World Cups are remembered for their star players as much as the winning team. Roberto Baggio in 1994, Maradona in 1986, Pele in 1958 and Niall Quinn in 1990 (just kidding) all gave their tournaments a central figure, a face and a player with which we can associate it. Yet the upcoming World Cup could be left lacking the world’s two best players. As it stands Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could be watching, rather than playing in, the action next summer.
Ronaldo and his Portugese side first. From the start it was going to be difficult for them to qualify. Their group contains Denmark and Sweden, both under-rated Scandanavian sides (having proven so, conceding just seven goals between them in their collective 16 qualifying games thus far), as well as a fiesty Hungarian side, who have done much to repair their nation’s once-glorious footballing reputation. Portugal have struggled through an inability to win, rather than frequent defeats. The frustration felt by their four draws was summed up by the 0-0 home draw with Albania. There are just two games to go – Portugal, as it stands, would miss out on both the automatic qualification place and the play-off place.
Messi’s Argentinia team have been even more surprising. With two games to go the Albicelestes are desperately clinging on to fifth place. Yesterday’s game at Paraguay was their third straight defeat in a row, a run of form that has put what looked like certain automatic qualification into jeapordy. Their final game against Uruguay will be interesting on a number of levels – on it could hinge automatic qualification, a play-off finish or the unimaginable event of a sixth place finish. A position that would end Argentina’s international action for next year or so, and, presumably, Maradona’s role as manager. Today the Argentinian newspaper La Nacion ran an online poll asking its readers “Should Maradona resign?”. 87% clicked yes.
We can look back for a hint of what might come. The last time a player of such magnitude missed the tournament was when Johann Cruyff missed the 1978 finals. While his Dutch side still made it to the final, albeit losing to Argentina, the tournament still lacked that certain extra gumph that its star player brings.
Yet a tournament lacking these two sides – or, more specifically, a tournament lacking Ronaldo and Messi – is an intruiging thought. An attractive one, almost. The Baggio-Pele-Maradona hole left would be gapingly wide, and it would invite another player to fill it, another player to act as the face of the tournament. Rooney, Robinho, Ribery or, for the sake of a new letter of the alpahbet, Fabregas? Or someone is little less predictable. Altidore, perhaps? A Ecuadorian or Mexican teenager? Ironically, the non-participation of its two biggest stars would add another topic of interest to next summer’s World Cup: the question who will step up and replace them.
