Who To Keep Your Eye On This World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
The most recent winner of FIFA's Ballon d'Or for being the best soccer player on the planet, Ronaldo has for now gotten the upper hand over…
A festival of football that comes around every four years, I was meant to be in Brazil. Instead I'll be watching the World Cup at some dive bar, sipping on a Singapore Sling and wishing I was soaking up…
Brazil’s Golden Boy
Personal information
Full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Junior
Date of birth: 5 February 1992
Age: 22
Place of birth: Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil
Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position: Forward, winger
Club information
Current club: Barcelona
Number: 11
Youth career
1999–2003: Portuguesa Santista …
WORLD CUP PROFILES
DID YOU KNOW?
Out of the 19 World Cups so far, six have been won by the host country.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil…
Group H
Belgium
Marc Wilmots’ Belgium undoubtedly provide one of the most intriguing subplots
of this World Cup. There is the belief in some quarters that this ‘golden generation’
has what it takes to emulate the 1986 team and reach…
Group G
Germany
Over the last few years, Germany have tried, without success, to end
Spain’s dominance on the international stage. There is no doubt that Joachim
Low’s team remains one of the most riveting sides to watch…
Group F
Argentina
On the six previous occasions the World Cup has been hosted
in South America, a country from that continent has eventually come out on top.
That includes one of Argentina’s two previous World Cup wins, on…
Group E
France
For a few days in November, it did not even look like France
would reach the World Cup.
A miserable showing away to Ukraine in the play-off saw Les
Bleus come away from Kiev with a…
Group D
Uruguay
This is likely to be the final shot at World Cup glory for
Oscar Tabarez’s aging Uruguay side.
A repeat of the 2010 campaign where they finished third
behind Spain and Holland would be deemed a…
Group C
Colombia
Over the last 18 months, Colombia have risen from a trendy “dark horse” pick for an outsider contender at the 2014 World Cup to genuine challengers for the trophy.
This is quite remarkable given…
Group B
Spain
World Cup holders Spain again enter a major tournament in
rude health and are amongst the favourites to retain their crown.
La Roja qualified from their group in first place ahead of
France, despite being held…
Group A
Brazil
Brazil underwent a huge transformation in 2013, and the hosts now enter the World Cup as the tournaments favourites.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led the Selecao to World Cup glory in 2002, boldly declared after…