ANALYSIS OF SOME OF THE KEY STATISTICS FROM ANOTHER UNFORGETTABLE AND HISTORIC FIFA WORLD CUP, HELD IN AFRICA IN 2010

As another unforgettable and historic FIFA World Cup draws to a close, FIFA.com  takes a look back at some of the key stats that have emerged over the past 30 days.

18,449 volunteers, the oldest of them at the age of 80, played a key role in the success of the first FIFA World Cup held in Africa.

669 pass attempts were made by Xavi during the tournament, 104 more than his closest competitor, Bastian Schweinsteiger. Xavi also achieved the second-highest number of crosses, a total of 42, behind only Diego Forlán, with 50.

559 minutes without conceding a goal was the time that allowed Switzerland to set the new FIFA World Cup record. The Swiss surpassed Italy’s previous mark of 550 minutes.

261 fouls were committed in South Africa 2010, a significant reduction compared to Germany 2006 (346). The result of this is that the number of expulsions has also decreased considerably: only 17 red cards compared to 26 four years ago.

145 goals were scored at this year’s World Cup, the fewest since the FIFA World Cup began to have 64 matches 12 years ago. In fact, since this format was introduced, the downward trend has also continued in South Africa. At France 1998, 171 goals were scored, with the total dropping to 161 at South Korea/Japan 2002 and 147 at Germany 2006.

117 minutes was the time Andrés Iniesta needed to score the dramatic winning goal against the Netherlands, the longest period for scoring in FIFA World Cup finals.

39 years and 330 days made David James the oldest player in the South African tournament. The holder of the titles of oldest outfield player and oldest player to score a goal was Mexican Cuauhtémoc Blanco, at 37 years and 156 days. Christian Eriksen of Denmark was the youngest player in South Africa at 18 years and 120 days.

31 runs gave Spaniard Sergio Ramos the status of the tournament’s top dribbler, ahead of more likely candidates such as Lukas Podolski (27), Andrés Iniesta (26), David Villa and Lionel Messi (both with 25).

22 goals scored at Green Point Stadium gave the Cape Town arena the first position among the ten hosts in South Africa. Soccer City, from Johannesburg, who had their nets scored 20 times, was in second place.

22 players were used by Germany throughout the tournament, the most of any team. On the other hand, the teams from Slovenia, New Zealand and North Korea fielded only 15 athletes.

19 fouls made Keisuke Honda, from Japan, the unlikely leader of infractions committed in the competition. Finalists Sergio Ramos and Mark van Bommel were close behind, with 17 each.

14 goals in FIFA World Cups was the mark achieved by Miroslav Klose, leaving the Germany striker  just one goal behind the record-holder Ronaldo. Klose now shares second place with Gerd Müller.

14 yellow cards and one red card were handed out in the tight final between  the Netherlands and Spain, more than double the previous record for a World Cup final, set in 1986 when Argentina and  West Germany combined for six cards.

12 goals were scored by Bayern Munich players during South Africa 2010, making the Bavarian club the tournament’s top scorer. Inter Milan, who had beaten the German side in this year’s UEFA Champions League final, finished second with nine goals, while Atletico Madrid players found the back of the net eight times. La Liga dominated the overall tally, with its players scoring 29 goals to Bundesliga’s 21. In third place was the Italian Serie A, with 16, followed by the English Championship, with 12.

8 countries now own at least one FIFA World Cup title, after Spain joined the elite club. Furia  became the first team to win the World Cup after a defeat in the opening game and the first in Europe to lift the cup outside its own continent.

6 editions of the FIFA World Cup as a coach was the new mark set by Carlos Alberto Parreira, who, by commanding his fifth team in the competition, also broke the record of four that he shared with Bora Milutinovic.

6 European teams reached the round of 16 in South Africa 2010, but only three reached the quarterfinals — the worst number in the Old Continent. However, while the five South American representatives went through to the knockouts, four as first in their respective groups, the final was once again decided by European teams.

3.18 million fans attended the 64 World Cup matches on African soil, just shy of the FIFA World Cup record set in the United States 1994, when 3.59 million people passed through the turnstiles of American stadiums.

3 players — David Villa, Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol — scored all of Spain’s goals  in South Africa 2010. Before that, no team had ever won the FIFA World Cup with fewer than four different goalscorers. The eight goals scored by the Spanish national team mark the lowest count among all the champions of the competition.

3 brothers in the same squad was another unprecedented mark that occurred in South Africa 2010. Jerry, Jhony and Wilson Palacios made history thanks to the inclusion of their names in the list of 23 Honduras players.

3 assists were provided by Kaká, Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Dirk Kuyt and Mesut Özil, making these five players the most effective creators of the tournament.

2 finalists from the previous edition of the FIFA World Cup, France and Italy, were eliminated in the group stage for the first time in history. The only similar failure happened in 1966, when Czechoslovakia did not even qualify and Brazil, then champion, did not pass the first round.

2 draws and one defeat in the three group stage games made Italy’s performance  in South Africa the worst in its World Cup history. The Italians had never participated in the competition without having won at least one victory. The last place in the group was also an unprecedented fact. Marcello Lippi’s team is still without a win in 2010.

2 minutes and 39 seconds was the time it took Thomas Müller to score the fastest goal of the tournament in Germany’s 4-0 win  over Argentina.

1 selected finished the tournament undefeated: the one in New Zealand. The unexpected milestone was reached when the Netherlands’ 14-game winning streak  during qualifying and the  2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa was broken in the grand final in Johannesburg.

P.S. – In 2010 Julio Leal worked at the Orlando Pirates in Johannesburg, South Africa and was able to see one of João Havelange’s dreams come true: AN AFRICAN COUNTRY TO HOST THE WORLD CUP. The other was postponed once again and until 2024 it did not take place: HAVING AN AFRICAN COUNTRY WORLD CHAMPION.

P.S. 2 – Grotesque error by the Swiss Referee took the home team, South Africa, out of the second Phase in a Cup, the first time it occurred.

P.S. 3 – Iniesta was a monster.

P.S. 4 – THE AFRICAN CROWD PUT ON A SHOW: they dance all the time and received all the time with a lot of love.

P.S. 5 – October 12th is Children’s Day, I congratulate them all and wish them a better world, in the figures of my grandsons Eduardo and Bruno.

P.S. 6 – October 12 is also the Day of Our Lady of Aparecida, the Patroness of Brazil: Pray for us!

By Jucele

Julio Leal

October 12, 2024