THE GAME (G.3): A Primer (Reprise)
Photo courtesy of Jared Tarbell
THE GAME Meta is now on Twitter and if there is something Twitter has taught us, it is the importance of concise, to the point language. Admittedly, preceding iterations of GAME primers have sorely lacked clarity and conciseness.
THE GAME takes time to explain and it would be impossible (although we’re trying) to explain it in a 140 character tweet, but here is a revised, and hopefully easier to understand, primer on THE GAME:
In general, THE GAME aggregates, (re)creates, resurrects or recombines ideas, news, information, technologies, entertainment, created works and services from the real and online worlds; the "byproducts" of these initial processes can then aggregate, be (re)created, be resurrected or recombine into endless competitive nodes. The totality of these nodes make up THE GAME.
The current version of THE GAME (version 0.3), or G.3 ("G point three"), is a perpetually evolving, open-ended and openly innovated omni-competition. THE GAME includes every idea and activity (or node) from the worlds of sports & recreation, business, politics, technology, internet, science, arts & entertainment, and life/style, and can be blended in endless ways with each other or with every newly created or derived idea and activity from the same worlds. Simultaneously, THE GAME also includes the endless modifications, recombinations (mashups, remixes, etc.) or blending (in endless ways) of every idea and activity (existing, created or derived) from the worlds of sports & recreation, business, politics, technology, internet, science, arts & entertainment, and life/style.
THE GAME is an open and additive system. All the aggregate guidelines and rules (see the original guidelines and rules) that exist, created or modified in THE GAME derive from an open, flexible and extensible framework . THE GAME framework can be distilled as follows:
- THE GAMEs’ participants and developers can include anyone.
- THE GAMEs’ nodes can consist of or be based on anything.
- THE GAME can take place anywhere.
- THE GAME can take place at anytime.
- GAME participants can participate in any way (all of THE GAME, several nodes in THE GAME or a single node in THE GAME; as casual, competitive or professional participants).
- If a node in THE GAME does not exist, participants and developers are free to create a new or modify an existing node; adding to THE GAME.
THE GAME: Node Links
1. ESPN columnist Bill Simmons pens a hilarious and entertaining recap of Wrestlemania XXVI. Amid the hilarity, Simmons makes an observation that directly relates to THE GAME:
“Am I the only one who's always wanted to see a triple-threat match in boxing or the UFC? Wouldn't this save boxing undercards?”
2. Founded by artist Tom Russotti, The Institute for Aesthletics is:
“an organization dedicated to the playing of sports as an artistic practice. Aesthletics is a conscious acknowledgment of sport, especially contemporary spectator sports, as a mixture of physical activity, social interaction, movement, performance, and ritual. Aesthletics aims to unleash the great opportunities inherent in competitive contests for social rather than monetary capital. As such, aesthletics merges the language of sports with the methods and goals of participatory art to produce games that foster social interaction, deliver significant meaning and context, and promote a more creative and widespread culture of socio-physical activity. The process of aesthletics includes inventing new sports, developing site and people-specific games, creating concurrent games-related performances, developing unconventional uniform and team identities, experimenting with practices of documentation, and promoting collaboration with artists and athletes. The ultimate goal of aesthletics is to create a more meaningful and socially productive method of playing physical games.”
Some of the many sports that the Institute has conceived and developed include MegaSoccer, Mercury and wiffle hurling:
Related content: an IdeaBOARD post about “Aesthletics”
3. As a practicing dentist, I find that identifying and treating the MB2 canal (a hard to find fourth canal present in approximately 95% of upper first molars) on an upper first molar is one of the more challenging and rewarding things to do in endodontics. Dr. Glen Van As, from North Vancouver, B.C., shows how he finds the MB2 using a high magnification dental operating microscope and ultrasonic instrumentation.
Here’s a reference for some of the terminology that Dr. Van As uses in the video:
Apically: towards the root of the tooth.
Mesial: towards the front of the mouth.
Distal: towards the back of the mouth.
Buccal: towards the tooth surface that is next to your cheeks.
Palatal: towards the surface of the tooth that is next to your palate.
4. A gallery of favorite Editors’ photos from the pages of Architectural Digest.
5. Andy from Spawn of MZone proposes his helmet redesigns for the Big Ten in his “Big Televen Makeover”.
THE GAME Training: Herschel Walker’s Advanced Training Regimen, Week Three
Here is week three of Herschel Walker’s recommended advanced training regimen from his book, Herschel Walker’s Basic Training.
THE ADVANCED PROGRAM
WEEK THREE: Monday, Friday—Morning Session
Warm-ups: 30 jumping jacks. Run in place for 4 minutes.
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Jogging: 10 minutes.
Karate:
Straight punch—30 per arm
Groin strike—30 per arm
Open-hand strike to face—30 per arm
Roundhouse kick—30 per leg
Front snap kick to the midsection—30 per leg
Front snap kick to the head—30 per leg
Sliding back kick—30 per leg
Agility:
Squat thrust—35
Sideways box hop—45
Backward and forward box hop—45
Half-turn—45
Push-ups: 100 total. Do as many as possible, rest, then continue until all 100 have been done. If these are easy, elevate your feet at least 8 inches.
Sit-ups: 120 total. Try to do these as 2 sets. If you can do these easily, hold a small weight behind your head to increase the resistance.
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Monday, Friday—Afternoon Session
Warm-ups: 30 jumping jacks. Run in place for 4 minutes.
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Jogging: 4 minutes.
Weight training:
Power pull—1 x10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Squat—1 x 10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Bench press—1 x 10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Close-grip bench press—1 x 10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Bent-forward row—1 x 10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Crunch—85 (break into sets if necessary)
Twisting sit-up—70 (break into sets if necessary)
Basketball: 30 minutes
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Wednesday
Wednesday’s workouts should be identical to those of Monday and Friday except for the weight work in the afternoon. Follow this program on Wednesday for your lifting:
Weight training:
Lunge—1 x 10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Chin—3 x 10, 1 set to failure
Curl—1 x 10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Triceps press—1 x 10 warm-up, 3 x 10 target weight
Weighted sit-up—3 x 20
Leg raise—70
Tuesday, Saturday—Morning Session
Warm-ups: 30 jumping jacks. Run in place for 4 minutes.
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Jogging: 5 minutes.
Sprinting: 3 x 880-yard strides (quarter to half speed). 2 x 440-yard strides (half speed). 1 x 300-yard stride (three-quarter speed)
Hill running: 5 x 40-yard strides (half speed).
Dumbbell runs: 4 x 30-yard strides. Make sure to use light dumbbells for this and concentrate on arm position as you run.
Rope skipping: 12 minutes.
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Tuesday, Saturday—Afternoon Session
Warm-ups: 30 jumping jacks. Run in place for 4 minutes.
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Karate:
Straight punch—30 per arm
Groin strike—30 per arm
Open-hand strike to face—30 per arm
Roundhouse kick—30 per leg
Front snap kick to the midsection—30 per leg
Front snap kick to the head—30 per leg
Sliding back kick—30 per leg
Basketball: 40 minutes.
Water work:
Run in water—10 minutes
Water karate (kicks and punches)—10 minutes
Modified breast stroke—10 minutes
Power clap and other shoulder and arm work—10 minutes
Stretching: Hold each stretch twice for 30 seconds.
Thursday
Morning and afternoon workouts should be identical to those of Tuesday and Saturday except for the sprinting portion of the morning session. On Thursday mornings substitute the tire pull for hill running. On this third week run 5 x 50-yard strides at half speed, pulling a tire with 12 to 15 pounds inside it. Then, rather than dumbbell sprints, wear a weighted vest and run 4 x 200-yard strides at half to three-quarter speed.
David Sills, USC Football and Their Place in THE GAME
When USC head coach Lane Kiffin offered a football scholarship and subsequently received a verbal commitment from 13-year old quarterback prodigy David Sills this past February, a common reaction in the sports media went sort of like this.
When I first came across this story, I must admit, I too was uneasy about a seventh grader receiving and accepting a scholarship offer from a major college football power at such a young age. After all, history is replete with child prodigies who made successful transitions to adult accomplishment, but there are as many, if not more, who did not. In this context, several thoughts came quickly to mind.
I reflected on how I would react if my 2 1/2-year old son was in the same position. I concluded that if USC was my son’s dream school and USC‘s head coach and my son’s personal coach thought he already had the ability to receive a college football scholarship in four years…why wouldn’t we accept the offer? The maturity level of a 13-year old boy (or lack of) is usually unquestioned. But, if such an important decision is made in conjunction with sound parental deliberation and a nurturing environment that enables a child to gently develop his or her talent, would this be any less of an informed decision?
On one hand, there is little doubt that Sills was deserving of the offer. Steve Clarkson, is Sills’ personal coach and he believes Sills is physically and mentally (in a football sense) qualified to receive a USC offer:
"His skill set is off the chart," Clarkson said. "I've never seen anyone at his age do what he's been able to do."
The commitment has happened in college basketball previously, but is unprecedented for college football where it's harder to project how a player as young as Sills will develop physically. Clarkson says that won't be a problem.
"He's already six feet as a 13-year old," Clarkson said. "And he's breaking down NFL footage."
But on the other hand, a troubling question remains: is it possible to nurture Sills’ talent in a way that allows him to develop his special talent in an emotionally healthy way?
As a very bright and gifted child, Alissa Quart, now an adult, sought out former prodigies and gifted kids, as well as the parents of high-achieving children while researching her book Hothouse Kids: The Dilemma of the Gifted Child and offered some commonsense advice about raising gifted children:
"Designating children as gifted, especially extremely gifted, and cultivating that giftedness may be not only a waste of money, but positively harmful," she writes. "The overcultivated can develop self-esteem problems and performance anxiety.”
…[In a in a September 2006 interview with Time, Quart shares that parents should] Emphasize the work in itself, the process itself, the activity. The kids are trying, they're doing a good job, they're learning how to do something. Each thing they do is discrete; it's not part of a larger identity of being spectacular."
Obviously, Lane Kiffin is not suggesting that a 13-year old boy is ready to join his football team now and compete at a high level in elite college football. Nor is he suggesting that Sills’ verbal commitment is binding; signing a letter of intent to attend USC is—which Sills must sign when he is a high school senior. But, getting a head start on your competitors for the services of a young talent is not illegal nor unethical. At the very worst, especially if Sills does not have the appropriate support system in place, it can potentially lead to stunting the emotional well-being of this young man.
When the vision of THE GAME was conceived we wanted to create an open, flexible and extensible framework on which THE GAME could be built:
“THE GAME framework is simple: participants include anyone and everyone; THE GAME consists of anything and everything; THE GAME takes place anywhere and everywhere; THE GAME takes place at anytime and everytime; THE GAME participants can participate in any way and every way.”
This idea of openness has not changed. The beauty of THE GAME is that as a decentralized body, as it grows and becomes more complex, THE GAME is able to nimbly evolve and refine itself in specific ways that a large bureaucratic organization cannot.
A primary goal of THE GAME will continue to be a platform in which “anyone and everyone” (young, gifted or otherwise) can engage with others (who may happen to be younger or older) in one or more of the vast collection of nodes; while providing a safe and fun experience for everyone involved.
This decentralized framework of THE GAME is destined for abuse and being taken advantage of if not combined with a well-written and enforceable user policy. So we will be debuting a GAME site in the very near future that will feature the following:
- allow user policies and precedents to be proposed and discussed.
- a freely accessible and searchable rule and guideline database.
- systems and processes that will enable our users to propose and implement improvements and modifications.
This proposed site will also host an interim GAME enforcement entity while a more permanent organization is assembled.
So, we want to see gifted children like David Sills have an opportunity to compete in any venue in THE GAME he chooses, but we want him to do it in a way that is ultimately not detrimental to him or his family.
No Reservations: “Into the Fire”
Few competitions are contested as fiercely as the hyper-competitive restaurant business in New York City. Although one wouldn’t immediately consider the kitchen as a segment of THE GAME, the leadership, logistics, attention to details, and teamwork necessary to build and sustain success in the restaurant business (especially in NYC) are identical to any elite team or organization realizing and maintaining success in any endeavor in THE GAME.
In the following video, after eight years away from the daily grind of Brasserie Les Halles‘ kitchen, Tony Bourdain returns for a double shift on the line in an engaging and amusing episode of No Reservations; revealing the inner workings and controlled chaos of a frenetic NYC restaurant.
Here’s part 1:
The Top 10 of “ESPN’s Top 50 Players of the 2010 World Cup” and Their Roles in THE GAME
ESPN.com released its Top 50 Players of the 2010 World Cup yesterday and there were no surprises. While reading the players synopses and scouting reports we thought about how these players’ skills could be utilized in THE GAME and how new nodes could be built around their talents.
Transcribing ESPN.com’s rankings and comments, our analyses of the Top 10 football players in this year’s World Cup and their proposed roles in THE GAME can be found in red font.
1. Lionel Messi
Country: Argentina
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Age: 22
NATIONAL TEAM: 41 appearances, 13 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 3 app, 1 goal
Lionel Messi is the best pound-for-pound soccer player in the world, and perhaps of all time. At 22, Messi has won just about everything there is to win, both individually and in club soccer. Missing is any sort of hardware with Argentina, aside from an Olympic gold medal. Messi's game relies on its unpredictability and magnificent control of the ball, which seldom demurs to anything Messi asks it to do. Listed at a charitable 5-foot-7, he's even a good header. While transcendent with his club, Barcelona, in the last few years (his 17 goals this season are tied for the most in Spain), the knock on Messi has been that he doesn't match that dominance for Argentina. For the most part, this is blamed on Argentina manager Diego Maradona's refusal to deploy him in his natural position -- on the right, allowing him to cut in -- and posting him behind a deep striker instead. Maradona, one of the best of all time as a player, has named Messi his successor as Argentina's soccer savior, a label that has proved disastrous for all others so designated previously by Maradona.
Scouting thumbnail: Technical genius with a low center of gravity and pace who can break down any defense off the dribble and conjure something out of nothing (similar to a basketball point guard or B who, if eligible to do so, has the option of ball distribution responsibilities when he has broken into the second level of the defense). Struggles when used as a striker and prefers playing out wide and cutting in on his left foot (Messi would be best suited on the wide right wing as a SC/TWB and/or a transition player who can blend into another node that requires his skill set; such as a football forward on the right wing passing off to or transitioning into a QB/SC, the main signal caller and ball distributer for wing modules).
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Country: Portugal
Club Team: Real Madrid
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25
NATIONAL TEAM: 68 appearances, 22 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 6 app, 1 goal
"Buy that kid," Manchester United players told manager Alex Ferguson after an 18-year old Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, whose middle name allegedly honors Ronald Reagan, had torched Man U in a friendly in the summer of 2003. Ferguson obliged his players' wishes, shelling out some $20 million and handing Ronaldo the No. 7 jersey, previously worn by legends George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Ronaldo responded by outdoing all of the aforementioned in a six-year romp during which he scored 118 goals and won three Premier League titles, one Champions League and one Club World Cup, swiping 42 individual prizes, including the 2008 FIFA World Footballer of the Year, along the way. Last summer, Ferguson sold him to Real Madrid for a record $132 million. Ronaldo has become a lethal dribbler, superlative header and long-distance shooter and one of the better free-kick takers on the planet and will anchor an aging Portugal looking to shine one last time.
Scouting thumbnail: Explosive, pacy and an astonishingly prolific goal scorer for a winger (with his speed and explosiveness, Ronaldo would be a nice fit on the wings as a football attacker and/or the main playmaker in a wing module). Specializes in long-range free kicks and shows the ability to shoot from anywhere (Ronaldo’s strong accurate leg could also be utilized for long internodal passes in transition zones).
3. Wayne Rooney
Country: England
Club Team: Manchester United
Position: Forward
Age: 24
NATIONAL TEAM: 57 appearances, 25 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 4 app, 0 goals
When Wayne Rooney broke through internationally at just 17 years of age and took his place next to then-England striker Michael Owen, a British journalist referred to them as "the baby-faced assassin and the assassin-faced baby," with Rooney accounting for the less flattering of the descriptions. An England side without him has become unimaginable, as the Liverpool-born Rooney developed into a world-class striker in a country starved for them. The highly athletic Rooney has reinvented his position, swerving all over the attacking half of the field to drop back into midfield when needed or provide the final tap on a goal. With former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo now in Spain, Rooney has carried the scoring load for Man U, leading the Premier League with 23 goals. Rooney sports a tattoo that says, "Just Enough Education To Perform." While this may be generous, his on-field intelligence is off the charts. One half of another British power couple, Rooney and his wife Colleen have taken England by storm, he as a soccer player and she as a fitness guru/fashion commentator of some sort.
Scouting thumbnail: Complete striker who can play anywhere across the front three (Rooney’s power and playmaking ability are best suited for any node or transition module that requires an aggressive power forward in an attacking style of offense). Powerful build and aggressive attitude poses problems for any defense. Can score any type of goal and has improved his finishing skills.
Country: Brazil
Club Team: Real Madrid
Position: Midfielder
Age: 27
NATIONAL TEAM: 73 appearances, 26 goals
WORLD CUP 2002, 2006: 6 app, 1 goal
Kaka belongs to Jesus. The T-shirts he has shown underneath his jersey say so. An oxymoronic principled soccer player, Kaka also happens to be the rare Brazilian star who comes from an upper-middle-class background. Money couldn't tear him away from Milan and its fans. Kaka said he wasn't interested in the heaps of money offered him by Manchester City and Real Madrid. So long as Milan would have him, he would be staying. Milan needed his transfer fee to stay afloat though, so after Kaka won everything there is to win for club and self, Milan sold him to Real Madrid for about $95 million in June. So now Kaka also belongs to Real Madrid. Kaka has become a central figure in manager Dunga's new Brazil, masterminding its lethal counterattacks, which have made a Brazil team not as deep in world-class players as in past years still one of the world's best.
Scouting thumbnail: Knee injuries have sapped some of his speed and he no longer goes on galloping dribbles the entire length of the field. Artistic playmaker who can break down defenses via dribble or pass (Kaka’s ability to dribble across large portions of the field makes him a nice fit for positions that serve as transitional conduits into node positions that have a similar esthetic: basketball point guard, forechecking hockey defenseman/forward, American football kick/punt returner who regularly distributes or laterals the ball to teammates during the return).
Country: Spain
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Age: 30
NATIONAL TEAM: 83 appearances, 8 goals
WORLD CUP 2002, 2006: 7 app, 0 goals
Every soccer team needs a Xavi, a savvy midfielder whose organizational skills are the glue that held both Barcelona and Spain together in their respective runs to glory. Along with Andres Iniesta he makes up the superb engine room for club and country, connecting the dots between those around him with his infallible short passes. The natural successor to Pep Guardiola, now Barcelona's manager, Xavi has been a mainstay in Barcelona's lineup since 1998 after joining the club's academy in 1991. With a contract running through 2014, he isn't liable to be leaving the only employer he has ever had anytime soon. His Player of the Tournament award for Spain's EURO 2008 triumph was justified. Perhaps the best illustration of the force that is Xavi was his performance against archrivals Real Madrid in May 2009, when he notched four assists in a 6-2 Barcelona win.
Scouting thumbnail: Intelligent playmaker who combines precise passes and artistic vision in both the final third and from a deep lying position. The pulse of the Spanish team. Superb ability to keep the ball (ideal SC).
Country: Ivory Coast
Club Team: Chelsea
Position: Forward
Age: 31
NATIONAL TEAM: 65 appearances, 43 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 2 app, 1 goal
When Chelsea splashed out $37 million for him in 2004, Didier Drogba seemingly came out of nowhere, uncommonly late in arriving on the world scene at 26. Now 31, he nonetheless has become one of the world's foremost strikers, and probably the most athletic one. Both captain and all-time leading scorer of Ivory Coast, he will be relied upon to debunk the stereotype that for all their ability, African teams never perform. This robust striker both takes up and covers a lot of real estate, often requiring several opposing defenders to keep him in check -- although Premier League opponents haven't been too successful at that this season, as Drogba ranks second to Wayne Rooney with 19 goals. Known for his big personality and intense looks, Drogba is spectacular to the eye.
Scouting thumbnail: Talismanic striker and physical specimen whose power makes him practically unplayable when he puts his mind to it. Can score all types of goals and excels as a lone front man (Drogba is best suited as a scoring center forward in nodes that utilize formations that place him on the frontlines; either directly behind, in front of, or within the line).
Country: Spain
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25
NATIONAL TEAM: 39 appearances, 6 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 1 app, 0 goals
There's a reason they call him "El Illusionista" -- "The Illusionist." Andres Iniesta is a whimsical playmaker who transcends position and role to create a steady flow of chances for whoever is lucky enough to be playing in front of him. So multifunctional as to be capable of slotting into just about any midfield or attacking job, Iniesta is the creative counterpart to Xavi's pragmatism in Barcelona's and Spain's golden tandem. Coming up as Ronaldinho's understudy, Catalunya and all of Spain now shudder at the thought of life without Iniesta. Luckily, lithe as he may be, he has an uncanny ability to play through injury.
Scouting thumbnail: Small, technical playmaker with low center of gravity and tremendous ball control and creative vision, regarded by some peers as the best player in the world. Very difficult to dispossess and can also run at defenders and take them off the dribble. Sometimes overpasses when he should take the shot himself (Iniesta would be an ideal SC in a centrally positioned module that takes advantage of his vision and playmaking ability).
8. Fernando Torres
Country: Spain
Club Team: Liverpool
Position: Forward
Age: 25
NATIONAL TEAM: 71 appearances, 23 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 4 app, 3 goals
Fernando Torres was born to score goals. He was converted from a goalkeeper to a striker at age 7 and scored 55 goals as a 10-year-old, which caught the attention of his beloved Atlético Madrid, which had relaunched its academy after disbanding it a few years earlier (sending superstar Raul into the arms of Real Madrid). The club wouldn't make that mistake a second time. Torres broke into Atlético's starting lineup at 17 and never did stop scoring goals, earning him a transfer to Liverpool in 2007. At 25, Torres, the embodiment of the modern striker, already has 132 competitive league goals under his belt.
Scouting thumbnail: Well-rounded, pacy striker with tremendous technique who draws much support as the best in the world. Likes to play off the shoulder of the last defender and can finish with aplomb with either foot and is also superb in the air. Can sometimes be thrown off his game if defenders dish out the rough treatment and the referees are lax in calling fouls. Similar to Didier Drogba, Torres fits best in an offense that uses a scoring center forward in nodes that utilize smaller speed formation modules and places him directly behind or on the frontline.
Country: England
Club Team: Liverpool
Position: Midfielder
Age: 29
NATIONAL TEAM: 77 appearances, 16 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 5 app, 2 goals
Dismissed as too slight for professional soccer as a child, Gerrard went on to be voted the second-best Liverpool player of all time by the club's fans and is even a Member of the Order of the British Empire. Several clubs passed on him when he was in his teens, before his hometown Liverpool finally committed to him. Regret it they did not, as Gerrard emerged as a superb attacking midfielder, who also operates as a second striker or as a winger. Gerrard is a nine-year veteran of England, pairing with Frank Lampard to form the best duo of attacking midfielders in the world.
Scouting thumbnail: Complete player who can play virtually anywhere on the field, but excels at club level with his own unique English interpretation of the trequartista role. Combines an explosive long-range shot with aggressive tackling, but struggles at times to shed man markers. As an aggressive defender and attacking midfielder, Gerrard would excel at multiple positions in the defense-offense transition formation module (behind the frontline or as a forward on either wing).
Country: Ghana
Club Team: Chelsea
Position: Midfielder
Age: 27
NATIONAL TEAM: 74 appearances, 10 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 3 app, 0 goals
An elite defensive midfielder who doesn't shy away from attacking, Ghana's Michael Essien is one of Africa's finest. With the help of fellow midfielders Sulley Muntari and Stephen Appiah, Essien led Ghana to the second round in Germany in 2006. Beating the Czech Republic 2-0 and the U.S. 2-1, Ghana's surprise run made it the only African country to survive the group stage. Essien, a two-time African Player of the Year, now has four more seasons as a regular at Chelsea under his belt. His versatility, energy and defensive pedigree make him one of the most consistent and reliable players in the world. Out since mid-January with a knee injury, Essien is expected to return by the World Cup but will need to prove he's fit.
Scouting thumbnail: The world's most dominant defensive midfielder. Covers an incredible amount of territory with boundless energy and the ability to contribute box to box. Possesses a powerful long-range shot. A lockdown defender with a powerful shot, Essien would excel as a defenseman in the defense-offense transition module; behind the line or in defensive modules that utilize a roaming defender behind a first line of defense.
See the rest of the ESPN.com Top 50 Players of the World Cup here.
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