*FAN SUBMISSION by Leon Elliott of Dorset, England. Follow him on Twitter @leon_elliott.*
Courtesy: BBC
If any player was told they would lift a trophy on the night of the World Cup Final, the expected reaction would be one of ecstasy and delight. However, as Lionel Messi climbed the Maracana stands to pose for a photo with Manuel Neuer, the image would capture him in a more solemn than celebratory mood. The understandable distress of losing in Extra Time was evident for the World to see, and Manuel Neuer – the World Cup champion of the two – would remain humble for the photo. But whilst in 10 minutes the German goalkeeper would be pictured having traded the Golden Glove trophy for that of the World Cup, Lionel would descend the pillars of the stadium and return to his distraught teammates. Even Messi, a player whose teamwork has been questioned, knew that this was not the time to celebrate. Having lost the World Cup final, he had nothing to celebrate.
Coming minutes after a victory for an obsessively cohesive German side, the photo – intended to show two Adidas ambassadors embracing solo achievements – resonantly and unintentionally acts as a reminder of the failures of individualism in football; a team game.
At the first ever World Cup, Argentinian forward Guillermo Stabile scored 8 goals to win the 1930 Golden Boot award. Since then, the legacies of some of the world’s greatest ever strikers have been built upon their champion prolificacy on the World’s biggest stage. Eusebio, Gerd Muller, Miroslav Klose and Ronaldo have all seen their careers christened by Golden Boot wins, and awarding players for scoring the most goals is a fitting tribute that only boosts the competitiveness of the sport, yet of late the emphasis on achievement has shifted increasingly towards the player. Since 1978, the Golden Ball has been a quadrennial addition to the tournament, and in 1994 the Golden Glove, for the best goalkeeper, was introduced. The Award for Best Young Player, this time around awarded to french midfielder Paul Pogba, has also foreseen some illustrious careers including Franz Beckenbauer and Marc Overmars, and was inducted in 1958 and won by a 17 year old Pele.
As far as hindering careers goes, it is clear then that the issue is not the effect these awards have on the winning players. Instead, the culmination of new awards and statistics has reached the stage where it is almost damaging the ethos of the team game, and is threatening to abandon the traditional recognition of all eleven players.
When you have 23 men in a squad, it is blatant that not all the players will be of equal ability. Every team naturally has its best players, but what was significantly present at this World Cup more than any other was the notion of the talisman. In the run up to the tournament, Nike ran a series of adverts featuring animated alter-egos of who they believed to be the World’s best players. Including Ronaldo, Rooney, Neymar, Iniesta, Ribery and David Luiz, the advertising campaign meant that these players were the symbols of the World Cup. These men were everywhere. Three weeks later, and Cristiano, Iniesta and Rooney faced shambolic group stage exits, David Luiz had a nightmare end to the tournament, and Ribery and Neymar were both hit by injury.This may be a colossal coincidence, but in a couple of these cases it may not be too much of a stretch to say that Nike played some part in their downfall.
The players featured in the adverts were elevated in such a way that a way that it seemed as if these were the undisputed kings of their teams. You would have thought that this would’ve put enormous pressure on the players to perform, especially Rooney – looking to end his drought – and Neymar – Brazil’s poster boy. But once again, it was not the eponymous heroes to felt the full force of the bullet. Even when an out of position Rooney was not performing, the expectation and ideology built up around Rooney transpired to Hodgson, who did not drop him even after a disappointing first game.
And perhaps the epitome of the World Cup talisman was no other than Neymar; Brazil’s national figure, and Nike’s Messi. It is no secret that football is the culture of Brazil, and Neymar deflected all pressure that had been pushed on him to ensure that Brazil qualified from the groups. Four goals and an assist from the 22 year old meant set Neymar immediately on course for the Golden Ball, but in the Quarter Final game against Colombia, the dream shared between him and his country, collapsed. A high challenge by defender Zuniga would see Neymar out of the World Cup, but a shocked Brazil team proceeded to the Semi Final without him. For the game against Germany, players emerged in Forca Neymar hats, and some even wore t-shirts in support of him. The emotion previously shown by the Brazilians during the national anthems had been amplified even further. The next 90 minutes would see Brazil implode in their biggest ever defeat and one of the most shocking games ever played.
Dependency on the youngster had reached such a level that Brazil now had no belief they could win without him, and missing captain Thiago Silva as well, they were simply too emotionally and mentally jarred to perform. Rather than coming together as a team, losing Neymar gave Brazil almost an excuse to fail; in a tournament where failure was not an option. Defining Neymar as the star of the Brazil set up was only counter-productive in their success, even if he wasn’t the one directly feeling the pressure. Brazil are team of world class players, and that cannot be argued, but their scenario should be used as warning for teams forgetting that individualism is not the key to success.
But really, this is a 50 year old lesson.
Observe the make up of all the great teams – from Brazil 1970, to Madrid 1960, to Barcelona in the early 21st century – and what you will notice is their distinct playing styles. But whilst Pele, Di Stefano and Xavi could all be picked out for their immense talent, Barcelona’s Tiki-Taka could not have happened with only Xavi. Like wise, the Brazil team of the 70s and 80s are famous for their dominance as a collective force, and one which utilized and not relied upon the greats. When Pele was injured in the 1962 World Cup it did little to divert their performances, but this could not have contrasted more in 2014. For this reason it seems fitting that Germany, the World Cup winners, are such a collective group. It is thus significant that Low’s calculated passing game that beat Argentina in the final operates without a real ‘star’, and instead depends on a team of players all putting in outstanding performances.
Whether or not individual commendations are detrimental or beneficial, Manuel Neuer’s Golden Glove win highlights really the basis of this German team, in comparison to Brazil’s. Neuer was near unbeatable in goal for Germany, a fact that was strikingly highlighted in their 7-1 win over Brazil. Julio Cesar didn’t have an awful tournament, but in unlike in Brazil’s case, great performances came from all over the pitch for Germany. Excluding his inclusion as manger, Low’s men made up more than half of the all star team. Compare it to the home nation’s only pick, and this is really making a statement.
So whilst Lionel Messi knew that collecting a solo award was no reason to celebrate, it’s evident that Manuel Neuer’s lack of jubilation in front of the camera was because he felt he had no right to celebrate without the rest of his team. The World Cup is a team tournament for a team sport, and this World Cup proved more than ever that it can’t be won alone.
Lets hope that FIFA, Adidas and Nike realize this too.
