World Cup 2010 / Feizal Rahman / 01 November 2009 / Leave a comment

We all know who they are, the sides who have al the ability aned potential to go all the way but in the end just don't. Here's what Feizal Rahmann makes of their chances this time round.

"Argentina, England and France could certainly be considered members of this group though each have been able to record at least one tournament win, albeit on home soil. But there are three nations in particular who have appeared destined to always be the bridesmaids and never the bride."

While numerous countries have produced world-class footballers, only seven have formed a team good enough to win a World Cup. There remains a group of nations who, despite boasting vast footballing talent at club level, have failed to fulfil their potential on the international stage. Argentina, England and France could certainly be considered members of this group though each have been able to record at least one tournament win, albeit on home soil. But there are three nations in particular who have appeared destined to always be the bridesmaids and never the bride.

The birth of 'Total Football' in the 1970's saw Dutch football rise to prominence and the fluid interaction of Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens and Johnny Rep for Ajax led to three consecutive European Cups. Looking set to replicate this success for the Netherlands, the Dutch reached the World Cup final in West Germany 1974 and Argentina 1978, only to be beaten by the host nation.

The 1980's saw legendary players such as Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard fail to make a significant impact at a World Cup and it became apparent that the clashing of egos between such great players prevented the team from progressing. While the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Clarence Seedorf and Patrick Kluivert were winning trophies domestically, when united as one for their country, they disappointingly fell short of the mark.

The current international squad doesn't have the impressive star quality of past eras, with only a handful of decent enough players who will require the fortune of everything click into place at the right time for them to overturn their World Cup hoodoo. Yet, having qualified for South Africa with consummate ease, the Netherlands are still considered genuine contenders at [17.0].

Spain has been an enigma in international football for much of its existence. Despite its club sides dominating European competition, fusing both the best Spanish players with big-name foreign stars, the national side has underperformed incomprehensibly at the World Cup, failing to reach even a semi-final. Seeming to cruise along in the group stages, Spain somehow find disaster awaiting in the knockout rounds, be it at the hands of an underdog or a superpower.

One possible explanation is that it's the very same rivalry that has driven its club sides to succeed that has filtered through to the national team and drawn divisions among the players. Yet, having been able to forge together at Euro 2008 to win their first international trophy, the Spaniards have finally released a burden that has weighed heavy for many years. With arguably the strongest squad at next year's tournament, Spain quite rightly trade as joint favourites at [6.0] and this will surely be their best chance ever to finally win a World Cup.

Iberian neighbours Portugal do not have the pedigree of either the Netherlands or Spain. They have however made genuine claim to be one of the world's top ten football nations in the last fifteen years. The Eusebio-inspired third-place win in 1966 was the only occasion before 1986 that Portugal even qualified for a World Cup. But since the emergence of the 'Golden Generation' that included Luis Figo and Rui Costa, the Portuguese have consistently developed world-class footballers.

The lack of a genuine hitman up front has seen the Seleccao unable to turn their potential into gold and caused them to struggle in qualification for 2010. At [1.3] to overcome a playoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal are expected to make it to South Africa though and are currently a reasonable [24.0] to win the competition. Much expectation will rest on the shoulders of FIFA World Player of The Year, Cristiano Ronaldo, but with the £80m forward failing to reproduce his club form in qualification, perhaps the Portuguese aren't solely reliant on the Real Madrid man ([3.6] to be top Champions League goalscorer).

As 'shrewd' alternatives to the stock favourites of Brazil, Germany or Italy, certain punters are always inclined to back teams such as the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, convinced that this will finally be 'their year'. But while there's always a first time for everything, the records simply don't lie and ultimately for those backers, history has a habit of repeating itself.

Tags: football bets, johan Cruyff, Portugal football team, World Cup 2010 bets, World Cup betting