

Kazakhstan v. Ukraine 1-2

Ukraine v. Greece 1-1

Ukraine v. Georgia 2-0

Turkey v. Ukraine 0-3

Albania v. Ukraine 0-2

Ukraine v. Denmark 1-0

Ukraine v. Kazakhstan 2-0

Greece v. Ukraine 0-1

Georgia v. Ukraine 1-1

Ukraine v. Turkey 0-1

Ukraine v. Albania 2-2

Top scorer:Andriy Shevchenko, 6

GROUP H: UKRAINE

Did you know?

1. Andrey Rusol (12 matches) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

2. Alexandr Shovkovski (12) Dynamo Kiev

3. Andriy Nesmachny (11) Dynamo Kiev

4. Anatoliy Tymoshyuk (11) Shakhtar Donetsk

5. Oleh Husyev (11) Dynamo Kiev

6. Andrey Voronin (11) Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

7. Andriy Husin (11) Krylia Sovetov (RUS)

8. Vladimir Yezerski (10) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

9. Andriy Shevchenko (9) AC Milan (ITA)

10. Andriy Vorobey (9) Shakhtar Donetsk

11. Oleg Shelaev (9) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

12. Serhiy Fedorov (8) Dynamo Kiev

13. Olekcii Byelik (8) Shakhtar Donetsk

14. Ruslan Rotan (7) Dynamo Kiev

15. Serhiy Zakarlyuka (3) Metalurg Donetsk

16. Serhiy Nazarenko (3) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

17. Aleksandr Radchenko (3) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

18. Mikhail Starostyak (2) Shinnik Yaroslavl (RUS)

19. Serhiy Shyshchenko (2) Metalurg Donetsk

20. Aleksandr Rikun (2) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

-

Most World Cup appearances:-



Ukraine



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Guemamdia

TrabelsiClaytonJaidiBouazizi

MnariChadliGhodbaneBenachour

Boumnijel

Santos

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



Can Santos conjure up a second win?

Tunisia’s role at the World Cup fi nals

will be completely diff erent to the one

they are accustomed to playing during

their qualifying campaigns, when the

north Africans are perennial favourites.

In Germany, their prime aim will simply

be to win a game, having previously won

just the once in 1978.

Th eir hopes of achieving this target

will rest largely on the experience of

coach Roger Lemerre and the individual

quality of their key players. Tunisia

skipper Hatem Trabelsi, for example, is a

fi rst-team regular at Ajax. “By playing in

the UEFA Champions League, I’ve been

able to improve my game in every area,”

says the defender, who has been with the

Dutch side since 2001.

Up front, much focuses on Toulouse

striker Francileudo Santos, Tunisia’s most

prolifi c attacking player in qualifying

with six goals. Just 1.72 metres tall, the

Brazilian-born striker from the province

of Maranhao moved to north Africa in

the 1990s via Standard Liege. He was

originally discovered by French coach

Jean Fernandez during his spell at Etoile

du Sahel and he later followed him to

France after fi nding the net 32 times in

two seasons in the Tunisian league.

Fernandez took charge at Sochaux

and Santos proved an immediate hit

at the then second division outfi t. In

2004, he became a Tunisian citizen and

shortly afterwards, Tunisia lifted the

African Cup of Nations on home soil

by beating archrivals Morocco in the

fi nal. Th eir fi rst goal was scored by none

other than…Santos. Th e 2006 African

Cup of Nations in Egypt was rather less

of a success for Tunisia, with Lemerre’s

charges bowing out at the quarter-fi nal

stage against Nigeria after a penalty

shoot-out. Th e defeat was a bitter

disappointment for the holders, whose

supporters will demand a substantial

improvement at the World Cup. Tunisia

will at least take a positive record into

their group games. In terms of matches

won, they have a clear advantage over

Saudi Arabia. Th e north Africans have

played Spain only once before (a 1-0

win at the World Youth Championship),

while the match against Ukraine will be

a fi rst as the two countries have never

met before.

GROUP H: TUNISIA

Tunisia v. Botswana 4-1Guinea v. Tunisia 2-1Morocco v. Tunisia 1-1Malawi v. Tunisia 2-2Tunisia v. Malawi 7-0Botswana v. Tunisia 1-3Tunisia v. Guinea 2-0Tunisia v. Kenya 1-0Kenya v. Tunisia 0-2Tunisia v. Morocco 2-2

Top scorer:Santos, 6

Area: 163,610 km²Population: 9.9 millionCapital: Tunis (728,000)Association: Federation Tunisienne de Football (FTF)Founded: 1956FIFA member since: 1960Website: www.ftf.org.tnNumber of players: 77,500Number of clubs: 552Number of teams: 1,309

Hatem Trabelsi (28/defender/Ajax Amsterdam)Trabelsi is quick and an accurate crosser of a ball. In 2001, he moved from Tunisian side CF Sfaxien to Ajax, quickly establishing himself at the famous Dutch outfi t and attracting the attention of various top clubs with a string of fine performances for club and country. Trabelsi hasa wealth of experience and is the Tunisian skipper.

Roger Lemerre (64/French/since 2002)The biggest success of his career was followed by the biggest disappoint-ment. In 2000, he won the European Championship with France, only to go out of the World Cup at the group stage with Les Bleus in 2002. Lemerre led Tunisia to an African Cup of Nations win in 2004 thanks to victory over Morocco in the fi nal. He is not known as a fi ckle coach who constantly changes his formation.

The veteran of the team: goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel.

… Of the five African qualifiers, Tunisia are the only team with World Cup experience, having played at the tournaments in 1978, 1998 and 2002.

… Goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel, who played in eight of the ten qualifying matches, needs to make just one appearance in Germany to join a select group of players. Until now, only four players over the age of 40 have appeared at the World Cup: Roger Milla (Cameroon/42 years

and 39 days), Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland/41 years exactly), Peter Shilton (England/40 years and 292 days) and Dino Zoff (Italy/40 years and 133 days). Apart from Milla, all these players were goalkeepers. Boumnijel was born on 13 April 1966.

… Tunisia became the first African team to win a World Cup match when they overcame Mexico 3-1 in Rosario (Argentina) on 2 June 1978.

Tunisia

1. Radhi Jaidi (9 matches) Bolton Wanderers (ENG)

2. Jawhar Mnari (9) Nuremberg (GER)

3. Ali Boumnijel (8) Club Africain

4. Clayton (8) Al-Sadd (QAT)

5. Adel Chadli (8) Nuremberg (GER)

6. Karim Hagui (7) Racing Strasbourg (FRA)

7. Francileudo Santos (7) Toulouse (FRA)

8. Riadh Bouazizi (7) Erciyesspor (TUR)

9. Kaies Ghodhbane (7) Konyaspor (TUR)

10. Hatem Trabelsi (6) Ajax (NED)

11. Slim Benachour (6) Vitoria Guimaraes (POR)

12. Ziad Jaziri (5) Troyes (FRA)

13. Mehdi Nafti (5) Birmingham City (ENG)

14. Ali Zitouni (5) Troyes (FRA)

15. Khaled Badra (4) Esperance Tunis

16. Haykel Guemamdia (4) Racing Strasbourg (FRA)

17. Alaeddine Yahia (4) St. Etienne (FRA)

18. Chaouki Ben Saada (4) Bastia (FRA)

19. Issam Jomaa (4) Lens (FRA)

20. Hamed Namouchi (3) Rangers (SCO)

1978 Argentina 13th

1998 France 26th


Most World Cup matches:Zoubeir Baya, 6 (1998 and 2002)

Top World Cup scorers:Raouf Bouzaiene (2002), Skander Souayah (1998), Moktar Dhouib (1978), Nejib Ghommidh (1978), Ali Kaabi (1978), 1 each


(9 matches, 1 win, 3 draws, 5 defeats, 5 goals for, 11 goals against).

Did you know?



magazine

125125

MousaAl MontashariTakarAl Shlhoub

KhaririAl BahriAl ThakerNoor

Zaid

Al Qahtani Al Jaber

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS


Likely line-up



Hoping to cause a surprise

When it comes to the Saudi manager’s

hot seat, nothing is more constant than

change. Since 1994, no fewer than 15

coaches have tried their luck in the job.

At the 1998 World Cup, Carlos Alberto

Parreira was even sacked halfway through

the tournament.

After successfully qualifying for the

2006 World Cup last December, Gabriel

Calderon was also asked to pack his

bags. Th e offi cial reason given for the

sacking was “unsatisfactory results”, but

the former Argentine international was

apparently shown the door partly because

of his idiosyncratic conduct. Association

offi cials were unhappy, for instance,

that Calderon had not scheduled any

friendlies during their two-week training

camp leading up to the tournament in

Germany.

Brazil’s Marcos Paqueta was

appointed as Calderon’s successor.

“I’m happy that everyone thinks Saudi

Arabia will be the easiest team in the

competition,” he says, “because it will

allow us to spring a few surprises.”

Th e majority of his squad is made up

of players from the two leading Saudi

clubs, Al Ittihad and Al Hilal. “Th e

players are top quality and have good

technique,” says Paqueta in praise of

his team, although he admits they

lack international experience, which is

something the star of the squad has in

abundance. Striker Sami Al Jaber once

played for Wolverhampton Wanderers

in England and will be contesting his

fourth World Cup in succession. He is

likely to be partnered up front by Yasser

Al Qahtani, probably Saudi Arabia’s best

player. Al Hilal are said to have paid a

record fee of USD 10 million for his

services, but the Saudis are also pinning

their hopes on Hamad Al Montashari,

the 2005 Asian player of the year.

Paqueta has set himself the target of

surviving the group phase. To do so,

however, Saudi Arabia will need to make

a better start than they did in Korea and

Japan in 2002, when they crashed 8-0

against Germany. “Pressure only serves

to motivate me,” says an upbeat Paqueta.

“It’s the fuel I use to convert into positive

energy.”

GROUP H: SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia v. Indonesia 3-0Sri Lanka v. Saudi Arabia 0-1Saudi Arabia v. Turkmenistan 3-0Turkmenistan v. Saudi Arabia 0-1Indonesia v. Saudi Arabia 1-3Saudi Arabia v. Sri Lanka 3-0Uzbekistan v. Saudi Arabia 1-1Saudi Arabia v. Korea Republic 2-0Kuwait v. Saudi Arabia 0-0Saudi Arabia v. Kuwait 3-0Saudi Arabia v. Uzbekistan 3-0Korea Republic v. Saudi Arabia 0-1

Top scorer:Yasser Al Qahtani, 4

Area: 2,240,000 km2

Population: 22.5 millionCapital: Riyadh (3.6 million)Association: Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF)Website: www.saff.com.saFounded: 1959FIFA member since: 1959Number of players: 116,700Number of clubs: 153Number of teams: 700

Sami Al Jaber(34/striker/Al Hilal)The only Saudi to have played in Europe – for Wolverhampton Wander-ers in 2000 – he made an impressive comeback when Calderon recalled him to the national team after a two-year absence. Al Jaber will be contesting his fourth World Cup in succession in Germany. “When we made our World Cup debut in 1994 we were good,” the veteran says. “Today we’re good and young.”

Marcos Paqueta (48/Brazilian/since 2005)Succeeded Gabriel Calderon inDecember 2005, signing a contract until 2007. Paqueta managed top Saudi club Al Hilal before taking the national job. His biggest successes to date have been as a youth-team coach in his home country. In 2003 he ledthe Brazil U-17 team and then theU-20 side to World Championship titles.

Asian player of the year Hamad Al Montashari.

… Saudi Arabia entered the qualifying campaign with Gerard van der Lem in charge, only to sack him, despite a good start, after a disappointing showing at the 2004 Asian Cup.

… At the 1994 tournament in the USA, Saudi Arabia reached the last 16 but they have not won a World Cup match since.

… Saudi Arabia have met an African team in the group phase at each of the last three

World Cups. In 1994, they beat Morocco 2-1, in 1998 they drew 2-2 with South Africa, and in 2002 they lost 1-0 against Cameroon. Of the seven matches against Tunisia to date, Saudi Arabia have won two, drawn one and lost four.

… Their last win at the World Cup finals was a 1-0 triumph over Belgium in Washington in 1994, a result that saw them through to the last 16.

1. Hamad Al Montashari (9 matches) Al Ittihad

2. Yasser Al Qahtani (9) Al Hilal

3. Mabrouk Zaid (8) Al Ittihad

4. Saud Khariri (7) Al Ittihad

5. Raza Takar (7) Al Ittihad

6. Mohammad Al Shlhoub (7) Al Hilal

7. Ahmed Al Bahri (6) Al Shabab

8. Khaled Al Thaker (6) Al Hilal

9. Naif Ali Al Qadhi (6) Al Ahly

10. Sabe Al Abdullha (6) Al Ahly

11. Ibrahim Sowed (6) Al Ittihad

12. Ahmed Dukhi Al Dosari (5) Al Ittihad

13. Khamis Alowairan Al Dossari (5) Al Ittihad

14. Manaf Abushgeer (5) Al Ittihad

15. Taiseer Al Jassam (5) Al Ahly

16. Sami Al Jaber (5) Al Hilal

17. Talal Al Meshal (5) Al Ahli

18. Abdulaziz Khathran (4) Al Hilal

19. Mohammed Noor (3) Al Ittihad

20. Saad Al Harthi (3) Al Ittihad

1994 USA 12th

1998 France 28th

2002 Korea/Japan 32nd

Most World Cup matches:Mohammed Al Deayea, 10 (1994, 1998,

2002)

Top World Cup scorers:Sami Al Jaber (1994, 1998) and Fuad

Amin (1994), 2 each

All-time World Cup ranking:42nd

(10 matches, 2 wins, 1 draw,7 defeats, 7 goals for, 25 goals against).

Saudi Arabia

Did you know?


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