Caption 1: Spain's David Villa celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the

Caption 1: Spain's David Villa, center back, scores the opening goal past Portugal goalkeeper Eduardo, center front, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

<img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD34x9KSMjVJOXAYeW414ZhYURfL2MoPlNBEFctA56zkuVwAx0lvrGAbvggrYipV2ZtK7YVpUn2GP9o6yuaRrSLEoZ1zr5XBNuVgg1tmNAt9pEbAQfAHCb7sps9U1PMNT8_jVb/s400/villa3.jpg" alt=""

Caption 1: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo sits on the pitch during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Caption 1 : Japan's Yuichi Komano, leaves their hotel in Centurion, South Africa, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. After Japan was defeated by Paraguay 5-3 on penalties Tuesday, after a 0-0 draw in their round of 16 World Cup soccer match. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Caption 2: Japan head coach Takeshi Okada, right, comforts Japan's Yuichi Komano, left, following the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and Japan at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Paraguay advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 5-3 victory over Japan in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Caption 1: Japan's Yuichi Komano (left) Japan's Yuki Abe (center) and Japan's Makoto Hasebe (right) react following the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and Japan at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Paraguay advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time with a 5-3 victory over Japan in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Caption 1: Japan players line up for penalty shootouts during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and Japan at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)


Caption 2: Japan players react during penalty shootouts at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and Japan at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Paraguay advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 5-3 victory over Japan in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Valdez tahu bagaimana rasanya

Valdez memulai karir dari kemiskinan yang luar biasa. bahkan pernah jadi gelandangan..(see story bellow) dia tahu bagaimana rasanya...lihat saja bagaimana reaksinya terhadap para pemain Jepang...perfecto humano...

Caption 1:
Paraguay's Nelson Haedo Valdez, right, consoles Japan's Yuichi Komano, center, after he missed a shootout penalty during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and Japan at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Paraguay advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 5-3 victory over Japan in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Caption 2: Paraguay's Nelson Haedo Valdez, foreground right, comforts Japan's Yuichi Komano, center back, following the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and Japan at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Paraguay advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time with a 5-3 victory over Japan in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Paraguay’s Valdez takes tough road to Cup

Martin Rogers
Yahoo! Sports/JOHANNESBURG

Soccer has provided Nelson Valdez with wealth, success, an impressively swanky home in an upscale suburb of the German city of Dortmund and a chance to shine on soccer’s biggest stage of all.
But before the big pay checks kicked in and World Cup dreams came true, the beautiful game also gave Valdez a makeshift place to live and an escape from homelessness.

Dunga's way, more sombre than Samba

Brian Homewood

JOHANNESBURG

Dunga is the Portuguese name for Dopey, the smallest of Snow White's seven dwarfs, but for many people it would have been more appropriate if Brazil's coach had been named after Grumpy.
Real name Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri, Dunga often seems as if he would be more at home with a dour European team rather than the flamboyant five-times champions, who many neutrals look to for World Cup inspiration.