FIFA World Cup 2010: Take Maradona, Argentina To The Bank In South Africa

When it comes to World Cup betting , South Africa 2010 is one of the most open tournaments in recent years. As many as nine teams have a legitimate shot at winning the biggest tournament in the world. 

As open as it is, though, you can only pick one team to lift the World Cup, and chances are, it’ll be someone who has lifted it before. Only two teams in the last eight World Cups have been first-time winners, and on both of those occasions, they were the host country (Argentina 1978, France 1998).

My pick for this year is a former winner, managed by a man who captained his country to victory. But he’s going to have to figure out how to use the player chosen to be his heir correctly to make my World Cup predictions come true.

Argentina’s qualifying campaign was disappointing, as Diego Maradona never really settled on a lineup throughout qualification. Influential playmaking midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme left the team in November because of a dispute with Maradona. Maradona was the captain of the 1986 Argentinean team that won in Mexico, and it was due to his free-wheeling style, but that same quality has been a detriment as times in his term as manager. 

Argentina could use a more steady-handed guide. But it helps that he has 22-year-old Lionel Messi, the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year and the leading scorer in Spain’s La Liga with Barcelona. 

Messi has been called the next Maradona for a couple of years now, but he’s never been quite able to transfer his Barca form over to the national team. He’ll have help, as he is a part of arguably the deepest group of strikers in the World Cup with Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito and Sergio Aguero, who are all capable of starting.

Juan Sebastien Veron takes over Riquelme’s role in midfield, while Walter Samuel marshals a very good defense. 

It is a bit of a soccer betting risk to take Argentina, even though they’re offering decent odds. This is Maradona’s first time managing on the big stage, and so far, it’s gone similar to the way everything else has happened in his life: insane. 

From running over reporters with his car to cursing out the media after they qualified, Maradona is proving to be everything you think he is and more. There are two schools of thought on this: his looniness is either hurting the team or he’s helping the team by putting the attention on himself, allowing them the freedom to play. 

I think there’s a method to Maradona’s madness, and we’re finally going to see a good showing from Messi, who was on fire during their 1-0 win over Nigeria in their opening match. Look for Messi to cap a great season, and Maradona to join Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer (who lost to Maradona and Argentina as a manager in the final of Mexico 1986) as the only men to win the World Cup as a captain and a manager.

Place your betting faith with Argentina.