Missing, Impossibly

First came injuries to Beckham, Essien, Ballack. Next the squad shocks; Cambiasso and Zanetti. Apparently Milito almost stayed home, left behind by an erratic manager. Then Ronaldinho, Adriano and Pato had to make hasty summer plans. Eto’o made noises about not going. Last week brought news that Benni McCarthy, with whom most people associate South African football, would not be playing and the UK press were all in a tizz about Walcott being dropped from the England squad.

Is the World Cup going to prove a damp squib, shorn of its star players? Will the tournament mostly be stocked with the inelegant dross that one inevitably churns up when expanding a skilful competition from 24 to 32 teams?
I have absolutely no doubt that the absence of the players mentioned above and others missing out will have no discernible effect on the Tournament’ success or failure.

We should remember that in most cases, the established players who will be missed in some quarters made themselves, their names and their legends in tournaments such as this. The fact is that the World Cup is a guaranteed-result competition and so, unlike say the Nobel Prize, must have its winners and losers every four years. The absence, or reduced number, of established stars will mean that the spotlight is thrust more hastily into the faces of undiscovered, unfancied heroes-in-the-making.

What really grabs my interest is watching these proto-progenies take up the mantle of their country, their pride, and try to run with it. It is not always the most widely-tipped who make it to stardom, who drag their sides kicking and screaming into the latter stages. It shows the character of a man, or boy(!), who refuses to let the situation get to him and remembers that he is representing millions of hearts and dreams back home. Others understandably do not quite make it and the tournament may end in a drab trickle for their teams.

So we will be without the mercurial skills of Ronaldinho, the drive of Essien and the leadership of Ballack... we have not previously allowed the lack of a Giggs, Best or Weah demean the World’s most entertaining sporting tournament. Therefore let us salute previous heroes and look forward to hailing a few of our own from this South African sojourn to the Jules Rimet (or whatever it’s called now).

Forecasting? Perhaps it’s not right to pick players out, but it remains interesting to highlight countries without an obvious talisman, whom may regardless provide a genuine diamond from the rough.

Both Germany and Italy have squads lacking in ‘star quality’ but with a history of progressing to the latter stages. And who will step into Essien’s giant boots for Ghana on African soil? The fun part is finding out.

Since I wrote this article on 3^rd June Rio Ferdinand and Nani have dropped out of the England squad, with both Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben being all but ruled out of the early stages. Not being one to go back on my word I’m keeping my optimism anyway!

- Prince of Castilla