Argentina 2010
Argentina at South Africa 2010 were managed by Diego Maradona the greatest player in their history, now pacing the touchline in a suit and rosary beads. Lionel Messi, already the best player in the world, was surrounded by talent: Carlos Tévez, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Ángel Di María. The group stage was exhilarating a 4-1 win over South Korea and Higuaín's hat-trick in a dazzling 4-1 demolition of the hosts. But the quarter-final against Germany was a brutal reality check: a 4-0 annihilation that exposed the tactical naïvety of Maradona's approach. The genius who had won the 1986 World Cup through individual brilliance could not replicate that magic from the bench. It was Maradona's last match as Argentina manager a chaotic, emotional campaign that was always more about the coach than the team.