Posted: Jul 14, 2014 | Updated: 5 months ago
The World Cup in Brazil 2014 is done and dusted, and it was a great show. The pre-tournament fears, of the tournament being regularly affected by failed infrastructure and protests, proved to be way off and Brazil 2014 will be remembered almost entirely for events on the field.
Having said this, there was no shortage of talking points on events that went on the field, including great matches, boring matches, great players, players who didn’t quite live up to expectations, great goals, controversies, and in many ways the World Cup was a complete package.
There was something for everyone. So now that the curtains have come down on the World Cup, lets take a look back at some of these highs and lows.
TEAM BASED
Biggest Over-achievers – Costa Rica
Biggest Under-achievers – Spain
Most Entertaining Team to Watch – Germany
Most Boring Team to Watch – Iran
Team With Best Attacking Prowess – Germany
Team With Most Defensive Stability – Costa Rica (Let in just 2 goals in the 5 matches @ 0.4 Goals per match)
Schweinsteiger – Overall the Best Player of the TournamentPLAYER BASED
Best Player Overall – Bastian Schwiensteiger (Germany)
Most Disappointing Player Overall – Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
Surprise Package – James Rodriguez (Colombia)
Best Goalkeeper – Manuel Neuer (Germany) [Hon’ble Mention – Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)]
Most Disappointing Goalkeeper – Iker Casillas (Spain) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Igor Akinfeev (Russia)]
Best Right Back – Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina) [Hon’ble Mention – Cristian Gamboa (Costa Rica)]
Most Disappointing Right Back – Glen Johnson (England) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Maicon (Brazil)]
Best Central Defender – Mats Hummels (Germany) [Hon’ble Mention – Ezequiel Garay (Argentina)]
Most Disappointing Central Defender – David Luiz (Brazil) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Pepe (Portugal)]
Best Left Back – Benedikt Howedes (Germany) [Hon’ble Mention – Ricardo Rodriguez (Switzerland)]
Most Disappointing Left Back – Jordi Alba (Spain) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Leighton Baines (England)]
Best Midfielder (Primarily Defensive) – Bastian Schweinstiger (Germany) [Hon’ble Mention – Javier Mascherano (Argentina)]
Most Disappointing Midfielder (Primarily Defensive) – Steven Gerrard (England) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Paulinho (Brazil)]
Best Midfielder (Primarily Attacking) – James Rodriguez (Colombia) [Hon’ble Mention – Toni Kroos (Germany)]
Most Disappointing Midfielder (Primarily Attacking) – David Silva (Spain) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Luka Modric (Croatia)]
Best Wide Player – Arjen Robben (Holland) [Hon’ble Mention – Lionel Messi (Argentina)]
Most Disappointing Wide Player – Danny Welbeck (England) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Edison Cavani (Uruguay)]
Best Striker – Thomas Muller (Germany) [Hon’ble Mention – Neymar (Brazil)]
Most Disappointing Striker – Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Diego Costa (Spain)]
Super Sub – Andre Schurrle (Germany)
Best Player From Teams That Did Not Get Past The Group Stages – Gervinho (Ivory Coast)
Best Individual Performance as Goal Keeper in a Match – Guillerme Ochoa (Brazil vs Mexico – Group Stage)
Worst Individual Performance as Goal Keeper in a Match – Iker Casillas (Spain vs Holland – Group Stage)
Best Individual Performance as Defender in a Match – Mario Yepes (Colombia vs Ivory Coast – Group Stage)
Worst Individual Performance as Defender in a Match – David Luiz (Brazil vs Germany – Semi Final)
Best Individual Performance as Midfielder (Defensive) in a Match – Javier Mascherano (Argentina vs Holland – Semi-Final)
Worst Individual Performance as Midfielder (Defensive) in a Match – Steven Gerrard (England vs Uruguay – Group Stage)
Best Individual Performance as Midfielder (Att) in a Match – James Rodriguez (Colombia vs Uruguay – First Knockout Rd.)
Worst Individual Performance as Midfielder (Att) in a Match – David Silva (Spain vs Chile – Group Stage)
Best Individual Performance as Wide Player in a Match – Arjen Robben (Spain vs Holland – Group Stage)
Worst Individual Performance as Wide Player in a Match – Danny Welbeck (England vs Uruguay – Group Stage)
Best Individual Performance as Striker in a Match – Thomas Muller (Germany vs Portugal – Group Stage)
Worst Individual Performance as Striker in a Match – Fred (Brazil vs Chile – First Knockout Round)
MATCHES
Best Match of the Tournament –Â Australia (2) vs Holland (3) [Hon’ble Mention – Germany (2) vs Ghana (2)]
Most Boring Match of the Tournament – Iran (0) vs Nigeria (0) [(Dis)Hon’ble Mention – Costa Rica (0) vs England (0)]
GOALS
Best Header – Mats Hummels (Germany vs France – Q-F)
Best (Direct) Free-Kick – Lionel Messi (Argentina vs Nigeria – Group Stages)
Best Team Passing Goal – Miroslav Klose (Brazil vs Germany – Semi Final)
Best 1-2 Pass Goal – Yacine Behrami (South Korea vs Algeria – Group Stages)
Best Long Range Goal – James Rodriguez (First Goal) (Colombia vs Uruguay – First Knockout Round)
Overall Best Goal – James Rodriguez (First Goal) (Colombia vs Uruguay – First Knockout Round)
Best Assist – Andre Schurrle (To Mario Gotze) (Germany vs Argentina – Final)
MANAGERS’ RELATED
Best Manager – Joachim Low (Germany) [Hon’ble Mention – Jorge Luis Pinto (Costa Rica)]
Most Effective Substitution – Marc Wilmots (Belgium) – Against Algeria with Belgium trailing, brought on Fellaini and Mertens and both for them scored to give Belgium a 2-1 win.
THE UGLY
Instances Just Ugly and Full of Madness – Luis Suarez Bite. [Dishon’ble Mention – Pepe Headbutt Against Germany which had him be dismissed and Portugal suffered a heavy defeat.]
Manchester City have approached Guimaraes representatives over a potential move. The 26-year-old has made a name for himself at St James Park since arriving from Lyon in January 2022. Guimaraes has made 96 appearances for Newcastle United where he has found the back of the net 13 times and has…
Continue Reading...
There were times at Manchester United when supporting the club was a bed of roses. These days it is agony and despair every other week. The mentality of players which existed during the time of Sir Alex Ferguson has taken a nosedive since his departure. Not only the players, but…
Continue Reading...
Tuesday night's shootout saw Arsenal defeat FC Porto. This saw the Gunners through to their first Champions League Quarter Final for 14 years. Could this be a special season for the Gunners? The was a huge win inside the Emirates Stadium. David Raya had earlier kept out Porto winger Galeno's…
Continue Reading...
In the world of football, some names echo through time. Embodying the grace and artistry of the game. Among these icons stands Jay Jay Okocha, a Nigerian, virtuoso whose talent and charm mesmerized audiences globally. This profile sheds light on the life, journey, and lasting influence of one of football's…
Continue Reading...
The Premier League title race heats up after Manchester City and Liverpool drew 1-1 at Anfield. That result leaves Liverpool as joint leaders with Arsenal with City trailing by a point. The Gunners on the other hand lead the table with a better goal difference than Liverpool and had Kai…
Continue Reading...
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world, with an increasing number of individuals choosing to participate. Football scores are something that many like following online and rooting for their preferred team to win.
Continue Reading...
44 Shares More Posted: Mar 10, 2024 | Updated: 1 week ago Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has made significant strides while donning the Napoli Jersey. The 23-year-old is the current Serie A MVP holder, as he played a pivotal role in helping the club lift the Serie A title last season. While…
Continue Reading...