Germany’s Lukas Podolski most certainly will not be granted the opportunity to lift the World Cup trophy on Sunday, but he managed to come away with some hardware for his trophy case. The German forward has been named the Best Young Player at the World Cup. This is the first year the award has been handed out and it goes to the player born on or after January 1 1985, who makes the biggest impression at the FIFA World Cup, with the criteria for the award including style, charisma, fair play and appetite for the game, as well as pure technical skill.” Podolksi scored three goals for Germany, but to be really frank with you I wasn’t super-impressed with his performance. He did show flashes of talent and I have reason to believe that, come South Africa 2010, he would be a star to watch out for. However, I would crave your indulgence to bear with my opinion here. I am of the opinion that Cristiano Ronaldo should have received the award. The Portugal midfielder has been a quite a figure in this competition but he also had a better overall tournament than Podolski. As I said this is my honest opinion.
Another thing that caught my attention is the Africans that made it to the finals on Sunday. All the teams from Africa may have been eliminated, but this second African team, consisting of mostly African immigrants, has throughout the tournament proven too difficult to beat, combatively battling their way into the finals that will be played on July 9. The French team is traditionally known as “Les Bleus.” The name is true only as far as the French jersey is concerned. With regard to the “French” players themselves, perhaps it would be more fitting to call the team “Les Noirs.” Approximately 78 percent of the French team at the World Cup has African roots.
Although it is not a strange sight that many European teams now occasionally have Black players, France has made the most out of it. The 1998 squad, which won the Cup, was more African than French. They sent the same team to win the European Cup against Italy in 2000 and the FIFA Confederations Cup against Japan and Cameroon in 2001 and 2003, respectively. In fact, France best understands how to racially integrate a successful team. This is one of the driving forces that has carried them all the way to the final. So to all my friends out there, don’t be disappointed. The countries that came from Africa may have been a disappointment, but the people from Africa have not. The French team will showcase some of the finest talent from Africa with seasoned players such as Henry, Thuram, Barthez, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Sidney Govou, Florent Malouda, Louis Saha, Pascal Chimbonda, Claude Makelele, William Gallas, Alou Diarra, and Jean-Alain Boumsong all proudly defending the French flag, and MAYBE their African roots, too. This is a bit surprising though because many European countries frown on immigration. Well, I implore you, come Sunday July 9, let us all cheer our comrades to victory.
If you differ with my opinions, drop a comment and let us reason it out.
Tags: WorldCup 2006, Lukas Podolski, Cristiano Ronaldo
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