Tuesday, December 18, 2007

World Rankings 2007

The FIFA 2007 Galla Awards are an occassion for looking back at the foregone year in terms of football: which teams did well, which players were outstanding, and all other things for us football nerds.
One of the more interesting things for me, personally, was the World Ranking standing, where two countries that interest me a lot, had a quite prominent positions:

Argentina
(where I lived as a child), has ended the year on the top spot on the world ranking, a position it has held for the first time since the establishment of the ranking. This has somehow surprised me, due to the fact that Argentina, in July, lost the final of the Copa America 0-3 to Brazil, in Venezuela. But besides that, and a loss to Colombia here in November, Argentina has had a quite impressive year, and the top-ranking at the end of the year may be a prelude to great things for the coming World Cup in South Africa (and I hope so with my heart!).

The other country prominently mentioned in the world ranking, was, to my great surprise, Mozambique (where I am currently residing). I have before said that I have a great positive influence on the football of countries I live in, and that I would do it for Mozambique, and seems I have already fulfilled my promise: Mozambique was the single best mover on the world rankings in 2007, with 245 points and moving from 128th to 75th place on the world ranking. This was mainly due to some good results on their qualifiers for the 2008 Africa's Cup in Ghana, which will nevertheless not see the participation of the Mamba's. Mozambique is on the right track though, and I shall do my best next year as well!

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