So, England's top-three finish is practically guaranteed, right?
At least, that's what the British media claims.
"Not bad—third best in the world, they say."
Among the squad, Manchester United star Wayne Rooney's popularity is soaring, reminiscent of Michael Owen's rise years ago.
He lit up Euro 2004, finishing eighth in that year's Ballon d'Or voting.
Sure, England has a habit of hyping its own players, but there's no denying Rooney's genuine brilliance.
At this stage, his momentum even surpasses that of his United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
He's one of the most highly anticipated young stars heading into this World Cup.
The Netherlands, loaded with Premier League and La Liga talent, also demands attention.
Their 23-man squad is packed with stars:
Van der Sar, Van Nistelrooy, Van Persie, Van der Vaart, Van Bronckhorst, Van Bommel, Heitinga, Cocu, Sneijder, Stam, Kuyt, Babel, Robben...
The Dutch "Van clan" seems endless—a dynasty of football royalty.
Meanwhile, Italy remains caught up in the Calciopoli scandal.
The courts are swamped, investigations dragging on.
But the World Cup provides a rare respite.
To maintain morale, Italian authorities appear to have slowed the pace of their inquiries.
Does the World Cup really wield that much influence?
Not exactly—certainly not enough to interfere with such a massive domestic crisis.
But sometimes, all it takes is a convenient excuse.
Once things ease up, there's plenty of room to maneuver.
With a few behind-the-scenes deals and timely compromises, everyone ends up satisfied.
So when Italy's 23-man roster was announced, it drew intense scrutiny.
Buffon, Peruzzi, Materazzi, Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Grosso, Nesta, Camoranesi, Gattuso, Pirlo, De Rossi, Totti, Toni, Del Piero, Gilardino, Inzaghi, and others—
Names that resonate far beyond the football pitch.
Some media even suggested that Italy's World Cup performance could help redeem Serie A's reputation, already battered by the scandal that had driven away most of its sponsors.
Unfortunately, Antonio Cassano—who had transferred to Real Madrid and helped the club secure the Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey treble—failed to make the cut.
In frustration, Cassano publicly vented his anger at head coach Marcello Lippi:
"He's always had it out for me. His son's a piece of shit. There's real bad blood between us."
"Lippi refused to call me up because of his son! He's abusing his position for personal revenge—shows what kind of man he really is! Everyone knows what he did at Inter!"
"He's a spy! He didn't select me because he can't stand seeing me win!"
None of this was really a secret in football circles.
Lippi, a coach closely tied to Juventus, took over Inter Milan in 1999—and within two years, managed to ruin the team's core.
He sidelined Baggio, forced out club legend Bergomi, benched Recoba, and even got into a physical altercation with Panucci.
After spending €200 million, his only legacy was turning Inter into a disaster—a black hole for star players.
Then, as if scripted, he left Inter, returned to Juventus, and led them to back-to-back Serie A titles.
With all that history, it's no wonder people were skeptical of his motives.
After Cassano's outburst, an assistant coach from the Italian national team stepped in to "clarify."
He congratulated Cassano on Real Madrid's success, but added that those trophies had little to do with him.
In his exact words:
"They belong to Su Hang, Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Raúl, Roberto Carlos, and Casillas—but certainly not to Cassano."
It was a thinly veiled jab—mocking Cassano for being a substitute who contributed little to Madrid's triumphs.
Cassano was livid.
What he didn't expect was for Real Madrid captain Su Hang to step up in his defense, speaking in an exclusive interview with The London Globe.
Su Hang said, "The Italian coaching staff's remarks were extremely irresponsible. Technically, this has nothing to do with me, but as Real Madrid's captain, it's my duty to defend the respect every teammate deserves."
"This season was brutally difficult. We fought on three fronts while constantly dealing with injuries, yet we still won the treble."
"Of course, that's thanks to superstars like Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, and Beckham—but our rotation players were just as vital to those trophies."
"Even a legend like Raúl played a rotational role this season, along with Guti, Baptista, García, Gravesen, Helguera, and Salgado. Cassano was one of them."
"Whether in Europe or La Liga, Cassano made key contributions."
"The Italian national team has no right to judge what Real Madrid players contribute at the club."
"That's for UEFA, the Spanish Football Federation, La Liga fans, Real Madrid supporters, the club, and every member of our first-team staff and players to decide."
"I, Su Hang, as captain of Real Madrid, say this with full responsibility: Cassano is an excellent player. He's important to the club."
"Every Real Madrid player—starter or substitute—is essential to the team!"
"All of them!"
Su Hang's interview exploded online.
In an era where superstars monopolize the spotlight, ordinary players have become nearly invisible.
Top players earn salaries of €4–7 million a year, while some starters barely reach €1 million.
And that's just their base salary.
Commercial earnings show an even wider divide.
Many players make less than €500,000 annually from sponsorships, while top stars earn ten times that.
Ronaldinho and Beckham's projected commercial revenues this year are €23 million and €18 million respectively—
Sums most players could never dream of making in an entire career.
But is the gap between players really that vast?
In terms of honors—yes.
But from a team-building perspective, absolutely not.
Su Hang, already a rising global superstar,
Had just led Real Madrid to a treble while claiming four major individual awards.
As the club's captain—with his fame, success, and charisma—his projected commercial income for next year was estimated at €15 million.
He was, in every sense, the biggest winner of football's "winner-takes-all" age.
Yet his words this time directly challenged that very system.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser