Big guns Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo still in danger of missing the final shoot-out

Tom Collomosse
7 Oct 2009

One of the enduring delights of the World Cup is watching the best players on the planet joust for individual supremacy.

Yet with the 2010 tournament in South Africa only eight months away, football lovers across the world are contemplating the prospect of two of its A-list stars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, being absent from the biggest stage in the game.

After Messi's wonderful performance in last season's Champions League Final, when his Barcelona side overcame Ronaldo's United to claim the trophy, many expected the 22-year-old to dominate the World Cup in the way compatriot Diego Maradona did in 1986.

But unhappily for Messi and his many talented team-mates, Maradona's genius as a player has not helped him in his coaching career.

It was always a risk for the Argentinian Football Association to appoint a man who is one of the country's biggest icons. If La Seleccion fail to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1970, much of the blame for that must lie with the powerbrokers.

So what has gone wrong? Even though the Maradona experiment always looked unlikely to succeed, Argentina still have a collection of players who have the talent to ensure that finishing in the top four of the South American qualifying group was straightforward.

Eight of the XI who started Argentina's 1-0 win over Nigeria at the Beijing Olympics last year, a victory which clinched the gold medal, are in Maradona's squad for the remaining two qualifiers, against Peru and Uruguay.

Yet Juan Roman Riquelme, the heartbeat of the Argentina midfield in that tournament and in the 2006 World Cup, is missing after falling out with Maradona in March and that, perhaps, is the side's biggest problem.

Without Riquelme, who retired from the national side following that disagreement, Argentina have lacked a player who can dictate the rhythm of games.

The return to the squad of former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, who is 34, suggests Maradona believes there are few young players capable of replacing Riquelme.

Two victories from their remaining two matches, coupled with a win for Uruguay in Ecuador on Saturday, would see Argentina sneak into the Finals automatically.

But if Ecuador triumph in Quito and Argentina cannot see off Peru and end up finishing fifth, then Maradona's men would face a play-off against the fourth-placed side from the Central American zone, likely to be Honduras or Costa Rica.

Where Argentina's problems can be attributed partly to the absence of one important player, Portugal's decline is perhaps because many of the stars who came so close to delivering the country's first major title are no longer around. Portugal reached the final of Euro 2004 and were semi-finalists both in Euro 2000 and in the World Cup in Germany four years ago but they now find themselves relying on their group opponents just to reach the play-offs.

If Carlos Queiroz's men win their two remaining games, both at home against Hungary and Malta, and Denmark beat Sweden, they will earn a chance to reach the Finals via a two-legged tie in November. Despite the presence of Ronaldo, the current crop of players - including Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Simao Sabrosa and Pepe - are struggling to match the achievements of Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes.

A total of only 10 goals in eight qualifiers has proved damaging, meaning that Ronaldo's recovery from an ankle injury sustained while playing for Real Madrid is critically important.

The former Manchester United winger (left) said: "I am recuperating well. We will see how things go but I think I will be fine for the Hungary game on Saturday.

"The spirit is fantastic and these are decisive matches which we must win. If we don't believe we can qualify, it's not worth showing up for the matches."

Coach Queiroz, another former United employee, faces an uncertain future if Portugal fail to qualify and his France counterpart Raymond Domenech is in similarly troubled waters. The eccentric Domenech, who refuses to pick players for his squad if they have a Scorpio star sign, has been forced repeatedly to deny that his squad have stopped paying attention to him.

If France fail to secure the three points they need from matches against the Faroe Islands and Austria to reach the play-offs, the 57-year-old is almost certain to be put out of his misery.

Argentina, Portugal and France are not the only powerful nations who still have work to do to secure their spots in South Africa. Italy and Germany must pass exacting tests in Ireland and Russia respectively to book their places, while the Czech Republic and Nigeria also face an uphill struggle.

For England fans dreaming of a first major international title since 1966, this can only be good news. Despite their revival under Fabio Capello, the Three Lions have a record of coming up short in big matches against tough, experienced opponents.

Yet the World Cup would be lacking a little of its sparkle if Argentina, France or Portugal did not make it. The greatest show on earth needs its star performers.