(AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Robert Koren, Slovenia
With strong performances against Algeria and the USA, the Slovenians surprised many—or, at least, those who hadn’t followed them in European qualifying, where the team combined stingy defence with timely goal-scoring to qualify for South Africa. At the centre of the successful squad is their captain—midfielder Robert Koren. He’s the most experienced member of the impressive Slovenian side (48 caps) and scored the team’s winning goal against Algeria. Oddly enough, the 29-year-old finds himself without a club team at the moment, having been released by West Bromwich Albion of the English Championship. But as an integral part of his squad’s resilient performance so far in 2010, Koren could see a return to Europe quite soon.
Back to start: Diego Forlan of Uruguay
Daniel Squizzato writes for Some Canadian Guys Writing About Soccer, which takes a passionate (and often irreverent) look at the Canadian soccer scene, major international tournaments and all sorts of odds and ends related to the beautiful game.
