13 Things We’ll Remember About World Cup 2010

For one month, the world got together to watch the most skilled players pour their hearts and passion out onto the soccer fields of South Africa. We cried and laughed together and watched some of the most memorable moments in World Cup history! Here are 13 things (on and off the field) that we won’t forget about World Cup 2010.

1. The Vuvuzela
Are your ears still ringing? The chronic blowing of the vuvuzela (aka stadium horn) annoyed fans around the world. The noisemaker was so talked about that the word "vuvuzela" managed to constantly top Twitter’s "trending topics" list.

2. Maradona Behaves
World Cup fans kept a close eye on well-known Argentina coach and soccer legend, Diego Maradona, waiting for him to get out of control as Argentina climbed the ladder of victory. Unfortunately, to all those waiting for a crazy act, Maradona did not run around the field naked as he had previously stated would happen if Argentina won the Cup.

3. Paul the Psychic Octopus
You’ve never seen a psychic like this! Paul, an octopus living in a German zoo, successfully predicted all of Germany's game results and even the results for the World Cup 2010 finals! Many fans automatically changed their odds based on what the cephalopod predicted.

4. Lionel Messi Disappointment
Valued at $34 million, the world’s highest paid soccer player, Lionel Messi from Argentina, failed to deliver on the field. The Argentine team lost 4-0 to Germany, eliminating them from the semifinals and leaving Messi in tears.

5. Highest Scoring Game
Having not faced each other since 1966, Portugal and North Korea played the highest scoring game in the 2010 World Cup. After North Korea held their own against Brazil, losing only 2-1, the score of their final game in the tournament was an unbearable 7-0 for Portugal.

6. Teen Sensation
Javier "El Chicharito" Hernandez, from Mexico, made World Cup history! At 19, he became the youngest player to score in the World Cup.

7. Gonna Dance
Asamoah Gyan put Ghana in the spotlight during their defeat against Serbia, in which he scored and then we all got to witness the legendary Marcel Desailly celebrate with a dance that has now led to a fanatic craze over Ghana goal celebrations.

8. Human Tragedy
A moment of silence was held for former German goalkeeper, Rober Enke. Enke committed suicide at the age of 32, several months before the Cup.

9. Brazil Fail
Having taken home the World Cup five times, and being the only team to appear in every World Cup tournament ever held, Brazil was highly ranked yet failed to appear in the finals.

10. Having a Ball
The Adidas Jabulani, the official World Cup soccer ball, was perfectly round and allowed players to get a grip in all conditions. Jabulani, meaning “to celebrate” in the South African dialect isiZulo, was a fitting name for such an occasion.

11. Cheater?
When Uruguayan player Luis Suarez committed a handball on the goal line in the quarterfinal game against Ghana, did he cheat the opposition of a goal? When Ghana failed to make the penalty shot and the game stayed tied at 1-1, the African team ultimately lost the game in a shoot out. One of the more controversial moves in the World Cup tournament, Uruguay then went on to win the game, but ultimately lost to the Netherlands in the semifinals.

12. Questionable Officiating
Coaches, players and fans alike had a lot of issues with the refereeing in the 2010 World Cup… just Google any of the following: U.S. disallowed goal against Slovenia, Kaka’s red card in the Brazil versus Ivory Coast game or Luis Fabiano’s two handballs.

13. Victory for Spain
Finalists Spain and Netherlands were both undeniably skilled and passionate teams, but Spain ultimately triumphed as champs with a 1-0 win in overtime. The Spaniards are the only team to have lost their first World Cup tournament game then gone on to win the final – talk about a comeback!