At the FIFA World Cup, the greatest, most-coveted prize is, was and always
shall be the Trophy itself. However, every edition of the game's global
showpiece has its heroes in the shape of players and teams whose contributions
cry out for some sort of recognition.
After all, some of the most indelible images in the tournament's history have
been provided by the likes of Eusebio, Johan Cruyff and "Toto" Schillaci, none
of whom were ever able to lay their hands on a winner's medal, and many of the
teams who thrilled us over the years won little other than the football public's
affection.
This was also true at Germany 2006. The array of awards reflected that it was
players such as Lukas Podolski and Zinedine Zidane who captured the imagination
and that, while Spain and Brazil left without the Trophy, they returned home
with plenty of new friends.
FIFA Fair Play award - Brazil &
Spain
They might have seen their hopes of lifting the Trophy dashed at a premature
stage, but Brazil and Spain did not return home empty-handed, with each of their
players picking up medals for their record of sportsmanship and good conduct
during Germany 2006. This particular award is decided using a points system
established by the FIFA Committee for Ethics and Fair Play, and the FIFA
Technical Study Group (TSG) named Carlos Alberto Parreira and Luis Aragones's
sides as joint-winners after they picked up a shared total of 886 from the 1,000
available.
