Zinedine Zidane | France
Zizou is still living down the lasting image of the infamous headbutt to Italy's Marco

Materazzi, the final time the world saw him in a competitive match. He remains officially

retired from soccer after a brilliant 19-year career which ranks among the best to ever play

the game. But the French legend hasn't stayed away entirely. Zidane continues to make

promotional and goodwill trips around the world, and those MLS rumors won't seem to go

away. Could the 34-year-old resurface stateside?


Marco Materazzi | Italy
The man who got inside the head of Zidane -- and received the outside of it, too -- received

a hero's welcome back home as Italy won its fourth World Cup. "The Matrix" is currently

the monster of Inter Milan's back line as well, a key reason the Nerazzurri won an Italian

record 18 straight matches earlier this season and look poised to win their first outright Serie A title in 18 years.


Clint Dempsey | United States
He's perhaps America's most exciting player and was responsible for the Yanks' lone goal in

Germany, a crusher against Ghana in Team USA's finale. Dempsey parlayed that success

into a $4 million jump abroad -- in January, he joined teammates Brian McBride and Carlos

Bocanegra at Fulham, creating an unprecedented trio of Americans on an English Premier League club.


David Beckham | England
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know Becks is about to take America by storm

as the biggest signing in Major League Soccer history. The timing couldn't have been better.

Beckham had been dropped from the England squad just after the World Cup and was

languishing on the bench at Real Madrid. But he had begun to bounce back until a knee

injury sidelined him last month. He should be healthy by the time he reports to the Los

Angeles Galaxy this summer at age 32.


Ronaldo | Brazil
He was Brazil's leading scorer and played well in stretches, but the man once known as "The

Phenomenon" felt the heat as Brazil fizzled out in the quarterfinals in Germany, with many

calling the huge collection of superstars overprivileged and undercoached. A noticeably

overweight Ronaldo was saddled with much of the blame, and the criticism continued as he

found his way to the bench at Real Madrid. But he has since resurfaced in a starring role at

Italian super-club AC Milan, spurning a rumored move to MLS.


Juan Román Riquelme | Argentina
Like Beckham, Riquelme held a teary press conference after the Cup. But the man who

orchestrated the attack of the most exciting team in Germany wasn't just stepping down as

captain, he was quitting international play altogether at age 28. Only now does he seem to be

snapping out his depression. Riquelme has returned home to Buenos Aires, where he's

playing for the team where he began his career -- Argentine superclub Boca Juniors -- on loan from Spain's Villarreal.


Wayne Rooney | England
When Rooney was ejected during his team's quarterfinal loss to Portugal, it marked the end

of the road yet again for title-starved England. The hot-headed prodigy thrust his cleat into

the groin of Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho, earning a red card and putting England

down a man for most of the second half. Now, after a dip in confidence, the 21-year-old is

back in form for Manchester United as it's in the running for three trophies this season.


Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal
Ronaldo was the antagonist in "Stompgate" -- the English tabloids went nuts at video stills of

the 22-year-old prodigy winking, suggesting he influenced the referee's decision to eject

Manchester United teammate Rooney. Ronaldo is still the bad guy in England as he is booed

in every opposing stadium United visits. But he's having the last laugh. His insane speed,

creativity and massive talent are the No. 1 reason Man U is clicking right now.


Maxi Rodríguez | Argentina
If there's one goal you remember from Germany, Rodríguez's is it. In the 98th minute of a

furious 1-1 battle with Mexico, he took a cross-field pass off his chest just outside the area

and thundered a left-footed volley into the net past a leaping Oswaldo Sánchez (well worth

another look, click the link below). His fortune since then hasn't been as magical, however.

During a friendly against Spain in October, Rodríguez tore his ACL and hasn't made an

appearance for club team Atlético Madrid since.


Gianluigi Buffon | Italy
Think Albert Pujols could accept a demotion to Triple-A just a season after the Cardinals'

World Series title? Not a chance. But that's what the best goalkeeper at the Cup did just a

month after leading Italy to the title. Buffon's club team, Juventus, was banished to the

second division for its part in Italy's wide-ranging match-fixing scandal. Gigi stuck by his

team, though, and is his usual dependable self this season as Juve tries to fight its way back

to Serie A.


Miroslav Klose | Germany
The Polish-born striker was Germany's star performer at its own show, leading all World

Cup scorers with five goals and becoming the first German to win the Cup's Golden Boot

award in 36 years. Klose is back to his high-scoring ways in the Bundesliga: He's currently in

the top five in goals scored in the German league and is a big reason why Werder Bremen is

in the race for its second crown in four seasons.


Petr Cech | Czech Republic
The man who stonewalled the U.S. in its opener was the key figure in one of the scariest

moments in world soccer in October. Cech took a knee to the head in a nasty collision with

Reading's Stephen Hunt, knocking the big keeper unconscious and leaving him with a

fractured skull. Cech made an incredible comeback from the accident, returning to the

Chelsea nets in January wearing a rugby-style protective helmet.


Michael Essien | Ghana
When the U.S. crafted its game plan for its final match against Ghana, it did so with the

Black Stars' bruising midfielder in mind. Essien was one of the most intimidating players in

Germany, and remains so for English super-club Chelsea. While the rest of the star-studded

roster struggles to find consistency, "The Bison" has been the most dependable guy on the

pitch, forcing opposing teams to change their entire strategy when he's in the lineup. Essien

recently signed a new deal with Chelsea that will keep him terrorizing Europe through 2012.


Fabio Cannavaro | Italy
Steadfast Cannavaro was the first to hoist the World Cup after the inspirational defender

captained the Azzurri to their fourth title, and also ended up winning the FIFA World Player

of the Year award for his heroics. But unlike teammate Buffon, Cannavaro took his leave of

his relegated club team, Juventus, and moved to Real Madrid a few weeks after Germany.

Now he and the rest of the struggling Merengues are stuck in yet another rebuilding project.

Thanks for the update. Cannavaro is devilishly handsome isnt he? Annoyingly he is just as handsome at defending.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

The way I see it. Anyone from 2006 Italia is devilish.

I, favor.

Zinedine Zidane | France

Uno, uno, dos, tres, uno, uno, dos, uno. Final, final. Static. Signal drop.