I don't agree with you there. Brazil-Portugal was an awful match. In the first half they didn't even play football. Players were just hitting and kicking each other. The second half wasn't even necessary. They both settled for the draw...

I hope Paraguay beats Japan tomorrow. The asians have a good team and it won't be easy.

I want Spain to move on in the other match, as a Spain-Argentina semi would be amazing. But all I want from tomorrow's match is for it to live up to expectations.

Mogly - I don't think our oranje men has a big chance on Friday either ;D

marcos - We can't beat Brazil, so you don't have to worry about.

You know marcos, there's 2 things what you have in Brazil, but not in Holland:

1. The sun
2. Passion

We're too cold like our weather and mostly our heads is heavier than our hearts. (I'm sure you know what I mean)

Portugal was awful. How on earth were they supposed to win if they gave away the ball possession, hardly ever made a shot... Cristiano Ronaldo shows he's got nothing on the Real Ronaldo. He hides in important matches. And he's a classless bastard. Spitting on camera? You want to look like a bad guy, now? Frustrated? But then he scores a goal against Recreativo de Huelva, Zaragoza or any other shit team and he wants allt he cameras and flashes on him... fucking idiot

You're not being very fair, are you? The brazillian team is good but not invencible. It'll be a nervous game, I tell you that. But I'm confident because this time Brazil has a commited group of players, not just a bunch of millionaires playing for themselves like in 2006. Those guys played for anything but passion. A real shame.

How I wish I could have a bit of your coldness for 2 or 3 months. Imagine living in a place where you don't have seasons, just sun! In fact there are 2 seasons: the rainy season and the not so rainy season. No spring, no autumn, no winter! Just summer all year long. It's horrible. I'm used to 38 - 42ºC every single day!



If Robinho and Luis Fabiano decide to play like they really know then Holland's deffense will be in trouble. But they're not playing very well as everybody could see in previous matches, not to mention Kaka who is playing nothing at all. But we will see on friday, can't wait.

Your indifference might be tested when the shit hits the fan at Man U. Well hopefully it will anyway.

I don't think Di Maria will play though. we need someone else in the midfield to help Mascherano



Seriously? C'mon. Great players must appear in important games. When Portugal needed him the most, he hid. Never asked for the ball, resigned at the 0-1. He acted like a spoiled child the whole match. But he looked at himself in the screens of course. God forbid there's a misplaced hair.

From the team that started against Germany? I respect Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard, for their club form and no more. Too many of that starting eleven have done nothing of note in the game, and I'm sure you can understand why I feel the likes of Ashley Cole, John Terry, and Steven Gerrard don't deserve my support.

And to some extent I agree with you: it's going to take something as drastic as United going under to sort out the problems in English football. I just hope that the measures UEFA appear to be implementing are a catalyst for change, even if they have come five years too late.

You know a player is massively overrated when people take such obvious delight in putting them down.

Most of the truly great players in history proved their value in the World Cup. Cristiano failed to make an impression this time, maybe he'll do better next time. But in most of the big matches he disappears. UCL Final against Barca, where was he? He was awful last season in both matches against Barca, missed a penalty against Barca int he 08 semis, missed his penalty against Chelsea in the final...

It has happened more than once. But he's trying to convince everyone that he's the greatest ever... let me tell you he's far far away. As I said before, he's got nothing on the real Ronaldo... or Messi, who's the best player in the world by a considerable margin

He's obviously a very good player but I don't think he has any right to claim he's one of the best ever players just yet. He obviously had great seasons with ManU and a good one at Real Madrid. There's no point in arguing that but there's no doubt, in my mind, that he hides in the biggest stages. I do remember he scored against Chelsea, but he didn't do much for the rest of the match... I understand that you like him. He's very good and played for your team for many years winning many titles along the way. But his performance in the World Cup was pathetic. He wasn't playing for the team in the first couple of matches and disappeared against Brazil and Spain. Portugal were undefeated in the last 20 matches, how many goals did Ronaldo score during that streak? 2... that's a less than stellar number.

Messi had some tough couple of years with Argentina, that's true, but he's been great in the WC so far, and that's where it really matters.

Pele played for Santos almost his whole life and scorede over 1000 goals but what he's truly remembered for is for leading Brazil to the Cup in 1958 and 1970. Cruyff is a legend for being the star of the dutch team in 1974, Maradona is a legend because he won the Cup in 1986, Zico didn't win the Cup but is regarded as one of the best ever because he was part oft he great Brazilian team of 1982.

The World Cup really is the biggest of stages and even if there are some alternate routes to legendary status, in general, it's this tournament that creates legends. If Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to claim such status he should've tried playing for his team rather than for himself.
Ronaldo is constatly craving for attention, he wants to be in the spotlight, and at times he forgets football is a team sport. Maybe that's why I'm harder on him than on Messi.

That I can understand, although like you said, I'm inclined to think well of him because of what he did for my club. For the most part I'll forgive players of their foibles if they perform on the pitch, and he did exactly that.

And while you're right about the World Cup's capacity for creating legends, a disappointing international career should not undermine an outstanding club player's right to be considered one of the greats. Consider the likes of George Best, Paolo Maldini, Ryan Giggs, Raul, Gabriel Batistuta... all of whom could reasonably claim to be amongst the best players to have played the game.