World Cup Teams - 2010 vs 2014

Qualified for 2010 and 2014:
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Cameroon
Chile
England
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Honduras
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Mexico
Netherlands
Nigeria
Portugal
South Korea
Spain
Switzerland
United States
Uruguay

Qualified for 2014:
Belgium (2002)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (First Qualification)
Colombia (1998)
Costa Rica (2006)
Croatia (2006)
Ecuador (2006)
Iran (2006)
Russia (2002)

Qualified for 2010:
Denmark
New Zealand
North Korea
Paraguay
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa

Unbeaten at the World Cup

World Cup nations that have finished the tournament without a loss.  World Cup Winners in Red.

2010
New Zealand

2006
Italy

2002
Brazil

1998
France
Belgium

1994
Brazil

1990
West Germany

1986
Argentina

1982
Cameroon
Italy
England

1978
None

1974
Scotland

1970
Brazil

1966
England

1962
Brazil

1958
Brazil
England

1954
West Germany

1950
Uruguay

1938
Italy

1934
Italy

1930
Uruguay

2010 World Cup: Top Players by Game

This is a list of players who had a Castrol Index rating of 9.00 or higher in a single game at the 2010 World Cup.


Group Stages


Korea Republic v Greece
9.15 - Jung Sung Ryong (Korea Republic: GK)
9.12 - Lee Jung Soo (Korea Republic: DF)
9.06 - Park Ji Sung (Korea Republic: MF)

Argentina v Nigeria
9.51 - Gabriel Heinze (Argentina: DF)
9.06 - Martin Demichelis (Argentina: DF)

Germany v Australia
9.22 - Manuel Neuer (Germany: GK)

Netherlands v Denmark
9.20 - Gregory Van der Wiel (Netherlands: DF)

Italy v Paraguay
9.20 - Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay: DF)

Honduras v Chile
9.33 - Waldo Ponce (Chile: DF)
9.20 - Gary Medel (Chile: DF)

Argentina v Korea Republic
9.55 - Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina: FW)

Greece v Nigeria
9.19 - Vasileios Torosidis (Greece: DF)

Ghana v Australia
9.20 - John Pantsil (Ghana: DF)

Italy v New Zealand
9.01 - Giorgio Chiellini (Italy: DF)

Portugal v Korea DPR
9.12 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal: FW)

Chile v Switzerland
9.43 - Gary Medel (Chile: DF)
9.20 - Gonzalo Jara (Chile: DF)
9.04 - Carlos Carmona (Chile: MF)

Mexico v Uruguay
9.05 - Diego Lugano (Uruguay: DF)

Greece v Argentina
9.35 - Martin Demichelis (Argnetina: DF)

USA v Algeria
9.15 - Rais M Bolhi (Algeria: GK)
9.14 - Landon Donovan (USA: MF)

Ghana v Germany
9.72 - Philipp Lahm (Germany: DF)

Paraguay v New Zealand
9.17 - Mark Paston (New Zealand: GK)

Korea DPR v Cote d'Ivoire
9.21 - Boubacar Barry (Cote d'Ivoire: GK)


Knockout Stages

USA v Ghana
9.16 - Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana: MF)
9.13 - Steve Cherundolo (USA: DF)
9.02 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana: FW)

Germany v England
9.40 - Miroslav Klose (Germany: FW)
9.15 - Steven Gerrard (England: MF)

Netherlands v Slovakia
9.45 - Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands: MF)

Brazil v Chile
9.36 - Juan (Brazil: DF)

Paraguay v Japan
9.52 - Paulo Da Silva (Paraguay: DF)
9.45 - Eiji Kawashima (Japan: GK)
9.39 - Claudio Morel (Paraguay: DF)
9.32 - Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay: DF)

Spain v Portugal
9.45 - Sergio Ramos (Spain: DF)
9.44 - David Villa (Spain: FW)
9.15 - Joan Capdevila (Spain: DF)

Netherlands v Brazil
9.50 - Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands: MF)
9.28 - Robinho (Brazil: FW)

Uruguay v Ghana
9.65 - Luis Suarez (Uruguay: FW)
9.19 - John Pantsil (Ghana: DF)
9.13 - Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana: MF)

Argentina v Germany
9.64 - Miroslav Klose (Germany: FW)
9.54 - Arne Friedrich (Germany: DF)
9.11 - Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany: MF)
9.07 - Thomas Mueller (Germany: MF)

Paraguay v Spain
9.51 - Iker Casilla (Spain: GK)
9.08 - David Villa (Spain: FW)

Uruguay v Netherlands
9.19 - Joris Mathijsen (Netherlands: DF)
9.13 - Maximiliano Pereira (Uruguay: DF)
9.09 - Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands: FW)

Germany v Spain
9.70 - Carlos Puyol (Spain: DF)
9.03 - Iker Casillas (Spain: GK)

Uruguay v Germany
9.10 - Sami Khedira (Germany: MF)

Netherlands v Spain
9.65 - Sergio Ramos (Spain: DF)
9.60 - Joan Capdevila (Spain: DF)
9.36 - Iker Casillas (Spain: GK)
9.30 - Andres Iniesta (Spain: MF)
9.24 - Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands: MF)



How the Castrol Rankings Work (Link)

World Cup 2010: Defensive Player Statistics

Here are a few defensive stats from the 2010 World Cup by players who played a minimum of 270 minutes. Rather than listing the leaders for each stat (many of the players from teams who progressed further and played more games were the leaders), I broke them down per minutes played. (example: Minutes Played divided by Tackles). The top five, with ties counting as one place, were listed for each stat.

Tackle every _____ Minutes Played

33.75 - Madjid Bougherra (Algeria)

33.75 - Stephane Grichting (Switzerland)

38.42 - Jorge Fucile (Uruguay)

40.91 - Juan (Brazil)

45.00 - Gerardo Torrado (Mexico)

45.00 - Gary Medel (Chile)

48.75 - Michael Bradley (USA)

Tackles made Gaining Possession every _____ Minutes Played

54.00 - Madjid Bougherra (Algeria)

54.00 - Stephane Grichting (Switzerland)

67.50 - Gary Medel (Chile)

72.00 - Javier Mascherano (Argentina)

76.83 - Jorge Fucile (Uruguay)

Save Made every ____ Minutes Played

12.86 - Ri Myong Guk (North Korea)

13.50 - Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria)

15.88 - Thomas Sorensen (Denmark)

15.88 - Alexandros Tzorvas (Greece)

18.95 - Eduardo (Portugal)

Clearance every ____ Minutes Played (No GK's)

22.50 - Rafik Halliche (Algeria)

24.54 - Bojan Jokic (Slovenia)

24.54 - Stephane Grichting (Switzerland)

24.54 - Danny Shittu (Nigeria)

27.00 - Marko Suler (Slovenia)

27.00 - Stephane Lichtsteiner (Switzerland)

27.69 - Cho Yong Hyung (South Korea)

30.00 - Martin Skrtel (Slovakia)

30.00 - William Gallas (France)

30.00 - Madjid Bougherra (Algeria)

Recovered Balls every ____ Minutes Played

27.00 - Madjid Bougherra (Algeria)

33.75 - Stephane Grichting (Switzerland)

38.57 - Osman Chavez (Honduras)

45.00 - Danny Shittu (Nigeria)

51.43 - Cho Yong Hyung (South Korea)

Clearances Completed every ____ Minutes Played (No GK's)

51.43 - Cho Young Hyung (South Korea)

54.00 - Madjid Bougherra (Algeria)

67.50 - Danny Shittu (Nigeria)

72.00 - Lee Young Pyo (South Korea)

90.00 - William Gallas (France)

90.00 - Stephane Grichting (Switzerland)

90.00 - Ri Kwang Chon (North Korea)

90.00 - Medhi Lacen (Algeria)

90.00 - Osman Chavez (Honduras)

90.00 - Bostjan Cesar (Slovenia)

2010 World Cup Shooting Statistics

Shots on Target (10+)
17 - David Villa (Spain)
15 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
15 - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
15 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
15 - Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
11 - Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
11 - Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)

Shot on Target every _______ minutes (minimum 250 minutes played)

30.00 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
31.00 - Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
32.63 - Valter Birsa (Slovenia)
33.40 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
36.86 - Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
37.35 - David Villa (Spain)
38.57 - Katlego Mphela (South Africa)
40.00 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
43.60 - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
44.63 - Miroslav Klose (Germany)
45.00 - Frank Lampard (England)
45.00 - Jong Tae Se (North Korea)

Multiple Shots hit the Post or Crossbar
3 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
2 - Katlego Mphela (South Africa)
2 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Total Shots (20+)
33 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
32 - David Villa (Spain)
32 - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
30 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
27 - Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
25 - Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
21 - Lukas Podolski (Germany)
21 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
20 - Park Chu Young (South Korea)
20 - Clint Dempsey (USA)

25%+ Goal/Shot Rate for Players with 10 or more Total Shots
38% - Thomas Mueller (Germany)
36% - Robert Vittek (Slovakia)
33% - Miroslav Klose (Germany)
27% - Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
27% - Luis Fabiano (Brazil)

Shots Blocked (5+)
8 - Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
8 - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
7 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
6 - Alexis Sanchez (Chile)
5 - Daniel Agger (Denmark)
5 - Clint Dempsey (USA)
5 - Carlos Tevez (Argentina)
5 - Lukas Podolski (Germany)
5 - Kevin Prince Boateng (Ghana)

Shots On Goal From Outside Penalty Area (5+)
11 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
9 - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
8 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
8 - David Villa (Spain)
8 - Valter Birsa (Slovenia)
7 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
6 - Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
6 - Riccardo Montolivo (Italy)
6 - Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
5 - Clint Dempsey (USA)
5 - Frank Lampard (England)
5 - Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

World Cup Goals by League Nations and Club Teams

All the goals from the 2010 World Cup organized by the nation and club teams that the goal scorers last made an appearance with.


Argentina (1)
1 - Martin Palermo - Boca Juniors

Australia (1)
1 - Shane Smeltz - Gold Coast United

Belgium (3)
1 - Zlatan Ljubijankič - KAA Gent
1 - Milan Jovanović - Standard Liege
1 - Antolín Alcaraz - Club Brugge

Brazil (2)
2 - Robinho - Santos

Chile (1)
1 - Rodrigo Millar - Colo-Colo

Denmark (1)
1 - Winston Reid - Midtjylland

Ecuador (1)
1 - Enrique Vera - LDU Quito

England (19)
2 - Carlos Tevez - Manchester City
2 - Lee Chung-Yong - Bolton Wanderers
1 - Dirk Kuyt - Liverpool
1 - Robin van Persie - Arsenal
1 - Nicklas Bendtner - Arsenal
1 - Steven Gerrard - Liverpool
1 - Tim Cahill - Everton
1 - Florent Malouda - Chelsea
1 - Salomon Kalou - Chelsea
1 - Jermain Defoe - Tottenham Hotspur
1 - Matthew Upson - West Ham United
1 - Didier Drogba - Chelsea
1 - Yakubu - Everton
1 - Robert Koren - West Bromwich Albion
1 - Park Ji-Sung - Manchester United
1 - Clint Dempsey - Fulham
1 - Kevin-Prince Boateng - Portsmouth

France (7)
3 - Asamoah Gyan - Rennes
1 - Valter Birsa - Auxerre
1 - Gelson Fernandes - Saint-Etienne
1 - Park Chu-Young - AS Monaco
1 - Gabriel Heinze - Marseille

Germany (21)
5 - Thomas Mueller - Bayern Munich
4 - Miroslav Klose - Bayern Munich
2 - Lukas Podolski - Köln
2 - Arjen Robben - Bayern Munich
1 - Mesut Özil - Werder Bremen
1 - Hugo Almeida - Werder Bremen
1 - Marcell Jansen - Hamburg
1 - Cacau - VfB Stuttgart
1 - Michael Bradley - Borussia Moenchengladbach
1 - Martín Demichelis - Bayern Munich
1 - Sami Khedira - VfB Stuttgart
1 - Arne Friedrich - Hertha BSC

Greece (2)
1 - Dimitris Salpigidis - Panathinaikos
1 - Vasilis Torosidis - Olympiacos

Italy (16)
5 - Wesley Sneijder - Inter Milan
2 - Samuel Eto'o - Inter Milan
1 - Daniele De Rossi - Roma
1 - Maicon - Inter Milan
1 - Edinson Cavani - Palermo
1 - Fabio Quagliarella - Napoli
1 - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - AC Milan
1 - Sulley Muntari - Inter Milan
1 - Antonio Di Natale - Udinese
1 - Vincenzo Iaquinta - Juventus
1 - Juan - Roma

Japan (4)
2 - Lee Jung-Soo - Kashima Antlers
1 - Shinji Okazaki - Shimizu S-Pulse
1 - Yasuhito Endō - Gamba Osaka

Mexico (5)
2 - Javier Hernández - Chivas Guadalajara
1 - Cuauhtémoc Blanco - Veracruz
1 - Jean Beausejour - Club America
1 - Cristian Riveros - Cruz Azul

Netherlands (9)
3 - Luis Suarez - Ajax
2 - Brett Holman - AZ Alkmaar
1 - Dennis Rommedahl - Ajax
1 - Marko Pantelić - Ajax
1 - Jon Dahl Tomasson - Feyenoord
1 - Giovanni van Bronckhorst - Feyenoord

North Korea (1)
1 - Ji Yun-Nam - April 25

Portugal (4)
1 - Liédson - Sporting CP
1 - Raúl Meireles - FC Porto
1 - Álvaro Pereira - FC Porto
1 - Maxi Pereira - Benfica

Russia (3)
2 - Keisuke Honda - CSKA Moscow
1 - Mark González - CSKA Moscow

Slovakia (1)
1 - Kamil Kopúnek - Spartak Trnava

South Africa (3)
1 - Siphiwe Tshabalala - Kaizer Chiefs
1 - Bongani Khumalo - Supersport United
1 - Katlego Mphela - Mamelodi Sundowns

Spain (29)
5 - David Villa - Valencia
5 - Diego Forlan - Atletico Madrid
4 - Gonzalo Higuain - Real Madrid
3 - Luis Fabiano - Sevilla
2 - Tiago - Atletico Madrid
2 - Kalu Uche - Almería
2 - Andres Iniesta - Barcelona
1 - Yaya Touré - Barcelona
1 - Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid
1 - Rafael Marquez - Barcelona
1 - Romaric - Sevilla
1 - Simão - Atletico Madrid
1 - Carlos Puyol - Barcelona

Turkey (6)
4 - Robert Vittek - Ankaragücü
2 - Elano - Galatasaray

USA (3)
3 - Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy

World Cup 2010 Speed and Distance Stats

Slowest Field Player Top Speed (minimum of 90 minutes)

12.03mph - 19.36km/h - Carlos Vela (Mexico)
12.35mph - 19.87km/h - Mario Bolatti (Argentina)
12.60mph - 20.28km/h - Vangelis Moras (Greece)
12.83mph - 20.65km/h - Ján Kozák (Slovakia)
12.83mph - 20.65km/h - Víctor Bernárdez (Honduras)
12.86mph - 20.69km/h - Neven Subotic (Serbia)
12.89mph - 20.75km/h - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
12.92mph - 20.79km/h - Michael Beauchamp (Australia)
12.94mph - 20.83km/h - Aurélien Chedjou (Cameroon)
12.96mph - 20.86km/h - Ismael Fuentes (Chile)

Least Distance Covered by a Field Player with 90 minutes

5.00mi - 8.04km - Víctor Bernárdez (Honduras)
5.33mi - 8.58km - Vangelis Moras (Greece)
5.41mi - 8.71km - Andre Ooijer (Netherlands)
5.46mi - 8.78km - Ismael Fuentes (Chile)
5.50mi - 8.85km - Julio César Cáceres (Paraguay)
5.58mi - 8.98km - Mauricio Sabillón (Honduras)
5.67mi - 9.13km - Miguel (Portugal)
5.92mi - 9.53km - Alexandre Song (Cameroon)
6.06mi - 9.76km - Arthur Boka (Cote d'Ivoire)
6.09mi - 9.80km - Sebastien Squillaci (France)


Fastest Top Speed

19.98mph - 32.15km/h - Javier Hernandez (Mexico)
19.62mph - 31.57km/h - Avraam Papadopoulos (Greece)
19.57mph - 31.50km/h - Lukas Podolski (Germany)
19.57mph - 31.50km/h - Konstantinos Katsouranis (Greece)
19.32mph - 31.10km/h - Victor Obinna (Nigeria)
19.22mph - 30.93km/h - Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
19.11mph - 30.75km/h - Felipe Melo (Brazil)
18.83mph - 30.31km/h - Landon Donovan (USA)
18.80mph - 30.26km/h - Dimitrios Salpingidis (Greece)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Eric Choupo Moting (Cameroon)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Robbie Findley (USA)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Yuto Nagatomo (Japan)


Matches with Most Distance Covered

179.30mi - 288.55km - USA v Ghana
166.28mi - 267.60km - Paraguay v Japan
165.85mi - 266.91km - Uruguay v Ghana
148.25mi - 238.58km - Australia v Serbia
146.05mi - 235.04km - South Africa v Mexico

Matches with Least Distance Covered

113.46mi - 182.59km - Greece v Nigeria
116.37mi - 187.28km - Honduras v Chile
117.28mi - 188.75km - Argentina v Nigeria
119.20mi - 191.84km - Serbia v Ghana
120.19mi - 193.42km - Brazil v Cote d'Ivoire


Matches with Highest Top Speed

19.98mph - 32.15km/h - Mexico v Uruguay
19.62mph - 31.57km/h - Greece v Nigeria
19.57mph - 31.50km/h - Germany v England
19.32mph - 31.10km/h - Argentina v Nigeria
19.11mph - 30.75km/h - Brazil v Cote d'Ivoire


Matches with Lowest Top Speed
14.81mph - 23.84km/h - South Africa v Uruguay
16.07mph - 25.87km/h - North Korea v Cote d'Ivoire
16.07mph - 25.87km/h - Algeria v Slovenia
16.12mph - 25.94km/h - Cameroon v Netherlands
16.13mph - 25.96km/h - Chile v Spain

World Cup 2010 Nations - FIFA Affiliation Years

The years that the World Cup 2010 Nations became affiliated with FIFA.


1904 - Denmark
1904 - France
1904 - Germany
1904 - Netherlands
1904 - Spain
1904 - Switzerland

1905 - England
1905 - Italy

1912 - Argentina

1913 - Chile

1914 - USA

1923 - Brazil
1923 - Portugal
1923 - Uruguay

1925 - Paraguay

1927 - Greece

1929 - Japan
1929 - Mexico

1946 - Honduras

1948 - New Zealand
1948 - South Korea

1958 - Ghana
1958 - North Korea

1960 - Nigeria

1963 - Australia

1964 - Algeria
1964 - Cameroon
1964 - Cote d'Ivoire

1992 - South Africa
1992 - Slovenia (Yugoslavia 1923)

1993 - Slovakia (Czechoslovakia 1907)

2006 - Serbia (Yugoslavia 1923; Serbia and Montenegro 2003)


Here is a good article about the early history of the FIFA organization [It all began 95 years ago - FIFA.com]

The Worst World Cup Players

The 5 worst ranked players by position according to the Castrol Index with a minimum of 270 minutes played.

Goalkeepers (36)

30 - Ri Myoung Guk - North Korea
29 - Hamidou Souleymanou - Cameroon
28 - Hugo Lloris - France
27 - Alexandros Tzorvas - Greece
26 - Jan Mucha - Slovakia


Defenders (190)

147 - Ji Yun Nam - North Korea
142 - Danny Shittu - Nigeria
141 - Daniel Agger - Denmark
139 - Simon Poulsen - Denmark
135 - Ri Jun Il - North Korea


Midfielders (208)

104 - An Yong Hak - North Korea
97 - Christian Poulsen - Denmark
92 - Dickson Etuhu - Nigeria
83 - Jason Culina - Australia
76 - Siphiwe Tshabalala - South Africa

Forwards (158)

41 - Jong Tae Se - North Korea
40 - Milivoje Novakovic - Slovenia
38 - Franck Ribery - France
36 - Nelson Valdez - Paraguay
35 - Park Chu Young - South Korea

*63 - Fernando Torres - Spain (268 minutes)

The Best Old World Cup Field Players - 33-37 Years

The top 10 World Cup 2010 field players (No Goalkeepers) between the age of 33 and 37 according to the Castrol Index (through the Round of 16).

TOP TEN 33+ FIELD PLAYERS

1. Gilberto Silva - Brazil
2. Mark van Bommel - Netherlands
3. Giovanni van Bronckhorst - Netherlands
4. Gianluca Zambrotta - Italy
5. Hans Sarpei - Ghana
6. Fabio Cannavaro - Italy
7. Ivan Vicelich - New Zealand
8. Lee Young-Pyo - South Korea
9. Jon Dahl Tomasson - Denmark
10. Zdenko Štrba - Slovakia


Rating - Rank - Player - Country

37
5.29 - 440 - Cuauhtemoc Blanco - Mexico

36
8.20 - 101 - Fabio Cannavaro - Italy
7.23 - 207 - Simon Elliott - New Zealand
5.07 - 464 - Carlos Pavón - Honduras
5.06 - 465 - Martín Palermo - Argentina

35
9.03 - 033 - Giovanni van Bronckhorst - Netherlands
6.85 - 253 - Juan Sebastián Verón - Argentina
6.24 - 328 - Denis Caniza - Paraguay
5.49 - 418 - Blaise Nkufo - Switzerland
4.83 - 488 - Andrés Scotti - Uruguay
0.00 - 000 - André Ooijer - Netherlands

34
7.57 - 168 - Zdenko Štrba - Slovakia
6.17 - 337 - Amado Guevara - Honduras
5.75 - 387 - Martin Jørgensen - Denmark
5.59 - 406 - Craig Moore - Australia
4.79 - 492 - Scott Chipperfield - Australia
4.53 - 516 - Gilberto - Brazil
0.00 - 000 - Ahn Jung-Hwan - South Korea

33
9.28 - 019 - Gilberto Silva - Brazil
9.06 - 031 - Mark van Bommel - Netherlands
8.72 - 055 - Gianluca Zambrotta - Italy
8.23 - 098 - Hans Sarpei - Ghana
7.90 - 131 - Ivan Vicelich - New Zealand
7.86 - 135 - Lee Young-Pyo - South Korea
7.63 - 161 - Jon Dahl Tomasson - Denmark
6.72 - 269 - Guillermo Franco - Mexico
6.09 - 346 - Giorgos Karagounis - Greece
5.63 - 402 - Ji Yun-Nam - North Korea
5.44 - 423 - Hakan Yakin - Switzerland
5.33 - 436 - Mauro Camoranesi - Italy
5.20 - 450 - Nwankwo Kanu - Nigeria
5.11 - 460 - Rigobert Song - Cameroon
5.09 - 462 - Kim Nam-Il - South Korea
4.51 - 518 - Sebastián Abreu - Uruguay
0.00 - 000 - Matthew Booth - South Africa

The Best Young World Cup Players - 18-20 Years

The top 10 World Cup Players between 18-20 (through the Round of 16) according to the Castrol Index followed by the rankings for every player in the 18 to 20 age range.

TOP 10 PLAYERS 18-20

1. Thomas Müller - Germany
2. Nicolas N'Koulou - Cameroon
3. Jozy Altidore - USA
4. André Ayew - Ghana
5. Lukman Haruna - Nigeria
6. Tommy Smith - New Zealand
7. Jonathan Mensah - Ghana
8. Vladimír Weiss - Slovakia
9. Joel Matip - Cameroon
10. Ryad Boudebouz - Algeria


Castrol Index - Overall Rank - Player - Country

20 Years Old
8.88 - 042 - Thomas Müller - Germany
8.26 - 093 - Nicolas N'Koulou - Cameroon
7.81 - 138 - Jozy Altidore - USA
7.80 - 139 - André Ayew - Ghana
7.23 - 202 - Tommy Smith - New Zealand
6.78 - 256 - Vladimír Weiss - Slovakia
5.57 - 400 - Ryad Boudebouz - Algeria
5.46 - 412 - Miroslav Stoch - Slovakia
4.73 - 476 - Sotiris Ninis - Greece
4.56 - 502 - Dominic Adiyiah - Ghana
4.56 - 502 - Samuel Inkoom - Ghana
4.56 - 502 - Toni Kroos - Germany
4.56 - 502 - Javier Pastore - Argentina
0.00 - 000 - Daniel Agyei - Ghana
0.00 - 000 - Kim Bo-Kyung - South Korea
0.00 - 000 - Rene Krhin - Slovenia
0.00 - 000 - Pak Sung-Hyok - North Korea

19 Years Old
7.39 - 184 - Lukman Haruna - Nigeria
6.89 - 243 - Jonathan Mensah - Ghana
5.26 - 434 - Lee Addy - Ghana


18 Years Old
5.61 - 395 - Joel Matip - Cameroon
4.91 - 470 - Vincent Aboubakar - Cameroon
4.65 - 494 - Christian Eriksen - Denmark
4.56 - 502 - Xherdan Shaqiri - Switzerland
4.56 - 502 - Chris Wood - New Zealand

USA Players - World Cup Castrol Index Rankings

These are the Castrol Index ratings of all the US players who made an appearance at the 2010 World Cup. The US have 4 top 20 players at their respective positions overall (as of 6/28); Michael Bradley (5th best MF), Landon Donovan (7th best MF), Tim Howard (12th best GK), and Jozy Altidore (18th best FW).

I'll probably revisit these stats after the tournament ends to see where the USA players end up overall in the index. (somebody might need to remind me though, I'm pretty forgetful)



9.10 - Michael Bradley

Overall Rank: 28
Team Rank: 1
MF Rank: 5

9.00 - Landon Donovan

Overall Rank: 34
Team Rank: 2
MF Rank: 7

8.19 - Steve Cherundolo

Overall Rank: 100
Team Rank: 3
DF Rank: 45

8.02 - Tim Howard

Overall Rank: 116
Team Rank: 4
GK Rank: 12

7.99 - Clint Dempsey

Overall Rank: 119
Team Rank: 5
MF Rank: 40

7.81 - Jozy Altidore

Overall Rank: 138
Team Rank: 6
FW Rank: 18

7.63 - Carlos Bocanegra

Overall Rank: 157
Team Rank: 7
DF Rank: 64

6.65 - Jay DeMerit

Overall Rank: 272
Team Rank: 8
DF Rank: 106

6.36 - Oguchi Onyewu

Overall Rank: 307
Team Rank: 9
DF Rank: 119

6.21 - Maurice Edu

Overall Rank: 325
Team Rank: 10
MF Rank: 114

6.10 - Benny Feilhaber

Overall Rank: 338
Team Rank: 11
MF Rank: 118

6.06 - Jonathan Bornstein

Overall Rank: 343
Team Rank: 12
DF Rank: 129

5.55 - Ricardo Clark

Overall Rank: 402
Team Rank: 13
MF Rank: 134

5.53 - Robbie Findley

Overall Rank: 404
Team Rank: 14
FW Rank: 87

5.21 - Herculez Gomez

Overall Rank: 439
Team Rank: 15
FW Rank: 97

5.14 - Edson Buddle

Overall Rank: 447
Team Rank: 16
FW Rank: 100

5.00 - Jose Francisco Torres

Overall Rank: 461
Team Rank: 17
MF Rank: 155

4.56 - DaMarcus Beasley

Overall Rank: 502
Team Rank: 18
MF Rank: 173

4.56 - Stuart Holden

Overall Rank: 502
Team Rank: 18
MF Rank: 173


Rank by Position

Overall Position Rank - Player - (Overall Rank)

Goalkeeper
12 - Tim Howard (116)

Defenders
45 - Steve Cherundolo (100)
64 - Carlos Bocanegra (157)
106 - Jay DeMerit (272)
119 - Oguchi Onyewu (307)
129 - Jonathan Bornstein (343)

Midfielders
5 - Michael Bradley (28)
7 - Landon Donovan (34)
40 - Clint Dempsey (119)
114 - Maurice Edu (325)
118 - Benny Feilhaber (338)
134 - Ricardo Clark (402)
155 - Jose Torres (461)
173 - DaMarcus Beasley (502)
173 - Stuart Holden (502)

Forwards
18 - Jozy Altidore (138)
87 - Robbie Findley (404)
97 - Herculez Gomez (439)
100 - Edson Buddle (447)

USA Top 5 Player Statistics - World Cup 2010

USA players who ranked in the top 5 at the 2010 World Cup in a variety of statistics (as of games completed on 6/27). If multiple players tied on a particular stat, I only counted it as one place in the rankings.



Goals
3 - Landon Donovan (tied 2nd)

Shots on Target
8 - Clint Dempsey (tied 4th)

Shots Wide
12 - Clint Dempsey (Tied 2nd)

Shots that were Blocked
5 - Clint Dempsey (Tied 1st)

Shots on goal from Penalty Area
3 - Benny Feilhaber (Tied 4th)
3 - Clint Dempsey (Tied 4th)
3 - Landon Donovan (Tied 4th)

Shots on goal from outside Penalty Area
5 - Clint Dempsey (Tied 4th)

Shots on Goal/Shots
100% - Robbie Findley - 1 (Tied 1st)
100% - Jose Torres - 1 (Tied 1st)

Blocked Shots Inside Penalty Area
3 - Clint Dempsey (1st)

Shots in Penalty Area
10 - Clint Dempsey (2nd)

Shots outside Penalty Area
10 - Clint Dempsey (Tied 4th)

Total Shots
20 - Clint Dempsey (Tied 2nd)

Tackles Suffered
6 - Clint Dempsey (Tied 4th)
6 - Landon Donovan (Tied 4th)
5 - Jozy Altidore (Tied 5th)

Tackles Suffered Losing Possession
5 - Jozy Altidore (Tied 1st)

Deliveries in Penalty Area
4 - Landon Donovan (Tied 5th)

Passes Complete
100% - Stuart Holden (Tied 1st) only 1 pass though

Total Crosses
29 - Landon Donovan (1st)

Crosses Completed
11 - Landon Donovan (1st)

Corners Completed
9 - Landon Donovan (2nd)

Distance Covered
32.12mi - 51.69km - Michael Bradley (1st)
30.12mi - 48.47km - Landon Donovan (2nd)
29.20mi - 46.99km - Clint Dempsey (5th)

Distance Covered in Possession
12.58mi - 20.24km - Michael Bradley (2nd)
11.70mi - 18.83km - Clint Dempsey (5th)

Distance Covered not in Possession
12.64mi - 20.34km - Michael Bradley (2nd)

Medium Activity Time
31 - Michael Bradley (Tied 1st)

Tackles
8 - Michael Bradley (tied 1st)

Tackles Gaining Possession
4 - Michael Bradley (tied 2nd)

Saves
16 - Tim Howard (Tied 4th)

Recovered Balls
6 - Michael Bradley (Tied 4th)

Clearances Completion Rate
67% - Michael Bradley (Tied 4th)

Long Passes Completed
48 - Tim Howard (2nd)

Foreign-Born Goal Scorers at World Cup 2010

A list of World Cup 2010 goal scorers who were born outside of the country they are playing for at the WC.

PLAYER	COUNTRY	BORN IN	GOALS
Gonzalo Higuaín	Argentina	France	3
Mark González	Chile	South Africa	1
Florent Malouda	France	French Guiana	1
Miroslav Klose	Germany	Poland	1
Cacau	Germany	Brazil	1
Lukas Podolski	Germany	Poland	1
Shane Smeltz	New Zealand	Germany	1
Liédson	Portugal	Brazil	1
Bongani Khumalo	South Africa	Swaziland	1
Gelson Fernandes	Switzerland	Cape Verde	1

I'll try to keep this list updated as the games are played. Feel free to send a reminder if I fall behind or forget to add a foreign-born scorer.

World Cup: Distances Covered, Top Speeds, and Activity Stats

Stats through the first two games of the World Cup 2010 Group Stage.

PLAYERS

Distance Covered
15.42mi - 24.82km - Carl Valeri (Australia)
15.05mi - 24.22km - Gerardo Torrado (Mexico)
15.01mi - 24.16km - Sami Khedira (Germany)
14.81mi - 23.83km - Benjamin Huggel (Switzerland)
14.80mi - 23.81km - Michael Bradley (USA)

Distance Covered in Possession
6.89mi - 11.09km - Xabi Alonso (Spain)
6.83mi - 10.99km - Sami Khedira (Germany)
6.37mi - 10.25km - Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
6.25mi - 10.05km - Robinho (Brazil)
6.14mi - 9.88km - Riccardo Montolivo (Italy)

Distance Covered Not in Possession
7.80mi - 12.55km - An Yong Hak (North Korea)
7.58mi - 12.19km - Gokhan Inler (Switzerland)
7.50mi - 12.07km - Benjamin Huggel (Switzerland)
6.98mi - 11.23km - Carl Valeri (Australia)
6.94mi - 11.16km - Stephan Lichtsteiner (Switzerland)

High Activity Time (in Minutes)
20 - Carl Valeri (Australia)
18 - Luke Wilkshire (Australia)
18 - Gerardo Torrado (Mexico)
17 - Hassan Yebda (Algeria)
17 - Teko Modise (South Africa)
17 - An Yong Hak (North Korea)
17 - Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland)
17 - Raul Meireles (Portugal)
17 - Steven Pienaar (South Africa)

Medium Activity Time Minutes (15+)
16 - An Yong Hak (North Korea)
16 - Christian Poulsen (Denmark)
16 - Medhi Lacen (Algeria)
16 - Michael Bradley (USA)
15 - Carl Valeri (Australia)
15 - Sami Khedira (Germany)
15 - Hassan Yebda (Algeria)
15 - Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
15 - Daniele De Rossi (Italy)
15 - Pedro Mendes (Portugal)
15 - Gilberto Silva (Brazil)

Field Players with 115+ minutes of Low Activity Time (in Minutes)
116 - Juan (Brazil)
116 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
116 - Jay DeMerit (USA)
116 - Oguchi Onyewu (USA)
115 - Martin Skrtel (Slovakia)
115 - Rafik Halliche (Algeria)
115 - Martin Demichelis (Argentina)
115 - Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Japan)
115 - Siaka Tiene (Ivory Coast)

Top Speed
19.62mph - 31.57km/h - Avraam Papadopoulos (Greece)
19.57mph - 31.50km/h - Konstantinos Katsouranis (Greece)
19.33mph - 31.10km/h - Victor Obinna (Nigeria)
19.22mph - 30.93km/h - Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
19.11mph - 30.75km/h - Felipe Melo (Brazil)
18.80mph - 30.26km/h - Dimitrios Salpingides (Greece)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Eric Choupo Moting (Cameroon)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Robbie Findley (USA)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Lukas Podolski (Germany)
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Yuto Nagatomo (Japan)



TEAMS

Distance Covered
139.85mi - 225.06km - Mexico
138.76mi - 223.32km - Switzerland
136.69mi - 219.98km - England
136.54mi - 219.74km - Portugal
135.80mi - 218.55km - Japan
134.33mi - 216.18km - Australia
133.59mi - 215.00km - Germany
133.36mi - 214.63km - USA
133.22mi - 214.40km - South Africa
132.61mi - 213.42km - Italy

Distance Covered in Possession
60.60mi - 97.57km - Spain
58.75mi - 94.55km - Portugal
58.01mi - 93.35km - Germany
57.73mi - 92.90km - Italy
56.59mi - 91.08km - Brazil
56.51mi - 90.95km - Mexico
55.17mi - 88.79km - Netherlands
55.07mi - 88.63km - Chile
52.36mi - 84.26km - England
52.34mi - 84.23km - Cameroon

Distance Covered Not in Possession
69.65mi - 112.09km - Switzerland
64.41mi - 103.65km - North Korea
61.22mi - 98.52km - Japan
58.47mi - 94.09km - Honduras
57.83mi - 93.06km - Australia
57.81mi - 93.04km - South Africa
56.41mi - 90.79km - Denmark
56.24mi - 90.51km - South Korea
55.96mi - 90.06km - New Zealand
55.41mi - 89.17km - Uruguay

Top Speed
19.62mph - 31.57km/h - Greece
19.33mph - 31.10km/h - Nigeria
19.22mph - 30.93km/h - Argentina
19.11mph - 30.75km/h - Brazil
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Cameroon
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Germany
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - USA
18.72mph - 30.13km/h - Japan
18.65mph - 30.02km/h - Serbia
18.59mph - 29.92km/h - Italy



Stats compiled from FIFA.com

Upsets at World Cup 2010 by FIFA ranking

A list of World Cup 2010 games where a lower FIFA ranked team managed to win or draw. I'll continue to update this list as the games are played.



WIN

74 - South Africa (83) v France (9)
34 - South Korea (47) v Greece (13)
29 - Slovakia (34) v Italy (5)
26 - Japan (45) v Cameroon (19)
22 - Switzerland (24) v Spain (2)
17 - Ghana (32) v Serbia (15)
17 - Denmark (36) v Cameroon (19)
9 - Serbia (15) v Germany (6)
9 - Japan (45) v Denmark (36)
8 - Mexico (17) v France (9)
5 - Australia (20) v Serbia (15)

DRAW

73 - New Zealand (78) v Italy (5)
47 - New Zealand (78) v Paraguay (31)
44 - New Zealand (78) v Slovakia (34)
26 - Paraguay (31) v Italy (5)
26 - South Korea (47) v Nigeria (21)
24 - Ivory Coast (27) v Portugal (3)
22 - Algeria (30) v England (8)
12 - Ghana (32) v Australia (20)
11 - Slovenia (25) v USA (14)
7 - Uruguay (16) v France (9)
6 - USA (14) v England (8)

Videos: The Last 10 World Cup Hat Tricks

The last 10 World Cup Hat Tricks prior to Gonzalo Higuain's 3 goals against South Korea in 2010.

Gary Lineker - England v Poland 1986


Igor Belanov - USSR v Belgium 1986


Emilio Butragueño - Spain v Denmark 1986


Michel - Spain v South Korea 1990


Tomáš Skuhravý - Czechoslovakia v Costa Rica 1990


Gabriel Batistuta - Argentina v Greece 1994


Oleg Salenko (5) - Russia v Cameroon 1994


Gabriel Batistuta - Argentina v Jamaica 1998


Miroslav Klose - Germany v Saudi Arabia 2002


Pauleta - Portugal v Poland 2002




BONUS:
The only hat trick scored in a World Cup Final

Geoff Hurst - England v West Germany 1966

World Cup Lightweights

World Cup 2010 players that weigh 139 pounds or less.

128 - Mathieu Valbuena (France: MF)

130 - Ryad Boudebouz (Algeria: MF)
130 - Danilo Turcios (Honduras: MF)

132 - Robinho (Brazil: FW)
132 - Marko Marin (Germany: MF)
132 - Emmanuel Kone (Cote d'Ivoire: MF)
132 - Andrés Guardado (Mexico: MF)
132 - Miroslav Stoch (Slovakia: MF)
132 - Jesús Navas (Spain: MF)

135 - Josué (Brazil: MF)
135 - Yoshito Okubo (Japan: FW)
135 - Juan Mata (Spain: MF)
135 - Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland: MF)
135 - José Torres (USA: MF)

137 - Tranquillo Barnetta (Switzerland: MF)
137 - DaMarcus Beasley (USA: MF)
137 - Danny (Portugal: FW)
137 - Efraín Juárez (Mexico: DF)
137 - Javier Hernández (Mexico: FW)
137 - Atsuto Uchida (Japan: DF)
137 - Franck Ribéry (France: MF)
137 - Alexis Sánchez (Chile: FW)

139 - Siboniso Gaxa (South Africa: DF)
139 - Miguel (Portugal: DF)
139 - Simão (Portugal: MF)
139 - Liédson (Portugal: FW)
139 - Aaron Clapham (New Zealand: MF)
139 - Alberto Medina (Mexico: MF)
139 - Ramón Núñez (Honduras: MF)
139 - Ashley Cole (England: DF)
139 - Joe Cole (England: MF)
139 - Aaron Lennon (England: MF)
139 - Patrick Mtiliga (Denmark: DF)
139 - Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark: MF)

World Cup Heavyweights

A list of World Cup 2010 players who weigh 200 pounds or more.


Lbs - Player (Nation: Position)

227 - Marcus Hahnemann (USA: GK)
216 - Austin Ejide (Nigeria: GK)
212 - Danny Shittu (Nigeria: DF)
212 - Nikola Zigic (Serbia: FW)
209 - James Bannatyne (New Zealand: GK)
209 - Jasmin Handanovic (Slovenia: GK)
209 - Matthew Booth (South Africa: DF)
207 - Daniel Fernandes (Portugal: GK)
207 - Brad Guzan (USA: GK)
205 - Robert Green (England: GK)
205 - Hugo Almeida (Portugal: FW)
203 - Souleymanou Hamidou (Cameroon: GK)
201 - Eugene Galekovic (Australia: GK)
201 - Doni (Brazil: GK)
201 - Per Kroldrup (Denmark: DF)
201 - Hans-Jörg Butt (Germany: GK)
201 - Tim Wiese (Germany: GK)
201 - Kornel Salata (Slovakia: DF)
201 - Oguchi Onyewu (USA: DF)




Weights from Soccernet.com squad pages

World Cup Groups A-D: Passing and Shooting Statistics

Passing and Shooting statistics from the first World Cup 2010 games (Group A through Group D).

PASSING

Passes
84 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
82 - Philipp Lahm (Germany)
77 - Arne Friedrich (Germany)
76 - Patrice Evra (France)
74 - Francisco Rodriguez (Mexico)
74 - Per Mertesacker (Germany)

Passes Completed
71 - Philipp Lahm (Germany)
70 - Francisco Rodriguez (Mexico)
68 - Arne Friedrich (Germany)
65 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
64 - Per Mertesacker (Germany)

Pass Completion Rate (Minimum 40 pass attempts)
96.30% - Bostjan Cesar (Slovenia)
95.92% - Holger Badstuber (Germany)
94.59% - Francisco Rodriguez (Mexico)
90.70% - Rafik Halliche (Algeria)
88.31% - Arne Friedrich (Germany)

Crosses
10 - Thomas Mueller (Germany)
9 - Luke Wilkshire (Australia)
8 - Giourkas Seitaridis (Greece)
7 - Andraz Kirm (Slovenia)
7 - Bacary Sagna (France)

Cross Completions
3 - Frank Lampard (England)
3 - Luke Wilshire (Australia)
3 - Thomas Mueller (Germany)
2 - Loukas Vyntra (Greece)
2 - Aaron Lennon (England)
2 - Chidi Odiah (Nigeria)
2 - Giovani Dos Santos (Mexico)
2 - Foued Kadir (Algeria)

100% Corner Completion Rate
2/2 - Florent Malouda (France)
2/2 - Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina)
1/1 - Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico)
1/1 - Brett Emerton (Australia)
1/1 - Gerardo Torrado (Mexico)

100% Short Pass Completion Rate (miminum 5 short passes)
13 - Franck Ribery (France)
12 - Karim Ziani (Algeria)
11 - Madjid Bougherra (Algeria)
9 - Gabriel Heinze (Argentina)
8 - Anthony Annan (Ghana)
7 - Angelos Charisteas (Greece)
6 - Marko Suler (Slovenia)
6 - Bostjan Cesar (Slovenia)
6 - Milivoje Novakovic (Slovenia)
6 - Guillermo Franco (Mexico)
5 - Nicolas Anelka (France)
5 - Sani Kaita (Nigeria)
5 - Tsepo Masilela (South Africa)

100% Medium Pass Completion Rate (minimum 5 medium passes)
26 - Holger Badstuber (Germany)
17 - Vladimir Stojkovic (Serbia)
10 - Richard Kingson (Ghana)
7 - Thierry Henry (France)
6 - Danny Shittu (Nigeria)

100% Long Pass Completion Rate (minimum 3 long passes)
11 - Holger Badstuber (Germany)
6 - Efrain Juarez (Mexico)
4 - Carlos Vela (Mexico)
3 - Milivoje Novakovic (Slovenia)


SHOOTING

Shots on Goal (minimum of 3)
4 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
3 - Park Chu-Young (South Korea)
3 - Asamoah Gyna (Ghana)
3 - Miroslav Klose (Germany)
3 - Giovani Dos Santos (Mexico)

100% Goal/Shot Rate (one shot, one goal)
Steven Gerrard (England)
Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa)
Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea)
Gabriel Heinze (Argentina)
Cacau (Germany)

Total Shots (minimum of 5)
8 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
6 - Park Chu-Young (South Korea)
6 - Frank Lampard (England)
5 - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
5 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
5 - Miroslav Klose (Germany)

Shots that hit the Post
2 - Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
1 - Katlego Mphela (South Africa)

Shots on Goal from Outside the Penalty Area (minimum of 2)
2 - Valter Birsa (Slovenia)
2 - Park Chu-Young (South Korea)
2 - Lionel Messi (Argentina)


Statistics from FIFA.com