We are now down to the final four teams of the World Cup, and only a few of the biggest stars that made their way to Brazil remain in the tournament. Be it by way of injury, suspension, or elimination, many of the biggest names in soccer have now been eliminated from the World Cup.
First it was Cristiano Ronaldo, who was not able to carry Portugal out of the ‘group of death’ in the opening round. Then Luis Suarez was banned from soccer for four months before Uruguay’s round of 16 loss to Colombia. The controversial star was given the harsh penalty because it was the third time he had bitten an opponent during a game. ESPN looked at Suarez’s past to see what may have driven him to react the way he did to Giorgio Chiellini physical defense. The breakout star of the tournament, James Rodríguez, failed to score in a game for the first time in the tournament as Colombia lost to Brazil 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Even more devastating was Neymar’s back injury, which will keep him sidelined in Brazil’s semifinal matchup against Germany, and likely for some time after that, this according to ABC.
However, the teams that did reach the semifinals did not get there by accident. Germany, Brazil, Argentina, and the Netherlands have some pretty talented players of their own. Take a look at the 10 best players remaining in the World Cup.
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10) Philipp Lahm, Germany
The German captain, Phlip Lahm was named to the all-tournament in teams in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. Standing a mere 5’7, Lahm has been using his quickness and perfectly timed tackles to disrupt scoring opportunities throughout the tournament. Lahm has won plenty of trophies with his club team Bayern Munich, but has failed to win a major trophy with Germany. Lahm was on the team that lost in the 2008 Euro Cup Final to Spain, and has already lost in the World Cup semifinals twice. Lahm will be as motivated as any player on the field when Germany take on Brazil for a spot in the final on July 13.
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9) Ángel di María, Argentina
An attacking midfielder who plays his club soccer for Real Madrid, di Maria scored the game winner in Argentina’s 1-0 round of 16 victory over Switzerland. The gifted player is no stranger to playing in important games, he won an Olympic gold medal in 2008, and the Champions League Final this May with Real Madrid. di Maria has the pace to put pressure on defenses, and the Netherlands cannot afford to forget about him, as they will no doubt be focusing more on Lionel Messi.
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8) Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands
Voted the second best player in the 2010 World Cup, Wesley Sneijder is at it again in Brazil. He scored an incredible game-tying goal against Mexico in the round of 16, and converted a crucial penalty in a shootout against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. At 30-years-old, Sneijder’s best days might be behind him, however he is still a dynamic player who opposing defenses always have to be mindful of. Sneijder will need to have a step up if the Netherlands are to beat Argentina, as Arjen Robben will likely draw most of the attention. Sneijder has the ability to score goals from long range which outs fear in the hearts of opposing goalkeepers.
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7) Thiago Silva, Brazil
The Paris Saint-Germain man will miss Brazil’s semifinal game against Germany, as he foolishly picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in Brazil’s quarterfinal win over Colombia, in which he scored the only goal. As if losing Neymar was not bad enough, Brazil will now be without arguably their second most important player. Silva captains Brazil and anchors their defense, which will likely be under constant attack against Germany, who is now being seen as the favorites. Silva can only hope his teammates can pull off the upset and allow him to play in the final.
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6)Javier Mascherano, Argentina
Lionel Messi is going to get most of the praise for any team he plays on; his late game heroics against Iran and Switzerland have helped guide Argentina to a spot in the semifinals. However, had it not been for Mascherano anchoring the Argentine defense, they would not be in position for Messi to make those crucial plays late in games. Argentina have gone stretches where they have had difficulty scoring, but the Barcelona defender has helped keep them in games with his relentless effort. He is called El Jefecito (the little chief) by Argentine fans, a named he has lived up to in the World Cup, as he as lead Argentina to back-to-back clean sheets.
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5) David Luiz, Brazil
The defender with massive hair, David Luiz is impossible to miss out on the field. Brazil has managed to make the semifinals, but critics say they have not been playing the beautiful soccer that we are accustomed to seeing from them. Instead, they have won in large part due to the hardnosed defending of Luiz, who will be Brazil’s captain against Germany as Thiago Silva is out for the game. Luiz scored Brazil’s second goal in their 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Colombia, a brilliantly and powerfully taken free kick in the 69th minute. Luiz has scored in both of Brazil’s knockout round games, and may need to again if they are going to pull off the upset over Germany.
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4) Manuel Neuer, Germany
Considered by many the best goalkeeper in the world, Neuer has only allowed one goal in Germany’s last three matches. Brazil is going to have their hands full trying to beat Neuer, though they have a bit of history on their side. In the 2002 World Cup final, Germany had the best keeper in the world too, in Olver Kahn, who had only given up one goal in the first six matched of the tournament, but was beaten twice by Ronaldo who guided Brazil to the championship. Neuer is a commanding presence between the posts, and if Germany were to go to a penalty kick shootout, they would have to like their chances.
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3)Thomas Müller, Germany
Thomas Müller opened up the World Cup in a big way, scoring a hat-trick in Germany’s 4-0 destruction of Portugal. However, he has only scored once in Germany’s last four games- the lone goal in Germany’s win of the U.S. - but has continued to look dangerous by making well-timed runs, which will no doubt be hard for Brazil to handle without Thiago Silva holding down Brazil’s backline. If he can get back his goal scoring form, Muller has a chance to be the first player to ever win back-to-back Golden Boots, an award giving to the World Cup’s top scorer.
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2)Arjen Robben, Netherlands
Robben is a spectacular player. He is known for his speed and dribbling ability, which he uses to make dazzling runs along the right side of the field, constantly putting pressure on opposing defenses. He has won multiple trophies during his club career, which included stints with Chelsea and Real Madrid, before signing with Bayern Munich in 2009, who he currently plays for. In the 2010 World Cup Final, Robben failed to capitalize on the Netherlands best scoring chance; they eventually lost to Spain 1-0. Robben seemed like a man on a mission against Costa Rica, though none of his teammates could convert on any of the multiple chances he created. He will first need to get past Lionel Messi and Argentina if he wants another shot at leading the Netherlands to their first ever world championship.