Capital Balls FIFA football balls

There are no changes to the top three in the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking: European champions Spain remain unchallenged at the top and have even managed to extend their lead over their nearest challengers Italy and Germany. Things are far more exciting in the next few spots in the ranking. Brazil (4th, up 2), the Netherlands (5th, down 1) and Croatia (6′b, down 1) are all within a few points of each other and, together with Argentina (7l!l), are locked in an exciting head-to-head
battle. Russia (9″, up 3) have moved up three places, thus managing to break back into the top ten, at the expense of Turkey (13th, down 3).
The month’s biggest winners, however, are unquestionably from Oceania. On the back of two convincing victories over New Caledonia in their FIFA World Cup™ qualifying campaign, New Zealand have gained 268 points and are currently ranked 54th. This means that the All Whites are once again the highest-ranked OFC team. Other climbers this month include
Israel (16<\ up 3), Lithuania (37th, up 17) and FYR Macedonia (46ihl, up 10), all of whom have recorded their best placing since the ranking was introduced.
A total of 125 international “A” matches have been played worldwide since the last edition of the ranking, of which 106 were gualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. The remaining internationals were qualifiers for the CONCACAF Gold Cup (six matches) and friendlies (13 matches).

Full name: Xavier Hernandez Creus Nickname: Xavi
Date of birth: 25 January 1980 in Terrassa, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Height: 1,70m
Weight: 68kg
Position: Midfielder
Club: Since 1997: Barcelona. Honours: 1999: Spanish league championship and FIFA U-20 World Cup winner. 2000: silver medal in the Olympic Football Tournament. 2002: FIFA World Cup™ quarter-finalist. 2005: Spanish league championship and super cup winner. 2006: Spanish championship, super cup and UEFA Champions League winner, reached round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup™. 2008: European Championship winner and player of the tournament. 65 caps and eight goals for Spain.

Top of the class

Xavi Hernandez may be small in stature but in footballing terms he is a giant. The 28-year-old Spaniard is one of the world’s best midfielders and like all players of his class, he makes difficult things look simple.

Since Barcelona were founded more than a hundred years ago, the club has been home to players of the calibre of Samitier, Kubala, Ramailets, Segarra, Luis Suarez, Asensi, Cruyff, Neeskens, Rexach, Maradona, Schuster, Lineker, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Zubizarreta, Stoitchkov, Guardiola, Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Eco’o, Henry and Messi, a list that would be incomplete without the inclusion of Xavi Hernandez, who was born and bred in the neighbouring town of Tertassa.
Voted player of the tournament at this year’s EURO for his decisive contribution to Spain’s victory and ranked third in Barcelona’s list of all-time appearances (with 430), surpassed only by “Tarzan” Migueli (548) and Carles Rexach (452), whom he now has in his sights, the 28-year-old is a player that any manager would give his eye teeth to sign.
Although Xavi joined Barcelona in 1991 at the age of 11, he did not make his first-team debut until 18 August 1998, under Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman, who was the architect of the last great Ajax side (containing the likes of Van der Sar, the De Boer brothers, Davids, Seedorf, Finidi, Litmanen, Kluivert, Overmars, Kanu etc.), strongly backed Xavi to succeed and did not hesitate to select him for the Spanish super cup match against Mallorca. “Go out there, play your game and enjoy it,” were Van Gaal’s words on confirming that he would be making his debut. Ten years later, with a good few years left to continue enjoying himself and playing his game, Xavi has deservedly achieved global recognition.
HIS BIG CHANCE
Ever since he made his debut, on which he even scored a goal, everyone has been keen to compare his playing style with that of Josep Guardiola, now his coach at the Camp Nou. Xavi is the prime example of Barcelona’s fine tradition of producing playmakers. Other examples include Milla, Guardiola, De la Pena, Arteta, Fabregas and Iniesta.
He is the prime example because unlike the majority of those listed above, Xavi is the complete footballer. He plays, he brings other players into the game, he wins balls and he is also a goalscorer. His vision – the directness of his play, which enables him to arrive at the opponents’ penalty area for the second ball even when he is the architect of the original move — is what differentiates him from the rest and enables him to tip the balance of a game. He really is top of the class. As a result, he has been a first-team regular under every single one of the coaches that have passed through the Camp Nou during his time at the club: Van Gaal (twice), Serra Ferrer, Rexach, Antic, Rijkaard and Guardiola.
Not even a serious knee injury, which kept him on the sidelines for six months
Xavi Hernandez read the game brilliantly in the EURO 2008 final against Germany. photos- keystone
during the 2005-2006 season, damaged the confidence the club has always placed in the midfielder from Terrassa. Indeed, it was another serious injury, this time to Guardiola (another coincidence), that gave Xavi his big chance during the 1999-2000 campaign.
NOT A PHYSICAL PLAYER
However, in football, as in life, nothing is that simple and Xavi knows how hard it is to be a product of a club’s youth system. Not being a big-name signing is a cross that every young player who has made it through the ranks has to bear. Thar is the harsh reality. Xavi himself has admitted that he has no right to complain because when he was a boy, he was mote interested in the skills of the Laudrup brothers, Stoitchkov, Rosatio and Koeman than those of homegrown members of Barcelona’s “Dream Team” such as Bakcro, Beguiristain and Goikoetxea.
Possessing a technique that few players in the world today can match, Xavi is clever enough to avoid contact and physical football and instead focuses on directing the ball into the area of the pitch close to the opponents’ penalty box where games are decided, providing killer passes for the strikers to convert. Xavi is one of the privileged few who understand possession football, a simple concept, but most of the time a difficult one to implement on the field. Theory is one thing but practice is another and that is where players such as Xavi
make a difference because they have the edge over other players in terms of intelligence.
PLAY IT AGAIN
“As Johan Cruyff always says, the difficult thing is not making it, but staying there,” points out Xavi, who is not afraid to stand up for his team-mates and coaches. Despite coming across as quiet and withdrawn, he is not one to hide, either on the pitch or off it. He does not
mince his words and was one of former national team coach Luis Aragones’s staunchest supporters. A few months before the EURO 2008 finals, the player came out in defence of his coach on several occasions during the media campaign that had been launched against him. “Everyone wants rid of the coach and I find that very unfair. It’s a privilege to have met him. Luis is the essence of football, he lives for it, he loves it, he transmits it, he understands footballers and he gives it his all. And now they want rid of him. Well I don’t think that’s right. You have to be patient and let him work until the European Championship.”
Subsequent events and results proved that not only Xavi but the board of the Spanish football association (RFEF), who backed Aragones in the face of widespread opposition, were right. After backing his coach before the competition, Xavi’s first thought in the glow of the Spanish triumph was for Aragones: “It’s a victory for Luis. He convinced us that we were the best team in the world. He devised the tactics and opted for an idea, a style, we followed it and it has led us to victory.”
Xavi was Aragones’ brain on the pitch and the ideal player to embody the coach’s mantra of “Play the ball. Play it again and again and again”. Xavi is the king of possession football, as demonstrated by the fact that he was affectionately dubbed “Humphrey Bogart” by the journalist Andres Montes. Why? The answer can be found in one of the most famous films in the history of cinema, Casablanca, starring Bogart, which contains the famously misquoted line “Play it again, Sam”.
Xavi’s list of honours, which includes three Spanish league titles, two Spanish super cups, Champions League tide, FIFA U-20 World Cup title, an Olympic silver medal and European Championship, and is richer in quality than quantity, elevates him to the position of a global superstar. His most recent honour was accompanied by his being named Player of the Tournament by the UEFA Technical Team, who justified their choice as follows: “Dating the whole of the European Championship he was extremely influential in the whole possession, passing, penetrating kind of game played by Spain, who did not attempt to change their image and remained true to their philosophy. If you are not tall, as is the case with Xavi, you have to be quick, clever and technical. And he is.”
What is not mentioned is that Xavi ran 11,5 kilometres in that final against Germany and that he also provided a magnificent ball into space for Fernando Torres’ winning goal.

For more info, pease visit the Xavi website

Date of birth: 23 December 1950 in Salamanca, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Nickname: Bigoton [on account of his big moustache]
Career as a player: 1969-1971 Castilla, 1971-1972 Cordoba Club de Futbol, 1972-1973 Club Deportivo Castellon, 1973-1984 Real Madrid.
Honours as a player: five Spanish league championships and winner of four Copa del Rey titles. Played in the 1980 European Championship in Italy. Played 441 official club matches and scored 30 goals. 18 caps for Spain. Career as a coach: 1994: Real Madrid. 1996: Real Madrid. 1999-2003: Real Madrid. 2004-2005: Besiktas. Since July 2008: coach of the Spanish national team.
Honours as a coach: three Spanish league championships, two UEFA Champions League titles, two Spanish Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and one European Super Cup.

“Football is a sport made up of individual moments”
Under the leadership of coach Luis Aragones, Spain became European champions in June. Vicente del Bosque took over as coach right after EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, and he wants the
team for which he was once a player to keep on winning.

FM: You have said that it is a privilege to coach a national team that has just won the European title, particularly a team that achieved the win in the way Spain did.
Vicente del Bosque: It’s true. If you think about how things would be now if we hadn’t got past the quarter-finals, the siruation would obviously be a lor worse. You have to take a positive view of such a victory that managed to get everyone caught up in the excitement.
But in the short term there are certain risks to such a situation, such as the fact that widespread optimism, if not kept in check, can be more dangerous than it is advantageous, and that the possibility of beating the European champions is now a major incentive for Spain’s rivals.
Del Bosque: Indeed, those are two issues that need to be taken into account, but it’s good that we are respected for being the best, and I don’t think the players are going to get carried away by uncontrolled euphoria. Although it’s true that being a good winner can be very difficult.
You’re making your debut with Spain: you know about playing and training, but maybe coaching a national team is a different matter. How are you handling the transition? Del Bosque: Well … I spent 15
years at Real Madrid and had to apply selection criteria when signing players and young boys. Now, it’s true it might not be the same work as for a national team, where you’re not training every day, but it’s not that different. There are a lot of similarities in terms of the basics, because the aim is always to get the team in shape, to develop a style …
The European champions already have a defined style. Are you going to keep that?
Del Bosque: It’s not a good idea to make distinctions with the previous coach, especially because the team’s style is very clearly defined. Luis Aragones
played a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-1-3-2 formation in order to keep possession and also to counter-attack. Formation is one thing and tactics another. But the objective is always the same, and it all worked perfectly at EURO 2008.
But, of course, everyone has their own way of doing things.
Del Bosque: We will try to bring our own personal touch, reflecting our character, where we feel it’s necessary, but I want to underline the fact that this is a winning team that knows exactly what it’s doing and, what’s more, enjoys it and brings massive enjoyment to the fans.
Are you saying this because you mean it or because of people’s “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” attitude?
Del Bosque: I’m saying it because the Spanish team has to use the players who won the European title in the same way they played in that competition and because the tactical and line-up decisions that were made were always effective.
I believe the choice of players was 100% right and I doubt that the fans will disagree with my line-up either.
Will you favour short or long passes?
Del Bosque: Football is a sport made up of individual moments, and you have to know how to play in each of them. That means playing short passes when it suits, and playing long balls when necessary, the combination of which is beautiful, but always maintaining a balance. The most difficult skill is knowing exactly what to do at each moment.
But things aren’t always going to remain the same, and you yourself have said that football constantly changes.
Del Bosque: We need to be proud of the football we have, but this shouldn’t stop us from looking towards the future.
Are you concerned that the players might cling to a concept and avoid adopting others?
Del Bosque: No, not at all. It’s great for the players to be able to look back on the European championship and enjoy what they achieved, but I don’t think they are going to dwell on the past, simply because they can already be satisfied wit what they have achieved.
But nobody is ever satisfied with what they have …
Del Bosque: I’ve already said several times that we have to set ourselves the highest objectives, but that doesn’t mean we’re smug or don’t have our feet on the ground. We have a team that can continue to succeed.
Spain’s team for EURO 2008 had something special that set it apart from all the others: it responded perfectly to the demands, requests and advice of the person who formed the team, Luis Aragones. Are you and he the same? Del Bosque: No …
Aragones has a reputation for being energetic and having a strong character. I’m not saying you don’t have those qualities, but you seem milder, colder, probably.
Del Bosque: Both personality types can achieve the same results. We [Del Bosque is referring to himself and his team] have never fallen out with anybody or fined anybody and that has worked. I think the players respect their coaches for their character, but also for their knowledge and humanity. Groups gain from human contact, and, what’s more, I’ve never heard of any bad vibes among the team, and that’s how it should be. 1 think we have the right working atmosphere.
The victory in the European Championship achieved something else, not directly related to the game: a huge mass of supporters, including people who didn’t watch football regularly, now identify with the team colours and their country’s flag.
Del Bosque: That has also been fantastic; it was a sporting and patriotic display, which is always a good thing. That is another of the European Championship’s major achievements, because it seemed as though that level of popularity was reserved for clubs, but we’ve seen that the national team can arouse such feelings, too. So things have gone back to the way they should be.
But we are now living in a permanent state of euphoria, and it therefore seems likely that a lot of people will start expecting undisputed victories, and for Spain to beat everyone, because we’re the best, after all …
Del Bosque: That’s not a bad thing.
It’s only natural that people should be so excited about Spain, because the team showed how powerful such a win could be. The optimism is great, but the national team also know that it’s very difficult to be good winners.
It certainly seems as though the public’s perception of the players has changed. They now feel a lot closer to them. The victory was necessary in terms of bringing the players and the public closer together.
Del Bosque: Victories always attract people, but it’s certainly true that the fans really like the players. “This is because of the football they played, the way they celebrated their victories, and also because the supporters realised that they’re not the
distant millionaires you hear about in the media, but normal, approachable guys. It’s important that this sense of normality is maintained, because that’s what people can relate to. Their performances played a large part, but more than that, it’s down to the players’ behaviour, and in that sense it’s been an honour for all of us to have seen this team in action.
Don’t you think that all of this puts you in a very risky position? You’ll have to respond to all these expectations … and respond with wins.
Del Bosque: I think there are a lot of advantages to this situation. No matter what way I look at it, it’s positive. Even if Luis was still here, there’d be no guarantee that we’d win everything, and of course there is no such guarantee with me either. That’s why we’re in a favourable position that we have to manage correctly and take advantage of. This has been very good for the team, for the people, and for the atmosphere surrounding football. It has proven those who doubted that a veteran coach could win a title wrong. Yes, indeed, it’s been good for everyone.