Tonight, it ends. Spain or Holland will take the trophy, and everyone will head for the airport. For many, the idea of no more World Cup for four years will be devastating. To be honest, I think I'll need a little while before the prospect of sitting through this again will seem appealing. It has definitely picked up dramatically in the knockouts, but this has been an average World Cup. The truth is that as the Champions' League has grown, the World Cup has dwindled. Nothing so far has felt as enormous as the Champions' League's later stages (and trust me, I'm not saying that's a good thing). The frustrating thing is that as it doesn't carry the giddying financial benefits of the bloated, elephantine UEFA contest, it makes sense for teams to go all out - a seven-game shootout for what to most fans is still the ultimate prize. Sadly, all too often teams have appeared shackled by pressure - perhaps only Germany and Argentina appeared to just keep going until their luck changed. Neither team are playing tonight, but they have both been welcomed home with open arms.
2010 has certainly had its moments - there are a few new faces that have lit up the tournament, some old heads dragging nervous teams through, and no small amount of controversy. Here, for what it's worth, are Sporthole's awards:
Player of the Tournament:
Overcoming the doubters? Dragging a mediocre side within reach of the trophy? Bagging 5 goals, 4 of which were from outside the box? Generally being a swaggering, awe-inspiring one-man fight against the entire world? Step forward Diego Forlan.
Worst Player of the Tournament:
A number of contenders here - from those who thought midway through a month-long, incredibly important tournament was the perfect time to try and overthrow their leaders (Patrice! JT! I'm looking at you, you idiots), to big-name talents who never arrived (Rooney, Kaka, Cannavaro... Ronaldo, Drogba, Torres... it's a weirdly long list). Sadly (and this is kinda cruel on the guy), the award has to go to the player who did the most damage to his own team in the shortest time. Despite only featuring in 1 of his side's 4 matches, he may have irreparably derailed a campaign that had started so well. It takes a pretty special breed to single-handedly change a team's confidence and self-belief so dramatically. The man in question? With an honourable mention to Felipe Melo, there could only be one winner...
Moment of the Tournament:
From the moment Switzerland showed the world that the big guns could be beaten, the top teams have looked nervous or worse, creating a World Cup with perhaps more drama than true quality. So essentially I'm picking the most dramatic moment. Let's see. What's the most exciting point for something to happen? The last minute. Unless there's extra time of course... so how about the last minute of extra time? A goal? Too easy. A near-miss? Only if... there's some kind of cheating involved. Like, say, if an opponent punched the ball away off the line? But then what happens? The guy gets sent off, they score the penalty and it's game over. It's exciting, but surely it could be better. Wait a minute. What if they missed the penalty? And the guilty party saw the whole thing happen, and started whooping from the sidelines? Congratulations, Luis Suarez, perpetrator of perhaps scientifically the most dramatic act possible in a game of football.
Villain of the Tournament:
For many, it may be Suarez, but there are three factors that save him from this undesirable honour. Firstly, he may have acted on instinct. Secondly, he was punished and Ghana ultimately missed the chance they were given. Finally, he's not Clive Tyldesley. Now, I've always hated Tyldesley, but at this World Cup he managed to lower his reputation, despite being surrounded by such luminaries as Townsend, Mowbray, Chiles and Pearce in the truly awful UK coverage of the tournament. Somehow, he always manages to rise above the competition. To hear Tyldesley is to hear a man who knows nothing about football. If you dare to be one of the 10 people who will watch the final on ITV tonight, take a listen. Note down the number of times our Clive comments on Holland's fluid midfield movement, or Spain's expansive use of David Villa. You will not require a pen and paper to do so. All the guy ever does is spew out cliches and absurdities, constantly looking for omens or signals, rather than trying to glean information from what is actually happening. Tyldesley reached possibly his lowest ebb during England v Algeria when, in the 82nd minute, he commented that Enzo Bearzot's Italy drew their first two games in 1982. What is wrong with this guy? He must have been the only man in the entire world that was still thinking about England winning the World Cup at that point. Ignorant to tactics and strategy, divorced from reality; the footballing mind of an 8-year-old Chelsea fan, with the voice of a chipmunk to match. ITV - please get rid of this idiot.
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