2010 FIFA World Cup: Ranking the 10 Superstars Who Failed To Excel

So the 2010 FIFA World Cup has ended, but there are some players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, and Wayne Rooney who certainly did not get the best out of it.

In this article, we rank the 10 superstars who failed to excel in South Africa despite all the expectations before the start of the tournament.

Lionel Messi—Argentina

Unlike his other challengers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi played satisfyingly, despite not scoring even a single goal.

Messi made several hot attempts in the contest, but most of his tries were outstandingly punched away by keepers, or denied by goal posts. Overall, Messi might not have been capable of exhibiting his goal scoring skills; nevertheless, at least his authority in passes and team organization was still visible.

Although Messi played better than many of the top superstars in the World Cup, he was also among the most humiliated footballers in South Africa, as he experienced a surprising 4-0 defeat to Germany with Argentina.

Messi presently ranks in 53rd position in the Castrol Index, with 72% for passes completion rate at the World Cup tournament.

Ricardo Kaka—Brazil

Kaka was not the same man who won the FIFA Player of the Year award a few years ago. On the contrary, he was simply shocking, as three yellow cards in four matches saw him go from a “humble player” to an “aggressive attacker” on the pitch.

Kaka was goalless in the 2010 World Cup despite being expected to power Brazil to their sixth World Cup trophy; and there was no doubt that truly lacked of pace and accuracy. His passes were not alarming as he had a completion rate of 75%. He finally earned 8.41 points in the Castrol Index, in 82nd position.

Steven Gerrard—England

With 8.95 in the Castrol Index presently, and 64% for passes completion rate at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, one might wonder how the Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard performed so badly. Well, the real fact is that Gerrard was more a powerless leader than a bad player.

Team leaders are often known to back their mates in terms of performance and mentality, but looking at England’s result and statements in Africa, it is indubitable that Gerrard failed in his mission. However, he was the first player from the Three Lions to score at the 2010 World Cup, but his weakness subsequently allowed the team to fall at the hands of their enemies.

Frank Lampard—England

Who remembers Frank Lampard as England’s Saving Midfielder at the 2010 World Cup? The only thing he did was to remind FIFA about the inclusion of goal line technology, when he scored a super cracker against Germany, which finally got disallowed by the referee.

Even though he currently takes the 64th position in the Castrol Index with 8.62 points, none of his fans can prove that he played as well as in Chelsea during the tournament in Africa.

John Terry—England

Not much needs to be said for John Terry.

Usually known for his reflex and intelligence in defense in Chelsea, John Terry disappointed the audience at the 2010 World Cup. After an acceptable performance in the first round, Terry was humiliated against Germany when he let his rivals bury him with four goals.

However, Terry still received good statistics, with 80% for passes completion rate and 7.97 points in the Castrol Index in 125th position.

Cristiano Ronaldo—Portugal

With over 30 goals for his club in less than 40 appearances, Cristiano Ronaldo was amazing for Real Madrid last season. Shockingly, he was nothing more than a flop for Portugal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Ronaldo scored no more than a single goal against Korea DPR in Group G on Day Two. His performance was below par, perhaps due to lack of concentration and understanding between him and his coach. In any case, as a captain, there is no doubt that he let his fans down in all; regardless of his initial statement which revealed his intentions to finish as the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s best player.

Fortunately for him, he successfully escaped attacks from his supporters thanks to the following news about the birth of his baby boy. Cristiano Ronaldo, who only had 60% for passes completion rate, currently ranks in 114th position in the Castrol Index, with 8.08 points.

Fernando Torres—Spain

0 goals, 49% for passes completion rate at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and 6.64 points in the Castrol Index…

These statistics immediately tells us how badly Fernando Torres performed in the South Africa contest.

The Liverpool forward had an operation some months ago which has proven to tarnish his style of playing, but at least Torres can be happy to have contributed to a team that ended their 2010 World Cup campaign as World Champions.

Wayne Ronney—England

The England and Manchester United talisman was expecting to enlighten himself with a river of goals at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This was not the case.

After a poor first match against the USA, Rooney played even more badly against Algeria, and he did not excel either in his last match against Slovenia. Being goalless in the group stage, the Nike Write the Future video star was hoping to destroy Germany with his touch; but a last dreadful performance saw him suffer a historic 4-1 loss to the Germans in the Round of 16 along with his other England country mates.

The goalless Rooney only earns 7.30 points in the Castrol Index in 130th position with only 62% for passes completion rate.

Fabio Cannavaro—Italy

The 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, Ballon d’Or winner, and world champion Fabio Cannavaro was surely out of form at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The fact that the Italian captain obtained 80% for passes completion rate does not mean that he was impressive. As a matter of fact, as a defender, the amount of goals conceded is more what matters; and in the case of Italy, the results were not very satisfying.

They conceded five goals in only three games, and in the end, they were knocked of Group F as the bottom side; but perhaps for club transfer reasons, Cannavaro could still keep his big smile on his face. In any case, he joins the list of superstars who failed to impress at the World Cup, with 7.90 points in the Castrol Index, in the 133rd position.

Thierry Henry—France

FC Barcelona forward Thierry Henry also entered the tournament as one of the superstars. Henry became the main man to send France in the finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, when his handball helped Les Bleus to qualify at the anger of Republic of Ireland in the second leg of his country’s play-off match.

He subsequently apologized to his opponents, describing his act as “unfair,” and for some reason, most of his contributions in the tournament in South Africa were made as a substitute. He scored no goals, and was not powerful enough either to push France into the Round of 16. (http://bleacherreport.com/slideshows/newapologized)

With only four shots (zero on target), and 19 passes made in the contest (74% for passes completion rate), Thierry Henry can’t expect much in the Castrol Index. He currently ranks in 531st position with 4.43 points.