Ligue 1 Perspective: The 2010 FIFA World Cup (Part 3)

By: Thomas | July 14th, 2010

Korea Republic:
Park-Chu Young of Monaco played in all four of South Korea’s matches at the World Cup, scoring once on a brilliant free kick against Nigeria:

His performances have generated interest from big clubs, particularly Liverpool, who are reported to have tabled a seven million euro bid for the striker.

Nigeria:
Four Ligue 1 players were part of the Super Eagles squad for this tournament: Taye Taiwo of Marseille, Uwa Echiejile of Rennes, Lukman Haruna of Monaco, and Ideye Brown of Sochaux. Taiwo only managed to play in the first two games before injuring himself, after which Echiejile took over his spot. Lukman Haruna started the first two games and played relatively well but was benched for the third and final game against South Korea. Meanwhile, Brown didn’t make it onto the pitch thanks to Nigeria’s abundance of quality forwards. Since the cup has ended, Taiwo has become a major transfer target of Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, although Didier Deschamps intends to keep him.

Slovenia:
Valter Birsa and Bostjan Cesar, two of Slovenia’s key players, are based in Ligue 1. Birsa is at Champions League bound Auxerre, Cesar at Ligue 2 bound Grenoble. Cesar played every minute of Slovenia’s cup, doing well in the center of defense, while Birsa started every game, scoring brilliantly against the U.S:

Pretty stunning.

Switzerland:
Auxerre defender Stephane Grichting played every minute for the Swiss, a key player in brilliant defensive performances such as the Swiss victory over Spain. Compatriot and ASSE midfielder Gelson Fernandes started every game and scored Switzerland’s only goal, the match winner against Spain.

Uruguay:
Diego Perez was an absolute rock in the Uruguayan midfield, a key contributor in their run to the semifinals. He played in every game, picking up two yellow cards in the process, and will be kept on as a key player at Monaco.

United States of America:
Carlos Bocanegra of Rennes captained the U.S into the Round of 16, playing every minute until the Yanks were knocked out by Rennes teammate Asamoah Gyan’s extra time goal.