When South Africa won the right to host the 2010 World Cup, tears streamed down the faces of those gathered in Cape Town's Good Hope Centre. In Zurich, the organising committee chief executive Danny Jordaan and then president Nelson Mandela led similarly joyous celebrations in the usually antisepticat Fifa HQ. Six years later, on the eve of an opening ceremony at which it is desperately hoped a now frail Mandela will appear as guest of honour, huge anticipation and pride mingle with underlying concerns about whether the hopes loaded on to it are justified.

Nine host cities will welcome up to 350,000 overseas visitors, down on initial estimates due to the global recession, a misjudged ticket sales process and fears about high prices and security. Logistically, South Africa appears ready to prove the doomsayers wrong. Stadiums will be ready, airports and transport links complete and 41,000 dedicated police will counter security fears that are significant but overplayed. Once attention turns to the action on the pitch, against the backdrop of a nation enthusiastically embracing the arrival of the world's best players on their doorstep, organisers will deserve the plaudits that will flow their way.

As flags sprout from doorways and cars, the organisers' vision of the World Cup as the ultimate "nation building" event, helping write a new chapter in the country's post-apartheid history, appears justified. "It's about bringing a country and society that had been virtually at war for many years together in a new democratic, non-sexist South Africa," Jordaan declared in a speech at Stamford Bridge in March.

And yet. The South African media has loudly questioned whether the World Cup will do more for Fifa, which has banked a record $3.2bn (£2.2bn) in media and marketing revenues, and its sponsors than the host country and its people. The global governing body argues that those revenues fund its development work around the world and everything it does in the four years between World Cups. Under its profitable model, costs are borne by the host nation and all marketing and media revenues retained by Fifa.

The local organising committee retains some ticket income to meet its costs, and Fifa's long list of demands on national governments is considered worthwhile in return for the value of inward investment and the promotional power of having the eyes of the world on you for a month. Whether the sums add up when the country in question is a fast developing nation – in which up to 50% of the population live in poverty – remains open to a debate that will continue to rage once the curtain comes down in South Africa and attention turns to Brazil for 2014.

For its model to work, Fifa needs to aggressively protect its assets. This has gone down particularly badly in South Africa, where locals fear they will be unable to share in the promised bonanza. Tough restrictions on what can be sold in proximity to World Cup venues and fan fests will be enforced. Hotel and guesthouse owners too have long held grievances against Fifa and Match, its accommodation and ticketing partner.

A recent 200-page report by the Institute for Security Studies thinktank ran through the list of concerns in meticulous detail: opaque tendering processes, unease at Fifa's demands, searching critiques of the role of Match and tales of personal enrichment taking precedence over the greater good. It concludes: "The magnitude and uniqueness of the event, the nature of the construction industry, the vast sums of money involved, weak internal institutional oversight and accountability, opaque decision-making and the dearth of publicly available information all contribute to an environment conducive to conflicts of interest and corruption."

Nor does the legacy for football appear secure. There is hope in South Africa that the World Cup can draw wealthy white middle classes to a game that has traditionally been the domain of the black population, boosting its appeal to sponsors and making it a truly national sport. But Mark Fish and Lucas Radebe, veterans of the victorious 1996 Africa Cup of Nations squad, are critical of the way football authorities failed to capitalise on that victory and neglected the game's infrastructure in favour of internecine power struggles.

The South African Premier League is underpowered, with most fans preferring the English game and the handful of decent players picked off by clubs abroad. The same remains true throughout Africa and although Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, has been outspoken on the human cost of "trafficking" young African players to Europe, the failure to build an infrastructure that might help them may come to be seen as one of the biggest holes in the World Cup's promised legacy.

The 40,000 capacity Orlando Stadium in Soweto, home of the Pirates, has been refurbished. It will host a pop concert on the eve of the tournament and act as a training venue during the World Cup. Most of the gleaming new stadiums are reliant on persuading rugby clubs to move in if they are to have a viable future.

Promised Fifa development programmes – new artificial pitches throughout South Africa and for all 53 countries on the continent – are welcome but appear paltry alongside those $3.2bn in revenues. Fifa points to its Goal programme that invests $250,000 a year in every member country and 20 Football For Hope centres that will be scattered throughout Africa at a cost of $9m, delivering vital community programmes in impoverished areas. But some of the residents of those very same communities have been among the more vociferous critics of the World Cup. For them, Fifa's typically glib slogan – "Celebrate Africa's Humanity" – rings particularly hollow. "We have realised that the 2010 Fifa World Cup is meant not for the poor but for the rich… it has not brought any change into our lives or conditions in which we are living under," activists from Cape Town's Reclaim the City movement said.

The World Cup will be seen not only as a celebration of how far the country has come since apartheid but also a test of the theory that international sporting events can act as a means to turbo-charge infrastructure investment and leave a positive social and sporting legacy in all sorts of ways. It is an impression that Fifa and the International Olympic Committee are keen to foster among the nations jostling ever more enthusiastically for the right to host so-called "mega events". It also plays to the egos (in some cases) and genuinely held beliefs (in others) of those at the top of those organisations that sport has a unique transformative power.

Critics claim the notion that grateful developing nations should be forced to build gleaming sporting venues at great expense in the belief that it will accelerate development doesn't add up. They claim money poured into making sure venues are ready, transport systems upgraded and visitors made to feel safe would be better spent on basic amenities. Organisers have claimed the World Cup will deliver a $5.5bn boost to the economy and create 415,000 jobs. But many of those jobs are by their nature temporary and others say such figures are impossible to verify.

On the road from the airport in Cape Town to thestunningly located Green Point Stadium where England will play Algeria, billboards proclaim "From Shantyland to Dignity". They are advertising government plans to rehouse the 1.3 million people who live in the Khayelitsha township. But the waiting list stands at 400,000 and increasingly violent protests in some townships about slow progress in raising living standards tell their own story.

Experts say South Africa is a complex nation that defies glib generalisation. Ann Bernstein, the director of the Centre for Development and Enterprise, said the country should be judged against other fast developing nations such as India and Brazil rather than viewed through a "post-colonial lens". "South Africa needs high economic growth and strong leadership," she said. "The global economic crisis has affected us. Over one million people have lost their jobs since March 2009 and we are struggling politically.The infighting and lack of direction among the ANC and its allies is extremely worrying. Yet in many ways the country is doing quite well. One shouldn't extrapolate from that to say everything is on a downhill slope. Last quarter, the economy grew at 3.6%."

Likewise, there are two sides to the investment poured in to ready the country for what has been described as South Africa's coming out party. "I feel concerned about the stadiums and it would be better if we were holding this event without a global recession," Bernstein said. "But there's no doubt that the airports are now among the best in the world, investment in roads and infrastructure has been speeded up and the money may not have been found without the World Cup."

For all the concerns, the power of the World Cup to create a surge of optimism should not be underestimated. Gary Mabbutt, the former Spurs defender who moved to South Africa and is an ambassador for both the 2010 and England's 2018 World Cup bid, speaks for many when he predicts this will be "the best World Cup ever". And perhaps the chance for the world to look with fresh eyes at a country and a continent too often defined by a set of tired stereotypes will be its true legacy. Jordaan has described it as nothing less than "an image makeover of the country and the continent", the "the world's biggest ever free advert".

"The case can't be made definitely that this will set South Africa on the map, but it has the chance to create a wave of attention," Bernstein said. So many things rest on the decisions we take afterwards."

 Real Madrid's latest galactico was unveiled today – but it was not Ashley Cole nor Frank Lampard. And as the flashes went off around him at the Santiago Bernabéu, José Mourinho quickly moved to insist that nor would it be.

Madrid's new coach, the 11th in the past seven years, rejected speculation surrounding bids for Lampard and Cole, claiming his relationship with his former players does not necessarily mean they would follow him to Spain. The conclusion that is easiest to draw is often wrong, Mourinho said.

For the first time, Madrid appear ready to hand their coach power over the building of the squad and summer signings. Last week Mourinho suggested he was interested in bringing Cole, Lampard and Steven Gerrard to Madrid. There was a different message during his presentation as the new Madrid manager today.

While Mourinho intimated that there would be a change in Madrid's transfer approach, he refused to be drawn on specific targets and rejected the simple equation: old players equals new signings. "I don't want to talk about names, it is too early," Mourinho said.

"Every word, [costs] €1m more. Ten words, €10m. So, we should not talk about players. The club is happy with the basic squad from last year and so am I. We don't need enormous or dramatic changes. We need three or four players for the coach to have a team that can adapt to his ideas.

"It is the same old story. It is very easy to connect me or my club with ex-players because everyone knows the kind of relationship I had with those players – Maicon, Lampard or Ashley Cole. Because I always establish deep relationships with my players it is easy to put their names in the papers."

Asked if that meant he would be open to signing more Spanish players, as some supporters have demanded in a search for identity, he responded: "Identity has nothing to do with nationality of the players. Madrid's identity will never change. Ever.

"I adapt to the philosophy of the players I have. We need just some adjustments, just a few players. And more than the names, what matters is the profile – the type of players, their position and qualities. It won't be a summer in which we talk so much about the players. We can talk about the World Cup instead. I think it's going to be quite a quiet summer."

Easy for him to say. Madrid's galáctico arrived today; the sheer media presence, and the fans gathered outside the ground, showed that the star signing has already been made for this summer. Despite being in a low-key mood, he did promise: "José Mourinho will always be José Mourinho, with all his qualities and his defects. I never change."

The coach revealed that before his presentation he visited the club's trophy room with the president. "When we walked past [Madrid's] last European Cup, the president said he missed it," Mourinho said. "I said: 'I only won my last one 10 days ago and I miss that too.'

"I can't promise that we [will win the European Cup]. But I can promise that when we go into the draw, although we won't be seeds we won't be scared. The teams that will be scared will be the teams that could get us. They're the unlucky ones. We have an incredible history in the European Cup and an incredible negative history recently. I dream of going to Wembley. Real Madrid and I both want the same thing right now."

From Tom Watt, author of My Side, the best-selling autobiography of David Beckham, comes A Beautiful Game. Combining stunning photographs with the world’s greatest players sharing their personal stories of how soccer transformed their lives, this inspiring book is an intoxicating celebration of the “beautiful game.” Available in time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Book Description

Wherever you are on earth, it's only a matter of time before you come across children playing soccer. Another five minutes and you will probably find yourself having a ball rolled to your feet as an invitation to join in the game. Soccer is a common language and a culture shared: a joy, a passion, an escape, and an affirmation of identity understood and celebrated by children—and their parents—in every country around the globe.

For this unique collaborative project, soccer writer Tom Watt talked to the world's top players about growing up and falling in love with the game: Argentina's Lionel Messi and Brazil's Gilberto Silva; England's David James and Scotland's Craig Gordon; Italy's Fabio Cannavaro, Spain's Iker Casillas, and France's Franck Ribéry; South Africa's Benni McCarthy and Nigeria's Nwankwo Kanu; USA's Landon Donovan and Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura; and the world's most famous player, David Beckham.

A Beautiful Game tells their stories, in the players' own words—stories of boys who would grow up to be heroes for a new generation of young players and fans. They look back to their childhoods: to their family homes, to their schoolrooms, to the friends they grew up with, and to the places where they first played the game that has made them stars. The players' words are brought to life with over 160 full-color images that offer rare, emotive, and striking insights into childhood all over the world, and celebrate soccer's ability to touch the lives of children—and adults—wherever the beautiful game is played.

Five percent of the originating publisher's revenue from sales of the book worldwide will benefit selected UNICEF sports-related projects.

José Manuel Reina (Liverpool FC)

Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)

Joan Capdevila Méndez (Villarreal CF)

Carlos Marchena López (Valencia CF)

Gerard Pique Bernabéu (FC Barcelona)

Carles Puyol Saforcada (FC Barcelona)

Sergio Busquets Burgos (FC Barcelona)

Francesc “Cesc” Fabregas Soler (Arsenal FC)

Andrés Iniesta Lujan (FC Barcelona)

Javier Martínez Aguinaga (Athletic Club)

David Jiménez Silva (Valencia CF)

Xavier Hernández Creus (FC Barcelona)

Jesús Navas González (Sevilla FC)

Juan Manuel Mata García (Valencia CF)

Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma (FC Barcelona)

Fernando Llorente Torres (Athletic Club)

Fernando Torres Sanz (Liverpool FC)

David Villa Sánchez (Valencia CF)

Hola Madridistas y Furiosos Rojos!

Four years ago in Kaiserslautern, I attended the first ever match between Spain and Saudi Arabia. We didn't display much of a talent show, and if you would have told me after the 1:0 from Juanito's goal that we would take the Euro Cup two years later, I probably wouldn’t have trusted you very much with my money

Years have passed and so too has our “suerte” … On paper, tomorrows game should be a no-brainer, but as Madridistas we know that even against Xerex we need to put on our boxing gloves to get a 6:0 and we like to do it in style... La Roja isn't very different … The problem is that we had a string of injuries and we really don't know the extent of the damage incurred. While I don't like to be the pessimist, I don't like being let down and therefore I am a cautious optimist. Some say friendlies are just an opportunity to pick up another knock or niggle and that they are detrimental and harmful as opposed to helpful. Maybe it would be better that they carry these friendlies out in South Africa so that they get their lungs used to the air pressure difference. Among all the uncertainty, questions, fears, excitements and doubts that people may have out there, stands one thing loud and clear in my mind: No Cartesian evil demon is tricking me into thinking that I want to see firsthand where our boys are standing before they get on the plane to South Africa… and therefore I will be at 12:00 PM tomorrow afternoon at Mr. Dennehy’s in Spanish Gear to kick off the first of the friendlies Pre-WC 2010.

Here is a memory of post Euro Cup celebration ... I want to see a new video this year with a different happy cancion!

Buenas Noches y Viva España!

Peña Madridista NYC

  

He did not take off his medal and stuff it in his pocket. He wore it proudly. He did not walk away to hide himself, as ostentatiously as a man hiding himself could possibly contrive to do, in the shadows of the dugout. Instead he went straightaway to applaud the fans dancing in ecstasy on the northern face of the mighty Bernabéu, then hugged his players and shook hands with their opponents. He hoisted his son, José Jr, wearing a black and blue No10 shirt, on to his shoulders, before setting him down, picking up the match ball and a Portuguese flag, and making his way to embrace his president.

This time José Mourinho was on his very best behaviour, as he had been all week. Once again he was starring in his own movie. But he was showing the world – and his employers, present and future – that he could also win one of football's biggest prizes with dignity.

There could have been no better setting for this display of his talents than the home of an organisation whose nine victories in the European Cup give them a special identification with the greatest of club tournaments. The near-certainty that it will become Mourinho's own next home only added to the evening's resonance. He will, he said, be meeting Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid, today. He may or may not have been winding us up. Probably not. The contract is said to extend over four years, at €10m (£8.7m) a year, and the pre-season gathering is scheduled for a country-house hotel in County Kildare in the first week of August.

"I don't know this project yet," he replied when asked, long after midnight, about a summer move from Lombardy to Castille. "I'm not the coach of Real Madrid. I'm very, very proud to be the coach of Inter. Should I become the coach of Real Madrid it will be because they are a club of huge dimensions, and they want me to do what I have done at other clubs: to win."

He ran, as he is prone to do with only the slightest encouragement, through his list of achievements in Portugal, England and Italy. "Real Madrid will just be another club who want to win important things," he added. "But to do that, you need spirit and you must be able to build a team that works together. Internazionale has become a wonderful family. Everyone worked hard to achieve that, from the groundsman to the players on the pitch and the ones who had to stay on the bench. We have created a family, and that's the most important thing."

For all his sometimes toxic behaviour, it is undeniable that, wherever he goes, Mourinho wins the respect and affection of his squad and staff, and Saturday night's victory removed the last doubts over his standing as one of the game's great coaches. To have captured the European Cup on slender resources with FC Porto, to have taken Chelsea to their first English league title in half a century, and to make Inter kings of Europe for the first time in 45 years – all in a mere seven years – is an astonishing record.

Against whom do we measure him? Two names constantly come up: those of Helenio Herrera and Brian Clough. Il Mago, the architect of Inter's glory years in the mid-60s, is the most obvious comparison. Mourinho builds his teams on a similar foundation of ruthless defence, but there is always scope for artists – Deco at Porto, Frank Lampard at Chelsea, Wesley Sneijder at Inter – and great strikers, such as Didier Drogba and Diego Milito, to express themselves. Herrera, too, had Sandro Mazzola, Jair, Mario Corso and Luis Suárez.

Like Clough, Mourinho concentrates on the art of counterattacking. Analysing Porto's victory in the 2004 final, he explained how, of the four training days leading up to the match, one was devoted to the transition from defence to attack, and another to the transition from attack to defence. It was part, he said, of his methodology. It seems unlikely Clough or Peter Taylor ever used the terms "transition" and "methodology" at Derby County or Nottingham Forest, but the result was remarkably similar: teams designed to break forward with speed, purpose and a beautiful economy.

In one area above all Mourinho is definitely Clough's superior: for all his volatility, his iconoclasm and his provocations, he knows how to handle the pressures of life in football's penthouse suite. Having shown, with Porto, that he could prosper in a comparatively modest setting, he went on to meet the demands of two men, Roman Abramovich and Massimo Moratti, for whom nothing but the very best would do. Perhaps he is not, after all, inherently as volatile and iconoclastic as he seems, just a very clever man with an unusually wide array of psychological weapons at his disposal.

After Saturday, however, it would be foolish to believe that mind games are his strongest suit. Inter's mastery of the match, after they had soaked up an opening half-hour of constant bombardment, culminated in two of the loveliest goals you could ever see in a European Cup final, the first an example of Route One in excelsis and the second a clean incision through the Bayern defence, each culminating in a perfectly judged finish from Milito.

Mourinho spoke generously of his time at Inter, but left his listeners in no doubt about the crucial nature of his own contribution to their historic treble. The only part of the season he did not enjoy, he said, were the weeks he had to watch their Serie A matches from the grandstands while serving a touchline ban. "In the two months I had to be in the stands," he explained, "I saw my team go from a lead of 10 points to second place. That didn't please me."

Next, it seems, Mourinho will be dealing with Pérez and with Real Madrid's needy afición, who yearn not just to remove Barcelona from their perch at the top of La Liga but for a 10th European Cup triumph. On past form, the challenge of dismantling the club's surviving cliques and building a structure to support Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Gonzalo Higuaín and Karim Benzema should be relatively straightforward.

Like his Porto, Chelsea and Inter sides, Mourinho's Real will play from the back and become experts in the business of neutralising known dangers, but the quality of the forwards is a guarantee of entertainment. And once he has met those targets, perhaps within a couple of years, Old Trafford and the biggest test of all will surely open its arms to this brilliant, restless man.

2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona, £10.4million)

3 Lionel Messi (Barcelona, £9.1million)

4 Samuel Eto'o (Internazionale, £9.1million)

6 Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City, £7.4million)

8 Carlos Tevez (Manchester City, £7million)

9 John Terry (Chelsea, £6.5million)

10 Frank Lampard (Chelsea, £6.5million)

11 Thierry Henry (Barcelona, £6.5million)

12 Xavi (Barcelona, £6.5million)

13 Ronaldinho (AC Milan, £6.5million)

14 Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, £6.5million)

15 Daniel Alves (Barcelona, £6.1million)

16 Michael Ballack (Chelsea, £5.6million)

18 Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United, £5.6million)

19 Kolo Toure (Manchester City, £5.6million)

20 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, £5.2million)

21 Robinho (Manchester City, £5.2million)

23 Victor Valdez (Barcelona, £5.2million)

24 Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla, £5.2million)

25 Deco (Chelsea, £5.2million)

26 Didier Drogba (Chelsea, £4.8million)

27 Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, £4.8million)

28 Francesco Totti (Roma, £4.8million)

29 Luca Toni (Roma, £4.8million)

30 David Villa (Valencia, £4.8million)

31 Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich, £4.8million)

32 Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich, £4.8million)

33 Ashley Cole (Chelsea, £4.8million)

34 Fernando Torres (Liverpool, £4.8million)

35 Gareth Barry (Manchester City, £4.8million)

36 Patrick Vieira (Internazionale, £4.8million)

37 Charles Puyol (Barcelona, £4.3million)

38 Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, £4.3million)

39 Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid, £4.3million)

40 Andreas Pirlo (AC Milan, £4.3million)

41 Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich, £4.3million)

42 Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich, £4.3million)

43 David Beckham (AC Milan, £4.3million)

44 Wayne Bridge (Manchester City, £4.3million)

46 Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United £4.1million)

47 Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal, £4.1million)

48 Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea, £4.1million)

49 Ryan Giggs (Manchester United £4.1million)

50 Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus, £4.1million)

Respeto pedía la afición del Sevilla en su enorme mosaico desplegado justo antes de que Mejuto González diera comienzo al último partido de su carrera como árbitro. La hinchada andaluza, condenada a desplazarse más de mil kilómetros hasta Barcelona, conoce tiempos de gloria después de que, a principios del decenio, tuviera que sufrir en sus carnes la dureza de la Segunda División. Entonces, esa masa fiel y los elementos que surgieron de su inagotable cantera forjaron los cimientos del crecimiento. Casi como ahora. Llegaron delanteros de alcurnia, como Luis Fabiano, que vio el partido en Brasil; como Kanouté, como el indultado Negredo; centrocampistas de peso, caso de Zokora... Pero el alma del sevillismo encontró pronto sustento en otros protagonistas. Canteranos, por más señas.

Aplaudió la afición andaluza la valentía de Antonio Álvarez de colocar en el lateral zurdo a un juvenil, Luna, por la lesión de Adriano, y vibraba en cada carrera de Jesús Navas por la derecha y de Diego Capel por la izquierda. Tres canteranos con un papel estelar, autores de los goles dos de ellos, sustento de su equipo ante las acometidas de un Atlético ido a más.

Lo de Navas, que logró el segundo tanto, comienza a ser digno de análisis. El Niño, como es conocido en el vestuario, cumplió su 50º partido entre las tres competiciones que ha disputado el Sevilla, 49 de titular. Como un fondista etíope, jamás muestra síntomas de cansancio. Siempre sonríe, dispuesto a echar una mano al que lo necesite.

Después de superar los problemas de ansiedad que lastraron hasta hace unos meses su progresión, Navas tiene la posibilidad de consagrarse en la próxima Copa del Mundo. En el palco, Vicente del Bosque fue testigo de su eterno compromiso y de sus ganas de ser útil a su Sevilla, ese club que algún día abandonará para tomar probablemente el camino de la capital de España. Su progresión es tan evidente que ha aprendido también a jugar en otras zonas que no sean la banda derecha: diagonales que provocaron el pánico en el Atlético, obsesionado con cerrarle la banda con continuas coberturas.

Junto a Jesús, emergió Capel, decisivo en las eliminatorias previas a esta gran final. Anotó su tercer gol en la competición, en la que fue clave para batir al Barcelona, y tuvo la virtud de nunca levantar la voz cuando no disfrutó de la ocasión de jugar con asiduidad, algo que le ha ocurrido a veces en una temporada irregular del extremo.

El tercer canterano titular fue Luna, de 19 años. Natural de Pedrera, en la Sierra Sur de Sevilla, tierra de jornaleros, áspera, que dio muchos emigrantes para esa Cataluña en la que jugó el partido más importante de su vida. Aunque nervioso en ocasiones, el defensa mostró maneras dignas de ser tenidas en cuenta en un futuro próximo.

Nada que ver, por ejemplo, con la actitud de un indolente Negredo, un delantero que tuvo la ocasión de jugar después de un perdón federativo más que cuestionable. Ni vio el balón ni lo quiso, fallando un gol clamoroso, y probablemente su actuación puede abrir un cisma con el sevillismo, ese que vibra con sus canteranos, con su gente, brillantes actores junto a secundarios que sí dieron la talla, como Zokora, Kanouté y Escudé.

Bendita cantera, alabada por su gente, como esa convicción de Antonio Álvarez de jugar siempre con dos delanteros, aunque, uno desgraciadamente, no respondiera a la confianza de su técnico, que nunca, por el momento, renuncia a sus principios.

Pep Guardiola started the fire and Pep Guardiola would have to put it out. It was supposed to be a eulogy, a tribute. He was trying to prove that he hadn't been lying all along. He was also trying to provoke pride. Instead, he provoked a panic, a moral outcry. His comforting message for Barcelona fans became a threat for the rest of Spain. Guardiola had inflamed national sensibilities; soon he was having to cool them down again. But the specter he raised still haunted them.

It happened in the build-up to Barcelona's crucial clash with Villarreal on May 1. Barcelona had just been knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan; fail to win against Villarreal three days later and it would effectively be knocked out of the league title race, too. Xavi Hernandez had missed training and was struggling to make it. Guardiola announced that he would probably be without the central midfielder who makes Barcelona tick. The man who makes Spain tick, too -- and that was the point.

In the end, Xavi played. Barcelona won 4-1. The title race was still on. But, some said, what Guardiola had done was not. Many saw sneaky mind games in his pregame comments. Others saw a barefaced lie. After the match, Guardiola insisted that Xavi was indeed injured -- in fact, he had a tear in his calf -- but that, given what was at stake, he had risked his physical well-being for the sake of his club. He had risked more than that.

"Xavi played with an injury that could cost him the World Cup, but he showed his commitment," Guardiola said. "That's why he's the best midfielder in the history of the club."

The reaction was as immediate and as fearful as it was furious. If he was risking the World Cup, then commitment to his club meant a lack of commitment to his country. One headline spoke for all in declaring pointedly: "Xavi prefers Barca to Spain." A television station wheeled out a doctor who bitterly attacked Guardiola for "forcing" his player to take the risk; in his "professional" opinion, Xavi shouldn't have played for Barca.

The attacks awoke a familiar demon, one that seemed to have been buried and long forgotten, utterly undermined by success at the European Championships: that smidgen of suspicion over Catalan commitment to the Spanish national team. Some claimed that a Catalan would risk missing out for Spain because he was already playing for his "national" team -- FC Barcelona. A Basque at Athletic Bilbao might, too. A Madrileno, an Andalucian or an Asturian would never do the same.

That was a minority opinion; regional divisions have traditionally been exaggerated. The notion that a lack of "national" feeling has historically undermined the selection does not convince.

But even those who accepted Xavi's right to choose and to take a risk -- after all, they judged, he might not aggravate the injury, there was still time before the World Cup, and there was a hell of a lot at stake for his club team -- were concerned. What, they asked, if he did make the injury worse? What would that do to Spain? After all, Guardiola had described him as the club's best midfielder but he was the country's best, too, the player of the tournament at Euro 2008. How could he risk it? How could he do that to us? "Our hopes rest on him," sniffed one newspaper.

The outcry was such that Guardiola had, a little sheepishly, to insist that the injury wasn't that bad. So, too, did Xavi himself. "My calf was sore but there was so much at stake that I wanted to be there for the team," Xavi said. "Besides, it's not serious. I'll be at the World Cup, too." Guardiola agreed. He didn't explicitly say so, but he essentially admitted that he might have exaggerated a little in order to make a point. It was time to get everyone off his, and Xavi's, back.

"Relax," Guardiola said, "Xavi will be in South Africa."

Trouble is, it's not easy to relax. In February 2007, Andres Iniesta's goal beat England. Since then, Spain has played 45 games and lost just once, winning 41, including 10 out of 10 in qualifying. For once, its status as favorite was completely justified. When it demolished France, Thierry Henry complained that his side barely saw the ball and coach Raymond Domenech admitted he did not know how to stop the Spanish. Suddenly, the fear was that he might not need to: Injuries would do the job for him. And for every other national team coach.

With the European Championships followed by last year's treble for Barcelona, the Confederations Cup, the European Super Cup and the World Club Cup, plus a semifinal in this year's Champions League, Xavi has barely stopped in two years. The same is true of Carles Puyol.

And throughout the Spain midfield, Xavi is not alone in struggling. Iniesta still has not returned from a muscle tear. Nor has Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas reappeared since he suffered a fractured shin. Marcos Senna has limped his way through the season. So has his Villarreal teammate Santi Cazorla. Valencia's David Silva and Sevilla's Jesus Navas have had problems. Only Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso has been ever-present.

It's not just in the middle, either. Barely days after Guardiola's attempt to keep everyone calm -- an attempt that didn't entirely work, with most people insisting that either he was fibbing the first time or he was fibbing the second time -- doctors at Liverpool admitted that Fernando Torres might not make it for Spain's first match against Switzerland on June 16.

Two days after that, David Villa was left out of the Valencia side. He needed to rest. Villa has been carrying a shoulder injury, as well as suffering minor problems with both knees, and was shattered physically. Meanwhile, although Bilbao's Fernando Llorente has played extremely well this campaign, Spain's other strikers don't entirely convince: Alvaro Negredo has had a largely disappointing season for Sevilla and Dani Guiza has played only 20 of Fenerbache 32 games, scoring nine times.

Watching Spain can sometimes leave you with the sensation that it is the perfect team. Strong at the back, controlling in midfield, creative in attack and deadly in front of goal. With often-astounding superiority, it has often appeared to be the team that has everything.

Well, almost everything. When Guardiola was forced into a rapid climb down, obliged to put out the fire he had accidentally started, it revealed the one concern the Spanish still have. The risk now is that Spain might just have everything it needs except the one thing it needs more than anything else: a clean bill of health.

SOUTH AFRICA (29): Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld),

Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs),

Shu-Aib Walters (Mariztburg United); Defenders: Matthew Booth

(Mamelodi Sundowns), Bevan Fransman (Maccabi Netanya), Siboniso Gaxa

(Mamelodi Sundowns), Bongani Khumalo (SuperSport United), Tsepo

Masilela (Maccabi Haifa), Innocent Mdledle (Orlando Pirates), Aaron

Mokoena (Portsmouth), Bryce Moon (PAOK Salonika), Anele Ngcongca

(Racing Genk), Siyabonga Sangweni (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Lucas

Thwala (Orlando Pirates); Midfielders: Franklin Cale (Mamelodi

Sundowns), Lance Davids (Ajax Cape Town), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham),

Andile Jali (Orlando Pirates), Thanduyise Khuboni (Lamontville Golden

Arrows), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Teko Modise (Orlando

Pirates), Surprise Moriri (Mamelodi Sundowns), Steven Pienaar

(Everton), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer

Chiefs); Forwards: Benni McCarthy (West Ham United), Katlego Mphela

(Mamelodi Sundowns), Siyabonga Nomvete (Moroka Swallows), Bernard

Parker (FC Twente).

FRANCE (30): Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda

(Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Mickael Landreau (Lille);

Defenders: Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United),

William Gallas (Arsenal), Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Rod Fanni (Rennes),

Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla), Adil Rami (Lille), Marc Planus

(Bordeaux), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon);

Midfielders: Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux),

Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Yoann Gourcuff

(Bordeaux), Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Yann M'Vila (Rennes); Forwards:

Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Andre-Pierre

Gignac (Toulouse), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Sidney Govou (Lyon),

Djibril Cisse (Panathinaikos), Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille), Mathieu

Valbuena (Marseille), Jimmy Briand (Rennes)

MEXICO (26): Goalkeepers: Oscar Perez (Chiapas), Guillermo Ochoa

(America), Luis Ernesto Michel (Guadalajara); Defenders: Rafael

Marquez (Barcelona), Ricardo Osorio (VfB Stuttgart), Francisco

Rodriguez, Carlos Salcido (both PSV Eindhoven), Hector Moreno (AZ

Alkmaar), Paul Aguilar (Pachuca), Efrain Juarez (Pumas UNAM), Jonny

Magallon (Guadalajara), Juan Carlos Valenzuela (America), Jorge Torres

Nilo (Atlas), Adrian Aldrete (Morelia); Midfielders: Andres Guardado

(Deportivo Coruna), Jonathan dos Santos (Barcelona), Gerardo Torrado

(Cruz Azul), Israel Castro (Pumas UNAM), Giovani dos Santos

(Galatasaray); Forwards: Pablo Barrera (Pumas UNAM), Adolfo Bautista,

Alberto Medina (both Guadalajara), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Veracruz),

Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), Guillermo

Franco (West Ham United)

URUGUAY (26): Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Lazio), Juan Castillo

(Deportivo Cali), Martin Silva (Defensor Sporting) Defenders: Diego

Lugano (Fenerbahce), Diego Godin (Villarreal), Andres Scotti (Colo

Colo), Mauricio Victorino (Universidad de Chile), Martin Caceres

(Juventus), Jorge Fucile (Porto), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica)

Midfielders: Sebastian Eguren (AIK Stockholm), Alvaro Pereira (Porto),

Walter Gargano (Napoli), Diego Perez (AS Monaco), Alvaro Fernandez

(Universidad de Chile), Alvaro Gonzalez (Nacional), Jorge Rodriguez

(River Plate, Uruguay), Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax), Jorge Martinez

(Catania), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Penarol), Ignacio Gonzalez

(Levadiakos) Forwards: Luis Suarez (Ajax), Diego Forlan (Atletico

Madrid), Sebastian Abreu (Botafogo), Edinson Cavani (Palermo),

Sebastian Fernandez (Banfield)

ARGENTINA (30): Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Mariano

Andujar (Catania), Diego Pozo (Colon); Defenders: Gabriel Heinze

(Olympique Marseille), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Nicolas

Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Juan

Insaurralde (Newell's Old Boys), Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes de La

Plata), Nicolas Burdisso (AS Roma), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle

United), Ariel Garce (Colon); Midfielders: Javier Mascherano

(Liverpool), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United), Angel Di Maria

(Benfica), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina), Juan Sebastian Veron, Jose Sosa

(both Estudiantes de La Plata), Javier Pastore (Palermo), Jesus Datolo

(Olympiakos), Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors), Sebastian Blanco

(Lanus), Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool); Forwards: Lionel Messi

(Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester

City), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Diego Milito (Inter Milan),

Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli).

GREECE (30): Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Salonika), Alexandros

Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK Salonika); Defenders:

Giorgos Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos),

Evangelos Moras (Bologna), Socrates Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Sotiris

Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiacos), Vasilis

Torosidis (Olympiacos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Stelios

Malezas (PAOK Salonika), Giorgos Tzavellas (Panionios), Kostas Manolas

(AEK Athens), Giorgos Galitsios (Olympiacos), Stergos Marinos

(Panathinaikos); Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos),

Alexandros Tziolis (Siena), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos),

Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia),

Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Sakis Prittas (Aris Salonika), Lazaros

Christodoulopoulos (Panathinaikos); Forwards: Angelos Charisteas

(Nuremberg), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Pantelis Kapetanos

(Steaua Bucharest), Theofanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin), Giorgos Samaras

(Celtic), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiacos).

NIGERIA (30): Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Dele

Ayenugba (Beni Yehuda FC), Bassey Akpan (Bayelsa United), Austine

Ejide (Hapoel Petah Tikva); Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Marseille),

Elderson Echiejile (Rennes), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow) Onyekachi Apam

(Nice), Joseph Yobo (Everton), Daniel Shittu (Bolton), Ayodele Adeleye

(Sparta Rotterdam), Rabiu Afolabi (Salzburg), Peter Suswan (Lobi

Stars); Midfielders: Kalu Uche (Almeria), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham), John

Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Sani Kaita (Alaniya), Lukman Haruna (Monaco),

Ayila Yussuf (Dynamo Kiev), Peter Osaze (Lokomotiv Moscow); Forwards:

Yakubu Ayegbeni (Everton), Victor Anichebe (Everton), Chinedu Obasi

(Hoffenheim), Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg),

Ideye Brown (Sochaux), Ikechukwu Uche (Zaragoza), John Utaka

(Portsmouth), Peter Utaka (Odense), Victor Obinna (Malaga)

SOUTH KOREA (30): Goalkeepers: Kim Young-Kwang (Ulsan), Lee Woon-Jae

(Suwon), Jung Sung-Ryong (Seongnam); Defenders: Kang Min-Soo (Suwon),

Kwak Tae-Hwi (Kyoto), Kim Dong-Jin (Ulsan), Kim Hyung-Il (Pohang), Oh

Beom-Seok (Ulsan), Lee Young-Pyo (Al Hilal), Lee Jung-Soo (Kashima

Antlers), Hwang Jae-Won (Pohang), Cho Won-Hee (Wigan), Cha Du-Ri (SC

Freiburg), Cho Yong-Hyung (Jeju); Midfielders: Koo Ja-Cheol (Jeju), Ki

Sung-Yong (Celtic), Kim Bo-Kyung (Oita), Kim Nam-Il (Tom Tomsk), Shin

Hung-Min (Pohang), Kim Jae-Sung (Pohang), Kim Jung-Woo (Gwangju), Lee

Chung-Yong (Bolton), Kim Chi-Woo (Seoul), Park Ji-Sung (Manchester

United); Forwards: Park Ju-Young (AS Monaco), Ahn Jung-Hwan (Dalian

Shide), Lee Seung-Ryul (Seoul), Yeom Ki-Hun (Suwon), Lee Keun-Ho

(Jubilo Iwata), Lee Dong-Guk (Jeonbuk).

ENGLAND (30): Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green

(West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City); Defenders: Ashley Cole

(Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United),

Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie

Carragher (Liverpool), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Michael Dawson

(Tottenham Hotspur), Leighton Baines (Everton), Stephen Warnock (Aston

Villa); Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard

(Chelsea), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), James Milner (Aston

Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Joe

Cole (Chelsea), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur), Scott Parker

(West Ham United), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Johnson

(Manchester City), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City); Forwards:

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur),

Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Darren Bent (Sunderland), Jermain Defoe

(Tottenham Hotspur).

USA (30): Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton),

Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton); Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra

(Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover),

Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall

(Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas),

Jonathan Spector (West Ham United); Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley

(Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (rebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia

Monchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey

(Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers),

Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan

(Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Jos Torres (Pachuca);

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles

Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt

Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

SLOVENIA (30): Goalkeepers: Samir Handanovic (Udinese), Jasmin

Handanovic (Mantova), Aleksander Seliga (Sparta Rotterdam), Jan

Koprivec (Maribor); Defenders: Bojan Jokic (Chievo Verona), Marko

Suler (Ghent), Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble), Branko Ilic (Lokomotiv

Moscow), Matej Mavric (Koblenz), Dejan Kelhar (Cercle Brugge), Elvedin

Dzinic (Maribor), Miso Brecko (Cologne), Aleksandar Rajcevic (Koper),

Suad Filekovic (Maribor); Midfielders: Andraz Kirm (Wisla Krakow),

Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Rene Krhin (Internazionale), Mirnes

Sisic (Giannina), Darjan Matic (Rapid Bucharest), Dare Vrsic (Koper),

Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnhem), Robert Koren (West Bromwich

Albion), Aleksander Radosavljevic (Larissa), Valter Birsa (Auxerre).;

Forwards: Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne), Zlatko Dedic (VfL Bochum),

Zlatan Ljubijankic (Ghent), Nejc Pecnik (Nacional), Miran Burgic (AIK

Solna), Tim Matavz (Groningen).

ALGERIA (30): Goalkeepers: Faouzi Chaouchi (Entente Setif), Lounes

Gaouaoui (ASO Chlef), Rais Ouheb Mbouli (Slavia Sofia), Mohamed Lamine

Zemmamouche (Mouloudia Algiers); Defenders: Habib Belaid (Boulogne-sur-

Mer), Nader Belhadj (Portsmouth), Majid Bougherra (Rangers), Rafik

Halliche (Nacional), Abdelkader Laifaoui (Entente Setif), Carl Medjani

(Ajaccio), Mohamed Meftah (JS Kabylie), Djamel Mesbah (Lecce), Hocine

Metref (Entente Setif), Antar Yahia (VfL Bochum); Midfielders: Djamel

Abdoun (Nantes), Lazhar Hadj Aissa (Entente Setif), Riad Boudebouz

(Sochaux), Adlane Guedioura (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Fouad Kadir

(Valenciennes), Medhi Lacen (Racing Santanader), Khaled Lemmouchia

(Entente Setif), Yazid Mansouri (Lorient), Mourad Meghni (Lazio),

Hassan Yebda (Portsmouth), Karim Ziani (VfL Wolfsburg); Forwards: Amri

Chadli (Kaiserslautern), Rafik Djebbour (AEK Athens), Abdelkader

Ghezzal (Siena), Karim Matmour (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Rafik

Saifi (Istres).

GERMANY (30): Goalkeepers: Hans-Jorg Butt (Bayern Munich), Manuel

Neuer (Schalke), Tim Wiese (Bremen); Defenders: Per Mertesacker

(Bremen), Heiko Westermann (Schalke), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich),

Jerome Boateng (Hamburg), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), Arne Friedrich

(Hertha Berlin), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg),

Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Dennis Aogo (Hamubrg); Midfielders:

Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Sami Khedira (Stuttgart), Piotr Trochowski

(Hamburg), Marko Marin (Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern

Munich), Christian Trasch (Stuttgart), Mesut Ozil (Bremen), Toni Kroos

(Leverkusen); Forwards: Lukas Podolski (Cologne), Miroslav Klose

(Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiessling (Leverkusen), Cacau (Stuttgart),

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich).

SERBIA (30): Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Wigan), Zeljko Brkic

(Vojvodina Novi Sad), Bojan Isailovic (Cukaricki Belgrade), Andjelko

Djuricic (Leiria); Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Antonio

Rukavina (1860 Munich), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Neven

Subotic (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese), Ivan

Obradovic (Real Zaragoza), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio); Midfielders:

Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan), Nenad Milijas (Wolves), Milos Krasic

(CSKA Moscow), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege), Milos Ninkovic

(Dynamo Kiev), Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart), Zoran Tosic (Manchester

United), Miralem Sulejmani (Ajax), Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin),

Nemanja Matic (Chelsea), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade);

Forwards: Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Marko Pantelic (Ajax), Danko

Lazovic (Zenit St Petersburg), Dragan Mrdja (Vojvodina), Dejan Lekic

(Red Star Belgrade)

GHANA (29): Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson (Wigan), Daniel Agyei

(Liberty Professionals), Stephen Ahorlu (Hearts of Lions), Stephen

Adams (Aduana Stars); Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Basle), Eric Addo

(Roda JC), Jonathan Mensah (Granada), Lee Addy (Bechem Chelsea), Rahim

Ayew (Zamalek), Hans Sarpei (Bayer Leverkusen), John Mensah (Lyon),

Isaac Vorsah (Hoffenheim), John Pantsil (Fulham); Midfielders: Sulley

Muntari (Inter Milan), Derek Boateng (Getafe), Anthony Annan

(Rosenborg), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah (both Udinese),

Andre Ayew (Marseille), Michael Essien (Chelsea), Stephen Appiah

(Bologna), Haminu Draman (Lokomotiv Moscow), Quincy Owusu Abeyie (Al

Sadd), Bernard Kumordzie (Panionios), Laryea Kingston (Hearts), Kevin-

Prince Boateng (Portsmouth); Forwards: Matthew Amoah (NAC Breda),

Asamoah Gyan (Rennes), Prince Tagoe (Hoffenheim), Dominic Adiyiah (AC

Milan)

AUSTRALIA (31): Goalkeepers: Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Adam Federici

(Reading), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough), Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide

United); Defenders: Lucas Neill (Galatasaray), Craig Moore

(unattached), Scott Chipperfield (Basel), David Carney (Twente

Enschede), Luke Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscow), Rhys Williams

(Middlesbrough), Shane Lowry (Aston Villa), Mark Milligan (JEF

United), Jade North (Tromso), Michael Beauchamp (Al-Jazira);

Midfielders: Tim Cahill (Everton), Mark Bresciano (Palermo), Vince

Grella (Blackburn) Brett Emerton (Blackburn), Jason Culina (Gold

Coast), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar), Carl

Valeri (Sassuolo), Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor), Richard Garcia (Hull),

Nick Carle (Crystal Palace), Tommy Oar (Utrecht), Dario Vidosic

(Nuremberg), James Holland (AZ Alkmaar); Forwards: Josh Kennedy

(Nagoya), Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough), Nikita Rukavytsya (Twente

Enschede)

NETHERLANDS (30): Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax Amsterdam),

Sander Boschker (Twente Enschede), Michel Vorm (Utrecht); Defenders:

Vurnon Anita (Ajax Amsterdam), Khalid Boulahrouz (VFB Stuttgart),

Edson Braafheid (Celtic), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), John

Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg SV), Andre Ooijer (PSV

Eindhoven), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax

Amsterdam); Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Otman Bakkal

(PSV Eindhoven), Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Wout Brama (Twente

Enschede), Orlando Engelaar (PSV Eindhoven), Nigel de Jong (Manchester

City), David Mendes da Silva (AZ Alkmaar), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar),

Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid),

Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax Amsterdam); Forwards: Ryan Babel (Liverpool),

Eljero Elia (Hamburg SV), Klaas Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan), Dirk Kuyt

(Liverpool), Jeremain Lens (AZ Alkmaar), Robin van Persie (Arsenal),

Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)

DENMARK (30): Goalkeepers: Thomas Sorensen (Stoke City), Stephan

Andersen (Brondby), Kim Christensen (IFK Gothenburg), Jesper

Christiansen (FC Copenhagen); Defenders: William Kvist (FC

Copenhagen), Lars Jacobsen (Blackburn Rovers), Simon Kjaer (Palermo),

Per Kroldrup (Fiorentina), Daniel Agger (Liverpool), Patrick Mtiliga

(Malaga), Leon Jessen (FC Midtjylland), Simon Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar),

Anders Christensen (OB Odense), Midfielders: Martin Jorgensen (AGF

Aarhus), Christian Poulsen (Juventus), Daniel Jensen (Werder Bremen),

Jakob Poulsen (AGF Aarhus), Michael Silberbauer (FC Utrecht), Dennis

Rommedahl (Ajax), Christian Eriksen (Ajax), Thomas Enevoldsen (FC

Groningen), Mikkel Beckmann (Randers), Thomas Kahlenberg (VfL

Wolfsburg), Jesper Gronkjaer (FC Copenhagen), Mikkel Thygesen (FC

Midtjylland), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Brondby) Forwards: Jon Dahl

Tomasson (Feyenoord), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal), Soren Larsen (MSV

Duisburg), Morten Rasmussen (Celtic).

JAPAN (23): Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji

Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata);

Defenders: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F. Marinos), Marcus Tulio Tanaka

(Nagoya Grampus), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima

Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto

Uchida (Kashima Antlers); Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F.

Marinos), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba

Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble),

Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Honda (CSKA

Moscow); Forwards: Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yoshito Okubo

(Vissel Kobe), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata), Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-

Pulse), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania).

CAMEROON (30): Goalkeepers: Guy Roland N'Dy Assembe (Valenciennes),

Idriss Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor),

Patrick Tignyemb (Bloemfontein Celtic); Defenders: Patrick Abouna

(Astres Douala), Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspur), Sebastien

Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur), Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes), Aurelien

Chedjou (Lille), Geremi (Ankaragucu), Boukar Makadji (Al Nahdha),

Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco), Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor); Midfielders:

Achille Emana (Real Betis), Enoh Eyong (Ajax Amsterdam), Jean Makoun

(Olympique Lyon), Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern), Joel Matip

(Schalke 04), Patrick Mevoungou (Canon Yaounde), Marcel Ndjeng

(Augsburg), Landry Nguemo (Celtic), Alexandre Song (Arsenal);

Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Coton Sport), Eric Choupo-Mating

(Nuremburg), Paul Alo'o Efoulou (Nancy), Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan),

Mohamadou Idrissou (Freiburg), Dorge Kouemaha (Club Bruges), Achille

Webo (Real Mallorca), Jacques Zoua (Basle)

ITALY (29): Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De

Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari), Salvatore Sirigu

(Palermo); Defenders: Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Domenico Criscito

(Genoa), Leonardo Bonucci (Bari), Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini,

Fabio Grosso, Nicola Legrottaglie (all Juventus), Mattia Cassani

(Palermo), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Gianluca Zambrotta (Milan);

Midfielders: Mauro German Camoranesi, Antonio Candreva, Claudio

Marchisio (all Juventus), Andrea Cossu (Cagliari), Gennaro Gattuso,

Andrea Pirlo (both AC Milan), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo

Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese); Forwards: Marco Borriello

(AC Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino

(Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini

(Sampdoria), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli)

PARAGUAY (30): Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Valladolid), Aldo Bobadilla

(Deportivo Independiente de Medellin), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteno);

Defenders: Claudio Morel Rodriguez (Boca Juniors), Denis Caniza

(Leon), Paulo da Silva (Sunderland), Dario Veron (Pumas UNAM), Julio

Cesar Caceres (Atletico Mineiro), Julio Manzur (Tigres), Carlos Bonet

(Olimpia), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo de Almagro), Marcos Caceres

(Racing), Antolin Alcaraz (FC Bruges); Midfielders: Edgar Barreto

(Atalanta), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul), Osvaldo Martinez

(Monterrey), Victor Caceres (Libertad), Enrique Vera (Liga Deportiva

Universitaria de Quito), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg), Sergio Aquino

(Libertad), Eduardo Ledesma (Lanus), Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos

Juniors), Marcelo Estigarribia (Newell's Old Boys);Forwards: Roque

Santa Cruz (Manchester City), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund),

Oscar Cardozo (Benfica), Edgar Benitez (Toluca), Lucas Barrios

(Borussia Dortmund), Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad), Jorge Achucarro

(Newell's Old Boys)

SLOVAKIA (39): Goalkeepers: Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw), Dusan Kuciak

(Vaslui), Lubos Kamenar (Nantes), Dusan Permis (Dundee United);

Defenders: Peter Pekarik (Wolfsburg), Martin Petras (Cesena), Martin

Skrtel (Liverpool), Lubomir Michalik (Leeds United), Jan Durica

(Lokomotiv Moscow), Radoslav Zabavnik (Mainz), Marek Cech (West

Bromwich Albion), Tomas Hubocan (Zenit St. Petersburg), Kornel Salata

(Slovan Bratislava); Midfielders: Kamil Kopunek (Spartak Trnava), Jan

Kozak (Timisoara), Juraj Kucka (Sparta Prague), Miroslav Karhan

(Mainz), Marek Sapara (Ankaragucu), Mario Pecalka (MSK Zilina),

Stanislav Sestak (Vfl Bochum), Marek Hamsik (Napoli), Vladimir Weiss

(Manchester City), Miroslav Stoch (Chelsea), Dusan Svento (Salzburg),

Zdeno Strba (Skoda Xanthi); Forwards: Erik Jendrisek (Schalke), Robert

Vittek (Ankaragucu), Martin Jakubko (Saturn Ramenskoye), Filip Holosko

(Besiktas).

NEW ZEALAND (23): Goalkeepers: James Bannatyne (Team Wellington), Glen

Moss (Melbourne Victory) Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix); Defenders:

Andy Boyens (New York Red Bulls), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix),

Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers), Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland), Ben

Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town), Ivan

Vicelich (Auckland City); Midfielders: Andy Barron (Team Wellington),

Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix), Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets), Tim

Brown (Wellington Phoenix), Jeremy Christie (Tampa Bay Rowdies), Aaron

Clapham (Canterbury United), Simon Elliott (unattached), Michael

McGlinchey (Central Coast Mariners), David Mulligan (unattached);

Forwards: Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argyle), Chris Killen (Middlesbrough),

Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast), Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion)

BRAZIL (23): Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Doni (AS Roma),

Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur); Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan),

Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Michel Bastos (Olympique Lyon), Gilberto

(Cruzeiro), Lucio (Inter Milan), Juan (AS Roma), Luisao (Benfica),

Thiago Silva (AC Milan); Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos),

Felipe Melo (Fiorentina), Ramires (Benfica), Elano (Galatasaray), Kaka

(Real Madrid), Julio Baptista (Roma), Kleberson (Flamengo), Josue (VfL

Wolfsburg); Forwards: Robinho (Santos), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar

(Villarreal), Grafite (VfL Wolfsburg).

PORTUGAL (24): Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Braga), Daniel Fernandes

(Iraklis), Beto (Porto). Defenders: Miguel (Valencia), Paulo Ferreira

(Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Bruno Alves (Porto), Rolando

(Porto), Ricardo Costa (Lille), Duda (Malaga), Fabio Coentrao

(Benfica). Midfielders: Pedro Mendes (Sporting), Pepe (Real Madrid),

Ze Castro (Deportivo Coruna), Tiago (Atletico Madrid), Deco (Chelsea),

Raul Meireles (Porto), Miguel Veloso (Sporting). Forwards: Simao

Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Danny (Zenit St Petersburg), Liedson

(Sporting), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real

Madrid), Nani (Manchester United).

IVORY COAST (29): Goalkeepers: Vincent Angban (ASEC Abidjan), Boubacar

Barry (Lokeren), Aristides Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya), Daniel Yeboah

(ASEC Abidjan); Defenders: Souleymane Bamba (Hibernian), Arthur Boka

(VfB Stuttgart), Benjamin Brou Angoua (Valenciennes), Guy Demel

(Hamburg SV), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal), Abdoulaye Meite (West Bromwich

Albion), Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes),

Kolo Toure (Manchester City); Midfielders: Emerse Fae (Nantes), Jean-

Jacques Gosso Gosso (Monaco), Abdelkader Keita (Galatasaray), Emmanuel

Kone (International Curtea Arges), Gervais Yao Kouassi (Lille),

Christian Koffi Ndri (Sevilla), Cheik Ismael Tiote (Twente Enschede),

Yaya Toure (Barcelona), Gilles Yapi Yapo (Young Boys Berne), Didier

Zokora (Sevilla); Forwards: Kanga Akale (Racing Lens), Aruna Dindane

(Racing Lens), Seydou Doumbia (Young Boys Berne), Didier Drogba

(Chelsea), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea), Bakary Kone (Marseille).

NORTH KOREA (23): Goalkeepers: Kim Myong-gil (Amrokgang), Kim Myong-

won (Amrokgang), Ri Myong-guk (Pyongyang City); Defenders: Cha Jong-

hyok (Amrokgang), Nam Song-chol (April 25), Pak Chol-jin (Amrokgang),

Pak Nam-chol (Amrokgang), Ri Jun-il (Sobaeksu), Ri Kwang-chon (April

25), Ri Kwang-hyok (Kyonggongop); Midfielders: An Yong-hak (Omiya

Ardija), Ji Yun-nam (April 25), Kim Kyong-il (Rimyongsu), Kim Yong-jun

(Pyongyang City), Mun In-guk (April 25), Ri Chol-myong (Pyongyang

City), Pak Nam-chol (April 25), Pak Sung-hyok (Sobaeksu); Forwards: An

Chol-hyok (Rimyongsu), Choe Kum-chol (April 25), Hong Yong-jo

(Rostov), Jong Tae-se (Kawasaki Frontale), Kim Kum-il (April 25)

SPAIN (30): Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina

(Liverpool), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), Victor Valdes (Barcelona),

David de Gea (Atletico Madrid). Defenders: Raul Albiol (Real Madrid),

Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Osasuna), Joan

Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Pique

(Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona),

Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martinez

(Athletic Bilbao), Marcos Senna (Villarreal), David Silva (Valencia),

Xavi (Barcelona). Forwards: Santi Cazorla (Villarreal), Jesus Navas

(Sevilla), Juan Mata (Valencia), Pedro (Barcelona), Daniel Guiza

(Fenerbahce), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Negredo

(Sevilla), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Valencia).

CHILE (30): Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad), Miguel Pinto

(Universidad de Chile), Luis Marin (Union Espanola); Defenders: Waldo

Ponce (Universidad Catolica), Gonzalo Jara (West Bromwich Albion),

Gary Medel (Boca Juniors), Mauricio Isla (Udinese), Pablo Contreras

(PAOK Salonika), Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Catolica); Midfielders:

Marco Estrada, Manuel Iturra (both Universidad de Chile), Roberto

Cereceda, Rodrigo Millar, Jose Fuenzalida (all Colo Colo), Arturo

Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Carmona (Reggina), Jorge Valdivia (Al

Ain), Matias Fernandez (Sporting Lisbon), Jean Beausejour (Club

America), Pedro Morales (Dinamo Zagreb), Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo),

Charles Aranguiz (Colo Colo), Jaime Valdes (Atalanta), Rodrigo Tello

(Besiktas); Forwards: Humberto Suazo (Real Zaragoza), Esteban Paredes

(Colo Colo), Hector Mancilla (Toluca), Alexis Sanchez (Udinese),

Fabian Orellana (Xerez), Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscow).

SWITZERLAND (23): Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (VfL Wolfsburg), Johnny

Leoni (FC Zurich), Marco Woelfli (Young Boys Berne); Defenders: Mario

Eggimann (Hanover 96), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Stephan

Lichtsteiner (Lazio), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal), Christoph Spycher

(Eintracht Frankfurt), Steve Von Bergen (Hertha Berlin), Reto Ziegler

(Sampdoria); Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen),

Valon Behrami (West Ham United), Gelson Fernandes (St Etienne),

Benjamin Huggel (FC Basel), Marco Padalino (Sampdoria), Pirmin

Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Goklan Inler (Udinese); Forwards:

Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexander Frei (FC Basel), Blaise

Nkufo (Twente Enschede), Hakan Yakin (FC Luzern), Xherdan Shaqiri (FC

Basel), Marco Streller (FC Basel).

HONDURAS (23): Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares, Donis Escober (both

Olimpia), Ricardo Canales (Motagua); Defenders: Sergio Mendoza, Emilio

Izaguirre (both Motagua), Mauricio Sabillon (Hangzhou Greentown),

Osman Chavez (Platense), Johnny Palacios, Boniek Garcia (both

Olimpia), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic), Victor Bernardez

(Anderlecht); Midfielders: Danilo Turcios, Ramon Nunez (both Olimpia),

Hendry Thomas (Wigan Athletic), Edgard Alvarez (Bari), Roger Espinoza

(Kansas City Wizards), Amado Guevara (Motagua), Wilson Palacios

(Tottenham Hotspur), Julio Cesar de Leon (Torino); Forwards: Walter

Martinez (Marathon), Georgie Welcome (Motagua), Carlos Pavon (Real

Espana), David Suazo (Genoa)