2014年世界杯八大必看足球名將

Many call Messi one of the best soccer players of all time， and he's only 26 years old. Despite immense success on world-beating1) Barcelona in the Spanish professional league and a host of trophies on his shelf， \"The Atomic Flea\" has never even made it past the quarterfinals2) of the World Cup. This go around may be his best chance， as Argentina's squad3) is loaded with international stars all over the pitch4)， and Messi is at the top of his game5) and in full health after a hamstring6) injury last year. The only question is how well Argentina can play together behind their dynamo7) forward8).許多人把梅西稱為史上最優秀的足球運動員之一，而他只有26歲(編注：本文寫于2014年4月)。雖然他作為世界一流的巴塞羅那隊的一員在西班牙足球聯盟中取得了巨大成功，并為自己贏得許多獎杯，但這位綽號“原子跳蚤”的球星還從未使球隊在世界杯的四分之一決賽中勝出。這屆世界杯也許是他最好的機會，因為阿根廷隊云集了眾多國際巨星，他們遍布場上各個位置，而梅西正處于巔峰時期，而且他在去年的一次肌腱受傷后現已完全康復。唯一的問題就是，在這位精力充沛的前鋒身后，阿根廷隊的整體表現能有多好了。Cristiano Ronaldo

克里斯蒂亞諾·羅納爾多The most recent winner of FIFA's Ballon d'Or9) for being the best soccer player on the planet， Ronaldo has for now gotten the upper hand10) over the \"Who's the best?\" debate that has been raging11) over him and Messi for the last several years. The Real Madrid star's performance in the 2014 World Cup will go a long way towards12) quieting any remaining doubters， and Portugal's national team will desperately need his other-worldly13) play if they're going to stand a chance of14) making it out of this Cup's \"Group of Death15)\" that includes Germany， the U.S.， and Ghana. 在過去幾年來，人們一直圍繞羅納爾多和梅西展開 “誰是最佳球員”的爭論，現在羅納爾多作為金球獎(國際足聯頒給全球最佳球員的獎項)的新近得主，在這場爭論中暫時占據了上風。這位皇家馬德里隊的球星在2014年世界杯上的表現將十分有助于平息任何余下的質疑者的聲音，而葡萄牙國家隊如果想要有機會從這屆世界杯的“死亡之組”(包括德國、美國和加納)中出線，就迫切需要他發揮出超凡脫俗的球技。

1.world-beating: 世界一流的

2.quarterfinal [#712;kw#596;#720;t#601;#716;fa#618;n#601;l] n. 四分之一決賽

3.squad [skw#594;d] n. 隊

4.pitch [p#618;t#643;] n. (足球等的)場地

5.at the top of one's game: 表現極為出色

6.hamstring [#712;h#230;mstr#618;#331;] n. 肌腱

7.dynamo [#712;da#618;n#601;m#601;#650;] n. 精力充沛的人

8.forward [#712;f#596;#720;w#601;d] n. 前鋒

9.Ballon d'Or: 金球獎，是國際足聯每年頒發給上一年度表現最佳的球員的獎項，由足球教練、國際上各球隊隊長以及世界各地的體育記者投票選出，因其獎杯由一個金色的足球加底座構成而得名。

10.get the upper hand: 占上風

11.rage [re#618;d#658;] vi. 肆虐

12.go a long way towards (doing sth.): 對(達成某事)大有幫助

13.other-worldly [#712;#652;e#601;#712;w#604;#720;ldl#618;] adj. 超俗的；世外的

14.stand a chance of (doing sth.): 有(做某事)的機會(或可能)

15.Group of Death: 死亡之組，指的是強隊云集、內部競爭力很強的比賽小組，組內的強隊數量遠比晉級名額多。由于強強相遇，競爭十分慘烈，其中一組或多組強隊都會慘遭淘汰。Neymar

內馬爾If Brazilians hope to take home their sixth World Cup trophy， Barcelona star Neymar's slender16) frame will have to bear much of the burden. The 22-year-old， 5-foot-9-inch winger17)/forward may be one of many stars on this young team， but none of them make anywhere near the $20 million he does every year between salary and endorsements18). The biggest knock19) against Neymar may be his size， but he has silenced many doubters after his move to Barcelona last year with lightning fast speed and acceleration， a top-class ability to finish off both feet， and the same doggedness20) on the pitch that his professional teammate Messi is known for.如果巴西隊想把第六個世界杯獎杯捧回家，巴塞羅那足球俱樂部的球星內馬爾那纖瘦的肩頭就必須要擔起很大一部分重任。這位身高5英尺9英寸(編注：約1.75米)的22歲邊鋒/前鋒也許只是這支年輕隊伍中的眾多球星之一，但他每年共計2000萬美元的工資和廣告代言收入卻令其他隊員望塵莫及。內馬爾最不利的地方或許就是他的體格，不過自從他去年轉會巴塞羅那足球俱樂部之后，他已經用閃電般的速度和加速度、一流的雙腳均可射門的能力，以及在場上擁有與以頑強著稱的隊友梅西同樣的頑強作風，令許多質疑他的人閉上了嘴。Andres Iniesta

安德雷斯·伊涅斯塔It may be a fool's errand21) to pick a single player from the defending champs， whose aging squad was arguably one of the best all-time World Cup teams in 2010. From Xavi Hernandez to Cesc Fabregas to Sergio Ramos， Spain's deep roster22) has made them a favorite to repeat their South Africa triumph in Brazil. However， much of their hopes this time around will rest on the 29-year-old who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final. The midfield wizard has made the FIFA XI23) squad the last five years in a row; even fellow superstar Xavi called him \"Spain's most complete player\".

西班牙隊這支大齡球隊在2010年可以說是史上最佳的世界杯球隊之一(編注：西班牙隊是2010年南非世界杯冠軍)。想從這支衛冕冠軍的球隊中單單挑出一名球員可能只是徒勞無益。從哈維·埃爾南德茲到西斯科·法布雷加斯再到塞爾吉奧·拉莫斯，西班牙隊陣容之強大，已經令其被人們看好有望在巴西重演其在南非奪冠的一幕。不過，他們這次獲勝的希望很大程度上要寄托在29歲的球星伊涅斯塔身上，此人在2010年世界杯決賽中射出了制勝球。這位中場奇才在過去五年里已連續入選國際足聯年度最佳陣容，就連隊里另一位巨星哈維都稱他為“西班牙隊技術最全面的球員”。Wayne Rooney

韋恩·魯尼While Rooney may not be England's best player， the 28-year-old is still one of the faces of soccer around the world， promoted heavily by both Nike and FIFA. The starting forward for the English national team has been one of the best players on a fading Manchester United squad that was the toast24) of the world not that long ago. Despite his continued top-flight play as his professional team crumbles25)， England's soccer fans fret26) continuously about whether Rooney and the England squad can make a real showing this time， after finishing 13th in South Africa in 2010. To survive an incredibly difficult group stage with Italy， Costa Rica， and Uruguay， they're going to need his superlative ability to score goals， as well as his greatly improved passing and never-say-die hustle27) when the lights shine brightest28).魯尼或許不是英格蘭隊的最佳球員，但在耐克運動品牌和國際足聯的大力宣傳下，這位28歲的球星仍然是全球最有名的足球面孔之一。這位英格蘭國家隊的首發前鋒一直是曼徹斯特聯隊(編注：簡稱曼聯)最優秀的球員之一，盡管這支不久前還備受世人推崇的球隊已經走上了下坡路。雖然魯尼在其所屬職業球隊曼聯衰落之后依然保持了一貫的高水準，但鑒于英格蘭隊在2010年南非世界杯上最終僅排名第13，英格蘭球迷還是不住地擔心魯尼和英格蘭隊這次能否真正踢出水平。面對小組賽的對手意大利、哥斯達黎加和烏拉圭，英格蘭隊若想從無比難踢的小組賽階段幸存下來，就需要魯尼在比賽中一展其高超的射門能力以及他大有提高的傳球技術和不屈不撓的進攻能力。

16.slender [#712;slend#601;(r)] adj. 修長的；苗條的

17.winger [#712;w#618;#331;#601;(r)] n. 邊鋒

18.endorsement [#618;n#712;d#596;#720;sm#601;nt] n. 廣告代言

19.knock [n#594;k] n. 打擊

20.doggedness [#712;d#594;ɡ#618;dn#601;s] n. 頑強；堅持不懈

21.fool's errand: 徒勞無益的差事。errand [#712;er#601;nd] n. (短程的)差事；跑腿

22.roster [#712;r#594;st#601;(r)] n. 運動員名冊

23.FIFA XI: 國際足聯年度最佳陣容。國際足聯自2005年起每年從世界各地的球員中選出場地各位置上最強的11人組成最佳陣容球隊。

24.toast [t#601;#650;st] n. 深受敬慕的人；最受推崇的人

25.crumble [#712;kr#652;mbl] vi. 漸漸衰敗(或瓦解)

26.fret [fret] vi. 苦惱；煩惱；發愁

27.hustle [#712;h#652;sl] n. (游戲或體育比賽中)積極進攻

28.when the lights shine brightest: 指比賽開始。Arjen Robben

阿爾揚·羅本An argument can be made that Robin van Persie is more important to international powerhouse29) the Netherlands， but the \"Oranje30)\" won't come anywhere near replicating31) their 2010 final run without the continued inspired32) play of Robben. The 30-year-old winger has been on a tear33) for professional club Bayern Munich， where he's scored at least 55 goals since joining the team in 2009， and was a crucial reason they hoisted34) the Champions League trophy last year. He has shown a penchant35) for performing his best on the biggest stages， so watch for36) \"the Flying Dutchman\" to earn his nickname in Brazil by sprinting37) down the wing past defenders.雖然有證據顯示，對于世界勁旅荷蘭隊來說，羅賓·范佩西是更為重要的一員，但是倘若沒有羅本一貫出色的表現，這支“橙色軍團”將連再現2010年世界杯入圍決賽的成績都不太可能實現。這位30歲的邊鋒在拜仁慕尼黑職業足球俱樂部一直處于能量大爆發的狀態，自從2009年加入該球隊以來已至少貢獻了55個進球，并對球隊去年奪得歐冠聯賽冠軍起到了關鍵作用。他總是傾向于在最重大的比賽中發揮出最強的實力，因此大家就拭目以待，看這位“荷蘭小飛俠”在巴西世界杯上憑借從邊路迅速插上、突破對方后衛的精彩表現來印證這個綽號吧！

Mario Balotelli

馬里奧·巴洛特利The enigmatic38) 23-year-old of Ghanaian heritage has done a lot of questionable things off the soccer pitch， but no one doubts his ability on it. Balotelli can finish， pass and run with the best in the world， but has been maddeningly39) inconsistent since his debut on the world stage. He hasn't shown great form in Serie A this year; this past February， Balotelli was spotted crying on the bench after being taken off the pitch late in a loss to Napoli. Whether that's a sign of his passion for the game or his immaturity is anyone's guess， but fans of \"GliAzzurri40)\" sure hope it's the former. The Italians are going to need every bit of help they can get to survive this harsh group stage， where they'll square off41) against England， Uruguay， and Costa Rica.

這位謎一般的23歲加納裔球員在球場之外做過很多不靠譜的事，但沒有人會懷疑他在場上的能力。巴洛特利在射門、傳球和跑動方面能達到世界最佳水平，但從踏入世界足壇的第一天起，他的表現就極不穩定，令人抓狂。他在今年的意大利甲級聯賽中表現欠佳，而且今年2月在輸給那不勒斯隊的那場比賽的后半場，他被換下場后，有人還看見他在替補席上哭泣。誰也說不準那是他熱愛足球的表現，還是他心態不成熟的表現，但是“藍色軍團”的球迷們當然希望是前者。意大利隊需要借助每一份力量才能闖過形勢嚴峻的小組賽階段——在小組賽中，他們將對陣英格蘭、烏拉圭和哥斯達黎加。Mesut Ozil

梅蘇特·厄齊爾The German national team is among the few favorites to take home the World Cup trophy in Brazil， and their star attacking midfielder will likely be the key to their success. Currently at Arsenal， the 25-year-old has been compared， perhaps not unreasonably， to French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane for his finesse42)， precision， and improvisational43) skills. Ozil suffered a hamstring injury earlier this year， but has returned to club action and will be looking to get back in form quickly. If Ozil is healthy and leading the charge44)， the Germans should have no problems making a deep run in this World Cup.德國隊是本屆巴西世界杯的幾個奪冠熱門球隊之一，而他們的攻擊型前衛很可能將是他們制勝的關鍵。這名現效力于阿森納足球俱樂部的25歲球員因其技巧、精確度和臨場應變能力而被人們拿來和法國足壇傳奇名將齊內丁·齊達內比較，這樣的比較也許不無道理。今年年初，厄齊爾曾經肌腱受傷，不過現已回到俱樂部參加比賽，并有望很快恢復狀態。如果厄齊爾能夠完全康復并在世界杯比賽中帶領球隊出戰，那么德國隊在這屆世界杯上取得好成績就不成問題了。29.powerhouse [#712;pa#650;#601;ha#650;s] n. 充滿力量的人

30.oranje: [荷蘭語]橙色，這里指荷蘭國家足球隊。橙色是荷蘭的國色，荷蘭國家足球隊也被稱為“橙色風暴荷蘭隊”或“橙色軍團”。

31.replicate [#712;repl#618;ke#618;t] vt. 復制；使復現

32.inspired [#618;n#712;spa#618;#601;d] adj. 擁有優秀能力(或品質)的

33.on a tear: 突然爆發能量

34.hoist [h#596;#618;st] vt. 舉起；抬起

35.penchant [#712;pent#643;#601;nt] n. 愛好；嗜好；偏好

36.watch for: 密切關注

37.sprint [spr#618;nt] vi. (短距離)沖刺

38.enigmatic [#716;en#618;ɡ#712;m#230;t#618;k] adj. 神秘的；謎一般的

39.maddeningly [#712;m#230;dn#618;#331;li] adv. 令人生氣地；讓人極為沮喪地；使人極其惱火地

40.GliAzzurri: (= the Blues)藍色軍團，指意大利國家足球隊。

41.square off: 擺好(打斗的架勢)，準備迎戰

42.finesse [f#618;#712;nes] n. 技巧；策略

43.improvisational [#716;#618;mpr#601;va#618;#712;ze#618;#643;nl] adj. 即興的

44.lead the charge: 帶領；打頭陣