WORLD CUP : PLAYER TO WATCH

Alessandro Del Piero (Italy)

When Alessandro Del Piero joined Juventus from Padova, most football observers in Italy had heard of his precocious talent. His first season with the Turin giants saw him make his Serie A debut and lead the youth team to victory in the national championship and the Viareggio Tournament.The extraordinary thing is that despite starting an increasing number of games from the bench due to his injury, he finds the net at the same rate as before and has become Juventus’ all-time top scorer. The fans adore him thanks to this exemplary attitude and his image as a one-club player.

Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic)

The Czech Republic’s Tomas Rosicky is one of Europe’s leading attacking midfielders. He is technically outstanding, has an unerring eye for a defence-splitting pass, and combines a menacing presence in front of goal with fleetness of foot and exceptional dribbling skills. The Footballing Mozart’s consistently fine form earned Rosicky a second Czech Player of the Year accolade to go with his 2001 success, and for several seasons he was linked with an array of leading European clubs before opting to join Arsenal.