Ten out of ten from the World Cup

TEN BEST GOALS

1 Ronaldo (Brazil) v Turkey A demonstration of the power, pace and precision that many thought had been lost after the traumas of the 1998 final.

2 Christian Vieri (Italy) v Ecuador The only time the Italians lived up to their billing, a lovely lay-off from Francesco Totti and a world-class finish.

3 Rivaldo (Brazil) v England If the second was a fluke, there was no doubt about the first. A jinky run from Ronaldinho, a precision pass and a rifled shot.

4 Edmilson (Brazil) v Costa Rica Hard to argue this was a Brazil side that lacked flair after this spectacular overhead kick.

5 Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland) v Germany The only goal Oliver Kahn conceded on his way to the final so it has to be worth a mention.

6 Magnus Svensson (Sweden) v Argentina There were few great free-kicks in this World Cup but Svensson's curler did for the pre-tournament favourites.

7 Salif Diao (Senegal) v Denmark The energy and innocent flair of Senegal was never better demonstrated than in a wonderful passing movement that unhinged the Danes.

8 Ilhan Mansiz (Turkey) v Senegal A flicked golden goal which ensured the Besiktas striker eclipsed Turkey's ageing golden boy Hakan Sukur.

9 Dario Rodriguez (Uruguay) v Denmark Thomas Sorensen did not throw in every shot of this World Cup. Rodriguez's stunning volley was almost unstoppable.

10 Jared Borgetti (Mexico) v Italy Unquestionably the best header of the World Cup; as the ball fell behind him, Borgetti outjumped Paolo Maldini to vital effect.

TEN REFEREEING HOWLERS

1 South Korea's Kim Young-Joo (Brazil v Turkey) The failure to spot that Rivaldo had been struck in the thigh from a ball kicked by Hakan Unsal and not the part of his face he was clutching.

2 England's Graham Poll (Croatia v Italy) The Italians had five perfectly good goals ruled out in this tournament and the first two came when the linesman flagged Vieri and Materazzi offside. Croatia won 2-1.

3 Netherlands' Jan Wegereef (Senegal v Uruguay) Everybody loved Senegal but El Hadji Diouf certainly dived over the body of Uruguay keeper Fabian Carini to win a vital penalty in pulsating 3-3 draw.

4 Argentina's Angel Sanchez (Portugal v South Korea) The conspiracy theory begins here. Did both João Pinto and Beto really deserve to be sent off against the hosts?

5 Guatemala's Carlos Bartres (Germany v Paraguay) Michael Ballack need not have missed the World Cup final had he not been booked after being elbowed by Roberto Acuna in the 92nd minute of this game.

6 Jamaica's Peter Prendergast (Belgium v Brazil) Would it have been England v Germany in Yokohama had the header of the Belgium captain, Marc Wilmot, which would have put them ahead, not been mysteriously ruled out?

7 Equador's Byron Moreno (Italy v South Korea) The conspiracy intensifies. Francesco Totti, apparently fouled in the box, is sent off for diving while Damiano Tommassi sees another good Italian goal ruled out.

8 Scotland's Hugh Dallas (Germany v United States) Glaswegian wits claim Hugh Dallas always favours teams in blue but not now as he fails to spot Torsten Frings handling on the German line.

9 Mexico's Felipe Ramos Rizo (Brazil v England) Usually we kid ourselves we were robbed by the ref but Felipe Ramos Rizo's dismissal of Ronaldinho for a tackle on Danny Mills looked harsh. England, however, did not profit.

10 Egypt's Gamal Ghandour (South Korea v Spain) The worst display by the officials in the tournament and the conspiracy seemed of JFK proportions. The linesman fails to notice that Joaquin's cross headed in by Morientes had not crossed the by-line, while Ruben Baraja's goal looked perfectly good.

TEN WHO PROSPERED

1 Guus Hiddink Has twice taken sides to World Cup semi-finals but doing it with South Korea is more difficult than with Holland. In Korea his quotes are treated with the reverence accorded to Confucius.

2 Ronaldo After his collapse on the eve of the 1998 World Cup final and four years of injury and frustration, this was a glorious return to form when it mattered.

3 Oliver Kahn Arrogant, opinionated and often disliked but there is no doubt that Kahn is the best keeper in the world. But for him Germany would never have made a seventh final.

4 Rio Ferdinand Seemed to be the most accomplished central defender in Europe, which caused untold problems for Leeds and David O'Leary.

5 El Hadji Diouf Senegal forgot to even enter France 98, four years later they were among the stars of the tournament and Diouf's explosive runs from midfield were part of the reason.

6 Rivaldo Attracted world-wide censure with his play-acting in Brazil's opening game of the World Cup but by its end only his skill was being spoken of.

7 Bruce Arena A comic-book name for someone who was coaching lacrosse not so long ago. This summer, his superb organisation of raw talent should have seen the United States to a World Cup semi-final.

8 Hasan Sas In both Turkish meetings with Brazil, the shaven-headed Sas gave Cafu more problems than anyone else. Enough said.

9 Luiz Felipe Scolari When Big Phil became Brazil's third manager in a year the Selecao was in chaos, unsure even of qualification. Probably faced down more criticism than any other figure and still made the final.

10 Mick McCarthy Faced the toughest decision of anyone in the World Cup – whether to send home Roy Keane, his only world-class player. He did it and was vindicated.

TEN WHO LOST THEIR WAY

1 Roy Keane Abandoning his team on the edge of a World Cup finals was hardly the leadership expected of Captain Marvel, whose team seemed well rid of him.

2 Luis Figo All those who appeared on that Nike supertanker endured bad World Cups but none was as poor as Figo's. The world's best player was utterly unable to throw off his dreadful season for Real Madrid.

3 Francesco Totti Dazzled in Italy's only win of the tournament but fell from grace thereafter and it needed his great rival Alessandro del Piero to take Italy to the knockout phase.

4 Hakan Sukur Turkey may have had the World Cup of their lives but their greatest player did not. No goals, no friends in the team and some humiliating misses.

5 Zinedine Zidane His wonderful winning goal in the European Cup final was supposed to be the hors d'oeuvres for what was to come. Injury meant there was no main course.

6 Juan Sebastian Veron Sir Alex Ferguson raged at those who criticised his form for Manchester United but they were sublime compared to his miserable leadership of the favourites.

7 Roger Lemerre Presided over the most pathetic defence of a World Cup ever. His team was too old, too complacent and too arrogant. Three games, no goals, goodbye.

8 Mohammed Al Deayea Began by saying how much he wanted to keep goal for Manchester United and promptly let in eight against the shot-shy Germans, which ensured no trip to Saudi Arabia for Sir Alex.

9 Marcelo Bielsa Acclaimed as football's deepest thinker who slept with a blackboard by his bed. Returned home having led Argentina to their first defeat by England since Alf Ramsey called them "animals".

10 John Motson Imagined Britain still munched on bacon and eggs for breakfast and all came home for a three-course lunch, which he referred to constantly. BBC may have won the ratings war but Motty lost the commentary battle.

TEN TEAMS WHO EXCELLED

1 Germany Who remembers the 5-1 thrashing now? They reached the final, England did not.

2 Senegal An African challenge had seemed likeliest from Nigeria or Cameroon, not these makeweights.

3 South Korea All they wanted was to go further than Japan; the semi-final went beyond the boundaries of belief.

4 United States Now their football will be remembered for more than the 1-0 win over England 42 years ago.

5 Brazil From an incoherent mess to world champions for a fifth time; a lot can happen in 12 months.

6 Turkey Their drive ensured they will now be mentioned for more than just their intimidating fans.

7 Japan Played fast attacking football backed by genuinely fervent support.

8 Belgium Their coach was subjected to abuse but came close to beating Brazil.

9 Ireland Survived a pre-tournament crisis which would have capsized most teams.

10 England Despite the timorous manner of their departure, this was a tournament when genuine progress was made.

TEN TEAMS WHO DISAPPOINTED

1 France Insufferably smug before the World Cup. Impossibly dreadful during it.

2 Argentina Genuinely unlucky to be eliminated in the group stages but this was supposed to be their golden year.

3 Italy Forget the conspiracy theories, for once they did not have the art to muddle through to the final.

4 Portugal All that glistens was not the Golden Generation.

5 Nigeria Boasted that they might actually win the World Cup but failed to even reach the second round.

6 Russia Their footballers must long for the reformation of the Soviet Union.

7 Saudi Arabia Spent all that money to concede four goals a game.

8 China Had the largest TV audience but made the smallest impact of any Asian country.

9 Poland No team had qualified more easily, but were eliminated after just two games.

10 Ecuador Their first World Cup entirely lacked romance.

TEN FOR THE FUTURE

1 Miroslav Klose (Germany) Two years ago he was in the stands supporting Kaiserslautern; this summer he proved German strikers did not have to be lumbering monsters like Carsten Jancker.

2 Ronaldinho (Brazil) Just as the West Indies had their Three Ws so Brazil had their three Rs. Ronaldinho was expected to do well but not explode in quite the manner he did.

3 Joaquin (Spain) The 20-year-old should be remembered for the flashes of brilliance he displayed against South Korea and not for the penalty miss which was hampered by a groin injury.

4 Ashley Cole (England) Proved beyond question he could defend as well as attack, especially in the victories over Argentina and Denmark.

5 Damien Duff (Republic of Ireland) The readiness of the 23-year-old from Blackburn to attack from midfield meant Ireland hardly noticed the loss of Roy Keane.

6 Landon Donovan (United States) The pacy United States forward could not stick it at Bayer Leverkusen because of homesickness, a condition that gloriously vanished in the Far East.

7 Ahn Jung-Hwan (South Korea) Of all of Guus Hiddink's "young dogs" none attracted more attention than Ahn, whose goal to defeat Italy caused his sacking by Perugia. Others may benefit from their stupidity.

8 Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland) He may be about to sign for his fifth club, but the Dubliner is not yet 22 and the manner he took his chances in Japan can only up his asking price.

9 Christoph Metzelder (Germany) He enjoys politics, reading and going to church and at 21 he has suddenly shone as a ball-playing central defender. Makes errors but has talent to burn.

10 Ilhan Mansiz (Turkey) The new pin-up boy of Turkish football, 10 months after making his debut for the national side. His golden goal against Senegal eclipsed Sukur's efforts.

TEN FOR THE PAST

1 Fernando Hierro (Spain) As tough a defender as they come and a devastating penalty-taker. Spain's failure against South Korea ensured his medals would be only from Real Madrid.

2 David Seaman (England) Will always be remembered for his despairing attempts to gather lobs from Nayim and Ronaldinho but "Safe Hands" deserves much more respect.

2 Hong Myung-Bo (South Korea) After four World Cup finals, the South Korean captain finally saw his side win a game and then begin a wonderful and outrageous run to the semis and the hearts of the watching world.

4 Teddy Sheringham (England) England's faith in Heskey and Owen meant he never started a game under Eriksson but against Brazil how England could have used his cunning.

5 Niall Quinn (Republic of Ireland) Ireland's greatest striker and all-round good egg bowed out still able to prove that at 35 and after three World Cups his pedigree was intact.

6 Carsten Jancker (Germany) The success of Miroslav Klose meant Germany's lumbering version of Quinn was redundant and with no goals in the Bundesliga what was he doing in Japan in the first place?

7 Cafu (Brazil) At 32 he played his third and last World Cup final. He was overshadowed by Roberto Carlos but his energy, drive and positional sense, especially against England, were faultless.

8 Paolo Maldini (Italy) Being fatally outjumped by Ahn Jung-Hwan as Italy collapsed against the Koreans, was no way for one of the Azzurri's greatest defenders to say goodbye to the World Cup.

9 Marcel Desailly (France) Left in the dust by Jon Dahl Tomasson as France departed the World Cup with a whimper and still imagined he had an international future.

10 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) The tears, the long matted hair trailing into his eyes, signified that Batigol would no more be seen playing in a World Cup.

TEN THINGS TO FORGET

1 All 64 matches – none of them were truly memorable The absence of any match of true quality – and there were 64 to choose from.

2 Italian chauvinism and Perugia's idea of sportmanship The laughable way Italy took their defeat by Korea with broadcaster RAI threatening to sue Fifa for loss of revenue and Perugia sacking the goalscorer Ahn Jung-Hwan.

3 England's lack of hard luck stories The fact that for the first time in 20 years England could not return from a World Cup as wounded heroes, believing they had been robbed.

4 South Korean conspiracy, where's the evidence? The Great South Korean Conspiracy which apparently involved everyone from Sepp Blatter downwards.

5 Fewer goals due to dilatory linesmen The failure of linesmen to adapt to the increasing pace of the game, with a sackful of goals (mostly Italian) wrongly ruled out.

6 Figo's scheming for a draw The alleged attempt by Luis Figo to talk the South Koreans into playing for a draw. "A little less conversation, a little more action please" from Figo would not have gone amiss.

7 Prattle from TV pundits The banalities uttered by Paul Gascoigne and Ian Wright, which would have embarrassed Alan Partridge let alone Alan Hansen.

8 Comacho's armpits – not a pretty sight The sodden armpits of Spain manager Jose Comacho which were on continual touchline display.

9 Beckham meeting Blair The summit meeting before the tournament between the publicity shy duo of David Beckham and Tony Blair.

10 Germany sacrificing flair for the final Germany once more demonstrated that it's not how you play the game that matters, it's whether you survive all the way to the final.

TEN MOMENTS TO SAVOUR

1 Ecstatic South Koreans enjoying their day of fame The millions taking to the streets of South Korea to celebrate the finest performance by any Asian team in a World Cup.

2 Ballack behaving like a professional Michael Ballack not bursting Gazza-like into tears on realising he would miss the World Cup final, but instead scoring the goal that ensured his team-mates would play in the game of their lives.

3 Referee Frisk having the fortitude to award a penalty The courage of referee Anders Frisk in giving Ireland a last-minute penalty against Spain for some blatant tugging of Niall Quinn's shirt.

4 Rudi Völler's devotion to duty The redemption of Rudi Völler. In September he saw Germany thrashed 5-1 by England and learned his father had suffered a heart-attack. By June he was in a World Cup final.

5 Asian teams showing they must not be underestimated The explosion of Asian football. Both Japan and South Korea, played attacking, passing football without any trace of cynicism.

6 Waving the English flag without agression The reclaiming of the Cross of St George from the British National Party and a World Cup without hooliganism.

7 Surprising Senegal doing it in style The freedom and dash of Senegal, which opened a World Cup of surprises by beating the World champions.

8 Claudio Reyna's long-range shot The chip from near the halfway line by Claudio Reyna which almost produced the goal of the tournament against Germany.

9 Spot-on Beckham playing it cool David Beckham's penalty against Argentina. Revenge served cool Britannia.

10 Minnows refusing to be over-awed Unlike in France '98, some teams such as Ireland, Senegal and South Korea actually tried to score a golden goal.

GOALSCORERS

8: Ronaldo (Brazil).

5: Rivaldo (Brazil), Klose (Germany).

4: Tomasson (Denmark), Vieri (Italy).

3: Wilmots (Belgium), Pauleta (Portugal), Keane (Republic of Ireland), Bouba Diop (Senegal), Raul, Morientes, (Spain), Larsson (Sweden), Ballack, (Germany).

2: Ronaldinho (Brazil), Owen (England), Inamoto (Japan), Borgetti (Mexico) Cuevas (Paraguay), Camara (Senegal), Ahn Jung-Hwan (S Korea), Hierro (Spain), Hasan Sas, Umit Davala, Ilhan Mansiz (Turkey), McBride, Donovan (US).

1: Batistuta, Crespo (Argentina), Van der Heyden, Walem, Sonck (Belgium), Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, Edmilson, Junior (Brazil), Mboma, Eto'o (Cameroon), Gomez, Wright, Parks (Costa Rica), Olic, Rapaic (Croatia), Rommedahl (Denmark), Delgado, Mendez (Ecuador), Campbell, Beckham, Ferdinand, Heskey (England), Jancker, Linke, Bierhoff, Schneider, Bode, Neuville (Germany), Suzuki, Morishima, Nakata (Japan), Del Piero (Italy), Blanco, Torrado (Mexico), Aghahowa (Nigeria), Santa Cruz, Arce, Campos (Paraguay), Olisadebe, Kryszalowicz, Marcin Zewlakow (Poland), Beto, Rui Costa (Portugal), Holland, Breen, Duff (Republic of Ireland), Titov, Karpin, Beschastnykh, Sychev (Russia), Diao, Fadiga (Senegal), Cimirotic, Acimovic (Slovenia), Fortune, T Mokoena, Nomvethe, McCarthy, Radebe (South Africa), Hwang Sun-Hong, Yoo Sang-Chul, Park Ji-Sung, Seol Ki-Hyeon, Lee Eul-Gong, Song Chong-Gug (South Korea), Valeron, Mendieta (Spain), Alexandersson, A Svensson (Sweden), R Bouzaiane (Tunisia), Emre Belozoglu, Bulent Korkmaz, Mansiz, Hakan Sukur (Turkey), O'Brien, Mathis (US), Rodriguez, Morales, Forlan, Recoba (Uruguay)

(Plus three own goals).