JUL 1st: The World Cup was mediocre, Germany was a shadow of its former self and Rivaldo or Roberto Carlos was the tournament's best player, not eight-goal hero Ronaldo, according to former great Diego Maradona.

"This tournament was mediocre and the final was not a great final," he told a news conference in Tokyo today, the day after Ronaldo's two goals gave Brazil a 2-0 win over Germany for a record fifth World Cup.

"Germany was one of the worst Germanies I have seen in my life. Brazil was a handful of individuals. It was not a team," said the 41-year-old hero of Argentina's 1986 World Cup triumph.

Despite many pundits hailing the return of Brazilian flair and proclaiming Ronaldo the star of the tournament, Maradona had other ideas.

"If I were to choose the best two players, they are Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos," he said.

"The man who gave Brazil the trophy is obviously Ronaldo but he was not the best man because his knee was hurting so he could not perform well technically.

"But we should give him the trophy for the passion and the heart he had for this tournament," Maradona said. "If Ronaldo's knee is healed, he could probably and easily be the best man for the next tournament.

"If we need to consider Ronaldo as the best player because of the marketing problems, advertising problems and sponsor problems, it is okay. But he was not fit."

The chubby South American praised Senegal, who beat 1998 champions France 1-0 in the opening match and became the first African team in 12 years to reach the World Cup last-eight, for showing "great potential as a team."

He said they could have been even better if they had smoothed out the physical side to their play.

"Soccer is about technique but not about who breaks the legs of other players," he said. "So letting four or five play soccer and the rest do that is not the healthiest way."

Maradona also said he liked co-host South Korea, who lost to Turkey in the third-place play-off and the United States, who lost to Germany in the quarter-finals, for their fighting spirit despite the lack of footballing tradition.

"This gives soccer a chance. If you work hard, something can be done," he said.

Maradona said South Korea's Ahn Jung-Hwan did the right thing as a footballer when he scored a golden goal in his team's 2-1 victory over favoured Italy in the second round, incensing the head of his Italian club Perugia.

Perugia president Luciano Gaucci bitterly condemned Ahn for his role in South Korea's stunning second round win and said he would sack the South Korean.

The decision was later withdrawn but Ahn decided to leave Perugia.

"The best thing and only thing he (Ahn) could do is to defend his own flag. And it was against Italy," Maradona said.

"He didn't care about the contract, he just cared about defending his own country in the World Cup." - AFP