| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - Jun 06 2006 : 09:04:16 AM
Everybody roots for someone at the FIFA World Cup™, whether it be their home country or a megastar such as Ronaldinho and David Beckham. Here FIFAworldcup.com presents you with a guide to the nicknames of some of the teams and players who will be lighting up the finals in Germany.
Team nicknames
There are myriad origins for national team nicknames, but perhaps the most obvious emanate from their colours. For example, three-times world champions Italy are known as the Azzuri (Blues), reigning champions . Brazil are often called the Seleção Canarinha (The Canaries), while South American rivals Argentina are the Albiceleste (Blue and Whites).
Fans of the 1998 champions France cheer on Les Bleus, and two-time finalists the Netherlands are tagged the Oranje after their famous shirts of the same colour.
A combination of colours in a team's kit is no deterrent, as shown by Ecuador. The South Americans, taking part in only their second FIFA World Cup, traditionally play in yellow, blue and red, earning them the nickname La Tri (The Tricolour). A similar moniker applies to Mexico, called El Tri for their combination of green, white and red.
Over in Africa, you cannot but notice the large number of teams that have nicknames related to animals. Tunisia are known as the Les Aigles de Carthage (The Carthage Eagles), while West Africans Côte d'Ivoire are the Elephants.
Nicknames of strikers
There appears to be more variety in the monikers given to individual players than teams, with strikers frequently having their own aliases. Great things are expected of Brazil in Germany, and their forwards have nicknames that will stand out too.
The emerging Robinho is known as ‘The king of the dribble', while Adriano , a possible candidate for the adidas Golden Shoe award, has been tagged L'Imperatore (The Emperor) for his imperious attacking displays.
One of the driving force behind Spain , a nation still seeking its first world title, is the hugely gifted Fernando Torres. Since making his debut for Atletico Madrid as a prodigiously talented 16-year-old, he has been endearingly referred to as El Niño (The Kid). He first played for the national side at 19 and is now one of the first names on Luis Aragones's team sheet.
One of the more unusual nicknames is that of Korea Republic forward Ahn Jung-Hwan who has been dubbed ‘The Lord of the Rings' for his habit of kissing his wedding ring every time he scores. The player has said that the goals he scores are for his wife and country, and both are sure to happy should they get one from Germany.
Finally, the host country, Germany have two attacking players who could play a big hand in the destiny of the Trophy. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and forward Lukas Podolski symbolise Germany's new generation of footballers and have been dubbed Schweini and Poldi by the media - portraying feelings of both familiarity and expectation.
In Germany, people add an ‘i' at the end of a name to express friendship and intimacy towards a person. Fans of the host team - or Mannschaft - must hope Schweini and Poldi will still be generating similar affection come the end of the finals.
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