The Expert’s Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need to Know About the 2010 FIFA World Cup

1. This is the first World Cup in history where both finalists of the previous edition (Italy and France) were knocked out in the first round. Down with the old kings, long live the new pretenders. Which brings us to point 2.

2. This is Italy’s worst ever World Cup performance. 2 draws, 1 loss and the defending champions are eliminated. This is the first time they have failed to win a game in a tournament and the first time they have finished last in their group.

3. You may be counting on Brazil to win again (no, please, not again!), but note that this is the oldest team in this World Cup, with an average age of 29 years and 3 months. In fact, this is the oldest Brazilian team ever to take part in the World Cups. Watch out, those legs might run out of steam soon.

4. The name you should know is Messi, Messi, Messi. Even Maradona says he is the next Maradona. The 23-year-old Argentine striker is now considered the best football player in the world. Plays for Barcelona when he is not in the Argentine jersey. He runs the Leo Messi Foundation, which pays for education and healthcare for underprivileged children in Argentina.

5. Football players are probably the most powerful athletes in the world. Apart from all the pushes, pushes, slides, jumps, head movement, falls, the player runs an average of 10 km per game and can reach a top speed of up to 35 km/h. That’s 100 meters in less than 11 seconds!

6. The German team works stably like clockwork. Now they have reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup 16 times out of 18 in which they participated.

7. Ghana is the only African team to have made it past the first round and has now made it to the quarter-finals – the third African team to do so in Cup history.

8. Uruguay, winners of the first 1930 World Cup (and the 1950 World Cup), had to wait 40 years before they could reach the quarter-finals. They beat the former USSR in the 1970 quarter-finals before disappearing from the world stage. This time they are back with a vengeance led by their striker Diego Forlán.

9. Rigobert Song of Cameroon made history at this World Cup – his World Cup career lasted 16 years and 9 days, he was the longest on the field in 2010. He has been on the field since 1994!

10. Well, this is the first time the FIFA World Cup has been held in an African country. If you didn’t know that, just don’t get into the conversation about the Cup. Leave with dignity.