Europe (and also elsewhere) experiences a new era of professional footbal, in which the clubs are only temporary stages for the career of individuals for whom the action on the pitch is only a part of the work of an entertaining business enterprise.  

 In Germany for example in the main coverage programs for Bundesliga, the pitch action is only represented in some samples as illustrations for the real contents of the shows: interviews, impressions from the sideline actors, the ranks, and the reduction of matches to minutelong exposed 10-second key-sequences.  

Meanwhile this Under 20 World Youth Championship tournament sees teams, their big goal is to win something. Admitteldly these teams expose strong players, future stars, but interviews, self-portrayal of the individuals,  and hopefully all evening career strategy contemplations with the agent are still secondary. Also thanks to the screening by meanwhile experienced coaches.    

Thanks to the Eurosport coverage the football in Nigeria consists of 90 minutes football matches full of talent in skill on the pitch. The matches tell the stories, not interviews, not the managers and their problems with chewing gums etc. (famous example when the main German Bundesliga program with exclusive coverage rights focussed a match report around a manager and his chewing gum and made the match a background to it)  
 

2) a certain innocence  

The absence of a certain brutality, that first rudimentary existing traction and tug, deficits in cleverness when committing tactical fouls, and a seemingly good spirit in the tournament, it makes the Referees simpler, lets most games run fluently.   

 Talents can expose skills, which are more seldm to see in the world of partly cynical, partly overcareful professional football. 
 
more 
 

The soccer in Europe only differs about nuances meanwhile. Since an immigration of the best players and trainers has taken place into the biggest leagues from foreign countries, characteristic national styles have softened not only there but also in the countries, into which those players return to play for the national teams or pass on their knowledge. All over the world also simply by television and the work of European coaches, a universal ideology of football has been tought and understood. The best-known African players have a 'European' opinion about the game, because only these players have asserted themselves in Europe. So, real surprises are hardly still to be seen anymore, even at World Cups. A soccer like Cameroon played 1990, will hardly be seen anymore there in the future. Even the Brazilians play nothing other than a Brazilian interpretation of a quasi universal European soccer meanwhile.     

A little different in Nigeria 99. Here one sees teams, whose players have played exclusively in their home country until now and whose interpretations of the game are still after all. And this makes some matches exciting for the lover of international football. 
 For example the Nigerians playing their own rhythm to the drums and the popular African brass combos, a heat adapted tempo to the background of the drums, from which suddenly to step up to solo outbursts, in a  paradigms like known from African music, in a call and respond with the audience putting the crowd and themselves into ecstasy for moments. 
Of course only if you let them. 

With practically exclusively players called up from home country clubs are playing:: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Cameroon, Mali, Zambia, Croatia, England, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, USA, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australien  
Uruguay has 5 after all (from 18) players with it, who are under contract in foreign countries, however mainly in South America. 
Ghana and Nigeria are 50:50 mixed home and European based, and Ireland is a special case anyway, since many Irishmans never have lived on Irish soil. Only two Irishmans are under contract in Ireland, most are in England, as usual.    

more 

 With names like Maradona, Sammer, Möller, Figo, Boban, Suker etc this world cup has brought out already spectacular stars, equally there have however already been winner-teams also from big countries, from which an international career has hardly followed. So, the by far knownest name from the German winner-team of 1981 is Michael Zorc, who indeed became a valuable player for Borussia Dortmund, but whose European popularity might not be too big.    

 Reflecting on the 1997 edition, one thinks of names like Owen, Anelka, Henry, Trezeguet, and many more. While Michael Owen attracted attention in Malaysia after all, some present-day sizes were rather a disappointment there. The stars were others: the Argentinian Riquelme (from him one will hear more in the future), the Uruguay players Zalayeta and Oliviera, or the Brazilian Adailton, a type South American Gerd Müller.    
The three last-named belong to the pitiful, that pulled the attention of the big European clubs on themseleves and made up the fate of so many talents after it: They became indebted from names like Juventus Turin or AC Parma, where of course against competition like Zidane, Crespo, Chiesa & Co. they never have had a chance yet. While other players now develop in their old roles in their home clubs maybe to stars, their own furure remains uncertain.  

Considering teams like Japan, USA, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Costa Rica etc, one will see indeed as collection of the biggest talents, as well with the Spaniards, there has been the legal demand by the association for club release. Not so with Germans and Englishmen: The best have brought it into the first teams of the pro-clubs whose protests lead to the release of the players and the call-up of second ranks. In the case of Germany, this did not matter too much, since it was only about few players, and Germany has arrived with a surprising accumulation of talents. 
In the case England, however only a B-team is at the start. Rumours said, England had only not withdrawn fearing consequences for their 2006 World Cup hosting bid. 

 A different case with the Africans: Here often the biggest talents already were grabbed as mere children by Europeans. If they have not disappeared from the limelight (more on the different reasons on another occasion), so they are withdrawn from the context of the national associations however. Contact-holds and flying in players for friendlies is too expensive, exactly for the even poorer like Zambia, Cameroon, Mali. Possible financial contemplations (clubs might pay for a no-call or there are possibilities of dealing with called up players on prospects of a later Europe transfer) or also irritation over players, that against 'better' advice left their countries early, might have forced officials to an increased call up of domestic talents.  This is far more difficult in traditionally exploited countries like Ghana, player agaents and clubs have already caught everybody, who has just tried on a Trickot by chance. The reward of this post coloniallist raw material exploitation speaks for itself: If it is correct, that the market-value of the Ghanaers Stephen Appiah, under contract with Udine, is at 5 million Euro meanwhile, then one hit on hundred will be enough to guarantuee the profit.  

 more

World cup often had above all particular climatic conditions, which had an important influence on the soccer played. While in Europe there are best conditions for turning teams and players more athletic, even into a machine style of performance, a 90 minutes equally high levelled speed is not possible in the moist heat of Nigeria. So, the performances vary, there is no running up and down 90 minutes and teams have to been able to switch the tempo.  
Or the matches tell real histories again. For example the game Germany-Paraguay. Germany opens the match, overrolling the opponents. However then from middle of the first half-time the Germans become tired, the South Americans begin to force their rhythm upon the match. However suddenly, already looking like the sentenced losers Germany suddenly scores before halftime and the psychological momentum turns completely again. It is 4:0 in the end.  

 In the next matches it is: Nigeria beats Germany, Paraguay beats Nigeria. Or Paraguay beats Costa Rica, Costa Rica beats Germany. Displaying how close football here is, even if the final result is 4:0 or 5:1, suggesting a big difference. But once the coin has fallen to one side, on this age level and in this heat, teams sometimes fall apart fo one match. This might have deceived Niogerians and Germans before their last match and for one of them it meant an early go-home. 
 

more 

From Europe:    
The European Champions Irland with stars Rob Keane and the whirlwind Damien Duff who were already in the squad in 1997, when Ireland finished surprise 3rd The Irishmans now proved themselves at several occasions on the youth levels, and are a type of dark horse. Anyway, together with the Germans, Englishmen, and maybe another one or two teams they should suffer the most from the climate.   
Croatia, defensively organized, waiting for their fast counter attacks against teams that might perform more casual defending on this level. 
Germany, vice European champions, with a handful of bigger talents certainly a team to reckon with before the tournament. However after a promising start, the team appeared reserved in the deciding match. Whether a dash of arrogance played a role can only the players be asked, but Germany pulled themselves together too late and delivered a real fight only in the last 20 minutes against Costa Rica, who were more committed but not more talented, and who advanced on the expense of the hopeful Germans.  
Spain, after their first appearance the favorite of all. Against Brazil and Honduras, they were effective like a team from another league. Individually skilled but great as a team. No players are missing. 
Portugal, in the first game somewhat arrogant, but also an assertive team with talent. After the surprising defeat against Mali in the second game, a friendly  0:0 with Uruguay brought both into the last 16.   
England, without its best players from the Premier Devision had no chance against the more talented and better organized teams from Japan and USA and the physical superior Cameroon, although due to some complacency of the AFricans England might have deserved somthing in that match. The went home without scoring a single goal. 
  
From Africa:   
Cameroon, a team made up from usually robust and talented individualists, their interplay is the big deficiency. Here, the team stands in the tradition of the last national-teams of the country. And also in another point: Cameroon is in known in Africa also as the ' Escapologists' , as a team, that like the cliche of the Germans escapes their fate despite all they have shown in most of matches. And Cameroon U20 team succeeded exactly here against Japan, as changed the score in the last minutes from a 0:1 to a rather lucky 2:1.    
 Ghana, a team, that suffers from its incomplete players metamorphoses from African to European (thinking) players. Having abandoned some of the African properties of the game, their European techniques are not yet fully perfect.  
 Anyway the African Youth champions remain one of the tournament favorites and in the principle the team with the biggest European stars. 
 

 more 

From South America:    
Brazil has arrived with some players of the Under 17 World Champions of 1997. One of the showiest names from at that time are Mathuzalem and Ronaldo. One of the most observed players should be Fernando Baiano, who is focussed by Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The Brazilians, who permormed sensationally with two ten-goal victories at the 1997 World Cup against South Korea (10:3) and Belgium (eighth-finales 10:0), to surrender then to their jinx opponent Argentina (0:2), almost without a scoring opportunity. 
In Nigeria they looked unmotivated in their first encounter with Spain. However in the following two matches the team appeared much more committed and returned to the bunch of favorites.
Argentina, South America-masters, and traditionally one of the tournament-favorites. Although the better team against Ghana, they seem to be lacking in impact. One goal against Kazakhstan is all they achieved in three matches.  
Uruguay, last time the surprise-team, lost their start-match against Mali 1:2, defeated South Korea and escaped with a 0:0 against Portugal into the eighth-finale.    
Paraguay in contrast to the France98-team has its highlights in attack, where Dominguez and Santa Cruz are causing sheer panic among defenders. Despite the high defeat against Germany it remains a team to be reckoned with. The shooting power of the free-kick-specialist Maldonado is sensational.
 

more 

from the FIFA:  
1)  all matches, all statistics 
2)  current News and Facts 
from The Shot That Passed Right Through The Net:   
The knockout scheme