World Cup 2014 stars and flops

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By Fred Kaweesi in Sao Paulo

The 2014 World Cup, whose curtains close on Sunday, has had a cocktail of just about everything.

Over the course of the tournament, there were players, managers, referees and fans that stood out for both the right and wrongs reasons.

But for this particular report, I’ll look at players that excelled in the four-week tournament and those that were expected to perform but turned out to be awful.
 
My best Eleven . . .

GOALKEEPER

Manuel Neuer (Germany)

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The Bayern Munich keeper has been remarkable. Regarded as one of the world’s best shot-stoppers, Neuer practically redefined the role of goalkeeper. He assumed a new libero, pulling off tremendous saves with his feet rather than hands. Neuer’s superb distribution also made him the first line of attack. That said, Keylor Navas (Costa Rica), Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico) and Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria) were not far off the mark.
 
DEFENDERS

Daryl Janmaat (Netherlands)

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Selected in my team despite stiff competition from Ivory Coast’s Serge Aurier and Phillip Lahm, Janmaat has surely done enough in this tournament to ensure he is Netherland’s first-choice right-back for the coming years. Janmaat is one of the new breed of full-backs that are not afraid of making forays down the flank, but few wingers have got the better of him.
 
Daley Blind (Netherlands)

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The performances of Blind have exceeded all expectations. He has offered a different option with his charges forward down the left-flank. Has the most assists in the tournament so far alongside Juan Guillermo Cuadrado. Classy on the ball and strong and determined defensively, Netherlands’ future looks bright in Bind’s hands.
 
Mats Hummels (Germany)

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Quite simply the best central defender in the tournament. His partnership with Jerome Boateng was the rock on which Germany’s run has been built. He also had two goals to his name.
 
Thiago Silva (Brazil)

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The Brazilian captain showed real consistency at the back for his country. He was both a leader and organizer.
His suspension against Germany justified his value in the Brazilian team.
 
MIDFIELDERS

Yeltsin Tejeda (Costa Rica)

Tejeda was the unsung star in the unsung team. The defensive midfielder made Costa Rica tick all the way through. Equally happy either shielding the back four or playing further forward as a more attacking midfielder, Tejeda exhibited all of his attributes perfectly.
 
Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

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He has been tremendous in the tournament. He has not only driven the opposition defenses crazy but also managed to find his teammates with accurate passes.
 
Toni Kroos (Germany)

It has been easy to see why so many sides have been clamoring for this Bayern Munich star’s signature.
 
Muller (Germany)

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It was simply impossible to leave out this Golden Boot candidate particularly given some of the disappointing performances from more high-profile forwards in Brazil. While the likes of Wayne Rooney, Fred struggled to make an impact, Muller has consistently found the target.
 
Lionel Messi (Argentina)

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Given the plethora of talented attacking players in the Argentine squad, Messi’s presence as the only one of the Albicelestes in this team speaks volumes for his performances in Brazil. The Barcelona star has literally been the engine of Argentine team.
 
James Rodriguez (Colombia)

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Rodriguez has scored six goals in the competition so far and despite the Colombians’ elimination is still in line for the Golden Boot.

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Below wasn’t the worst eleven on display, just the most disappointing; a collection of players with big reputations (in some cases deserved, in some cases not so) who did not live up to the hype.
 
Iker Casillas (Spain)

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He conceded goals at will and appeared nervous in all Spain’s group matches. His form justified his recent exclusion at Real Madrid.
 
Dani Alves (Brazil)

He was one of a number of underwhelming Brazilians in the running for this team of shame.
He often ignored his defensive duties and Fellippe Scolari was forced to drop him in favour of Maicon.
 
Leighton Baines (England)

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He was generally poor in all England’s group matches and left many wondering why he was chosen ahead of Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole.
 
Gerard Pique (Spain)

He was exposed against Netherlands. The Barcelona defender struggled badly alongside Sergio Ramos. His positioning was pathetic.
 
Pepe (Portugal)

The Real Madrid defender makes the cut on sheer stupidity value. He lost his head in the opening game against Germany and that ultimately cost the Portuguese team.
 
Alex Song (Cameroon)

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Cameroon’s defensive midfielder has been the subject of fevered speculation about a Premiership return, but the World Cup would have been a good chance for many to get another good look at him. On this evidence, if he’s not pushed, he’ll be staying at Barcelona.
 
Steven Gerrard (England)

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He was prone to mistakes that ultimately cost England in this championship. He was overrun against Italy, and contributed to Uruguay’s goals in the 2-0 win against England.
 
Andrea Pirlo (Italy)

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Regarded as one of the best deep-lying midfielders in world football, Pirlo might now consider retirement.
He lacked the spark that earned him superlatives in Juventus’ title winning season.
 
Fred (Brazil)

He was below par and looked totally disinterested in the tournament.
 
Rooney (England)

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Started badly and got steadily worse. Usually commanding and constantly threatening for Manchester United, Rooney was simply poor at the championship.
 
Diego Costa (Spain)

The biggest disappointment by far. Highly regarded coming into the tournament, Costa was expected to lead a Spanish procession to the final, but instead looked lost in attack.

More stories from the World Cup HERE