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JUNE/JULY 2006 6161

magazine

STRENGTHS • WEAKNESSES • STARS • COACHES • LINE-UPS

THE 32 TEAMS

Page

Group AGermany 62Costa Rica 64Poland 66Ecuador 68

Group BEngland 70Paraguay 72Trinidad & Tobago 74Sweden 76

Group CArgentina 78Cote d’Ivoire 80Serbia & Montenegro 82Netherlands 84

Group DMexico 86Iran 88Angola 90Portugal 92

Group EItaly 94Ghana 96USA 98Czech Republic 100

Group FBrazil 102Croatia 104Australia 106Japan 108

Group GFrance 110Switzerland 112Korea Republic 114Togo 116

Group HSpain 118Ukraine 120Tunisia 122Saudi Arabia 124

Text: Andreas Werz, Georg HeitzStatistics: FIFA Information ServicesPhotos: KEYSTONE, IMAGO, FOTO-NET, AFP

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JUNE/JULY 2006 JUNE/JULY 20066262

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Podolski Klose

FringsBorowskiBallackSchneider

Lahm Huth Mertesacker Friedrich

Lehmann

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up

THE COACH AND THE STAR

“Klinsi”remains confident

When Jurgen Klinsmann took over as

Germany boss from Rudi Voller two

years ago, he met with a huge welcome

from German football fans. Because as

“Klinsi” proclaimed, “At the 2006 World

Cup, we’ll be going all out to win it”.

Now 42, Klinsmann has yet to

change his view, remaining convinced

that Germany can lift the trophy at the

second World Cup to take place on home

soil. German football fans, however,

are steadily losing belief in their team’s

chances, even though December’s draw

in Leipzig placed the hosts in what looks

to be a relatively easy group alongside

Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador.

Yet in the light of Germany’s

inconsistent showings in recent

friendlies, many supporters have even

started to fear these teams. Whilst a

much younger side earned plaudits at

the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup by

fi nishing in third place, they have since

gone on to produce several disappointing

displays against moderate opposition.

Klinsmann has attempted to appease

the growing number of critics, who have

castigated the defence, in particular, by

emphasising that it will take time to

mould the players into a powerful team.

Th eir patience fi nally snapped after

a 4-1 friendly defeat against Italy in

Florence on 1 March. “Play like that

and we’re sunk at the World Cup!” read

the headline in the tabloid daily Bild,

while specialist sports journal Kicker, not

known for adopting a menacing tone,

simply wrote “Disaster”.

What cannot be denied is that there

are few above-average footballers around

with a German passport. For better or

worse, then, Klinsmann will probably

have to opt for players who regularly

warm the substitute’s bench at their

clubs and thus lack match practice.

Th e Germany boss and many fans are

well aware of the problem, yet they

still dream of landing a major coup at

the World Cup. Th ey draw their hopes

from Germany’s impressive record at

World Cup fi nals, from the benefi ts of

having home advantage and, not least,

from the traditional unbending will to

win and battling qualities of German

teams. Th e 2002 World Cup provided

ample proof, after all, that Germany do

not have to be in outstanding form to

reach the fi nal.

Qualifi ed automatically for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ as hosts.

Top scorer:Michael Ballack, (62 appearances, 29 goals)

1934 Italy 3rd

1938 France 10th

1954 Switzerland 1st

1958 Sweden 4th

1962 Chile 7th

1966 England 2nd

1970 Mexico 3rd

1974 Germany FR 1st

1978 Argentina 6th

1982 Spain 2nd

1986 Mexico 2nd

1990 Italy 1st

1994 USA 5th

1998 France 7th

2002 Korea/Japan 2nd

Most World Cup matches:Lothar Matthaus, 25 (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998)

Top World Cup scorer:Gerd Muller, 14 (1970, 1974)

All-time World Cup ranking:2nd

(85 matches, 50 wins, 18 draws,17 defeats, 176 goals for, 106 goals against).

Germany

Area: 357,030 km²Population: 82.54 millionCapital: Berlin (3.4 million)Association: Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB)Founded: 1900FIFA member since: 1904Website: www.dfb.deNumber of players: 6.26 millionNumber of clubs: 26,700Number of teams: 172,700

Jurgen Klinsmann(41/German/since 2004)Won the World Cup in 1990 and the European Championship in 1996 as a player and scored 47 goals in 108 international appearances. His first coaching job is none other than that of Germany boss. “Klinsi” lives in the USA and is criticised for it, but also for allegedly putting his faith in too many players who lack the necessary quality and experience.

Michael Ballack(29/midfi elder/Bayern Munich)The heart and soul of the German national team. This technically gifted playmaker is a creator, warrior and goalscorer rolled into one. Along with the goalkeepers, Ballack is the onlyGerman footballer to merit world-class status. Rarely has a Germany sidebeen this reliant on a single outfi eld player.

Germany defender Robert Huth climbs higher than Italy striker Luca Toni.

… This is the sixth consecutive World Cup that Germany will be led by a coach who lifted the trophy as a player. Franz Beckenbauer (1986 and 1990, won in 1974), Berti Vogts (1994 and 1998, won in 1974), Rudi Voller (2002, won in 1990) and now Jurgen Klinsmann (2006, won in 1990).

… Germany have tasted defeat at least once at every major tournament they have staged to date, having lost 2-0

to Norway at the 1936 Olympics, 4-1 to Hungary and 3-2 to the GDR at the 1972 Olympics, 1-0 to the GDR at the 1974 World Cup and 2-1 to the Netherlands at the 1988 European Championship.

… Germany have lost just one of their opening games at previous World Cups, 2-1 to Algeria in Spain in 1982. That defeat is countered by four draws and ten victories.

Oliver Kahn Bayern MunichJens Lehmann Arsenal (ENG)Timo Hildebrand Stuttgart

Arne Friedrich Hertha BerlinRobert Huth Chelsea (ENG)Marcell Jansen Borussia MonchengladbachPhilipp Lahm Bayern MunichPer Mertesacker Hannover 96Christoph Metzelder Borussia DortmundJens Nowotny Bayer LeverkusenPatrick Owomoyela Werder Bremen

Michael Ballack Bayern MunichTim Borowski Werder BremenFabian Ernst Schalke 04Torsten Frings Werder BremenBernd Schneider Bayer LeverkusenBastian Schweinsteiger Bayern MunichDietmar Hamann Liverpool (ENG)

Gerald Asamoah Schalke 04Kevin Kuranyi Schalke 04Miroslav Klose Werder BremenLukas Podolski CologneOliver Neuville Borussia Monchengladbach

Preliminary competition

Did you know?

GROUP A: GERMANY

Previous World Cup appearances


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THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up

The top 20 by qualifying match appearances


GROUP A: COSTA RICA

A minor footballing miracle

In Munich on 9 June, Costa Rica will

take on hosts Germany in the opening

match of the 18th FIFA World Cup™. It

will be a special honour for the Central

American country as well as a minor

footballing miracle, as just two years

ago, in June 2004, Costa Rica’s World

Cup dreams had almost ended. In the

fi rst two of what ultimately became 18

qualifying matches, the favourites had

managed only two draws against Cuba.

A 2-2 in Havana was followed by a 1-1

in San Jose six days later – only the away

goals rule saved the Ticos from total

ignominy.

Costa Rica also incurred the wrath

of their fans at the start of the second

qualifying stage, fi rst by thoroughly

messing up their home clash with

Honduras (2-5) and then by losing

in Guatemala (1-2). After these

calamities, however, the team arrested

their decline, winning eight of the next

twelve matches.

Yet not until Alexandre Guimaraes took

charge in mid-2005 did things settle down

properly. In Germany, this tall man will

become the fi rst Costa Rican to take part

in three World Cups, having been involved

as a player in 1990 and as coach in 2002.

Guimaraes is hoping his side will

achieve a feat similar to that of 16 years

ago in Italy, when Costa Rica progressed

to the last 16 in their fi rst World Cup

appearance. He is convinced they can do

just as well in June. “Germany, Poland

and Ecuador are strong opponents,”

says Guimaraes. “But we have nothing

to lose. We can just go out and play

without worrying too much about

them. Maybe that is precisely where our

chance lies.” Costa Rica’s main qualities

are to be found in defence, where Gilberto

Martinez and Walter Centeno pull the

strings. In attack, Guimaraes is pinning

most of his hopes on Paulo Wanchope,

who scored eight times in the qualifying

competition, and Ronald Gomez.

Th e World Cup squad will consist

large ly of players from the country’s

three most prominent clubs, Deportivo

Saprissa, Alajuelense and Herediano.

Guimaraes expects much of the Saprissa

representatives, in particular. Th ey did,

after all, take part in the FIFA Club World

Championship TOYOTA Cup Japan

2005, where they claimed an impressive

third-place fi nish.

1. Luis Marin (16 matches) Alajuelense

2. Gilberto Martinez (16) Brescia (ITA)

3. Walter Centeno (15) Deportivo Saprissa

4. Paulo Wanchope (14) Herediano

5. Alonso Solis (13) Deportivo Saprissa

6. Leonardo Gonzalez (12) Herediano

7. Ronald Gomez (10) Deportivo Saprissa

8. Steven Bryce (9) OFI Crete (GRE)

9. Carlos Hernandez (9) Alajuelense

10. Alvaro Mesen (8) Herediano

11. Jose Porras (7) Deportivo Saprissa

12. Mauricio Solis (7) Comunicaciones (GUA)

13. Jose Luis Lopez (7) Deportivo Saprissa

14. Douglas Sequeira (7) Real Salt Lake (USA)

15. Jafet Soto (7) Herediano

16. Alvaro Saborio (7) Deportivo Saprissa

17. Jervis Drummond (6) Deportivo Saprissa

18. Harold Wallace (6) Alajuelense

19. Cristian Badilla (6) Herediano

20. Pablo Chinchilla (6) Los Angeles Galaxy (USA)

… Costa Rica won both of their opening matches at their two previous World Cup appearances, 1-0 against Scotland in 1990 and 2-0 against China PR in 2002. Eight of the nine goals scored by Costa Rica in 1990 and 2002 arrived in the second half.

… Along with Mexico’s Jared Borgetti, Paulo Wanchope is the most prolific goalscorer in the history of World Cup qualifiers in the CONCACAF region. The Costa Rican has netted 20 goals to date, five in the qualifying competition for the 1998 World Cup, seven on the way to Korea/Japan

2002 and eight in the qualifiers for this year’s tournament.

… Costa Rica picked up 43 yellow cards in 18 matches en route to Germany, while three players were sent off. Only Panama collected more cautions (46).

… On 18 August 2004, Costa Rica conceded five goals at home for only the second time in their history, going down 5-2 to Hondu-ras in a World Cup qualifier. The margin of defeat was even higher on 10 August 2000, when the Costa Ricans crashed 5-1 against Venezuela.

One of Costa Rica’s best and most experienced players: striker Ronald Gomez.

1st roundCuba v. Costa Rica 2-2Costa Rica v. Cuba 1-1

2nd roundCosta Rica v. Honduras 2-5Guatemala v. Costa Rica 2-1Costa Rica v. Canada 1-0Costa Rica v. Guatemala 5-0Canada v. Costa Rica 1-3Honduras v. Costa Rica 0-0

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

Top scorer:Paulo Wanchope, 8

1990 Italy 13th

2002 Korea/Japan 19th

Most World Cup matches:Hernan Medford, 5 (1990, 2002)

Top World Cup scorer:Ronald Gomez, 2 (2002)

All-time World Cup ranking:40th

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

Area: 51,100 km²Population: 4 millionCapital: San Jose (310,000)Association: Federacion Costarricense de Futbol (FEDEFUTBOL)Founded: 1921FIFA member since: 1927Website: www.fedefutbol.comNumber of players: 68,700Number of clubs: 130Number of teams: 5,800

Costa RicaAlexandre Guimaraes(46/Brazilian-Costa Rican/since 2005)The native Brazilian has lived in Costa Rica since 1971. He also played for his adopted country – in 1990, for example, when the Central Americans reached the last 16 on their World Cup debut – and has coached the country’s most successful team, Deportivo Saprissa, among others. Guimaraes was in charge of Costa Rica at the 2002 World Cup but then resigned. He took the helm again in 2005.

Paulo Wanchope(29/striker/Herediano)Played for three English clubs before leaving Manchester City to joinSpanish side Malaga in 2004. He then secured a lucrative move to Qatar(Al-Gharafah) before returning to Costa Rica a few months ago to sign for Herediano. Wanchope is very popular in his home country and also has his own website.

Did you know?



Wanchope Gomez

Bolanos

Centeno Sequeira

Solis

WallaceMartinezMarinGonzalez

Porras


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Smolarek Zurawski

Krzynowek Szymkowiak Sobolewski Kosowski

ZewlakowBakJopBaszczynski

Boruc

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



GROUP A: POLAND

“White Eagles” ready to swoop

Poland coach Pawel Janas is a passionate

hunter. In the woods at home, he sets

his sights on red deer, but at the World

Cup he will be out to take down some

eminent adversaries. Germany, Ecuador

and Costa Rica are Poland’s rivals in

Group A. “I’d be lying if I said our

opponents frightened me,” says Janas.

Th e Polish media were even more bullish

after the draw was made. “In this group

we’ll go through!” wrote Nowy Dzien,

while the headline in Super Express read

“We’ve arrived in paradise!”

Whereas Polish clubs continue to play

a minor role in European competition,

the national team have made magnifi cent

strides forward recently. After two third

places at the World Cup (1974, 1982)

and a gold (1972) and two silvers (1976,

1992) at Olympic football tournaments,

Poland have recovered from several

disappointments – the 2002 World Cup

was their fi rst appearance in the fi nals in

16 years – and now look strong again.

Th e Poles cruised through qualifi cation.

Although they lost both encounters with

group winners England, they won all

eight of their other games.

Th e White Eagles, as the Polish national

team is known to their fans, used to be

mainly associated with strong defending,

but under Janas’ stewardship their

footballing philosophy has undergone

dramatic change. Today, Poland are

largely attack-minded and prolifi c in

front of goal. Th ey found the net 27 times

in qualifying, ten more than England. In

midfi elders Ebi Smolarek, Sebastian Mila

and Kamil Kosowski, and strikers Tomasz

Frankowski and Maciej Zurawski, Janas

has several top-quality attacking players

at his disposal. Playmaker Miroslaw

Szymkowiak is another.

His only concerns are in defence,

which is said to be too old and made up

of players who are rarely given an outing

with their clubs. “I haven’t got too many

defenders to choose from,” says Janas.

Yet he still believes his side can hit the

heights in Germany: “We play with great

heart. And if you do that, there’s much

you can achieve.“

Spectacular: Poland’s attacking midfi elder Ebi Smolarek.

… Poland have won 12 of the 14 meaningful matches they have played on German soil. In 1972, the eastern Europeans won gold at the Olympic Games in Munich, while in 1974, they finished third at the World Cup.

… In their six World Cups to date, Poland have met the hosts on three occasions, each time losing without scoring a goal (1-0 against West Germany in 1974, 2-0 against Argentina in 1978 and 2-0 against Korea Republic in 2002).

… Poland have registered five draws at their six World Cups, all of them goalless.

… Poland’s highest victory in a World Cup qualifying campaign was an 8-0 win over Azerbaijan on 26 March 2005. En route to the 1966 finals, Poland beat Finland 7-0, and in the qualifying competition for the 1970 World Cup, they trounced Luxembourg 8-1.

… Coach Pawel Janas played in all six matches at the 1982 World Cup when Poland claimed a third-place finish.

Pawel Janas(52/Polish/since 2002)A member of the legendary team that achieved a superb third-place fi nish at the 1982 World Cup. As a coach, he made a name for himself at Amica Wronki, in particular. In 1992, Janas coached the Poland side to a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Bar-celona. He took over from Jerzy Engel after Poland’s disappointing perfor-mance at the 2002 World Cup.

Maciej Zurawski(29/striker/Celtic)Zurawski has scored 15 goals in 48 international appearances to date. He began his club career at Lech Poznan, but came to prominence as a prolifi c goalscorer during a fi ve-year spell at Wisla Krakow. In July 2005, he moved to Celtic, where he netted four times in his fi rst six matches. Zurawski is considered to be one of the best Polish strikers in recent times.

Northern Ireland v. Poland 0-3Poland v. England 1-2Austria v. Poland 1-3Wales v. Poland 2-3Poland v. Azerbaijan 8-0Poland v. Northern Ireland 1-0Azerbaijan v. Poland 0-3Poland v. Austria 3-2Poland v. Wales 1-0England v. Poland 2-1

Top scorers:Maciej Zurawski and Tomasz Frankowski, 7 each

1938 France 11th

1974 Germany FR 3rd

1978 Argentina 5th

1982 Spain 3rd

1986 Mexico 14th


Most World Cup matches:Wladyslaw Zmuda, 21 (1974, 1978, 1982, 1986)

Top World Cup scorer:Grzegorz Lato, 10 (1974, 1978, 1982)



Poland

Area: 312,685 km²Population: 39.2 millionCapital: Warsaw (1.7 million)Association: Polski Zwiazek Pilki Noznej (PZPN)Founded: 1919FIFA member since: 1923Website: www.pzpn.plNumber of players: 987,600Number of clubs: 7,800Number of teams: 27,100

1. Jacek Bak (10 matches) Al Rayyan (QAT)

2. Maciej Zurawski (10) Celtic (SCO)

3. Tomasz Rzasa (9) ADO Den Haag (NED)

4. Marcin Baszczynski (8) Wisla Krakow

5. Kamil Kosowski (8) Southampton (ENG)

6. Jerzy Dudek (7) Liverpool (ENG)

7. Jacek Krzynowek (7) Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

8. Sebastian Mila (7) Austria Vienna (AUT)

9. Tomas Frankowski (7) Wolves (ENG)

10. Miroslav Szymkowiak (6) Trabzonspor (TUR)

11. Grzegorz Rasiak (6) Southampton (ENG)

12. Arkadiusz Radomski (6) Austria Vienna (AUT)

13. Radoslaw Sobolewski (5) Wisla Krakow

14. Tomasz Klos (5) Wisla Krakow

15. Michal Zewlakow (5) Anderlecht (BEL)

16. Euzebiusz Smolarek (4) Borussia Dortmund (GER)

17. Artur Boruc (3) Celtic (SCO)

18. Mariusz Lewandowski (3) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

19. Radoslaw Kaluzny (3) LR Ahlen (GER)

20. Andrzej Niedzielan (3) NEC Nijmegen (NED)

Did you know?




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6969

Tenorio Delgado

Valencia Méndez Ambrossi M. Avoyi

Reasco Hurtado Espinoza De la Cruz

Mora

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



Who can help Agustin Delgado?

Nothing has changed at the pinnacle

of South American football, with

Brazil and Argentina again cruising

through qualifi cation. Behind these

two giants, however, a changing of the

guard has taken place. Th e number

three is no longer Uruguay, Paraguay

or Colombia, but Ecuador, who seem

to have established themselves in this

position with their second consecutive

qualifi cation for the World Cup fi nals.

Yet at the start of the qualifying

campaign, Ecuador severely taxed

the patience of their supporters,

collecting just four points from the

fi rst fi ve of their 18 matches. Having

caused a surprise in 2002 by leading

Ecuador, hitherto largely unknown

on the world football stage, to the

World Cup fi nals, national hero

Hernan Dario Gomez fi nally resigned

as coach. His fellow Colombian and

previous assistant, Luis Fernando

Suarez, took charge of the unsettled

team and quickly restored calm and

confi dence among the players. All of

a sudden, organisation on the pitch

and composure were back in evidence.

Ecuador returned to winning ways

and eventually clinched their ticket to

Germany with reasonable ease and a

team consisting mostly of players who

featured in the country’s World Cup

debut in Korea/Japan. Despite securing

qualifi cation, Suarez is still far from

achieving his goal. “In Germany we aim

to progress to the last 16 and we’re quite

capable of doing so. I do, after all, have

a good, experienced, well-balanced and

harmonious team at my disposal,” he

says.

Striker Agustin Delgado is the player

who stands out amid a strong collective.

But who is going to help him when it

comes to fi nding the net? A question

that weighs heavily on the coach’s mind.

“Unfortunately, in Delgado we have

only one consistent striker. Th e rest

are dogged by injury, inconsistency or

ineff ectiveness,” he explains. Th e man

most likely to partner Delgado in attack

is Edison Mendez, having contributed

the same number of goals as Delgado in

the qualifying competition for Germany

and at the 2002 World Cup, i.e. fi ve and

one respectively.

1. Giovanny Espinoza (18 matches) Liga de Quito

2. Ivan Hurtado (17) Al Arabi (QAT)

3. Ulises de la Cruz (17) Aston Villa (ENG)

4. Marlon Ayovi (16) Deportivo Quito

5. Edison Mendez (15) Real Iraputo

6. Edwin Tenorio (14) SC Barcelona

7. Paul Ambrossi (13) Liga de Quito

8. Neicer Reasco (12) Liga de Quito

9. Agustin Delgado (11) Liga de Quito

10. Franklin Salas (11) Liga de Quito

11. Edwin Villafuerte (9) Deportivo Quito

12. Clever Chala (7) El Nacional

13. Carlos Tenorio (7) Al Sadd (QAT)

14. Luis Valencia (7) Villarreal (ESP)

15. Jose Cevallos (5) SC Barcelona

16. Alfonso Obregon (5) Liga de Quito

17. Ivan Kaviedes (5) SC Barcelona

18. Christian Lara (5) El Nacional

19. Walter Ayovi (5) SC Barcelona

20. Ebelio Ordonez (4) El Nacional

… Nineteen of the 23 players used in qualifying also played at the 2002 World Cup.

… On 3 September 2005, Agustin Delgado scored Ecuador’s 100th World Cup qualify-ing goal in the 2-1 win over Bolivia.

… This is the second time that a Colombian coach has led Ecuador to the World Cup finals. In 2002 it was Hernan Dario Gomez,

now it is Luis Fernando Suarez. Both men, incidentally, come from Medellin.

… Along with Venezuela, Ecuador were the only South American team not to have a player sent off during qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.

… Ivan Hurtado has played more World Cup qualifying matches than anyone else. The defender has 56 games behind him.

Ecuador striker Agustin Delgado (right) in a tussle with Argentina’s Javier Zanetti.

Luis Fernando Suarez(46/Colombian/since 2004)Ecuador’s third successive national coach from Colombia (his predecessors were Francisco Maturana and Hernan Dario Gomez). Suarez, a former Colombia and Ecuador assistant coach, sets great store by discipline and team spirit. A quiet, unpretentious man who is popular among players and fans alike.

Agustin Delgado(31/striker/Liga de Quito)Scored Ecuador’s fi rst World Cup goal in 2002. “Tin”, as he is known to his fans, has played for various Mexican clubs and for Southampton in England. In the qualifying competition for the 2006 World Cup, he scored fi ve goals. He is strong in the air and blessed with an almost unerring instinct for goal. A typical penalty-box predator.

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

Top scorers:Agustin Delgado and Edison Mendez, 5 each

Area: 256,370 km²Population: 13 millionCapital: Quito (1.4 million)Association: Federacion Ecuatoriana de Futbol (F.E.F.)Founded: 1925FIFA member since: 1926Website: www.ecuafutbol.orgNumber of players: 1,022,400Number of clubs: 1,000Number of teams: 3,400

Ecuador


Most World Cup matches:Twelve players with three appearances (2002)

Top World Cup scorers:Agustin Delgado and Edison Mendez, 1 each (2002)


(3 matches, 1 win, 2 defeats, 2 goals for, 4 goals against).

GROUP A: ECUADOR

Did you know?




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Rooney Owen

J. Cole

Lampard Gerrard

Beckham

NevilleTerryFerdinandA. Cole

Robinson

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



1. Frank Lampard (10 matches) Chelsea

2. Paul Robinson (9) Tottenham Hotspur

3. Michael Owen (9) Newcastle United

4. Ashley Cole (8) Arsenal

5. David Beckham (8) Real Madrid (ESP)

6. Rio Ferdinand (8) Manchester United

7. Joe Cole (8) Chelsea

8. Jermain Defoe (8) Tottenham Hotspur

9. Wayne Rooney (7) Manchester United

10. Steven Gerrard (7) Liverpool

11. John Terry (6) Chelsea

12. Jamie Carragher (6) Liverpool

13. Gary Neville (6) Manchester United

14. Ledley King (6) Tottenham Hotspur

15. Owen Hargreaves (5) Bayern Munich (GER)

16. Luke Young (4) Charlton Athletic

17. Shaun Wright-Phillips (4) Chelsea

18. Alan Smith (4) Manchester United

19. Sol Campbell (3) Arsenal

20. Kieron Dyer (3) Newcastle United

Midfi eld maestro: Frank Lampard (left).

Perfect send-off for Eriksson?

sheer class of perhaps England’s most

important player Frank Lampard, to the

blistering pace and beautiful touch and

vision of Wayne Rooney – England have

seldom been so strong.

But there are still a few question marks

hanging over the team, most notably over

the fi tness of striker Michael Owen, who

broke a metatarsal bone in December.

Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch are

waiting in the wings to step in if necessary.

England did not exactly cruise through

the preliminary competition either. Th e

1-0 defeat in Northern Ireland was a

huge embarrassment, Rooney failed to

fi nd the back of the net in the qualifying

campaign, and more often than not, the

team seemed to sit back after taking the

lead, apparently happy to defend their

advantage.

And then there is the burden of history.

Th e entire nation has been waiting since

the 1966 World Cup on home soil for

England to bring home another major

trophy. Paul Gascoigne, Gary Lineker

and co. came closer than most in 1990

before falling at the semi-fi nal stage

after losing a penalty shoot-out to West

Germany.

Eriksson, a man no stranger to glory,

will be leading England into his second

World Cup, but England’s last game in

Germany will also be the Swede’s fi nal

match in charge of his adopted nation

and the early announcement of the

coach’s departure could yet undermine his

authority. Th ere is enormous competition

in the English squad, and even stars

such as Owen and central defender Rio

Ferdinand are not guaranteed a place in

the line-up. Th ere could be unrest in the

camp, but the English players will want

to give their Swedish coach the perfect

send-off . One thing is for sure: if England

do well at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™,

Eriksson will leave as a hero.

Sven-Goran Eriksson (58/Swedish/since 2001). The winner of 16 titles with a string of clubs including Benfica, Roma,Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio,Eriksson is the fi rst ever foreign coach of the England national team. Eriksson will leave his post after the World Cup after coming to an agreement with The FA in the wake of the “Fake Sheikh” affair. Eriksson and England will be aiming to reach the semi-fi nals at least.

Wayne Rooney (20/striker/Manchester United). Brimming with talent that belies his tender years, Rooney is strong in the tackle, supremely skilled and lethal in front of goal. Although one of the world’s best strikers, he also has a rebellious reputation both on and off the fi eld. After starting his career at Everton, Rooney at one point was the youngest ever goalscorer in the English Premier League at just 16 years old before moving to Manchester United in 2004. He has been a key player there from day one.

… England are top of the class in terms of goalless draws at the FIFA World Cup™. They have drawn 0-0 eight times in their 50 World Cup matches.

… England have played three matches in final competitions on German soil...and lost all three (to the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and the USSR in EURO 1988). They did not take part in the 1972 Olympic Games and they

also failed to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup™. A Great Britain team did, however, participate in the 1936 Olympic Games.

… David Beckham holds the English record for the most World Cup preliminary com-petition appearances. So far, the England captain has played in 23 matches.

… England have lost 13 games at the World Cup, 11 of which by a single goal.

Austria v. England 2-2 Poland v. England 1-2 England v. Wales 2-0 Azerbaijan v. England 0-1 England v. Northern Ireland 4-0 England v. Azerbaijan 2-0 Wales v. England 0-1 Northern Ireland v. England 1-0 England v. Austria 1-0 England v. Poland 2-1

Top scorer:Frank Lampard (5)

1950 Brazil 8th

1954 Switzerland 6th

1958 Sweden 11th

1962 Chile 8th

1966 England 1st

1970 Mexico 8th

1982 Spain 6th

1986 Mexico 8th

1990 Italy 4th

1998 France 9th

2002 Japan/Korea 6th

Most World Cup matches: Peter Shilton, 17 (1982-1990)

Top World Cup scorer:Gary Lineker, 10 (1986, 1990)

All-time World Cup ranking:5th (50 matches, 22 wins, 15 draws,

13 defeats, 68 goals for, 45 goals

against)

Area: 130,395 km²Population: 49.1 millionCapital: London (7.4 million)Association: The Football AssociationFounded: 1863FIFA member since: 1905Website: www.TheFA.comNumber of players: 3.31 millionNumber of clubs: 42,000Number of teams: 64,850

Many an England team has gone into

the World Cup fi nals full of hope, only

to see their dreams crumble to dust, and

great things are once again expected of

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team. A glance

at the talent of the players that the

Swede has at his disposal goes a long

way to justifying England’s tag as one

of the pre-tournament favourites. From

the elegant but simple play of captain

David Beckham, to the dynamic energy

and drive of Steven Gerrard and the

EnglandDid you know?

GROUP B: ENGLAND




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THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

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The right mixand a good balance

Paraguay have numerous players

abroad. Th e team has a good balance of

experience and youth, and Uruguayan

coach Anibal Ruiz is very popular with

the players. It would appear they have

the right mix to do well in Germany.

Th e South Americans reached the

round of 16 at each of the last two World

Cups. At France ’98, their eccentric

goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert was the

man who stood out, while in 2002 the

team impressed as a collective. Of the

current squad, defender Carlos Gamarra

is the most experienced player. Gamarra

was once on the books of Inter Milan

and now earns a living in Brazil.

In midfi eld, Ruiz has a number of

talented players at his disposal. Playmaker

Julio Dos Santos moved to Bayern Munich

in January, but has spent long periods on

the bench at the German champions. Like

Dos Santos, Edgar Barreto was a member

of the team that won silver at the 2004

Olympic Games in Athens. Nevertheless,

should the team appear to fall short in

the creative centre of midfi eld, Ruiz will

be able to call upon 18-year-old Jose

Montiel who made his international debut

last November. Montiel, an impressive

dribbler of the ball and an imaginative

attacking player, will move from

hometown club Olimpia de Asuncion to

Udinese in Italy’s Serie A after the World

Cup fi nals. Paraguay also have quality in

attack. Nelson Valdez has off ered ample

proof of his goalscoring ability at Werder

Bremen. Th e tricky forward is the ideal

partner for Roque Santa Cruz, a tall and

elegant striker for Bayern Munich. Santa

Cruz does lack match practice, though,

after sustaining a cruciate ligament

injury last year. Waiting in the wings

to stand in for him if need be is the

irrepressible Jose Cardozo, Paraguay’s

leading scorer during qualifying. Now

35, Cardozo recently joined Argentine

club San Lorenzo.

Th ere can be no doubt that Paraguay

have the potential to survive the group

phase once again in Germany.

1. Justo Villar (15) Newell’s Old Boys (ARG)

2. Carlos Gamarra (15) Palmeiras (BRA)

3. Julio Cesar Caceres (15) River Plate (ARG)

4. Jose Cardozo (15) San Lorenzo (ARG)

5. Paulo Da Silva (14) Toluca (MEX)

6. Carlos Paredes (13) Reggina (ITA)

7. Denis Caniza (12) Cruz Azul (MEX)

8. Roque Santa Cruz (12) Bayern Munich (GER)

9. Angel Ortiz (12) Guarani

10. Diego Gavilan (12) Internacional (BRA)

11. Nelson Cuevas (12) Pachuca (MEX)

12. Julio Cesar Enciso (9) 12 de Octubre

13. Carlos Bonet (8) Libertad

14. Salvador Cabanas (7) Chiapas (MEX)

15. Edgar Barreto (7) NEC Nijmegen (NED)

16. Francisco Arce (5) Veracruz (MEX)

17. Jorge Nunez (5) Arsenal (ARG)

18. Julio Manzur (5) Santos (BRA)

19. Nelson Haedo Valdez (4) Werder Bremen (GER)

20. Julio Dos Santos (4) Bayern Munich (GER)

… Uruguay’s Anibal Ruiz is the third foreign coach in succession to lead Paraguay to the World Cup finals. His predecessors were Brazil’s Paulo Carpegiani (1998) and Italy’s Cesare Maldini (2002).

… Paraguay scored three goals in each of their previous seven World Cup outings in Europe – or else none at all. In 1958 they lost 7-3 to France, beat Scotland 3-2 and drew 3-3 with the former Yugoslavia, while in 1998 they secured goalless draws against Bulgaria and Spain and beat Nige-

ria 3-1 before going down 1-0 to France in the round of 16.

… Paraguay became the first South American team to contest 100 World Cup qualifying matches when they beat Argentina 1-0 on 3 September 2005.

… Eight Paraguay players who featured in the 2006 qualifying competition also took part in the last two World Cups. The play-ers in question are Acuna, Arce, Campos, Caniza, Cardozo, Gamarra, Paredes and Sanabria.

Paraguay hope to have cause for celebration in Germany.

Anibal Ruiz (63/Uruguayan/since 2002)One of the world’s most experienced coaches, he has worked in Uruguay, Mexico and at various clubs in Para-guay. Before taking over the senior national side, he was in charge of Paraguay’s youth team. Ruiz is consi-dered an outgoing coach who is always friendly, even when dealing with the press. He is one of just three coaches in the South American zone to have been involved throughout the World Cup qualifying competition.

Roque Santa Cruz (24/striker/Bayern Munich)Discovered by Bayern Munich as an 18-year-old, he needed a few years to make the breakthrough. But by the 2005-2006 season, the quick andtechnically outstanding striker who is good in the air had become a vital member of the team, providing a regular supply of goals until his pro-gress was halted by a torn cruciate ligament. He will be fi t in time for the World Cup, but will he have found his form by then?

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

Top scorer:Jose Cardozo, 7

1930 Uruguay 9th

1950 Brazil 11th

1958 Sweden 12th

1986 Mexico 13th

1998 France 14th


Most World Cup matches: Carlos Gamarra, Celson Ayala, Roberto Acuna and Denis Caniza (all 1998-2002), 4 each.

Top World Cup scorers: Nelson Cuevas, Julio Romero, Roberto Cabanas plus four players from the 1958 team, 2 each.

All-time World Cup ranking: 22nd (19 matches, 5 wins, 7 draws,7 defeats, 25 goals for, 34 goals against)

Paraguay

Area: 406,752 km2

Population: 5.64 millionCapital: Asuncion (508,000)Association: Asociacion Paraguaya de Futbol (APF)Website: www.apf.org.pyFounded: 1906FIFA member since: 1925Number of players: 720,000Number of clubs: 1,100Number of teams: 2,000

GROUP B: PARAGUAY

Did you know?



Santa Cruz Valdez

Dos Santos

Paredes Gavilan

Barreto

Nunez Caceres Gamarra Caniza

Villar


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7575

S. John Yorke

Latapy

Birchall Edwards

Whitley

Andrews Lawrence A. John Spann

Jack

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



Teamnumber 32

Beenhakker took over the underdogs

in March 2005; by November of the

same year, Trinidad and Tobago had

qualifi ed for the World Cup fi nals for

the fi rst time. Th ey only secured a 1-1

draw against Bahrain in the home leg

of the play-off , but Dennis Lawrence

scored the only goal away from home

and Trinidad and Tobago were able to

book their trip to Germany.

Lawrence is just one player in a team

of unknowns. Th e defender earns his

money with Wrexham in England’s

fourth division, and only a few of his

team colleagues play club football at

the highest level. Th at is why Trinidad

and Tobago are the real underdogs in

Germany.

Two names fuel the football-crazy

nation’s hopes of achieving a sensation

or two: Beenhakker, who is capable

of conjuring up an ingenious idea at

any time, and Dwight Yorke, his most

important player. Although the striker is

not as young as he used to be, he still

remains the linchpin of the team. “As a

coach, you only have to say three words

to him and he knows what he has to do,”

says Beenhakker in praise of his star.

Yorke, 34, places great importance on

fostering team spirit.

Beenhakker knows how diffi cult it will

be to garner points in the fi nals. “But

we are not just travelling to Germany

simply with the Olympic motto of

taking part in mind. We’re going there

to win.” He will gather his players

around him for four weeks ahead of

the “Germany adventure”, and expects

this training camp to bring further

progress. Every point that Trinidad

and Tobago win at the fi nals will be a

great surprise. Beenhakker is relying

on the unpredictability of his team:

“We’re talking about football here, not

mathematics.”

1. Stern John (19) Coventry City (ENG)

2. Marvin Andrews (18) Glasgow Rangers (SCO)

3. Dennis Lawrence (17) Wrexham (WAL)

4. Kenwyne Jones (14) Southampton (ENG)

5. Dwight Yorke (12) Sydney (AUS)

6. Carlos Edwards (12) Luton Town (ENG)

7. Kelvin Jack (11) Dundee (SCO)

8. Brent Sancho (11) Gillingham (ENG)

9. Angus Eve (10) San Juan Jabloteh/

retired from national team

10. Silvio Spann (10) Unattached

11. Densil Theobald (10) Falkirk (SCO)

12. Avery John (9) New England

Revolution (USA)

13. Christopher Birchall (9) Port Vale (ENG)

14. Aurtis Whitley (9) San Juan Jabloteh

15. Marlon Rojas (8) Unattached

16. Brent Rahim (8) San Juan Jabloteh

17. Cornell Glen (7) Colorado Rapids (USA)

18. Anthony Rougier (6) United Petrotrin

19. Russell Latapy (6) Falkirk (SCO)

20. Ian Cox (6) Gillingham (ENG)

… Trinidad and Tobago is the smallest country ever to take part in the World Cup finals.

… Trinidad and Tobago lost 5-0 in a friendly against Sweden in 1983 and drew twice with Paraguay in 1989 (2-2 and 1-1). The Central Americans have never come up against England.

… Of the current squad, Marvin Andrews is the player with the most World Cup qualifying competition appearances for

his country. Andrews has played in 38 matches, followed by Russell Latapy (36) and Dwight Yorke (35).

… Coach Leo Beenhakker is leading a team at the World Cup for the second time, having been in charge of the Nether-lands in 1990. His 16-year break from the World Cup is the second longest in history after Brazil’s Mario Zagallo, who coached Brazil in 1974 and again in 1998.

Stern John (left) and Dennis Lawrence, who scored against Bahrain.

GROUP B: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Dom. Republic v. Trinidad & Tobago 0-2Trinidad & Tobago v. Dom. Republic 4-0St Vincent & Grenadines v. Trinidad & Tobago 0-2St Kitts & Nevis v. Trinidad & Tobago 1-2Trinidad & Tobago v. Mexico 1-3Trinidad & Tobago v. St Kitts & Nevis 5-1Mexico v. Trinidad & Tobago 3-0Trinidad & Tobago v. St Vincent & Gr. 2-1Trinidad & Tobago v. USA 1-2Guatemala v. Trinidad & Tobago 5-1Trinidad & Tobago v. Costa Rica 0-0Trinidad & Tobago v. Panama 2-0Mexico v. Trinidad & Tobago 2-0USA v. Trinidad & Tobago 1-0Trinidad & Tobago v. Guatemala 3-2Costa Rica v. Trinidad & Tobago 2-0Panama v. Trinidad & Tobago 0-1Trinidad & Tobago v. Mexico 2-1

Play-off:Trinidad & Tobago v. Bahrain 1-1Bahrain v. Trinidad & Tobago 0-1

Top scorer:Stern John, 12

-

Most World Cup matches: -

Top World Cup scorer: -

All-time World Cup ranking: -

Trinidad & Tobago

Area: 5,128 km2

Population: 1.3 millionCapital: Port of Spain (50,000)Association: Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF)Website: www.socawarriorstt.comFounded: 1908FIFA member since: 1963Number of players: 27,692Number of clubs: 135Number of teams: 963

Leo Beenhakker (63/Dutch/since 2005)A character and a celebrity. He has coached famous teams such as Feyenoord, Ajax and Real Madrid and has also worked in Switzer-land, Mexico and Turkey. He has coached the Netherlands (1985 and 1990) and Saudi Arabia (1993–1994). Beenhakker places great importance on attractive, attacking football.

Dwight Yorke (34/striker/Sydney FC)Once hailed as one of the world’s best strikers, he won the UEFA Champions League and two league titles with Manchester United. Between 1989 and 2005, Yorke played only for English clubs (Aston Villa, Manchester United, Birmingham City and Black-burn Rovers). He has sincewon the Australian league with Sydney, and in his team’s crucial 1-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners, he provided the assist for the only goal, thus under-lining his importance for the team.

”We are,” says Leo Beenhakker, “number

32 of the 32 participating teams.” Th e

Dutch coach of Trinidad and Tobago has

not lost his sense of reality, even though

he has been almost overwhelmed by

a huge wave of enthusiasm in recent

weeks and months.

Did you know?




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Larsson Ibrahimovic

LjungbergSvensson

Linderoth

Wilhelmsson

Edman Lucic Mellberg Ostlund

Isaksson

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



Dream strike force

Nordic teams have a reputation for

playing a disciplined, tactically minded

game. Yet the team that Sweden will send

to the World Cup in Germany prefers a

more spectacular brand of football.

Sweden’s attack is led by the

indefatigable Henrik Larsson. Now 34

and a valuable substitute for Barcelona

in the season just ended, Larsson will

see his career out at hometown club

Helsingborgs after the World Cup.

Larsson is an integrator, a battler with

good technique and a keen eye for

goal. Alongside him, the player who

most warrants attention is Zlatan

Ibrahimovic. Th e Juventus star is one of

the most complete strikers in the world

and almost impossible to keep quiet

for a full ninety minutes. Yet Sweden

have other aces in their squad with the

ability to do well in Germany. Freddie

Ljungberg and Christian Wilhelmsson

are fearsome midfi elders who constantly

pop up in attack and chip in with goals.

Ljungberg scored seven times during

qualifi cation, Wilhelmsson twice. Two

younger players have also forced their

way into the squad. Kim Kallstrom is

an exceptionally talented playmaker, as

fans of his club Rennes will testify, and

Johan Elmander can play in attack or just

behind the strikers. With his potential,

he looks sure to claim a regular berth in

the Sweden team in the not too distant

future. In defence, Sweden coach Lars

Lagerback relies on experience. Olof

Mellberg pulls the strings at the back,

a role he also assumes for Aston Villa

in the Premier League. Left back Erik

Edman used to be on the books of

Tottenham Hotspur before switching

to Rennes, where a third Swedish

international, goalkeeper Andreas

Isaksson, plies his trade. Isaksson was

the third-choice goalkeeper at Juventus,

but is now one of the best in the world

in his position. He shot to prominence

on the back of some outstanding

displays at EURO 2004 in Portugal. If

he can repeat this level of performance

in Germany, Sweden will be capable of

doing very well.

1. Teddy Lucic (10 matches) Hacken

2. Tobias Linderoth (10) FC Copenhagen (DEN)

3. Olof Mellberg (10) Aston Villa (ENG)

4. Freddie Ljungberg (10) Arsenal (ENG)

5. Andreas Isaksson (10) Rennes (FRA)

6. Christian Wilhelmsson (10) Anderlecht (BEL)

7. Alexander Ostlund (9) Southampton (ENG)

8. Henrik Larsson (8) Barcelona (ESP)

9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (8) Juventus (ITA)

10. Anders Svensson (8) Elfsborg

11. Niclas Alexandersson (8) IFK Gothenburg

12. Erik Edman (7) Rennes (FRA)

13. Marcus Allback (7) FC Copenhagen (DEN)

14. Mattias Jonson (6) Djurgardens

15. Kim Kallstrom (5) Rennes (FRA)

16. Mikael Nilsson (3) Halmstads

17. Johan Elmander (2) Brondby (DEN)

18. Christoffer Andersson (1) Lillestram

19. Petter Hansson (1) Heerenveen (NED)

20. Magnus Hedman (1) Celtic (SCO)

… Sweden have not won any of their ope-ning matches since the 1958 World Cup on home soil.

… In finding the net eight times in qualifying, Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalled Henrik Larsson’s goalscoring record, which was set ahead of the 2002 World Cup.

… Sweden were the fairest European team during the qualifying competition. The

Scandinavians collected eleven cautions and no sendings-off.

… Sweden v. Brazil is the most frequent World Cup pairing to date. The South Americans have won five of the seven encounters, with the other two ending in draws.

… Sweden have faced South American opposition at least once at each of the ten World Cups they have contested.

GROUP B: SWEDEN

Scored seven times in the World Cup qualifi ers: Freddie Ljungberg.Lars Lagerback (57/Swedish/since 1997)Former assistant to head coach Tommy Soderberg. From 2000 they shared joint coaching responsibility and managed the team at both the 2002 World Cup and EURO 2004. Soderberg resigned after the European Champi-onship and Lagerback has been in sole charge ever since. He puts his faith in continuity and a core of experienced players. His matter-of-fact approach makes him popular with his team.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (24/striker/Juventus)The son of Bosnian immigrants does the unexpected both on and off the pitch, a virtuoso player who is prone to the occasional lack of control. Real Madrid were reputed to have offered EUR 70 million for the lanky striker a few months ago, though he remains very much a part of Juventus’ plans. In the season just ended, Ibrahimovic shone not only as a goalscorer, but also as a creator.

Malta v. Sweden 0-7Sweden v. Croatia 0-1Sweden v. Hungary 3-0Iceland v. Sweden 1-4Bulgaria v. Sweden 0-3Sweden v. Malta 6-0Sweden v. Bulgaria 3-0Hungary v. Sweden 0-1Croatia v. Sweden 1-0Sweden v. Iceland 3-1

Top scorer:Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 8

1934 Italy 8th

1938 France 4th

1950 Brazil 3rd

1958 Sweden 2nd

1970 Mexico 9th

1974 Germany 5th

1978 Argentina 13th

1990 Italy 21st

1994 USA 3rd


Most World Cup matches:Bo Larsson, 11 (1970, 1974, 1978)

Top World Cup scorer:Kennet Andersson, 5 (1994)


(42 matches, 15 wins, 11 draws,16 defeats, 71 goals for, 65 goals against)

Area: 449,964 km2

Population: 8.96 millionCapital: Stockholm (765,000)Association: Svenska Fotbollforbundet (SVFF)Website: www.svenskfotboll.seFounded: 1904FIFA member since: 1904Number of players: 576,000Number of clubs: 3,228Number of teams: 25,000

Sweden

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GROUP C: ARGENTINA

Defence is the worry

Argentine football fans are known for

their high expectations. For them it is

not enough for the team to win, it has

to be done profi ciently – and they want

superb moves and great goals to cheer. In

qualifying for Germany, Argentina did

not give their fans cause to do so very

often. Although the two-time World

Cup winners secured their berth in the

fi nals early on, only in the 3-1 home win

over arch-rivals Brazil did they excel.

Supporters and journalists criticise

coach Jose Pekerman for putting his

players in a tactical straitjacket, allowing

them hardly any (attacking) freedom on

the pitch, even though he has a host of

highly gifted players at his disposal. Juan

Roman Riquelme, Pablo Aimar, Lionel

Messi, Esteban Cambiasso and Carlos

Tevez are all names to savour if you are

a lover of artistic football. Th en there

is Hernan Crespo, Argentina’s leading

scorer during the qualifying competition.

And Javier Zanetti and Kily Gonzalez

and Javier Saviola and many others.

Stars as far as the eye can see. Yet this

is precisely the problem, or rather the

task facing Pekerman. From all these

outstanding individual talents, he has to

form an homogenous team by June. At

the 2002 World Cup, Argentina learnt

the painful lesson that great individual

players alone are no guarantee of success

– they were eliminated at the group

stage.

Experts agree, however, that

Pekerman will succeed in constructing

an outstanding team for Germany that

will even have a chance of lifting the

trophy. Th ere is certainly no lack of

quality, although they may be short on

outstanding defenders. Argentina do

have Roberto Ayala, Gabriel Heinze and

Javier Mascherano in their ranks, but

they have been plagued by injury for

quite some time and lack match practice.

Will they be on top of their game in

time for the World Cup? A question that

applies equally to goalkeeper Roberto

Abbondanzieri, who has committed

several blunders in recent months.

Th e entire nation lives in hope, for no

“Gaucho” wants to experience a repeat

of four years ago, although one of twenty

years ago, when Argentina won the

World Cup, would be nice.

… Seventeen of the players who featured in the qualifying competition for the 2006 World Cup won the World Youth Champi-onship under Jose Pekerman’s stewardship (Sorin in 1995; Aimar, Cambiasso, Cufre, Franco, Placente, Riquelme, Samuel and Scaloni in 1997; Burdisso, Coloccini, D’Alessandro, Medina, Ponzio, Rodriguez, Rosales and Saviola in 2001).

… Apart from 1930 (and 1978 and 1986, when they won the World Cup), Argen-tina have always been knocked out of the tournament by European opponents.

… When the tournament kicks off, Peker-man will be the oldest coach ever to have managed Argentina at the World Cup. On 9 June, he will be 56 years and 279 days old. The previous record was set by Guillermo Stabile in 1958 (52 years, 149 days).

… No Argentine player has contested more World Cup qualifying matches than Roberto Ayala. The Valencia defender now has 40 games under his belt and thus holds a clear lead over previous record holder Diego Simeone (33).

Often only to be stopped by fouls: Juan Roman Riquelme.

1. Juan Pablo Sorin (13 matches) Villarreal (ESP)

2. Javier Zanetti (12) Inter Milan (ITA)

3. Luis Gonzalez (12) Porto (POR)

4. Roberto Abbondanzieri (11) Boca Juniors

5. Roberto Ayala (11) Valencia (ESP)

6. Hernan Crespo (11) Chelsea (ENG)

7. Cristian Gonzalez (11) Inter Milan (ITA)

8. Gabriel Heinze (10) Manchester United (ENG)

9. Cesar Delgado (10) Cruz Azul (MEX)

10. Javier Saviola (10) Sevilla (ESP)

11. Walter Samuel (9) Inter Milan (ITA)

12. Juan Roman Riquelme (9) Villarreal (ESP)

13. Andres D’Alessandro (9) Portsmouth (ENG)

14. Esteban Cambiasso (8) Inter Milan (ITA)

15. Pablo Aimar (8) Valencia (ESP)

16. Carlos Tevez (8) Corinthians (BRA)

17. Fabricio Coloccini 7) Deportivo La Coruna (ESP)

18. Javier Mascherano (7) Corinthians (BRA)

19. Pablo Cavallero (6) Levante (ESP)

20. Gabriel Milito (5) Real Zaragoza (ESP)

Jose Pekerman(56/Argentine/since 2004)Possibly the best youth coach ever, having won the FIFA youth World Championship three times. A host of talent has graduated from his academy to become leading stars (Riquelme, Saviola, Aimar, Tevez etc.). Pekerman also played the game professionally. After ending his career, he earned a living as a taxi driver for a time.

Juan Roman Riquelme(27/midfi elder/Villarreal)Won everything there is to win with Boca Juniors, Argentina’s most popular club. After a disappointing spell at Bar-celona he joined Villarreal, where he is the undisputed number one. Majestic on the ball and brimming with ideas, he has made the playmaker’s position his own and is a feared dead-ball specialist. A member of the U-20 side that won the World Championship in 1997.

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

Top scorer:Hernan Crespo, 7

1930 Uruguay 2nd

1934 Italy 9th


1962 Chile 10th 1966 England 5th

1974 Germany FR 8th

1978 Argentina 1st

1982 Spain 11th

1986 Mexico 1st

1990 Italy 2nd

1994 USA 10th

1998 France 6th


Most World Cup matches:Diego Maradona, 21 (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)

Top World Cup scorer:Gabriel Batistuta, 10 (1994, 1998, 2002)

All-time World Cup ranking:4th (60 matches, 30 wins, 11 draws, 19 defeats, 102 goals for, 71 goals against).

Argentina

Area: 2,780,403 km²Population: 36.8 millionCapital: Buenos Aires (2.8 million)Association: Asociacion del Futbol Argentino (AFA)Founded: 1893FIFA member since: 1912Website: www.afa.org.arNumber of players: 1,505,500Number of clubs: 3,000Number of teams: 17,800

Did you know?



Crespo Tevez

L. Gonzalez Cambiasso Riquelme Messi

Sorin Coloccini Ayala Zanetti

Abbondanzieri


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THE 32 TEAMS

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Likely line-up



GROUP C: COTE D’IVOIRE

The efficiency of Drogba and Dindane

Stade Omnisport in Yaounde, 8 October

2005. Th e World Cup qualifi er between

Cameroon and Egypt is in stoppage

time. It is 1-1 and there are just seconds

left to play. Cameroon have to win if

they are to reach the 2006 World Cup.

Pierre Wome has the chance to become

a national hero, as it is he who will

take his side’s penalty. Th e defender

runs up, shoots – and the ball clips the

outside of the post. Suddenly the game

is over – the Indomitable Lions are not

going to Germany! Th e Elephants are,

though, for Cameroon’s misfortune is

Cote d’Ivoire’s gain. Th e team coached

by Frenchman Henri Michel has

qualifi ed for the World Cup at the last

moment. Cote d’Ivoire’s fi rst ever World

Cup appearance is the reward for an

exemplary youth development scheme

that dates back to 1993 when Roger

Ouegnin, president of the country’s

most successful and most popular

club, ASEC Abidjan, opened a football

academy. Th e nation’s fi nest talent

have been given food, accommodation,

schooling and fi rst-class coaching there

ever since. Among the players to pass

through the talent factory are Kolo

Toure, Boubacar Barry, Didier Zokora,

Abdoulaye Djire, Gilles Yapi Yapo, Siaka

Tiene and Aruna Dindane. Today, all are

full internationals and on the books of

foreign clubs.

Not a single member of the Ivorian team

is under contract to a home-based team.

Th ese national heroes play in France, or

in England, Germany, Belgium, Greece,

Italy and the Netherlands, primarily

for well-known clubs. Th e Elephants

are on the march and could well cause

a surprise in Group C, where they face

Argentina, the Netherlands and Serbia

& Montenegro. Th e centrepiece of the

Cote d’Ivoire team, who went all the way

at this year’s African Nations Cup, only

to lose on penalties to hosts Egypt, is

without doubt the attack. Didier Drogba

and Aruna Dindane scored 16 of the 20

goals in qualifying. But the defence is also

capable of standing up to any opposition,

containing as it does two players who are

highly regarded at Arsenal, Kolo Toure

and Emmanuel Eboue.

… Cote d’Ivoire have played in the finals of a FIFA competition on eight occasions: once at the Confederations Cup (1992), twice at the U-17 World Championship (1987, 2005) and five times at the U-20 World Championship (1977, 1983, 1991, 1997, 2003).

… Two players accounted for 16 of the 20 goals scored by Cote d’Ivoire in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. Didier Drogba found the net nine times, strike partner Arune Dindane seven.

… Five of the seven goals Cote d’Ivoire conceded in the qualifying competition came against Cameroon. The World Cup debutants lost 2-0 away and 3-2 at home. It was the first time Cote d’Ivoire had let in three goals at home in a World Cup qualifier.

… Ibrahima Bakayoko is Cote d’Ivoire‘s lea-ding scorer in World Cup qualifying mat-ches. The striker hit the net eleven times ahead of the 2002 tournament, but it was still not enough to see his side through to the finals in Korea and Japan.

Aruna Dindane surges past two Italian opponents.

Henri Michel(58/French/since 2004)Played 58 times for France and later became coach (1986 World Cup). He managed Cameroon at the 1994 World Cup as well as Morocco in 1998. With Raja Casablanca, Michel won the prestigious CAF Cup in 2003. Knows the African game inside out.

Didier Drogba(28/striker/Chelsea)Moved to Chelsea from Olympique Marseille for EUR 35.5 million in 2004 and was a pillar of their 2004-2005 championship-winning side. Drogba is strong in the air, a prolifi c goalscorer, the superstar of the Cote d’Ivoire team and a national hero. The best player the country has ever produced.

Cote d’Ivoire v. Libya 2-0Egypt v. Cote d’Ivoire 1-2Cameroon v. Cote d’Ivoire 2-0Cote d’Ivoire v. Sudan 5-0Benin v. Cote d’Ivoire 0-1Cote d’Ivoire v. Benin 3-0Libya v. Cote d’Ivoire 0-0Cote d’Ivoire v. Egypt 2-0Cote d’Ivoire v. Cameroon 2-3Sudan v. Cote d’Ivoire 1-3

Top scorer:Didier Drogba, 9

-

Most World Cup matches:-

Top World Cup scorer:-

All-time World Cup ranking:-

Cote d‘Ivoire

Area: 322,462 km²Population: 16.8 millionCapital: Abidjan (2.9 million)Association: Federation Ivoirienne de Football (FIF)Founded: 1960FIFA member since: 1961Website: www.fi f.ciNumber of players: 96,000Number of clubs: 200Number of teams: 1,200

1. Aruna Dindane (10 matches) Lens (FRA)

2. Abib Kolo Toure (10) Arsenal (ENG)

3. Didier Zokora (9) St. Etienne (FRA)

4. Cyrille Domoraud (9) Creteil (FRA)

5. Bonaventure Kalou (9) Paris St Germain (FRA)

6. Didier Drogba (9) Chelsea (ENG)

7. Tchiressoa Guel (9) Lorient (FRA)

8. Jean-Jacques Tizie (8) Esperance (TUN)

9. Arthur Boka (7) Racing Strasbourg (FRA)

10. Abdoulaye Meite (7) Olympique Marseille (FRA)

11. Gilles Yapi (6) Young Boys (SUI)

12. Blaise Kouassi (5) Troyes (FRA)

13. Siaka Tiene (5) St. Etienne (FRA)

14. Bakary Kone (5) Nice (FRA)

15. Marc Zoro (4) Messina (ITA)

16. Kanga Akale (4) Auxerre (FRA)

17. Arouna Kone (4) PSV Eindhoven (NED)

18. Serge Die (3) Kayseri Erciyesspor (TUR)

19. Guy Demel (3) Hamburg (GER)

20. Emerse Fae (3) Nantes (FRA)

Did you know?



Drogba Dindane

Y. Toure

A. Kone Zokora

Fae

Kouassi K. Toure Eboue Boka

Tizie


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Zigic Kezman

Stankovic

Koroman Duljaj

Djordjevic

GavrancicKrstajicVidicDragutinovic

Jevric

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



GROUP C: SERBIA & MONTENEGRO

Ilija Petkovic(60/Serbian/since 2003)Replaced former star player Dejan Savicevic three years ago and went on to secure qualification for the World Cup in Germany without a defeat. This is the second time the former international has been coach of his home country, having previously coached Troyes (France) and Servette (Switzerland).

Mateja Kezman(26/striker/Atletico Madrid)Kezman achieved his international breakthrough with PSV Eindhoven and moved to Chelsea in 2004. He was not a regular starter in England, though, and so moved to Atletico Madrid in Spain last year. Kezman is a quick and tricky player, but has yet to fully exploit his potential.

What isa defeat?

Serbia and Montenegro fans have

almost forgotten what it feels like to

lose a match. Th e side they call Plavi

(the Blues) last lost in June 2003.

Th at defeat against Azerbaijan in a

EURO 2004 qualifi er cost coach Dejan

Savicevic his job. Ilija Petkovic, another

former international, took over and

steered the team into calmer waters.

Under Petkovic’s stewardship, Serbia

and Montenegro, who as Yugoslavia

made numerous positive headlines in

international football up to 2003, have

yet to taste defeat in a competitive

match. En route to the World Cup in

Germany, they won six of their eight

games and conceded only one goal. “Th e

secret of our success is the harmony

in the team,” says Petkovic. Th e coach

can be particularly proud of a defence

in which goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevric

and captain Mladen Krstajic stand out.

Th e Serbia and Montenegro rearguard

has been among the best in Europe for

some time now. A number of leading

teams can vouch for that, having found

them an extremely tough nut to crack.

But Argentina, the Netherlands and

Cote d’Ivoire will not just be up against

a side that defends well, as Serbia and

Montenegro traditionally play an

elegant, attacking style of football. And

in Dejan Stankovic, Savo Milosevic,

Ognjen Koroman and Mateja Kezman,

for example, Petkovic has the right

players for the job. Th e Serbia and

Montenegro fans will expect a great deal

of their team at the World Cup, even

though they have been drawn against

tough opponents in Group C. Petkovic

is trying to dampen the euphoria that

is sweeping the country and the high

expectations of the fans: “We’ve got

a great team, but there’s still a lot of

work ahead of us before the start of the

World Cup. We can’t aff ord to rest on

the laurels of the good results during

qualifying – that would be fatal.” If they

do, Serbia and Montenegro may soon

fi nd out again what is like to lose.

Ognjen Koroman (left) wins the ball against Tunisia’s Ziad Jaziri.

… Raul was the only player to score against Serbia and Montenegro in the qualifying competition for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. The Spain striker found the target in the 1-1 draw in Belgrade on 7 Septem-ber 2005.

… Savo Milosevic and Dejan Stankovic are the only players in the current Serbia and Montenegro squad who represented Yugoslavia at the 1998 World Cup. Milose-vic featured in two matches at the tourna-ment in France, Stankovic in three.

… Coach Ilija Petkovic took part in two major competitions as a player. In 1968 he was in the Yugoslavia team that reached the final of the European Championship, and in 1974 he played in the World Cup finals in West Germany, scoring one of the goals in a 9-0 win over Zaire during the group stage.

… Zvonimir Vukic scored the very first World Cup qualifying goal for Serbia and Mon-tenegro in the fourth minute of a 3-0 win over San Marino on 4 September 2004.

1. Goran Gavrancic (10) Dynamo Kiev (UKR)

2. Dragoslav Jevric (10) Ankaraspor (TUR)

3. Mladen Krstajic (9) Schalke (GER)

4. Dejan Stankovic (9) Inter Milan (ITA)

5. Ognjen Koroman (9) Portsmouth (ENG)

6. Igor Duljaj (9) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

7. Nemanja Vidic (8) Manchester United

(ENG)

8. Ivica Dragutinovic (8) Sevilla (ESP)

9. Zvonimir Vukic (8) Partizan Belgrade

10. Mateja Kezman (7) Atletico Madrid (ESP)

11. Savo Milosevic (7) Osasuna (ESP)

12. Predrag Djordjevic (6) Olympiakos (GRE)

13. Dragan Mladenovic (5) Red Star Belgrade

14. Danijel Ljuboja (4) Stuttgart (GER)

15. Nikola Zigic (4) Red Star Belgrade

16. Sasa Ilic (4) Galatasaray (TUR)

17. Marjan Markovic (3) Dynamo Kiev (UKR)

18. Nenad Jestrovic (3) Al Ain (UAE)

19. Nenad Brnovic (3) Partizan Belgrade

20. Albert Nadj (2) Partizan Belgrade

San Marino v. Serbia & Montenegro 0-3Bosnia & Herzegovina v. Serbia & Montenegro 0-0Serbia & Montenegro v. San Marino 5-0Belgium v. Serbia and Montenegro 0-2Serbia & Montenegro v. Spain 0-0Serbia & Montenegro v. Belgium 0-0Serbia & Montenegro v. Lithuania 2-0Spain v. Serbia & Montenegro 1-1Lithuania v. Serbia & Montenegro 0-2Serbia & Montenegro v. Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0

Top scorer:Mateja Kezman, 5

1930 Uruguay 4th

1950 Brazil 5th


1958 Sweden 5th

1962 Chile 4th

1974 Germany 7th

1982 Spain 16th

1990 Italy 5th

1998 France 10th

Most World Cup matches:Dragan Stojkovic (1990, 1998), Ivica Surjak (1974, 1982), Dragoslav Sekularac (1958, 1962), 9 each

Top World Cup scorer:Drazen Jerkovic, 4 (1962)

All-time World Cup ranking:11th (37 matches, 16 wins, 8 draws, 13 defeats, 60 goals for, 46 goals against).

Serbia & Montenegro

Area: 102,173 km²Population: 8.1 millionCapital: Belgrade (1.3 million)Association: Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro (FSSCG)Founded: 1919FIFA member since: 1919Website: www.fsj.co.yuNumber of players: 473,500Number of clubs: 2,800Number of teams: 7,500

Did you know?


Previous World Cup appearances(as Yougoslavia)


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Van Nistelrooy RobbenKuyt

Van der Vaart Cocu Van Bommel

KromkampBoulahrouzOpdamVan Bronckhorst

Van der Sar

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



GROUP C: NETHERLANDS

Van Basten wants the trophy

Marco van Basten was once one of the

world’s best strikers. He won practically

everything there is to win in the game

– except the World Cup. Now coach

of the Netherlands, he is out to fi ll the

gap in his medal collection in Germany:

“We’re going to the World Cup with the

aim of lifting the trophy”.

Van Basten’s statement has nothing to

do with overestimating his own ability,

even though you have to go back quite

some time to fi nd the best years of the

Dutch national team – World Cup

fi nalists in 1974 and 1978 – and even

though they failed to reach the fi nals in

2002 and were eliminated from EURO

2004 at the semi-fi nal stage. Van Basten

is full of confi dence and belief. And he

has every reason to be so. After all, the

team he inherited from Dick Advocaat

after EURO 2004 dominated their

qualifying group more or less at will.

Even renowned opposition such as the

Czech Republic and Romania were

left trailing in the wake of their Dutch

counterparts, who at times played with

unreserved abandon. Ten wins and two

draws in twelve matches and a goal

diff erence of 27-3 is a clear indication

of the superiority of the 1988 European

champions.

Under Van Basten’s reign the Dutch

have played an attractive, attacking brand

of football. Th ey have an outstanding

squad blessed with an abundance of

technical ability, tactical awareness and

intelligence. Van Basten appears to have

found the ideal mix of experienced

players who are capable of maintaining

their composure under pressure and

carefree young talent who breathe new

life into the team.

Th e Netherlands may have been drawn

with Argentina, Serbia and Montenegro

and Cote d’Ivoire in the “group of

death”, but the Dutch coach does not

feel it is a disadvantage: “I’m not worried

about having to play three technically

strong attacking sides to begin with. At

least we know what we’re up against.”

Th e thought of stumbling at one of these

considerable obstacles does not even

enter Van Basten’s mind. Even bumpy

roads will lead you to your goal, which

for the Netherlands is Berlin, the venue

for the World Cup fi nal on 9 July.

1. Edwin van der Sar (12 mat.) Manchester United (ENG)

2. Dirk Kuyt (11) Feyenoord

3. Ruud van Nistelrooy (10) Manchester United (ENG)

4. Giovanni v. Bronckhorst (10) Barcelona (ESP)

5. Denny Landzaat (10) AZ Alkmaar

6. Rafael van der Vaart (9) Hamburg (GER)

7. Phillip Cocu (8) PSV Eindhoven

8. Khalid Boulahrouz (7) Hamburg (GER)

9. Wesley Sneijder (7) Ajax

10. Nigel de Jong (7) Hamburg (GER)

11. Hedwiges Maduro (7) Ajax

12. Barry Opdam (6) AZ Alkmaar

13. Arjen Robben (6) Chelsea (ENG)

14. Marc van Bommel (6) Barcelona (ESP)

15. Robin van Persie (6) Arsenal (ENG)

16. Romeo Castelen (5) Feyenoord

17. John Heitinga (4) Ajax

18. Jan Kromkamp (4) Liverpool (ENG)

19. Edgar Davids (4) Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)

20. Roy Makaay (4) Bayern Munich (GER)

Will Dirk Kuyt have cause for celebration at

the World Cup in Germany?

… The Netherlands became the first nation to lose two consecutive World Cup finals, losing 2-1 to hosts West Germany in 1974 and 3-1 after extra-time to hosts Argentina in 1978. West Germany also lost two consecutive World Cup finals, in 1982 (against Italy) and 1986 (against Argentina).

… The Netherlands did not concede a goal in nine of their qualifying matches. Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar remained unbeaten for a total of 887 minutes.

… The Netherlands were eliminated by Brazil in each of their last two World Cup appearances, going down 3-2 in the quarter-final in 1994 and losing on penalties in the 1998 semi-final.

… Marco van Basten never scored at the World Cup. The former world-class striker bagged 24 goals for the Netherlands in World Cup qualifiers, but none in the finals. Van Basten made a total of five World Cup appearances, all in Italy in 1990.

Marco van Basten(41/Dutch/since 2004)One of the best strikers the world has ever seen. Won the European Cham-pionship once and the European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League) three times. The former AC Milan and Ajax striker is in his fi rst job as head coach, having previously been assistant youth-team coach. Van Basten favours an attacking style of football.

Ruud van Nistelrooy(29/striker/Manchester United)A guaranteed scorer of goals, many of them outstanding. A spectacular and very effi cient striker. Unpredictable, with practically no weaknesses. Van Nistelrooy has played at the top level for Manchester United and the nati-onal team for many years. He is very popular with fans not only because of his many goals, but also because of his natural personality.

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

Top scorer:Ruud van Nistelrooy, 7

1934 Italy 9th

1938 France 14th

1974 Germany 2nd

1978 Argentina 2nd

1990 Italy 15th

1994 USA 7th

1998 France 4th

Most World Cup matches:Ruud Krol (1974, 1978), Wim Jansen (1974, 1978), Johnny Rep (1974, 1978), 14 each

Top World Cup scorer:Jonny Rep, 7 (1974, 1978)



Netherlands

Area: 41,526 km²Population: 16.2 millionCapital: Amsterdam (737,000)Association: Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (KNVB)Founded: 1889FIFA member since: 1904Website: www.knvb.nlNumber of players: 1,260,900Number of clubs: 4,100Number of teams: 58,900

Did you know?




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THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



GROUP D: MEXICO

The eternal “dark horses”

Mexico are always the “dark horses” at

the World Cup, but their chances of

living up to their fans’ expectations have

rarely been this good. Coach Ricardo

La Volpe has put together a solid team

made up largely of players who have

been together for years. At last year’s

FIFA Confederations Cup, Mexico

fi nished fourth after some quite inspiring

performances, and they strolled through

qualifying in the CONCACAF zone

with their customary air of confi dence

to reach the World Cup fi nals for the

13th time.

Mexico’s strengths lie partly in their

tactical discipline. Each player knows

exactly what he has to do on the pitch,

playing his part in both attack and

defence. Added to this is the individual

class of some members of the squad.

Jared Borgetti is one of the most effi cient

goalscorers around, and Rafael Marquez is

a central defender of outstanding ability.

Attacking midfi elder Jaime Lozano is

always a threat from freekicks and the

experienced Cuauhtemoc Blanco, a

crafty and gifted striker, is the ideal

player to have in reserve. Th e attacking

department is headed by playmaker

Zinha, who was born in Brazil and later

became a Mexican citizen.

So what can prevent Mexico from

doing well in Germany? Possibly the

high expectations of the media or the

constant harping of former players such

as Hugo Sanchez, who never misses

an opportunity to criticise La Volpe in

public. Plus, at the Confederations Cup,

Germany had a clear physical edge over

the Mexicans during extratime in the

play-off for third place.

Most of the Mexican squad are on the

books of home-based clubs, where wages

are comparatively high. Only Borgetti,

who joined Bolton Wanderers in 2005,

and Marquez (Barcelona) play in Europe.

But La Volpe’s squad contains a number

of players who could play themselves

into the reckoning of European teams.

To do so, they will have to do well in

Germany.

Elegant: playmaker Zinha.

… Jared Borgetti (14 goals) was the leading scorer during qualifying. In the all-time ranking, he now holds third place behind Iran’s Daei (30) and Japan’s Miura (21).

… In 1986, Mexico became the first host nation to be knocked out of the World Cup finals without losing a game. They secured three wins and two draws before going out to West Germany after a penalty shootout in the quarter-final.

… Mexico and Portugal have played each other only once to date (in 1969). The match ended goalless.

… Mexico have come up against anAfrican team just once at the WorldCup. In Argentina in 1978, they lost 3-1to Tunisia and were thus involved in apiece of football history, as it was thefirst ever World Cup win by an African side.

1. Jared Borgetti (14 matches) Bolton Wanderers (ENG)

2. Oswaldo Sanchez (12) Guadalajara

3. Carlos Salcido (12) Guadalajara

4. Zinha (12) Toluca

5. Francisco Rodriguez (11) Guadalajara

6. Rafael Marquez (11) Barcelona (ESP)

7. Jose Fonseca (11) Cruz Azul

8. Jaime Lozano (11) Tigres

9. Luis Perez (11) Monterrey

10. Gonzalo Pineda (10) Pumas

11. Ricardo Osorio (8) Cruz Azul

12. Pavel Pardo (8) America

13. Alberto Medina (8) Guadalajara

14. Hector Altamirano (7) San Luis

15. Mario Mendez (7) Toluca

16. Ramon Morales (7) Tigres

17. Hugo Sanchez (6) Tigres

18. Salvador Carmona (5) Cruz Azul

19. Juan Pablo Rodríguez (5) UAG

20. Cuauhtemoc Blanco (5) America

Dominican Republic v. Mexico 0-10Mexico v. Dominican Republic 8-0Trinidad and Tobago v. Mexico 1-3Mexico v. St Vincent & Grenadines 7-0St Vincent & Grenadines v. Mexico 0-1Mexico v. Trinidad and Tobago 3-0St Kitts and Nevis v. Mexico 0-5Mexico v. St Kitts and Nevis 8-0Costa Rica v. Mexico 1-2Mexico v. USA 2-1Panama v. Mexico 1-1Guatemala v. Mexico 0-2Mexico v. Trinidad and Tobago 2-0Mexico v. Costa Rica 2-0USA v. Mexico 2-0Mexico v. Panama 5-0Mexico v. Guatemala 5-2Trinidad and Tobago v. Mexico 2-1

Top scorer:Jared Borgetti, 14

1930 Uruguay 13th

1950 Brazil 12th


1958 Sweden 16th

1962 Chile 11th

1966 England 12th

1970 Mexico 6th

1978 Argentina 16th

1986 Mexico 6th

1994 USA 13th

1998 France 13th


Most World Cup matches:Antonio Carbajal, 11 (1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966)

Top World Cup scorer: Luis Hernandez, 4 (1998)

All-time World Cup ranking: 13th (41 matches, 10 wins, 11 draws, 20 defeats, 43 goals for, 79 goals against).

MexicoArea: 1,953,162 km²Population: 102.3 millionCapital: Mexico City (8.7 million)Association: Federacion Mexicana de Futbol Asociacion, A.C. (FMF)Website: www.femexfut.org.mxFounded: 1927FIFA member since: 1929Number of players: 7.4 millionNumber of clubs: 1,493Number of teams: 20,000

Ricardo La Volpe (54/Argentinian/since 2002)Member of the Argentina squad that won the World Cup in 1978 – as third-choice goalkeeper. He is considered to be an advocate of attacking football and regularly uncovers new talent. He occasionally has diffi culty controlling his temper, though, which has caused him problems more than once. This is one reason why his position is constantly called into question by the Mexican media, despite his successful record.

Jared Borgetti (32/striker/Bolton Wanderers)The most prolif ic goalscorer in qualifying matches for the 2006 World Cup, fi nding the net 14 times. In 69 games for his country so far, he has scored 35 goals – a Mexican record. Borgetti is an agile striker with a knack for being in the right place at the right time and he is extremely strong in the air. His move to Europe came at a relatively late stage of his career, but he settled down surprisingly quickly at his new club, Bolton Wanderers.

Did you know?



O. Sanchez

Salcido F. Rodriguez Marquez Osorio

Perez

ZinhaPardo

Lozano

Fonseca Borgetti


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Daei Hashemian

Karimi

NekounamAlavi

Zandi

Rezaei Nosrati Golmohammadi Mahdavikia

Mirzapour

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



GROUP D: IRAN

Branko Ivankovic (51/Croatian/since 2001)When Croatia achieved a surprising third-place fi nish on their World Cup debut in 1998, Ivankovic was the assis-tant to head coach Miroslav Blazevic. He subsequently followed Blazevic to Iran before assuming sole responsibility for the national team in 2001. “I’ve been given enough time to teach the players my football philosophy,” is how he explains his success with Iran.

Ali Karimi (27/midfi elder/Bayern Munich)A quick and strong dribbler, Karimi has a huge repertoire of tricks and qualities as a playmaker and a goalscorer. The Asian footballer of the year in 2004 is not renowned for being overly keen on training, but this has not prevented him from making the breakthrough at Bayern Munich, even if he has not been a regular starter. Karimi suffered a ligament injury in March and has since missed several games.

Iran v. Qatar 3-1Laos v. Iran 0-7Iran v. Jordan 0-1Jordan v. Iran 0-2Qatar v. Iran 2-3Iran v. Laos 7-0Bahrain v. Iran 0-0Iran v. Japan 2-1Korea DPR v. Iran 0-2Iran v. Korea DPR 1-0Iran v. Bahrain 1-0Japan v. Iran 2-1

Top scorer:Ali Daei, 9

1978 Argentina 14th

1998 France 20th

Most World Cup matches:10 players with 3 matches each (1978 and 1998)

Top World Cup scorers:Hassan Rowshan and Iraj Danaifar (1978), Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia (1998), 1 each


(6 matches, 1 win, 1 draw,4 defeats, 4 goals for, 12 goals against).

Iran

Area: 1,648,000 km²Population: 66.4 millionCapital: Tehran (7 million)Association: IR Iran Football Federation (IRIFF)Website: www.iriff.irFounded: 1920FIFA member since: 1945Number of players: 797,800Number of clubs: 2,535Number of teams: 16,800

Underdogs in their adopted country

Iran will travel to Germany full of

confi dence. Branko Ivankovic’s team

proved extremely consistent during the

World Cup qualifi ers, losing only two

matches, and defeat in their fi nal game

in Japan had no bearing whatsoever on

their place in the fi nals.

Iran will be competing at the World

Cup fi nals for the third time, and this

year they have a good chance of playing

more than a minor role. In comparison

with Mexico and Portugal, they are, of

course, rank outsiders. But with the traits

inherent in Ivankovic’s team, Iran will be

dangerous opponents for their group

rivals. Th e defensive organiser in the team

is Javad Nekounam, who despite off ers

from England and Germany, still plays

in Asia. Th e host nation is the favourite

destination for Iranian players. Nimble

wing-back Mehdi Mahdavikia plays his

football for Hamburg, while midfi eld

strategist Ali Karimi is now with Bayern

Munich. Ferydoon Zandi, who grew

up in Germany, is at Kaiserslautern,

while aerial specialist and striker

Vahid Hashemian (“We have a lot to

thank Germany for”) leads the line for

Hannover 96. Moharram Navidkia

returned to his home country on loan

from Bochum in January to gain match

practice before the World Cup, and

robust striker Ali Daei, once again Iran’s

leading scorer in the qualifi ers, enjoyed

the best spell of his career with Bayern

Munich. All these players have been

able to gain valuable experience abroad

that is now benefi ting the national

team. But nobody can aff ord to rest on

the laurels of their previous exploits, as

a new generation of players is making

their presence felt.

Iran’s football is characterised by the

technical ability of the players and the

speed of their passing. Any shortcomings

are to be found on the physical side.

Daei is certainly not as strong as he

was a few years ago, but anyone who

underestimates them could be in for an

unpleasant surprise.

1. Hossein Kabei (12 matches) Al-Sadd Doha (QAT)

2. Javad Nekounam (12) Al-Sharjah (UAE)

3. Yahya Golmohammadi (11) Saba Batry Tehran

4. Ebrahim Mirzapour (11) Foolad Ahvaz

5. Ali Karimi (11) Bayern Munich (GER)

6. Mohammad Nosrati (11) Pas Tehran

7. Ali Daei (10) Saba Batry Tehran

8. Alireza Vahedi (9) Al-Wasl Dubai (UAE)

9. Mehdi Mahdavikia (8) Hamburg (GER)

10. Rahman Rezaei (8) Messina (ITA)

11. Vahid Hashemian (7) Hannover 96 (GER)

12. Seyed Alavi (6) Foulad Ahvaz

13. Ferydoon Zandi (5) Kaiserslautern (GER)

14. Moharram Navidkia (5) Sepahan Isfahan

15. Eman Mobali (5) Foolad Ahvaz

16. Arash Borhani (5) Pas Tehran

17. Ali Badavi (4) Foolad Ahvaz

18. Sattar Zare (4) Bargh Shiraz

19. Jalal Kameli (3) Foolad Ahvaz

20. Javad Kazemeyan (3) Pirouzi Tehran

… Three Iranian players who featured in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup finals were also in the squad at the 1998 World Cup in France: Ali Daei, Khodadad Azzizi and Mehdi Mahdavikia.

… Branko Ivankovic is the first foreign coach to lead Iran to the World Cup finals.

… Iran scored the most goals (29) in the Asian qualifying zone.

… The Iranian team has conceded at least one goal in each of its six World Cup matches to date.

… Iran have never played Angola and they lost 3-0 to Portugal in 1972 in the only match between the teams so far. In 2000, Iran went down 2-1 in a friendly against Mexico, with Daei scoring their only goal.

Hashemian, Nekounam and Zandi celebrate a goal for Iran.

Did you know?




magazine

9191

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



Highlight on 11 June

Luis De Oliveira Goncalves is now so

popular in Angola that supporters of

the national team are demanding the

coach be given the job for life. Ever

since Angola overcame Rwanda 1-0 in

the fi nal qualifying match to reach the

World Cup fi nals for the fi rst time in

their history, a massive wave of euphoria

has been sweeping the west African

country.

De Oliveira Goncalves is all too

familiar with the limited opportunities

available to the Angolan FA, having

worked as a youth-team coach before

being given the senior job. On his

promotion, he set about searching

Portugal for young, talented players

with Angolan roots. In March 2006,

for example, he managed to persuade

Pedro Emanuel to commit to the Black

Antelopes. Emanuel is a regular fi xture

in the centre of the Porto defence and

a welcome boost for the World Cup

debutants.

For Angola, the highlight of the

tournament in Germany will doubtless

arrive on 11 June when they take on

Portugal in Cologne. Th eir hopes of

causing a sensation (a draw would suffi ce)

will rest largely on a solid defence and the

ability of their strike pairing, Akwa and

Mantorras. Th e latter plays for Benfi ca,

and although he is not a major star, he

does make regular appearances for the

famous Portuguese club.

Angola may be rank outsiders in

Germany, but no one gave them a

chance of qualifying either. In the end,

they fi nished ahead of Nigeria, taking

four points from their two clashes

with their more illustrious opponents.

Nevertheless, they will have to play well

above themselves to avoid elimination at

the end of the group stage.

De Oliveira Goncalves will be without

the player he relied on most during

qualifying, though, as Yamba Asha failed

a drugs test in October 2005 and was

handed a worldwide ban by FIFA that

will be in place until 8 August 2006.

1. Yamba Asha (12 mat.) AS Aviacao

2. Andre (11) Al-Kuwait (KUW)

3. Gilberto (11) Al Ahly (EGY)

4. Jamba (10) AS Aviacao

5. Joao Pereira (10) Moreirense (POR)

6. Figueiredo (10) SC Varzim (POR)

7. Kali (9) FC Barreirense (POR)

8. Flavio (9) Al Ahly (EGY)

9. Akwa (8) Al-Wakra (QAT)

10. Maurito (8) Al-Wahda (UAE)

11. Love (8) AS Aviacao

12. Ze Kalanga (8) Petro Atletico

13. Jacinto (7) AS Aviacao

14. Freddy (7) Moreirense (POR)

15. Mendonca (6) SC Varzim

16. Mauro (4) Estrela Amadora (POR)

17. Lebo Lebo (3) Sagrada Esperanca

18. Loco (3) Benfi ca Luanda

19. Mantorras (3) Benfi ca (POR)

20. Lopes (3) Petro Atletico

GROUP D: ANGOLA

Chad v. Angola 3-1Angola v. Chad 2-0Algeria v. Angola 0-0Angola v. Nigeria 1-0Gabon v. Angola 2-2Angola v. Rwanda 1-0Angola v. Zimbabwe 1-0Zimbabwe v. Angola 2-0Angola v. Algeria 2-1Nigeria v. Angola 1-1Angola v. Gabon 3-0Rwanda v. Angola 0-1

Top scorer:Fabrice Akwa, 5

-

Most World Cup matches:-

Top World Cup scorer:-

All-time World Cup ranking:-

Angola

Area: 1,246,700 km²Population: 13.5 millionCapital: Luanda (2.7 million)Association: Federacao Angolana de Futebol (F.A.F.)Website: www.fafutebol.comFounded: 1979FIFA member since: 1980Number of players: 43,000Number of clubs: 100Number of teams: 500

Luis De Oliveira Goncalves(48/Angolan/since 2003)Previously coached the AngolanU-20 team, with whom he reachedthe round of 16 at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina in 2001. “Angola is not a third-world country in footballing terms,” saysDe Oliveira Goncalves, who prefers a more defensive, well-organised brand of football. His system does notfeature a genuine attacking midfi eld general.

Fabrice Akwa(28/striker/Al-Wakra)The Angolan captain signed for Ben-fi ca as a junior but failed to make the breakthrough in Portugal. In 1998, he moved to Qatar and has been one of the most prolifi c goalscorers there ever since. Akwa scored fi ve times in the qualifying competition, including the all-important goal that secured a 1-0 victory over Rwanda in the fi nal game. Akwa was a youth player under Angola coach Luis De Oliveira Goncalves.

… Angola did not take part in a World Cup qualifying competition until 1986.

… The west African team has not lost a home World Cup qualifier in 18 matches. Their last defeat on home soil came against Cameroon in 1989 (1-2).

… Germany 2006 will be the third World Cup in succession in which an Asian side has faced an African team in the group stage.

… Three of the players in the 2006 World Cup squad were members of the side that reached the round of 16 at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina in 2001 (Gilberto, Mantorras and Mendonca).

… Of the 15 goals scored by Angola during qualifying, only four came in the first half.

… S ince 1977, Ango la have p layed non-African opposition on just four occasions (Portugal, Cuba, Korea Republic, Japan).

Acrobatic: Angolan

midfi elder Maurito.

Fabrice Akwa.

Did you know?



Mantorras Akwa

Maurito

Figueiredo Gilberto

Andre

Kali Pedro Emanuel Jamba Jacinto

Joao Pereira


magazine

9393

Figo

Pauleta

Deco

Costinha Maniche

Ronaldo

MiguelCarvalhoAndradeFerreira

Ricardo

THE 32 TEAMS

PLAYERS

Likely line-up



GROUP D: PORTUGAL

Spectacular wingers

Portugal have long put defeat in the

2004 European Championship fi nal on

home soil behind them and will travel

to Germany oozing confi dence having

come through the qualifying competition

unbeaten. Th is current Portugal side has

all the experience needed to progress to

the latter stages of the tournament.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s squad does not

have any obvious weaknesses. Goalkeeper

Ricardo has provided ample evidence of

his value, while the back line in front

of him is made up of four players who

are all on the books of foreign clubs.

Defensive organiser Ricardo Carvalho

had an outstanding EURO 2004 and

now plays for Chelsea alongside Paulo

Ferreira, who was recently dubbed the

“best defender in the world” by club

manager Jose Mourinho. Miguel, a

nimble full-back, and the experienced

Jorge Andrade complete the defensive

line-up.

Playmaker Rui Costa is no longer

available in midfi eld, although he had

already been replaced by Deco during

EURO 2004. Unlike his predecessor,

whose game is geared solely for attack, the

native Brazilian is a two-way player with

strengths going forward and dropping

back. On the fl anks, Portugal boast

some spectacular talent with Cristiano

Ronaldo and the returning Luis Figo

more than capable of unhinging any

defence. Behind them, Simao, who had

a great season with Benfi ca, is patiently

awaiting his chance. Up front, Pauleta

operates as a lone striker. Although he

has an exceptional goalscoring record,

he has never quite managed to justify

his reputation as a marksman at a major

tournament. Th is is the only position

where Scolari does not have two players

with the same qualities. Pauleta’s stand-

in Nuno Gomes is a completely diff erent

type of forward. He is mobile, but does

not have the same physical attributes as

Pauleta.

For Pauleta, Luis Figo and Costinha,

the World Cup looks set to be their

swansong in the national team. Th ey

will be doing their utmost to end their

international career on a high.

1. Jorge Andrade (12 matches) Deportivo La Coruna (ESP)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (12) Manchester United (ENG)

3. Pauleta (12) Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

4. Ricardo (11) Sporting Lisbon

5. Deco (11) Barcelona (ESP)

6. Maniche (11) Chelsea (ENG)

7. Ricardo Carvalho (9) Chelsea (ENG)

8. Paulo Ferreira (9) Chelsea (ENG)

9. Costinha (9) Dynamo Moscow (RUS)

10. Simao Sabrosa (8) Benfi ca

11. Helder Postiga (8) Porto

12. Petit (7) Benfi ca

13. Luis Figo (6) Inter Milan (ITA)

14. Tiago (6) Olympique Lyon (FRA)

15. Nuno Valente (5) Everton (ENG)

16. Caneira (4) Valencia (ESP)

17. Miguel (4) Valencia (ESP)

18. Nuno Gomes (4) Benfi ca

19. Luis Boa Morte (4) Fulham (ENG)

20. Fernando Meira (3) Stuttgart (GER)

Latvia v. Portugal 0-2Portugal v. Estonia 4-0Liechtenstein v. Portugal 2-2Portugal v. Russia 7-1Luxembourg v. Portugal 0-5Slovakia v. Portugal 1-1Portugal v. Slovakia 2-0Estonia v. Portugal 0-1Portugal v. Luxembourg 6-0Russia v. Portugal 0-0Portugal v. Liechtenstein 2-1Portugal v. Latvia 3-0

Top scorer:Pauleta, 11

1966 England 3rd

1986 Mexico 17th

2002 Japan/Korea 21st

Most World Cup matches:Eusebio, Coluna, Hilario, Graca, Simoes, Torres, Augusto, all 6 (1966)

Top World Cup scorer:Eusebio, 9 (1966)

All-time World Cup ranking:28th (12 matches, 7 wins, 5 defeats,

25 goals for, 16 goals against).

PortugalArea: 92,345 km2

Population: 10.4 millionCapital: Lisbon (520,000)Association: Federacao Portuguesa de Futebol (FPF)Website: www.fpf.ptFounded: 1914FIFA member since: 1923Number of players: 291,000Number of clubs: 2,530Number of teams: 10,400

Luiz Felipe Scolari(57/Brazilian/since 2002)

Led Brazil to World Cup triumph in

2002 and Portugal to the European

Championship fi nal two years later (0-1

against Greece). Scolari resolutely goes

his own way and is not afraid to leave

star players on the bench. Rumours

abound, however, that this headstrong

yet equally successful coach is eyeing a

return to club football.

Luis Figo(33/winger/Inter Milan)

In spite of competition from Cristiano

Ronaldo and Deco, Figo remains the most

popular player in Portugal. The elegant

winger now turns on the style in the

colours of Inter Milan, having previously

enjoyed many successful years at Barce-

lona and Real Madrid. Figo retired from

international football after EURO 2004,

but has since enjoyed an impressive

comeback.

… Portugal have not drawn any of their twelve World Cup matches to date, having registered seven wins and five defeats.

… The Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari is the second coach to have won the World Cup (2002 with Brazil) and then taken charge of a different team at the fol-lowing tournament. His “predecessor” is compatriot Carlos Alberto Parreira, who lifted the trophy with Brazil in 1994 and then contested the 1998 finals with Saudi Arabia.

… Portugal are one of seven European teams who qualified for the World Cup in Germany without tasting defeat, scoring the highest average number of goals in the process (2.92). Pauleta was the leading marksman in the European zone with eleven goals.

… Portugal share the record with the Netherlands for the number of penalties scored at a World Cup. At the tourna-ment in 1966, Eusebio converted four spot kicks.

Spectacular goingforward: Portugal’sCristiano Ronaldo.

Pauleta.



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