{"id":10688,"date":"2014-06-18T12:37:48","date_gmt":"2014-06-18T20:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=10688"},"modified":"2022-04-13T12:17:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T20:17:37","slug":"7-players-to-know-in-the-2014-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/7-players-to-know-in-the-2014-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Players to Know in the 2014 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world\u2019s been waiting four long years for the next couple of weeks and the soccer decks are stacked. Between dominant Brazil\u2019s home-field advantage and an international roster of talent that\u2019s nary been seen at a World Cup before, this year\u2019s event should be one to remember.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a die-hard soccer (ahem, excuse us, \u201cfutbol\u201d) fan or you\u2019re a casual watcher who just doesn\u2019t want to sound an idiot at a sports bar, there are a few players you should undoubtedly be watching. Here are 7 players you need to know to make the best of the 2014 World Cup.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Lionel_Messi_Spokeo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lionel Messi<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

If you only know one player\u2019s name during the Cup, it should be Lionel Messi. Argentina\u2019s forward is arguably the best soccer player ever<\/i> and he\u2019s unequivocally got the best nickname in the tournament (\u201cThe Atomic Flea.\u201d) Messi is powerful, showy, and seems like a genuinely nice guy \u2013 and his relatively tiny size makes him a fan favorite for all he has to offer. Despite his talent he\u2019s never made it past the quarterfinals of the World Cup \u2013 though he\u2019s only 26 \u2013 but this year\u2019s likely his best shot yet to make it all the way thanks to a power-packed Argentinian roster behind him.<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

Neymar<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, winger\/forward for home team Brazil and the title holder for the highest selling World Cup player jersey. Neymar is only 22 years old and he\u2019s got an unusually slender frame and a very-famous professional teammate on Barcelona (Lionel Messi.) He\u2019s incredibly fast, has a flashy style of play and will carry a lot of the burden or Brazil\u2019s success or failure. Neymar isn\u2019t afraid of his public figure status, as he rocks a Mohawk, is heavily involved in Brazilian pop music, and sweetly makes little kids’ dreams come true<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Tim_Howard_Spokeo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tim Howard<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Okay, so most people don\u2019t think the U.S. has any shot whatsoever at winning the cup but there\u2019s no argument that Tim Howard is one of the best goaltenders on the planet. Howard\u2019s pretty old for soccer standards at 35, and although he\u2019s got a contract extension with Everton until 2018, there\u2019s a chance this could be his last big World Cup run. Howard\u2019s one of the most openly philanthropic players in the game and speaks often about his life-long battle with Tourette\u2019s Syndrome.<\/p>\n

\"Arjen_Robben_Spokeo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Arjen Robben<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Ah, the Netherlands. The tiny national collective finished second in the last World Cup and they\u2019re certainly a dark horse coming into 2014 thanks in no small part to Arjen Robben. He\u2019s been scoring up a storm lately (55 goals since 2009) and, like Messi, has a sweet nickname in \u201cThe Flying Dutchman.\u201d The midfielder is 30, married to his high school sweetheart, and offputtingly intelligent which makes him a fan favorite to watch.<\/p>\n

\"Mario_Balotelli_Spokeo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mario Balotelli<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Another Mohawk? Italian-born Ghanaian Balotelli is one of the most outspoken players in the game. He\u2019s young, he\u2019s feisty, and he riles up opposing fans like few other players. He\u2019s talented for sure but is spotty in big international play, but the Italian national team has the second-most World Cup wins of all time, so there\u2019s that. In his spare time he hangs out with known mobsters, flashes pistols in public, and generally gets the international soccer tribunal all up in arms. Fun to watch, is what we\u2019re saying about Balotelli.<\/p>\n

\"Cristiano_Ronaldo_Spokeo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cristiano Ronaldo<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Cristiano is the most expensive footballer in the history of the game, and that\u2019s saying a lot. Star of the Portuguese national team, Ronaldo plays for powerhouse Real Madrid when not competing in international thrillers. He\u2019s an attacker and a terrific one at that, becoming his country\u2019s all-time leading scorer earlier this year with 49 goals. He\u2019s been slowed by a thigh injury of late but one thing\u2019s for sure: even if he\u2019s on the sideline he\u2019ll be handsome as ever (and going home to his supermodel girlfriend, Irina Shayk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Landon_Donovan_Spokeo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Landon Donovan<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Okay, okay, so Donovan isn\u2019t going to make an appearance at the 2014 World Cup. In a huge twist, USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced a few weeks back that the most-celebrated player on the US team, Landon Donovan, didn\u2019t make the World Cup roster. While he won\u2019t be playing in the tournament you can count on a lot of people to be talking about Donovan, particularly now that he\u2019s signed on as an ESPN commentator for the duration of the Cup. It\u2019s not Donovan\u2019s style to bite his tongue so things could get interesting.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter which team you\u2019re rooting for, this year\u2019s World Cup is set to be a spectacle. Between the embarrassment that is sure to be the Brazilian World Cup facilities, a host of 20-something hot shot players, and the hope that this is the year the USA will collectively embrace soccer as a sport, there\u2019s something for everyone. Happy watching!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world\u2019s been waiting four long years for the next couple of weeks and the soccer decks are stacked. Between dominant Brazil\u2019s home-field advantage and an international roster of talent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[610],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fun"],"yoast_head":"\n7 Players to Know in the 2014 World Cup - The Compass Blog | Digital Identity and People Search | Spokeo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/7-players-to-know-in-the-2014-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Players to Know in the 2014 World Cup - The Compass Blog | Digital Identity and People Search | Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The world\u2019s been waiting four long years for the next couple of weeks and the soccer decks are stacked. 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