World Cup 2010 Gallery

world cup 2010 gallery : Cristiano Ronaldo Gallery

2010-06-13T21:04:00.000+04:30

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, (Portuguese pronunciation: born 5 February 1985),more commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo currently holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after having transferred to Real Madrid from Manchester United in a deal worth £80 million (€94m, US$132m). His contract with Real Madrid is believed to have made him the highest-paid football player in the world.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, then moved to Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting CP. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal.

In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."

Cristiano Ronaldo

world cup 2010 hot fans : Argentinian Fans

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world cup 2010 hot fans : Argentinian Fans

world cup 2010 hot fans : Brazilian Fans

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world cup 2010 hot fans : Brazilian hot Fans

world cup 2010 fans : Sout Korean Fans

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world cup 2010 fans : Sout Korean Fans

world cup 2010 fans : Sout Korean hot Fan

world cup 2010 fans : Sout Korean Fans

world cup 2010 fans : Sout Korean hot Fan

world cup 2010 fans : Sout Korean Fans

world cup 2010 gallery : Argentina in world cup

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Argentina in world cup : Lionel Messi

Argentina in world cup : Gonzalo Higuaín

Argentina in world cup : Carlos Tévez

Argentina in world cup : Diego Milito

Argentina in world cup : Gabriel Heinze

Argentina in world cup : Javier Mascherano

Argentina in world cup : Martín Demichelis

Argentina in world cup : Veron

Argentina in world cup : Diego Maradona

world cup 2010 : Argentina-Nigeria preview

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After 16 years, Diego Armando Maradona makes his return to the FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa. The Argentinian bowed out of world football’s showpiece in 1994 after Argentina's match against Nigeria, a team he now faces as head coach tomorrow in the opening match in Group B.

The Africans, meanwhile, will be looking to avenge the defeat in the final of the Olympic Football Tournament 2008 in China, where La Albiceleste triumphed with a number of players who will be present in Johannesburg. They will be hopeful Swedish coach Lars Lagerback, one of the masterminds behind Argentina’s elimination from 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, will help them settle an old score.

The Match
Argentina-Nigeria, Group B, Johannesburg, Saturday 12 June, 16:00 (local time)

Having come through a difficult qualifying campaign, the Argentinians are ready to start afresh in South Africa and, for the third time in a row, an African side will provide their first test - in 2002, they edged out Nigeria in a 1-0 win, while in 2006 they were 2-1 victors against Côte d'Ivoire. Maradona has at his disposal two of the top goalscorers in Europe this season as they look to secure their third consecutive victory over an African side: Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, who amassed an astonishing 61 goals between them. Starting hopeful Carlos Tevez, for his part, notched up another 22 for Manchester City.

The Super Eagles also struggled during the qualifying phase, although they will be hopeful head coach Lagerback can help them rediscover their rhythm. They will go into this game anxious to reverse the trend of their previous two FIFA World Cup encounters with the Argentinians, in 1994 and 2002, which saw La Albiceleste run out winners on both occasions. They will look to exploit their 'home' advantage, and also build on their recent 3-1 friendly victory over Korea DPR.

Key duel
Gonzalo Higuain vs Vincent Enyeama

The Argentinian scored 27 goals for Real Madrid in La Liga last season, and has reproduced the same clinical form for his country: he has found the net twice in four games and seems ready to add to that tally. "My dream is to be among the top scorers at the World Cup", Higuain said on his arrival in South Africa. To fulfil that dream he must first find a way past Vincent Enyeama, one of the few Nigerians to have kept his place in the Super Eagles' rearguard despite constant changes to their defensive formation. Enyeama, whose reflexes have earned him the nickname 'The Cat', already boasts FIFA World Cup experience, including a clean sheet against England in Korea/Japan 2002.

The stat
10 – The number of players that took part in the final of the Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 who will come face to face again in Johannesburg: Sergio Romero, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Dele Adeleye, Sani Kaita, Peter Odemwingie, Chinedu Ogbuke and Victor Obinna.

What they said
"Nigeria is a physically strong side capable of creating problems in attack. However, I think they are still a little disorganised in defence. That’s where we have to make the most of our potential," Diego Armando Maradona, Argentina coach.

"Messi is a good player and we respect him. We hope he respects us too. We’re not thinking about Messi, we’re thinking about playing Argentina, a good team," Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Nigeria forward.

Voice of the fans
"Great game in prospect. I reckon Argentina will win because their attacking style will push Nigeria back. That’s where the game will be won by Argentina, who I am supporting along with all the other South American teams." FIFA.com user AlanLeo-URU

The question
Are Nigeria strong enough to upset Argentina in their opening match?

world cup 2010 gallery : Franck Ribery

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world cup 2010 gallery : Franck Ribery

world cup 2010 gallery : Thierry Henry

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world cup 2010 gallery : Thierry Henry

world cup 2010 gallery : Steven Gerrard

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world cup 2010 gallery : Steven Gerrard

world cup 2010 gallery : Fernando Torres

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world cup 2010 gallery : Fernando Torres

world cup 2010 gallery : Sergio Ramos

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world cup 2010 gallery : Sergio Ramos

world cup 2010 gallery : Xavi Hernandez

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world cup 2010 gallery : Xavi Hernandez

world cup 2010 gallery : World cup fans (2)

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world cup 2010 fans : Uruguay Femal fans

world cup 2010 fans : Sout Korea fans

world cup 2010 fans : Ghanaian fans

world cup 2010 fans : France fans

world cup 2010 fans : Unites State fans

world cup 2010 gallery : World cup fans (1)

2010-06-11T18:21:00.000+04:30

World cup 2010 fans : Serbian fans

World cup 2010 fans : Mexicanfans

World cup 2010 fans : Australian fans

World cup 2010 fans : Italian fans

World cup 2010 fans : Brazilian fans

World cup 2010 fans : Japanese fans

World cup 2010 fans : Portugal fans

World cup 2010 fans : Russia fans

World cup 2010 fans : Sout African fans

world cup 2010 gallery : world cup opening cermony (1)

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Shakira in world cup 2010 opening cermony

world cup 2010 : France - Uruguay

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Match 2 - Group A - 11 June
Referee : Yuichi NISHIMURA (JPN)
Cape Town - Green Point Stadium

The second match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ pits together two former world champions: Uruguay, the winners in 1930 and 1950; and France, who triumphed 1998. With hosts South Africa and Mexico making up what promises to be a tight Group A, the three points up for grabs in Cape Town on Friday could prove crucial. The last meeting between the two was a 0-0 draw in the group phase at Korea/Japan 2002, a result that contributed to the early elimination of both sides.

The match
Uruguay-France, Group A, Cape Town (Green Point Stadium), Friday 11 June, 20.30 (local time)

Despite their rich footballing traditions, both teams struggled en route to the world finals, only clinching their places in the play-offs. While La Celeste were squeezing past Costa Rica, Les Blues were being pushed all the way by Republic of Ireland, a nerve-racking end to a campaign that raised doubts about their ability to contest for honours at South Africa 2010.

The Uruguayans have looked the more convincing of the two in the build-up to the finals, beating Switzerland and Israel as part of their preparations. France, meanwhile, were brushed aside by Spain in March and lost 1-0 to China only last week.

In a bid to turn his side’s worrying form around, coach Raymond Domenech has introduced a new 4-3-3 formation, with Jeremy Toulalan operating in a lone holding role and Florent Malouda and Yoann Gourcuff supplying the bullets for the front men. Charrúa boss Oscar Tabarez will be sticking to his tried-and-trusted 3-5-2 line-up, with the midfield tandem of Ignacio Gonzalez and Alvaro Pereira supporting the fearsome strike partnership of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez.

Players to watch
Diego Forlan vs William Gallas

Never lacking in grit and determination, Uruguay have plenty of attacking firepower to call on in South Africa. As usual, Forlan will be the spearhead. Having enjoyed a productive end to the league season with Atletico Madrid, he should not be lacking in confidence. His duel with Gallas will go some way to deciding the outcome of the match, although the Arsenal central defender has plenty of questions to answer after a frustrating injury-affected season. A solid performance against the ever-dangerous Forlan should help restore his confidence.

The stat
16 - Uruguay have won just one of their last 16 matches at the FIFA World Cup finals, a 1-0 defeat of Korea Republic at Italy 1990. Their last victory prior to that came 20 years earlier at Mexico 1970, when they won twice on the way to finishing fourth.

What they said
“Against Uruguay we’ll see whether we’re solid or not. Anything could happen to be honest. Uruguay do a lot of pressing when they’re not in possession, but if we can find a way round that by passing the ball then I’m sure we’ll see an improvement on our performances in the warm-up games,” Jeremy Toulalan, France midfielder.

“I’ve more or less decided on the formation we’ll be using. The tactics will depend on how the game unfolds because the only thing we’ll know for sure before the game is France’s line-up. But no matter how they play, the players we put out there will be able to adapt,” Oscar Tabarez, Uruguay coach.

Voice of the fans
“4-3-3 is a sound tactic when you have experienced players but it can be a bit of a risk if the coach has only just started to use it. The players will have to work really hard because there won’t be any space in the midfield. At the same time, to create chances you have to attack down the wings. France have been playing 4-5-1 for years and they’ll have to prove that they know how to use this system,” FIFA.com user PlayaDeNoche.

The question
France failed to score in their opening games at Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006. Will they find the back of the net on Friday?

world cup 2010 gallery : Gigi Buffon

2010-06-11T12:15:00.000+04:30

world cup 2010 gallery : Gigi Buffon

world cup 2010 : Cole looks to England experience

2010-06-11T11:55:00.000+04:30

England midfielder Joe Cole is hoping that the old adage about there being no substitute for experience will ring true for Fabio Capello's squad in South Africa over the coming month.

The England party is the oldest to represent their country at a FIFA World Cup™ – their average age of 28.7 years surpassing the previous record of 28.4 set in 1954 – and Cole is confident this will serve them well as they look to better their quarter-final exits of 2002 and 2006.

The former West Ham United wunderkind, now 28, told FIFA: "When you look around at what the players have achieved, there are Premier League winners, Champions League winners, FA Cup winners. The squad is full of players with experience of winning. That's the important thing in the tournament. You need to know how it feels to win. You need to know what's on the line."

This is the third FIFA World Cup for Cole, one of four survivors from England's 2002 campaign. Capped 54 times, he played just 16 minutes as a substitute against Sweden in Korea/Japan but four years later in Germany started every match and produced one of the goals of the tournament – a spectacular dipping volley against the Swedes in the first round.

While England's squad in 2006 was erroneously dubbed the "golden generation" by sections of the UK media, there has been a more cautious treatment of their prospects this time. Yet with Wayne Rooney in his prime at 24, Cole believes the squad's older players – ten of them were born in 1980 or before – will be determined to take their "last chance" on the world stage, despite the loss of injured captain Rio Ferdinand.

He said: "The big difference is that we've got a fit Wayne Rooney in this squad. And the squad is quite experienced. In 2002 it was a bit too young and in the last World Cup, obviously he wasn't fit. We suffered the injury of Michael [Owen] as well. Obviously we're missing Rio but this squad is balanced. I think this is a lot of guys' last chance, considering their age at this World Cup."

Cole finished the season with Premier League and FA Cup winners' medals, together with the squad's other Chelsea players John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. Unlike that trio, however, he will be departing Stamford Bridge on a free transfer during the close season, as confirmed by the London club this week. Cole made only 14 starts in the Premier League in 2009/10 after failing to convince manager Carlo Ancelotti he was worthy of a regular place following his return from a cruciate ligament injury.

That injury meant he made only two appearances in qualifying but, after a frustrating campaign, he is understandably delighted to be featuring for his country now in South Africa. He struck England's second goal in their 3-0 friendly win over Platinum Stars on Monday and is expected to start Saturday's opening Group C fixture against USA on the left side of midfield.

"I'm buzzing," said the Londoner. "I love my football, this is the pinnacle." And he is determined to make the most of what may be his last finals on the world stage. "Whatever happens in your career you get remembered for your World Cups. Because the whole world's eyes are on you, and it's time to perform – as a country, as a team, doing something incredible and putting your name down in history."

world cup 2010 gallery : Serbian fans

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Serbian fans

world cup 2010 gallery : Sout African Fans

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Sout African Fans

world cup 2010 gallery : Brazil National Team history

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world cup history - brazil 1938

world cup history - brazil 1950

world cup history - brazil 1958

world cup history - brazil 1962

world cup history - brazil 1970

world cup history - brazil 1982

world cup history - brazil 1994

world cup history - brazil 2002

world cup 2010 gallery : Gemany National Team history

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germany in world cup - 1954

germany in world cup - 1966

germany in world cup - 1970

germany in world cup - 1974

germany in world cup - 1982

germany in world cup - 1990

germany in world cup - 2002

germany in world cup - 2006

world cup 2010 gallery : Diego Maradona

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Diego Maradona

world cup 2010 gallery : Spanish football fans (1)

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Spanish football fans

world cup 2010 gallery : England football fans (1)

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England football fans