Chilean Success

Castrol, the world known oil company and one of the largest sponsors of the World Cup has a number of personnel working in analyzing the World Cup. Every pass, shot or meter ran has been registered in their database. I used their World Cup calculator in April to see the percentage Chile had in winning the World Cup, they gave me 0.5%. Now that number has increased to 1.6 %.

More important is the that they have rated Chile's Gary Medel and Waldo Ponce as the best two players of the tournament so far. Medel scored a 9.77 and Ponce a 9.72 in their index. Carmona is next Chilean at number 6 with a 9.56 rating.

Medel plays currently for Argentinian Boca Juniors, he has said that he is happy playing for them. But who wouldn't like to play for a top team in Europe. Anyhow, if he continues like he has during the tournament, many clubs will be after his signature. I heard that A.C. Milan is looking to improve their defense. He could do great in England as well. Ponce is contracted by Argentinian Velez Sarsfield but was lent to Universidad Catolica this season. He is 28 years old and at the peak of his career. Carmona played very well for his Reggina last season. He is still young and can only become better. Rumors say that Lazio is at pole position for his signature.

Also, FIFA write about this and say that;

He was named after one of England's greatest goalscorers but it is at the other end of the field that Gary Medel is forcing observers of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ to sit up and take notice. The Chile defender has posted two performances of such skill and consistency that he has raced to the top of the Castrol Index.

Chile have taken six points from a possible six and the impact they are making in their first FIFA World Cup since 1998 is underlined by the presence of three of their team in the top six of the Castrol Index, an innovative system which uses the latest technology to objectively analyse and rank player performances.

Before arriving in South Africa, Medel, who is still just 22, had already put down a marker as one of South America's burgeoning talents, but his claims to fame have now reached a far wider audience. He was named at birth after Gary Lineker but his drive and tireless running as a wingback or holding midfielder for his club Boca Juniors make him better known by the nickname ‘El Pitbull’.

However, it is as a central defender that he has shone at South Africa 2010, showing a maturity beyond his years and working well in tandem with Waldo Ponce, who sits just behind him in second in the Castrol Index. Ponce was another Chile player to maintain his standards as Marcelo Bielsa's team followed up an impressive performance against Honduras with another narrow victory over Switzerland. Castrol Performance Analysts were impressed with a defensive group that has still to concede a goal and which has allowed only three long-range shots on target in the tournament so far.

Experience tells
Carlos Carmona, a veteran of two FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments - Netherlands 2005 and Canada 2007 - has also excelled for Chile, covering the hard yards in a midfield department known for their tireless work-rate and energy.

South American players occupy the leading four positions, emphasising the impact made by the continent's representatives at South Africa 2010.