* Most Disappointing Game: Copa America Final - July 15th
without question the 3-0 loss by Argentina to Brazil in the Copa America final was the year’s most heartbreaking. Despite being the class of the tournament AND fielding a full strength squad, Argentina were simply played off the pitch by a Brazil side that showed little of the brilliance of that country’s famed footballing history. It was the worst kind of loss imaginable; lousy defence, an own goal, and the disappearance of top players Riquelme, Messi and Tévez. All of Argentina would do well to sweep that disaster under the rug and focus on 2010, but like their early exit in last year’s World Cup, it was another reminder in which an Argentine squad loaded with world-class talent was unable to get it done when it really mattered. A distant second: As a Congolese fan I was appalled by their embarrassing ouster from the upcoming African Nation’s Cup by drawing at home with Libya. While I won’t take anything away from the team from Tripoli, The Leopards looked like 11 players who were playing together for the first time, and barely able to show any signs of life. A fitting way to end a forgettable year for the Leopards.
* Best Performances: Cristiano Ronaldo
Without a doubt the best player I saw all of last year was Ronaldo. Simply look at what he was able to accomplish with Manchester United and Portugal in 2007.His performance in the EPL makes me my clear choice as the world player of the year. Considering the he was booed in every Stadium he played in except for Old Tafford and Portugal for much of the year and his accomplishments are even more impressive.Under great stress that he endured shortly following his “hand” in the Rooney sending off at the World Cup. Ronaldo literally won the title for Man United in 2007 and 20 years from now we will all remember the 2007 trophy as Ronaldo’s title.
* Best Goal: Lionel Messi v Getafe April 18th
The best goal that I saw in 2007 had to be Messi’s goal against Getafe in the Copa del Rey. It’s hard not to pick that goal, considering the beauty of his run past the defenders and its comparisons to Maradona.
* Breakout Player - Juan Juan Román Riquelme I’m going to have to sound like a skipping record and go with Riquelme. I think many people, including myself, felt that his loan back to Boca was a sign that he was washed up, but you can’t argue with the results.
* Next big player: My pick will have to be Argentina U20 striker Sergio Agüero is my pick to be the star of tomorrow. I had the chance to see him play in Canada in july and I think that he was a man playing with boys and with that I think that he will be the player with the most impact in 2008
The shortlist for the 2007 African player of the year is out, and current holder Didier Drogba is in contention again. The five players shortlisted are:
Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast) Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana) Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo) Frederic Kanoute (Seville and Mali) Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid and Mali)
The coaches of all 53 nations in the Confederation of African Football will vote, and the winner will be announced at a fancy dinner on Februaury 1st in Togo next year. Bizarrely, that’s in the middle of the African Cup of Nations so the players shortlisted will hope to be busy around that time (with the exception of Emmanuel Adebayor, since Togo failed to qualify.)
Drogba stands every chance of holding onto the award, looking unstoppable in a Chelsea shirt until his recent knee surgery. Last years runner up Samuel Eto’o is out of contention for the 2007 award having spent most of the season on the injury list. Kanoute is an interesting inclusion, as he’d be the first European born winner having been born in Lyon and represented French youth teams before switching to Mali, where he’s teamed up with Mahamadou Diarra, “the heart” of Real Madrid’s midfield. Not sure about Emmanuel Adebayor’s chances. He’s been good on his day for Arsenal, but hasn’t contributed much to Togo thanks to the infamous row over bonus payments that nearly ruined Togo’s World Cup. So I’ll be pulling for Michael Essien. This will be the third time in a row the Ghanaian midfielder has been shortlisted, finishing behind Eto’o and Drogba in 2005 and 2006, so it’s about time he finally got his hands on the award.
The current format of the Champions League is set to be scrapped.
The new set up would see the league winner from Scotland gain automatic entry into the group stages with the Cup winner going into a mini knockout phase that would see a further 10 clubs join the 22 teams who already gained automatic entry into the group stage.
The runner up in the league would immediately go into the UEFA Cup group stage.
It is said the SPL are not in favour of this new structure, nor are the Dutch, because they fear that the divide in the domestic league would become too much if one team won the league a couple of years in succession.
The financial rewards of being in the Champions League are such that the winning team would then have so much more money that the other clubs in the league would find it difficult to compete.
I think this will be a great change and put a breath of fresh air into both the domestic league and the Champions League.
