Looking Forward to 2010 World Cup South Africa.

My Valhalla of Noble Football Players. (Looking Forward to 2010 World Cup)


If you have loved watching football over the years, then like me, I’m sure you are all looking forward to the World Cup South Africa 2010. I, of course, will be cheering for England but I’m sure you will all be cheering just as loud for your respective country.


We all love to watch our nations compete in the glorious and wonderful game and we all admire some of the skilful players from other lands – all competing for their countries’ glory.

As a kid of nine years, I remember watching the dazzling Brazil 1970 team. I thought they were magic and was proud that England only lost 1 – 0. The Brazil team included the fabulous Pele who rightfully sits in my special room – a Valhalla of glorious football players.

There are many fine players that came and went during the decades of this competition and particular nations had wonder teams that echo in the football eternity. Teams like Holland. Does anyone remember the Dutch side of the 74 and 78 World Cup? If ever a nation deserved to pick up the trophy but didn’t; it has to go to the super Orange sides of 1974 and 1978. Both times they were defeated in the final – in 1974 by West Germany and in 1978 by Argentina. One of the 74 players sits in my special room and his name is Johan Cruyff.

Moving on and searching among teams for new football Gods to sit in my Valhalla of great football players, I can’t help selecting the dreaded ‘Hand of God’ man. Diego Maradona. As an England man I still wake in a cold sweat when I see his first goal against England in the 1986 World Cup. However, if an England player had pulled it off, I would accept the referee’s decision with joy and giggle afterwards. In all fairness the second goal was great and his skills through out his career speaks volumes. So therefore, Maradona must also sit inside my illustrious hall because he was a great player.

There was another player who could sit among these greats, but his country never got to the World Cup when he was playing. I am referring to Northern Ireland and Manchester United’s great George Best. He should sit at the great banqueting table in Valhalla too because his talent was sublime and I think he is, so far, the best player to come out of the Isles.


Zinedine Zidane must also sit there because he was, in my view, a complete player. He picked up the World Cup trophy for France in 1998 after beating Brazil 3-0 in the final.

Today, I would like to pick Christiano Ronaldo of Portugal - the new kid on the block as far as the other Valhalla greats go, but he deserves to be in such a special room among such greats.


Of course there are hundreds of stalwart good players that don’t share in the glory of my Valhalla room, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be mentioned. Maybe the players I have picked get the more glamorous headlines because most score goals and are instrumental in assisting.

If you are a German, you might be aggrieved that there are none of your great players in my Valhalla. Well Germany, to my mind has produced some of the most excellent teams ever. They are always near the mark in competitions – there or there abouts as the saying goes for German sides in prestigious competitions. There have been endless good players from Germany and a continuous production of strong sides, but the entire side works as a unit much more efficiently then most football teams I’ve seen. It makes Germany great with good players. So good, those teams with great dazzling individuals are not always enough to beat Germany. Not when they were up against the likes of steady Beckenbauer or the incredulous Gerd Muller. The later was a total nightmare for opponents. He was a wonderful thief of dreams and would mug teams with simple goals that were devastating. I remember 1970 when Germany won 3-2 against England and that was after we were winning 2-0. Muller the nightmare – Muller, Muller, Muller - he never seemed to do anything except score sneaky goals and break hearts. I bet his team mates loved him to bits for he did have a crude but effective talent. I think our English Gary Lineker was a bit like him, but did not share in half the glory that Gerd Muller did. This was because Muller had a more effective team around him as much as it pains me to say it.

(Stewart Pearce)

We get all sorts of other good players that don’t get the adulation they deserve. I think England’s Stewart Pearce was a great defender. I know we had other good players who done wonderful things, but I always liked Pearcey – he never gave up.

Higuita of Columbia

What about Roger Miller of the Cameroon 1990 side. I think he was 38 and still playing and scoring goals for his country. He pulled off a few grand ones with Cameroon during that competition. I always remember Columbia’s goalkeeper – a man called Higuita who would dribble outside of his goal area and venture too far out into the field of play. He termed himself (the best goalkeeper in the world) and would keep dribbling the ball far out of his goal area. He would also stray out to pick up loose balls. I think he wanted to be a midfield player and was a wonderful, over confident, pantomime villan. Well, he came out and met a stray ball during the Cameroon game and casually passed to one of his players who nervously shot it back. Higuita was suprised by the hastily returned football and could not bring it under control. Roger Miller had him for breakfast and mugged him good and proper as he planted his second goal of the game for Cameroon. Higuita got caught with his trousers down and to everyone’s amusement because commentators kept predicting it would happen – terrific stuff.

You will giggle at this.(click below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwM4z8xD_cU

 I think a European team is going to win it in South Africa this year - that is my prediction. What is yours…