World Cup 2010: Diego Maradona—Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Diego Maradona looked on helplessly as a ruthless German team cruelly exposed his beloved Argentina. Powerless to stem the flowing black tide, he cut a dejected figure on the sidelines, praying to gods who were in no mood to listen. And as he wakes this morning, he will ponder his future as his country's manager.

One thing that really stands out about this particular World Cup is that the expected stars of the game, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, the list goes on, all failed to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck.

If anything, this tournament has proved that Maradona is still a bigger star than them all put together and retains the old fearlessness that all great players need to turn them into stars.

Lionel Messi: Comparing the Worlds Greatest Player To Legends Pele, Maradona and Cruyff

Lionel Messi has many devotees. The 22-year-old Barcelona and Argentina forward is undoubtedly the most talented player on the planet, but how does he rank against the greats of the game?

2010 World Cup Group B Preview: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece

On paper, World Cup Group B is one of the most wide open. Argentina struggled to qualify, South Korea reached the semifinals in 2002, Greece won Euro 2004, and Nigeria is possibly the strongest African nation in the finals.

This was the group that all the top seeds wanted to get. With the least amount of travelling and one fixed hotel throughout the first stage, it's a much-coveted placing.

History Of The World Cup Football 1930 to 2010

Football has changed greatly from the first World Cup in 1930. Players are fitter than ever before, football gear has changed from baggy shorts to tight fitting jerseys,  rules have changed to suit the attacking team, and believe it or not the roundness of the simple football has become something of a science all in itself.

The balls that were used in the 1930s are very much different from what we are used to now, literally made from a pig's bladder, they are now put together with the science and preciseness of space age technology.

Here is a brief history of the development of the one device that the game cannot exist without.

Arsenio Erico Finally Comes Home To Paraguay, 32 Years After His Death

Thirty-two years after he was laid to rest in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Arsenio Erico finally returned home to Paraguay. Thousands of fans showed up to pay tribute to the "greatest striker in Argentinian league history" as they celebrated his repatriation.

Born in Ascuncion, Paraguay, in 1915, Erico made his name playing for Independiente in Argentina. He was spotted by Los Diablos Rojos after he traveled to Argentina with a Paraguayan Red Cross representative team in an effort to raise money for the country in the Chaco War.

South Africa 2010: Analysis of Every World Cup Group

The World Cup draw has produced not one but two "Groups of Death", as well as handing England and Italy the best possible routes to the knockout phases.

Over 190 countries tuned in to watch the World Cup draw as Charlize Theron and FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke drew the eight groups for next year's finals. The duo barely got through the process without throwing the balls at each other, with Valcke in particular making some very strange insulting comments towards the Hollywood star.

But who really cares, let's look at the draw...