Football

JT asked:


Since the first ever World Cup of football in 1930, it has been the ultimate stage for any footballer. Representing your country at the highest level is the dream of almost any sportsperson. Sometimes, however, a player will be regarded by many as one of, maybe even the best in the world, but for reasons beyond their control does not make it to a World Cup in their career. In other instances, reasons within their control, for example, bad attitude hinder their chances for international football.

In this article, I will run through the list of arguably the greatest players to have never represented their country in a World Cup.

Ryan Giggs: Born in 1973, Ryan Giggs has played for Manchester United since the 1990-91 season, coming through their youth system. By the age of 20, Giggs had firmly established himself as United´s first choice left winger. As a youngster, he played for and captained England at schoolboy level, but as an adult, played for Wales. Giggs retired from international football in 2007, ending an international career which included no World Cups.

Duncan Edwards: Another Manchester United player, Edwards was born in 1936 and played a number of matches for England, featuring in all of England´s qualifiers for the 1958 World Cup. He was expected by many to play a key part for his country in the World Cup Finals. Tragically, when returning to England from Belgrade, the plane carrying Edwards and a number of other United players crashed in Munich. Duncan Edwards later died in hospital, denying the World Cup of this great talent.

Eric Cantona: The controversial French forward referred to by some as “King Eric”, Cantona is one of the most iconic footballers to have played in England. Despite being an important player for Manchester United, a mixture of disagreement with the French national coach, France´s failure to qualify for the World Cup in 1994, the introduction of Zidédine Zidane and the 1995 Suspension of Cantona for kicking a Crystal Palace supporter stopped him from making a World Cup appearance.

George Weah: One of, if not, the best player to come out of Africa, George Weah played his international football for Liberia, who, in his playing career did not qualify for a World Cup. Weah made up for this with his club career. Whilst at Monaco, he won the 1991 French cup. In 1994 he won the French league with Paris Saint Germain. Following this successful period in France, Weah moved to Italy to play for AC Milan. After being named as the African Player of the Year in 1989 and 1994, he won the award again in 1995 whilst also winning the World Best Player and European Footballer of the Year awards. Whilst playing for AC Milan, Weah achieved two league titles. To top off his list of achievements he was named African Player of the Century.

Alfredo di Stéfano: This striker was named by Pelé as one of the Top 125 Greatest Living Footballers in 2004 and had an impressive career with a number of clubs including Real Madrid in Spain.

Di Stéfano was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1957 and 1959 during his time in Madrid. Linking up with Ferenc Puskás, he managed 216 goals in 262 games between 1953 and 1964.

During his career, Di Stéfano played six games for Argentina, four for Columbia and 31 times for Spain. He was playing for Argentina at the time of the 1950 World Cup, however, the South American country refused to take part. In 1954, he was ineligible to play, having played for Argentina and Columbia. In 1958, Di Stéfano had acquired Spanish citizenship. He played for Spain in the buildup in 1957, but was unable to help them qualify for the finals. A muscular injury prevented him from playing in 1962, making him one of the best players to have not played in a World Cup.

George Best: Born in 1946, the Northern Irish Winger who is best known for his time at Manchester United. Combined pace, balance and acceleration with his ability to use both feet allowed Best to beat defenders and score a number of goals.

Known not only for his ability on the field, but also for living a stylish lifestyle, Best was one of the first footballers to be known as a celebrity. During his time at Manchester United, he scored 138 goals in 361 games. Playing for Northern Ireland, he managed nine goals in 37 matches, unfortunately, during the greatest years of Best´s career, his country did not manage to qualify for the World Cup. He was considered for the 1982 competition, which Northern Ireland qualified for, but at the age of 36, manager Billy Bingham chose note to pick him. Despite this, Best is still considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all time.

JT. Owner of top Football Tips website.



Marisol

Freddie Brister asked:


In sports, there will always be different levels of competition. There are times that teams name their worthy opponents while others just do not want to give others a chance to win over them. This is what we call rivalries. In College teams, it is very prominent. This is a good thing because even though teams are not playing on a championship match, it gives the same feeling that kind of game gives to its audience. The game becomes heated making this as one of the factors why a football match becomes exciting and memorable.

However, there are times when rivalries create chaos. Sometimes, the big guys on the field get on each others nerves and can start a fight. It is inevitable to loose your cool at times, especially when the trash talking in the field gets personal. The force gets very mighty in trying to tackling the opponent. This is a physical sport so it is expected that venting out the anger be easily channeled on natural flow of the game. One of the worst-case scenarios happened during the 2004 NCAA Match. One of the greatest rivals in football started a brawl at the Memorial Stadium. South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers players had to be stopped by law enforcements.

Definitely, every team should know how to manage their anger, especially when they get pissed. We cannot avoid the conflicting personalities from different teams. The best thing that these players can do is to maintain sportsmanship. Every athlete is disciplined enough to know how they should act in games. It is no doubt that football is a tough game, and it should be placed in mind that toughness in this game is not all that is needed to win. Proper Decorum should be observed. It does not mean that the nature of the game is violent, then every player should take advantage of it to get ahead of the other team.

Not every player should be eaten up with the history. Every team should ensure that the rivalry is friendly wherein after the game, players get to shake their hands and wish everyone well. In the middle of the match, every player should take the tackle as it is just part of the game. There should also be no extra bumps after the fall. Moreover, when the player is down, the best is to help him up. This can give an impression that you know you hit him to hard and that you did not mean it. It may sound like a practice for the babies, but definitely when the game is heated, it can cool the flames a bit knowing that you one player is not after injuring the other. Rather this is all about business and playing the game the way it should be.

At the end of the game, always try to reach out with the other players. The memory of the game will live but you as a player should put all behind the rough experience after the game. On the next fight, you can start by welcoming your opponents. Not like the way the Clemson Tigers greeted the South Carolina Gamecocks.



Tessa