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Spain's David Villa kisses his winner medal - Source: Reuters -
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As the "Nike curse" took hold, cashed-up football stars failed to shine at the World Cup.
And with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney all failing to make a major impact at the tournament, that allowed some of the less well-known stars of the football world to shine, as we outline in our top 10 below.
10. WINSTON REID - New Zealand
While New Zealand may have failed to progress from the group stages of the World Cup, a star really was born for the Kiwis as their "Danish Maori" defender Winston Reid helped the All Whites grab their first ever point at a World Cup finals when his last-gasp stoppage time header found the back of the net to draw them level with Slovakia 1-1.
The goal was extra special for Reid who, having turned down the chance to play for Denmark, was a new addition to Ricki Herbert's side, and catapulted him to star status across the globe.
9. ROBERT VITTEK - Slovakia
Just like New Zealand's Winston Reid made history at the World Cup, so did Slovakia veteran Robert Vittek who scored four goals for the national team (making their first ever World Cup appearance as an independent nation).
The first came against the All Whites in that 1-1 draw, but the 28-year-old striker also scored two goals in their dramatic win over current world champions Italy to take Slovakia through to the knock-out rounds of the World Cup.
They were eventually beaten by this year's finalists, the Netherlands, but not before Vittek impressed once more when he converted a late-minute penalty making him Slovakia's top international goalscorer.
8. JAVIER HERNANDEZ - Mexico
Mexico might have failed to get very far in the World Cup, but one star to emerge from their squad was Javier Hernandez.
The 22-year-old, who was named the fastest player of the tournament and is only just beginning his career (he made his international debut in 2009), is already an influential player for his national side, scoring two goals, and playing an instrumental role in South Africa.
Hernandez is an exciting forward that you can expect to see much more of as he is set to be making his way to Manchester United this year.
7. LUIS SUAREZ - URGUAY
While Suarez may be a controversial choice as a "star" of the World Cup after his blatant handball helped knock Ghana out of the tournament, there can be no doubt that this 23-year-old striker really made his mark in South Africa.
During the tournament Suarez formed a brilliant partnership with Diego Forlan, and his three goals, one of them a match-winner against Mexico, helped his side reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
But it is also true that the handball tainted the rest of his World Cup campaign as he was booed every time he touched the ball and failed to net glaring chances during Uruguay's 3-2 defeat to Germany in the third place playoff.
6. LUIS FABIANO - Brazil
While Brazil might have been one of the shock early exits from the tournament, striker Luis Fabiano did provide fans with some blinding football and beautiful goals.
Breaking his 2010 goalscoring drought with three goals during the tournament, two coming in Brazil's 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast (albeit one in controversial circumstances) Fabiano was Brazil as he showcased skill, flair and panache making him a joy to watch.
5. GONZALO HIGUAIN - Argentina
While the juggernaut that is Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed all the headlines for Real Madrid in 2010, there was one player who flew somewhat under the radar.
After initially rejecting calls from both the Argentine and French national sides, French-born Higuain finally settled on Argentina as his preferred choice of national sides - but it wasn't until 2009 that the 22-year-old was called up to Maradona's squad.
The move came after mounting pressure on Maradona from fans and the media, and Maradona can now be thankful that he called up this strike ace, after he netted four goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick in Argentina's 4-1 win over South Korea, becoming just the third Argentinean to score a hat-trick in the World Cup finals - he was also the first player to do so since 2002.
4. WESLEY SNEIJDER - Netherlands
While the likes of Ronaldo and Rooney have failed to live up to the hype, Holland's Wesley Sneijder has shone enough for the lot of them.
The Inter Milan ace scored five goals to help his side reach their first World Cup final since the heartbreak of 1978, was selected as man of the match in the sides first two group games, and is steadily becoming a fan favourite.
The Netherlands might not have been able to get past Spain to win the World Cup final, but there can only be good things ahead for Inter Milan's Coppa Italia, Serie A and Champions League winning star.
3. THOMAS MUELLER - Germany
Five goals in six games has seen a star being born of Germany's Gerrard Mueller.
Mueller's keen eye for goal not only helped a young German side march into the semi-finals of the tournament, destroying Australia, England and favourites Argentina along the way, but also won him the Golden Boot and the Best Young Player award.
Mueller impressed so much on football's biggest stage that he made most of Germany forget the absence of their injured skipper Michael Ballack - and it could have been a very different end to this tournament for the Germans had a yellow card not ruled him out of the semi-final clash against Spain.
This kid has made such a mark on the World Cup that his club, Bayern Munich, might now have a fight to keep him on their books.
2. DIEGO FORLAN - Uruguay
After leaving Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in 2004 a flop (he scored just 10 goals during a two year stint at Old Trafford) the now 31-year-old Diego Forlan has matured into of the world's most on-form strikers.
After helping Atletico Madrid win the Europa League this year, Forlan came into the World Cup on a high.
He became one of the most important players in the tournament, scoring five goals and captaining his side to the semi-finals only to be undone by the Netherlands, but not before he went out on a high, scoring a cracker in Uruguay's third place playoff against Germany - and impressed so much he was named player of the tournament.
1. DAVID VILLA - Spain
There really could be no other No.1 REAL star of the 2010 World Cup than David Villa, as this Spanish striker really has been the only one to live up to his hype.
After having a glorious run of form in the 2008 European Championships, the Golden Boot winner in that tournament has continued to go from strength to strength.
Villa has now scored five of Spain's seven goals in the run up to Spain's first ever World Cup final win and has a real knack of coming up with the goods at just the right time, so much so that he has even outshone a player who many believe to be one of the most dangerous strikers in the world - Fernando Torres.
While Diego Forlan may have piped Villa to the Golden Ball (and
Mueller beat him to the Golden Boot) there really is just something
magic about this unassuming Barcelona-bound star.
Do you agree with Sarah's picks for the real stars of the World Cup? Leave your comments below...
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