THE BEST SOCCER PLAYERS

On the eve of the World Cup Germany's captain Michael Ballack yesterday gave a remarkably bleak assessment of their prospects in the tournament, describing his team as "deficient". In an interview with the German newspaper Der Tages-spiegel Ballack admitted his side, who take on Costa Rica tomorrow in the opening match in Munich, lacked the experience of previous squads. Ballack, who is almost certain to play tomorrow after being cleared by doctors to resume training after a calf strain, said: "In comparison with some of the big teams we have deficiencies. Perhaps I'm wrong. I very much hope I'm wrong." The midfielder missed two training sessions this week, prompting fears that Germany would be without their talismanic captain tomorrow, but he said: "It's not so bad. I'm sure I can play against Costa Rica. It's a hangover of the game against Colombia. I noticed on Sunday evening that there was still a stubborn twinge in my calf. But I

Djibril Cissé's chances both of featuring in the World Cup finals and leaving Liverpool appeared to have been dashed last night when he was stretchered from the field with a suspected broken leg during France's final pre-tournament friendly against China in Saint-Etienne. The 24-year-old striker was chasing the ball down the right flank only 10 minutes into the fixture when he was knocked off balance by a China defender and, as he fell, his right leg twisted under him and buckled above the ankle. He departed the turf in agony and was replaced by David Trezeguet, with the France medical team's initial assessment suggesting he had broken his right tibia. Should scans on the injury confirm the worst today Cissé will definitely miss his country's campaign in Germany - they depart for Hanover this morning - and may also be denied an escape route from Anfield. The Marseille sporting director Pape Diouf was on Merseyside yesterday discussing a possible move for the former Auxe

Sven-Goran Eriksson today insisted Wayne Rooney is "injury free" and now just needs to obtain match fitness before he plays in the World Cup. The England coach declared the final decision on when the Manchester United striker can play in Germany will be "Rooney's and mine" after the player's club stated that independent medical opinion pointed to him not being ready to play until after the group stage. Rooney joined in training with the rest of the squad in Baden-Baden this morning after undergoing a scan on his broken metatarsal in Manchester yesterday. United said last night that the 20-year-old "will require very careful assessment in order to address his suitability" to play. However, Eriksson said today: "The good news from yesterday evening and today is Rooney has no more injury. He is injury free and it is up to us now to get him match-fit and when we think he is match-fit I am prepared to take him to any specialist we or Manchester Un

Can Ronaldinho, the smiling, mouth-full-of-teeth, feet-full-of-tricks Brazilian midfielder and goalscorer approach or even surpass the stature of Pele? Epoca, a Brazilian weekly magazine, asks that question in a recent cover story. The fact it even dares to raise the issue suggests how far Ronaldinho, 26, has come in a few years from humble beginnings at the Gremio soccer club in southern Brazil. Without question, Ronaldinho is now the best-known, most-feared footballer around. When he gets the ball a hush descends. Anything can happen: an opponent left gaping; a defense-splitting pass of perfect weight and unlikely vision; a shot of outrageous precision. All executed with a playful whimsy, as if genius were the most natural thing in the world. Ronaldinho has just helped his club, Barcelona, to its second consecutive Spanish League title, and to a European Champions League triumph over Arsenal. He was the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, and also won the Golden Ball awar

By Richard Clarke Robert Pires will not let talk about his future interfere with preparations for the Champions League Final. It is possible that Wednesday’s clash with Barcelona could be the 32-year-old’s last game in a six-year spell with Arsenal. He is out of contract in the summer and has been talking to other clubs for sometime, including vanquished Semi-Finalists Villarreal. For his part Arsène Wenger is hopeful Pires will stay. "The situation is quite simple at the moment," said the French midfielder. "We’ve got the Final coming up and we're going to focus on that and then afterwards I'll decide whether I’m going to stay or leave." "At the moment I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. I can say that Arsenal has been a fantastic Club for me at every level and in every sense but I need to think as to whether I’m going to stay here or try going to another country." "But I think at the moment we need to really concentrate on th

Mikel thrives on centre stage Matt Spiroan , from Cairo When John Obi Mikel was replaced in the second half of Nigeria's African Cup of Nations semi-final against the Ivory Coast the game seemed to be up for the Super Eagles. Trailing to Didier Drogba's goal, Nigeria looked devoid of ideas without their teenage prodigy and not even the introduction of Jay-Jay Okocha, so often a match-winner in the past, could raise their flagging spirits. Mikel impact That Nigeria are already relying so heavily on the SFK Lyn Oslo midfield player says much about the impact he has made in Egypt. Rarely can a player have been hyped up so much before even featuring at the highest level, but the elegant 18-year-old, who is the subject of a much-publicised tug-of-war between Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC, wasted little time in showing people what the fuss was about. Playing with remarkable poise for someone so young and displaying the vision of a genuine creator, Mikel lit up the tournament wi

Standing an impressive 1.90 metres tall, Togo's Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor has been Arsene Wenger's choice for Arsenal's starter squad in many match. Adebayor (21) has signed for Arsenal from AS Monaco on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee at January. He was the top scorer in the entire African Zone in the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers with 11 goals, helping Togo reach the World Cup Finals for the first time in the country's history. Emmanuel has been a regular in the AS Monaco team over the past three seasons and was part of the squad which came runners-up in the 2004 UEFA Champions League. Before joining AS Monaco, Adebayor spent two seasons at French side Metz, where he made his first team debut for the club in Ligue 1 at the tender age of 17. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "Emmanuel Adebayor is a great addition to our squad. He has shown in his performances with Monaco and Togo that he will add great quality to our offensive game. He is tall, good in the

While Spain were battling it out at Korea/Japan 2002, a 16-year-old Spaniard by the name of Sergio Ramos was roaring them on from his home in distant Seville and longing for the day when he too would don the famous red jersey. Now, four years down the road, it looks as if the youngster's dream is about to come true. Ramos' progress both at club and international level has been nothing short of meteoric. He made his Spanish league debut with Sevilla in February 2004 and then went on to play six more top-flight games that season. After another 31 appearances for the Andalusian club the following year, Real Madrid were sufficiently impressed to fork out an eye-watering €27million to take the gifted defender to the Bernabeu. "Very few kids of my age have managed to do what I've done," says Ramos during an exclusive interview with FIFAworldcup.com. "It's true the only thing I have right now on my CV is the European U-19 Championship, but that's something I

Instead the England striker finds himself attempting to repair a fracture in his relationship with Newcastle's fans caused by Sven-Goran Eriksson's ill-considered suggestion that he is unhappy at Newcastle and only joined the Magpies for the money. Eriksson's claim was made during an indiscreet discussion with an under-cover reporter posing as a sheikh claiming to be interested in taking over Aston Villa and installing the England manager as boss of the Midlands club. Along with a description of Rio Ferdinand as "lazy", it was the comments about Owen which were most embarassing for Eriksson because they appeared to confirm an impression that was already firmly implanted in the minds of many Newcastle fans. Owen, who has just had the cast on his broken foot removed, insisted however that he was happy on Tyneside following his 16-million-pound move from Real Madrid in August. "I'm enjoying my time here," the 26-year-old claimed. "I enjoyed it out

Ji-sung Park, or "Ji" as he is called by his United team-mates, is a skilful and energetic player, who can play on the left, on the right, or in the centre of midfield. His potential to make the leap from Asia to Europe was spotted by Guus Hiddink, who coached Park in the national team before and during the 2002 World Cup. Later that year, after Korea's phenomenal run to the semi finals, Park followed Hiddink to PSV. Although he gained widespread recognition in 2005 after scoring against AC Milan in the Champions League semi-finals, Park had been gradually building a reputation at PSV as one of the most highly-regarded young midfielders in Europe. He began his career with Japanese side Kyoto Purple Sanga in 2000. A regular in the South Korean national side from a young age, he played in all of his country's seven matches in a sensational run to the semi finals of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. He moved to PSV on 21 December 2002, but played only a fleeting pa