The World Cup Midas Touch

Watching games from Group C to Group G over the last few days, the value of having a personality with a “midas touch” on a World Cup team could not have been made more evident. I mean those personalities who seem to fit the biggest stage as perfectly as hand in glove. In especially the tight games, these personalities seem to give their teams the edge over opposing teams that deserve to at least win a share of the points.

The build up to this World Cup was dominated by pundits highlighting the importance of youth to cope with the sweltering conditions in Brazil at this time of the year. Tellingly though, despite what has been described as the best England performance at a major tournament in the last decade and a half, Italy’s 35 year old Andre Pirlo pulled the strings in midfield and delivered passes that exposed England’s left flank, eventually leading to the winning goal for Italy. Similarly in a game in which the Japanese delivered a very impressive performance to hold onto a single goal lead for long periods, it took the late introduction of 36 year old Didier Drogba to give Ivory Coast the cutting edge that eventually won them the match.

Talking of match winners, World Cup fans anticipated none more eagerly than the four-time World Player of the Year award winner. Faced with a very well drilled Bosnian side that was threatening to burst the bubble of one of the tournament favorites, Lionel Messi single handedly ripped the opposing defense apart to deliver the winning goal for Argentina. Given that this tournament is being hosted by their next door neighbors, many are predicting that the little number 10 will carry Argentina to the World title with dominance similar to the one of his predecessors, Diego Maradona did in 1986.

Few personalities have been fortunate enough to enjoy the midas touch both as players and coaches. A World Cup winner as a player and boasting the sixth highest number of goals scored at a World Cup (11), Jurgen Klinsmann’s first managerial job saw him lead German to the semi-finals of World Cup 2006. Facing a Ghana side which had beaten USA at the previous two World Cups, even the American commentators were suggesting caution after the Ghanaian equalizer, as a draw would represent progress. The man with the World Cup midas touch had other ideas, making the substitution that would eventually deliver the winning goal that had even Klinsmann’s harshest critics labeling him a genius.

As though there is something synonymous between German forwards and the midas touch for World Cups, this tournament’s first hat trick was delivered by Thomas Muller. Top scorer at the previous World Cup edition with five goals when he was just 20 years old, his three goals in the opener against Portugal have Muller on track to be the first player to win the golden boot at back-to-back world cups and eventually overhaul the record World Cup tally of 15 goals.

The World Cup is a stage on which the talent of many national heroes has been suffocated. Faced with the weight of expectations and scrutiny of doubters, only a select group rises to the occasion, establishing themselves as genuine world greats to be discussed in football history for generations to follow. Didier Deschamps and Neymar are other notable personalities that their respective countries, France and Brazil, believe have the World Cup midas touch. In a sport where only the champions are remembered, it will be interesting to see whose midas touch will deliver World Cup 2014 to his country.