Stars To Watch Out For

Every World Cup there are a few players who are tipped to do well...they have all the spot light to themselves before the tournament...some of them live up to their expectations....the others disappoint...and as the cup progresses, there would be a few little known players who establish themselves..Going into the 2010 world cup a few names that are expected to do well

1. Lionel Messi - The Argentine is surely the best player in the world...Hailed as Maradona's successor...he has loads of expectations riding on his back...If he gets going,Argentina would be really difficult to beat...Many people say it could be Messi's Cup...what is to be seen is if he can manage to reproduce his Barca magic for his national team...So far he has never exactly performed so well when he plays for Argentina...But great players rise to the occassion...and if Messi manages to do that, he would be up there...with the legends of the game!
2. Wayne Rooney - This guy is one of the biggest threat to any team wishing to win the World Cup....his sudden bursts of pace and his powerful shots are a nightmare to any defence...this stocky attacker has been hailed as the world's best by Sir Alex Ferguson...And is one of Capello's main weapons going into this world cup..if he is on song he can wreak havoc with defences as he did in Euro 04...he just has to control his anger better and ensure he does not get sent off in a crucial match as he did in the last edition.
3. Christiano Ronaldo - Christiano Ronaldo has been only a pale shadow of what he was with Man Utd this year with Real Madrid...However a player of his caliber can never be written off...The former world player of the year is arguably one of the best wingers in the world...Carlos Queiroz would be praying his captain comes good this summer....and so do his fans...his blistering pace and his amazing repertoire of tricks can surely set this world cup alight!!.
   
4. Franck Riberry - The legendary Zizou refers to him as the "diamond" of French football...going into this world cup he is one of the few bright spots in a geriatric French team...he was an important member of the French team back in 2006 as well...he is in fine form and had a great season with Bayern Munich this year...expect a few brilliant performances from le scarface!.
5. Kaka - Though he had an average season which was cut short by a groin injury....Kaka can never be left out of a list of the stars to watch out for in this World Cup....Kaka has been given the responsibility of being the creative inspiration in the Brazilian team....Kaka usually manages to live up to his billing...and every Brazilian fan would want him to rediscover his best form this summer..
6. Gianluigi Buffon - Its not very often that the goal keeper of a team is its star player....but such is "Gigi" Buffon's reputation....arguably the best keeper Italy has had since the legendary Dino Zoff, Buffon heads into the 2010 World Cup with pleasant memories of the last edition...he made many important saves...including the extremely crucial save he made in the final, where he managed to tip off a venemous header by the great Zizou himself...he is regarded by many as the "most attacking player" in an Italian team which is very defensive traditionally ..
7. Wesley Sneijder - This creative playmaker rightly wears the no. 10 jersey for the Netherlands...he has had a great season this year and led Inter Milan to European Glory after 45 years...If Arjen Robben manages to play, he and Sneijder could form a really deadly combination with Robin Van Persie up front...if they get going this time around...one could expect 2010 to be Netherlands' year..
8. Bastian Schweinsteiger - Bastian is arguably Germany's biggest star in this World Cup...he has his way with free kicks and possesses blistering pace!...he is a great threat down the wing...However, in his club Bayern Munich he is also utilised in a central position...it would be interesting to see how Joachim Loew would use this talented player..His last world cup match was arguably his best performance...he scored two brilliant goals in the third place play off against Portugal..
9. David Villa - This Spanish marksman is Barcelona's latest signing...and surely is a big name in world football...He and Fernando Torres form the most deadly striking pair in world football....the goal machine has scored 37 goals in 57 games and will definitely add to that tally this June..
10. Didier Drogba - Drogba is a force to reckon with in world football...This Ivory Coast star is his team's hope this world cup...With an amazing 44 goals in 67 games, he is Ivory Coast's all time top scorer...however , he suffered an injury lately and his participation in the world cup is doubtful..