Six years of planning and preparation for just one month ofsport. Was it really worth it?


You bet your bottom Ghanaian dollar it was! What a festival ofsun, sand, football, colour, emotion and festivity the 2014 Fifa WorldCup in Brazil was – practically everything football’s greatestcelebration should be.

Once again a host nation had to overcome the naysayers andharbingers of doom, but what we have learnt over the last two WorldCups is that once the football starts it eclipses all that has gone before.All those journos looking for sensationalist, you’ll-never-be-ready angles now focus on the real reason we’re there, and you know what: itall goes just great.

And once we’ve had time to digest what really happened,'great'might not be a strong enough term when it comes to World Cups. It was outstanding, delivering goals (and then some…), shocks, saves,flamboyant football, controversy, many moments of magic and quite possibly the greatest game in the history of the World Cup.

Want to know our exact take? Well, here’s our rundown on thebest and worst from Brazil 2014.

TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT.........................

GOALKEEPER

Manuel Neuer(Germany). Has a keeper ever dominated a World Cup like the big Germandid in Brazil? Not only his own area, but the space you would normally expect a sweeper to patrol. It must have been so reassuring for hisdefence having that rock behind them, and you only had to see how disappointed he was conceding a goal in the last minute in the 7-1thumping of Brazil to understand how much a clean sheet means to him.

Mentions: most of the other keepers stood out for their shot-stopping ability,and heading up this list are Tim Howard (US), Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria)and Keylor Navas (Costa Rica).

Vincent Enyeama - Nigeria v France
Two Africans in the top five. A smart stop to deny the impressive Pogba his first World Cup goal. Unfortunately for Nigeria, Enyeama did gift the big Frenchman the crucial first goal later in the game

DEFENDERS

Philipp Lahm(Germany). Played in midfield at the start of the tournament, but itwas in defence that he really shone as the tournament progressed through the KO stages. A thinking-man's footballer and leader of anoutstanding team.

Mats Hummels(Germany). There will be a lot of Germans in this team, as theirdefence just got better and better as the tournament went on. Hummelsstood out both at the back and at the set pieces going forward.

Jerome Boateng(Germany). Another rock-solid performer who just blossomed as the games got bigger. We lost count of how many attacks he snuffed out from thequarters onwards

Ron Vlaar(Netherlands). With no real stand-out left-back, we've included theDutchman who had an imperious tournament. His pocketing of Messi in the semi was particularly impressive.

MIDFIELD

Javier Mascherano(Argentina). The undoubted leader of the Argentine side, he played withthe energy and commitment that managers can only dream of. His tackleon Arjen Robben in the dying seconds of the semifinal with go down inthe annals of World Cup history.

Arjen Robben(Netherlands). The most talked about man of the tournament. He just dideverything at 100 miles an hour, including hitting the ground when gently tapped. Had everyone talking, both good and bad, but would be the first name down on everyone's World Cup teamsheet.

James Rodriguez(Colombia). What a prospect this young lad is. Golden Boot winner withhis six goals, and the volley against Uruguay will be talked about for generations. Once he develops the ability to marshall a side on those shoulders, there will be no stopping him.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany). The force around which theGerman team revolved. He was indefatigable and was put through the grinder by Argentina, only to emerge bloodied yet victorious. His performance in the final was inspirational, especially as other legsaround him tire

STRIKERS

Neymar(Brazil). Carried immense pressure into the finals, but shone in the early stages and looked set to make a big impact in the latter part of the World Cup. His presence at the tournament was cruelly cut short though courtesy of a disgraceful knee in the back from Colombia's JuanCamil Zuniga, whose subsequent apologies smacked of the murderer who was only sorry because he'd been caught.

Thomas Mueller(Germany). Five goals in 2010, and another five in 2014. At age 24,surely he'll go on to break Miroslav Klose's 16-goal World Cup record?And it is not just his goal scoring ability that makes him stand out, heis involved in so much that the Germans do. A great presence to have inthe opponents' half.

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT.....................

Many potential winners here, including Neuer, Rodriguez,Schweinsteiger and Mascherano to name a few, but for us the real standout player of Brazil 2014 was the Netherlands' Arjen Robben. Yes he invoked much ire for his theatrics in trying to win penalties, but even that made him just that more prominent, if he wasn't already making people talk with his mazy runs, assists, goals and boundless energy.

His performance against Spain was one of the top individual efforts of the tournament, and the way he continued running through extra time against Costa Rica and Argentina, before effortlessly slotting his penalties in the shoot outs, left millions on the couches around the world breathless.

Only the tackle of the tournament in the dying seconds from Argentina's Mascherano prevented him from being the semifinal hero, and carrying his side through to the final

GOALS OF THE TOURNAMENT.....................

We certainly weren't short of candidates to choose from - arecord-tying 171 in all - but here are our top 10 from a goal-laden tournament.

10. ClintDempsey - USA v Ghana
Not only was this a classy goal, but at 30secs into the game it was the fourth fastest in World Cup history. Thanks goodness for PVRs - we werestill making the coffee...

9. David Luiz- Brazil v Colombia
The best free kick of the tournament, and probably the loudest roar ofBrazil 2014 as well - from both player and crowd!...

8. Mario Goetze- Germany v Argentina
Sometimes the timing of the goal adds double weight when it comes tothe judging, and Goetze's timing here was something the Swiss would have been proud of. 'When did you say? Second period of extra time in aWorld Cup final? No problem.' A classy goal at an even classier time.

7. XherdanShaqiri - Switzerland v Honduras
The first of his hat-trick in this match, and one of those that justhas you going 'phwoar!' and waiting for the replay. A rocket from thepocket dynamo.

6. Lionel Messi- Argentina v Iran
Another combination of pure class and timing. With Iran more than matching their illustrious opponents, up steps Argentina's Lionel Messito score this stunner in added time and drive a dagger into Iranian hearts. Glorious, and heartbreaking.

5. Arjen Robben- Netherlands v Spain
If it wasn't for Germany's dismantling of Brazil in the semi, thiswould have been the outstanding game of the World Cup. Robben was infull attack mode in this match, no better illustrated than here.Leaving Sergio Ramos in his wake, confounding Iker Casillas in goal,then sweetly slotting past two covering defenders.

MEMORIES FOR A LIFETIME.........................

In no particular order, some more memories we will carry with us as long as we love football:

Cross country - just the most sublime cross of a ball from Ghana's Kwadwo Asamoah to set up hissort-of name sake Asamoah Gyan's goal against Portugal

Slide show - every football fan knows of the Bobby Moore tackle on Jairzinho at the 1970 World Cup.Well, 44 years later here's Mascherano writing his name into defensive history while 'robben' the Dutch of victory.

A Krul blow - Netherlands managerLouis van Gaal pulled off a substitution master stroke in the quarterfinal against Costa Rica, bringing on keeper Tim Krul in the last seconds on extra time. He got under the skin of the penalty takers with his constant eye contact, and made two stunning saves. And then back to the bench for the semi, of course.

Goalline technology - worked great, and gave us two goals that we may have previously been denied.And the irritating thing? Fifa will be patting Vincent Enyeama - Nigeria v France
Two Africans in the top five. A smart stop to deny the impressive Pogba his first World Cup goal. Unfortunately for Nigeria, Enyeama did gift the big Frenchman the crucial first goal later in the game themselves on the back,when in truth they have been dragging their heels on this for years. Ohwell, all is well that ends well, hey England?

Spray it, don't say it - another innovation that worked well, and we hope gets taken into the leagues.The refs telling the wall exactly where to stand while eliminating that infuriating habit of creeping. Wall done, Fifa...

Spray it, don't say it II -cheeky Argentine Lavezzi thought his coach was getting just a littletoo hot under the collar

Sweet 16 - Germany's MiroslavKlose becomes the leading scorer in the history of the World Cuptournament. And he did it with former holder Ronaldo of Brazil watchingthe Germans destroy his fellow countrymen. Talk about salt in thewound...

Do cry for me, Brazil - the most incredible result in World Cup history was just too much for these home fans to take.

Heavenly - not sure who he was supporting, but the sight of Christ the Redeemer in front of the setting sun as we watched the World Cup final just reminded us how privileged we were to be in some way part of this amazing event

BLOOPERS.........................

The, er, not so dashing moments, ones that the players will behoping no one remembers. Sorry guys, they are here forever....

Off to Siberia - Russia's IgorAkinfeev didn't exactly cover himself in glory here. Coach Capello had probably just gotten over Robert Green of England's howler in 2010, andnow this!

Robbing Van Persie - Spain's IkerCasillas, whose reign as Spain's No 1 is probably over, won't thank usfor this reminder of his howler against the Netherlands.

Blah blah blah - SuperSport analyst Gavin Hunt won't look back at this bit of expert opinion withfondness. Let's hope his halftime talks for Wits are a little clearer!

Too much physio on that ankle -England physio Gary Lewin's World Cup was shorter than those of the players he was looking after! A broken ankle from celebrating England'sgoal against Italy in their first game.

My Dad didn't die - Die - the'power' of social media. When Cote d'Ivoire midfielder Serey Die shedt tears ahead of the match against Colombia, the rumour spread quickly that his Dad had died two hours before the game. Even the injuredColombian Radamel Falcao tweeted how proud he was of Die. Turns out itwas just the enormity of the occasion, and that his Dad died ten years ago.

Freak kick -we don't think this free-kick routine of the Germans will be making itsway back to the field any time soon.

CONTROVERSIES / WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?.........................

Of course, there were also the moments that didn't leave a nice taste in the mouth, Luis....

Chewy Luis - did we really just see that? This will probably end up being the most talked-about incident at this World Cup, and one you just didn't want to believe when you saw it live. Rather unsavoury, but Luis Suarez might tell usit was actually quite savoury!

Butthead - you are 2-0 down before halftime, what's the best thing you can do? Why, says Portugal'sPepe, headbutt an opponent who is sitting on the ground a few metres away. Some players deserve a red for stupidity, never mind the offence.

Hello Africa, tell me how you doing?- er, not so great Dr Alban. We had the usual nonsense of public bickering over money just before we got here. Then we continued it here and had a few players banished from the Cup, and then quite openly flewin millions of dollars. On top of that some of us elbowed opponents inthe back, and then others even started headbutting our own teammates.What do you think?

We didn't exactly cover ourselves in glory (again) at thisWorld Cup. The fight for extra places for Africa? We'll be lucky if we keep five....
Internal Cameroon fight
Song red carded

Are you reffing blind? - not the best of tournaments for the officials, particularly in the early stages.They weren't helped by the diving though, and by how cunning players have become at fouling these days. It's not so much kicking an opponent as putting your leg where his will be very shortly.

The Mexican goals disallowed against Cameroon; the Brazil penalty against Croatia; the Fred goal for Brazil against Cameroon; the Dzeko 'goal' for Bosnia and Herzegovina against Nigeria; Robben's penalty award against Mexico - the list goes on. Still, at the end of the day, no one is going to say Germany weren't worthy winners...

Arjen, likes lyin', in divin' -to massacre a Bob Marley title. Arjen Robben, for all his gifts, will alienate supporters his whole career if he carries on going down easier than a tequila at a bachelor party. The sad thing is he realises it, but believes that it's a part of his game and that fans must just accept that. And until Fifa brings inpost-match citing and starts banning players for this, it will never bestamped out of the game

GIVEN THAT THE DECISION THE BOOT
-Lionel Messi the best player at the World Cup? Come on, he wasn't the Best player for Argentina. And even if they had won, you still couldn't commpare him to Maradona, who stands head and shoulder above him on the international stage. However Fifa got to this Golden Boot decision, it needs a re-look. Even Messi didn't seem too impressed with the outcome.

Knee-dless loss - Colombia's JuanCamil Zuniga, hang your head in shame. That tackle on Neymar was preposterous, and no number of sorries will make us believe you mean them. Maybe you didn't mean to crack a vertebrae, but you sure as hell meant to let him know you were there.

If one good thing comes out of this, Fifa will change their law around not being able to increase the severity of the punishment if the referee has already acted on it.

It may not have changed the outcome of the tournament, but once Silva and Neymar were out, the hosts really didn't stand a chanceagainst Germany.

BRASS BOOT.........................

The worst misses of the tournament

Chris Wondowlowski, US v Belgium- into stoppage time in the Round of 16, and you get this chance tomake yourself a national hero in a country that does love their heroes.Putting the low into Wondowlowski

Blerim Dzemaili, Switzerland v Argentina- this time into stoppage time at the end of extra time in the Round of16. Your World Cup dreams were just dashed by a 118th minute goal, and along comes an unchallenged opportunity to equalise from a few yardsout. Simple? Not. A Swiss miss of the not so pretty kind

Sergio Busquets, Spain v Netherlands- Two-nil down at halftime, and the next goal is crucial. Spain'sBusquets gets this glorious opportunity just after the break to keephis side in the World Cup, and somehow manages to channel FernandoTorres in a Chelsea shirt.

Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina v Germany- gifted the perfect opportunity to open the scoring in the World Cupfinal, but talk about fluffing your lines. Another effort ruled out foroffsidenot much later, plus being wiped out by the Manuel Neuer Express in thesecond half, meant this wasn't a match to remember for Higuain.

CAN I HAVE ANOTHER GO?.........................

Let's just say these five didn't exactly enhance their reputations....

Iker Casillas, Spain - The Spanish No 1 through all their glory years was responsible for a fair number of howlers in this tournament, and played his part in the champions' demise.

Dani Alves, Brazil - the much-feted Barca right back left his defensive counterparts having to constantly cover for him, and the space he made available to his opponents was dubbed 'Dani Alves Avenue' by local media. Eventually he was dropped for the quarter- and semifinals.

Sergio Ramos, Spain - just seemed all his energy was spent in the Champions League, as he was a shadow of his former self. Speaking of shadows, that's all he was chasing in the5-1 drubbing at the hands - and feet - of the Netherlands.

Eden Hazard, Belgium - while the Chelsea ground may be the Garden of Eden, he certainly didn't blossom here when a strong all round Belgium side needed him at his wizard-like best, providing the X-factor. He almost didn't make this list, purely because we didn't realise he was there...

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal -sulked and scuffed his way through this World Cup, looking like he'd rather be at another Lionel Messi crowning than here. And exactly how many chances did he want against Ghana? He'd better score a lot of goals with a big smile on his face next season

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...

So that's pretty much it, our wrap of the best World Cup inliving memory. A month that gave us the most spectaular match intournament history - the Brazil 1, Germany 7 semifinal - along with the5-1destruction of the champions in their opening game as we witnessed 171goals in all, a joint-highest mark with France '98.

It would be remiss of us not to mention the legend who passed away during the finals, Alfredo Di Stefano, but we are sure that from what he witnessed, he knows he left football in good hands.


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