Ever wondered what squad Facebook would take to the 2014 World Cup if it were a country? No, me neither. But what if a world’s best squad was picked for the upcoming tournament that was based solely on fan popularity, and more accurately, how many likes their Facebook pages have?
The usual suspects all feature, but the old rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rages on as the two head the squad with a combined 126m likes. But two men don’t make a squad, and even the all-conquering world of Facebook will have a difficult time in Brazil with just two players.
So here is the squad of 23, made up predominantly of Spanish, German, Brazilian, Argentinian and Uruguayan players (and a sole Englishman even sneaks in!) that we feel can go on to World Cup glory.
Fifa World Cup 2014: Facebook announces its squad for Brazil
Fifa World Cup 2014: Facebook announces its squad for Brazil
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1/23 Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
The Ballon d’Or winner is set to sparkle in Brazil after scoring four against Sweden in the play-offs, and the Portuguese star lead the way in the Facebook squad with over 80m likes.
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2/23 Lionel Messi - Argentina
Closely following his long-time adversary and rival to the best player in the world claim, Messi weighs in with 56m likes – though he is a significant way off Ronaldo. Can he show up the Real star in Brazil?
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3/23 Kaka - Brazil
Left-out of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Brazil squad, Kaka still cuts the mustard in the social media world, coming in with a creditable 27m following his Facebook page. Unfortunate for the Brazilian midfielder and former player of the year, the only reason he’ll be going to Brazil this summer is for a holiday back to his homeland.
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4/23 Andres Iniesta - Spain
Spain’s midfield maestro struck the winning goal in the 2010 final to send Spain into a frenzy of celebrations. Can the Barcelona great do it again, or is the 2014 World Cup a step too far for Vicente del Bosque’s side?
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5/23 Wayne Rooney - England
The first (and only) Englishman to feature in the top-23, Rooney checks-in level with Andres Iniesta with 19m likes on his Facebook page. The talented Manchester United forward will once again be tasked with firing England to glory – talk about the weight of a nation on your shoulders.
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6/23 Mesut Ozil - Germany
The £42.5m Arsenal signing may have had an up-and-down season since making his Emirates debut last year, but he still ranks solidly just 1m behind Rooney and Iniesta. Ozil is also part of a much-fancied Germany side that needs to deliver on its potential sooner rather than later.
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7/23 Neymar - Brazil
Having caused a stir over his overall transfer fee in his move from Santos to Barcelona, Neymar also racks up the millions on Facebook, and the 22-year-old is under pressure to deliver a World Cup triumph on home soil.
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8/23 Iker Casillas - Spain
Having been left out of the Real Madrid side that will contest the La Liga title in the coming weeks, Casillas has remained a key figure in getting his club to the Champions League final, and with Voctor Valdes already ruled out of the tournament, the 32-year-old is expected to lead the Spanish into battle once more.
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9/23 David Villa - Spain
Villa may no longer be a shoe-in for the Spain starting line-up, but he for this squad as 13m will be following his escapades in Brazil through his Facebook page. The Ateltico Mardird forward could head to South America with another Champions League crown to his name, should Atletic overcome their fierce rivals Real.
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10/23 Ronaldinho - Brazil
No longer in the running for the accolade of the world’s best players, Ronaldinho is still doing his thing back home in Brazil, and the 34-year-old, who currently plays for Atletico Mineiro, still enjoys a following of 17m fans.
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11/23 Gerard Pique - Spain
One of just two defenders in the squad, the Facebook 23 is certainly attacking minded, and Pique will have to take on a fair share of responsibility to make sure things are kept tight at the back. However, the Barcelona centre-back will have 11m supporters cheering him on the social media waves.
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12/23 Karim Benzema - France
Benzema has formed a formidable relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale this season that has helped the Real Madrid star wrestle back his starting berth from Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud. France will hope they can rely on Benzema to fire them to another World Cup success.
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13/23 Sergio Ramos - Spain
The Spain defender may be notorious for his ill-discipline and habit to see red, but he has also struck some crucial goals on both the domestic and European stage for Real this season. Travelling as the second of two defenders, the Spaniard will have to team up with his compatriot Pique to keep the rest of the world at bay.
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14/23 Diego Forlan - Uruguay
Not quite the force he was at the last World Cup, Forlan still has a nose for a goal, as well as a Facebook like. The Uruguayan maintains 4.7m followers through social media, and along with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani will be responsible for building on his side’s third place in South Africa four years ago.
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15/23 Radamel Falcao - Colombia
The Colombian striker may be an injury doubt for the World Cup due to a serious knee injury, but we’d take the risk and include him as the Monaco forward brings 8m fans with him.
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16/23 Mario Balotelli - Italy
Everyone’s favourite Italian bad boy makes the list with an impressive 6.6m fans. Never far from the headlines, you can expect fireworks from Balotelli in Brazil.
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17/23 Angel Di Maria - Argentina
The Real star may be the quieter figure in Carlo Ancelotti’s lethal attack, but the winger is set to take a prominent role for Argentina alongside the likes of Messi, Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain.
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18/23 Sergio Aguero - Argentina
The Manchester City striker could head to Brazil with a second Premier League winners’ medal in his trophy cabinet, but a World Cup triumph would surely surpass that accolade. Argentina stand a good chance of winning too – no team from outside South America has ever triumphed on the continent.
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19/23 Victor Valdes - Spain
Sadly, Valdes won’t be in Brazil due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury that has already ended his season, but if we could we’d take the goalkeeper regardless. His 5.8m followers will be able to console him as he watches at home from with the rest of us.
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20/23 Luis Suarez - Uruguay
The PFA Player of the Year will back his chances of World Cup glory with Uruguay as he heads back to South America, and the Liverpool striker’s 5.6m fans will be cheering him on in the hunt for silverware this season. Let’s just hope his World Cup doesn’t end like the last, as his goal-line handball against Ghana in the quarter-final will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
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21/23 Robin van Persie - Netherlands
While the striker hasn’t enjoyed his best season at Manchester United, the sole Dutchman in the squad will be confident that the Netherlands will have an impact on the latter stages of the competition.
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22/23 Mario Gotze - Germany
Gotze’s debut season at Bayern Munich has seen him clinch a Bundesliga title and could yet yield another German Cup, but the midfielder would love a World Cup crown to his name. All this, and he’s still just 21-year-old. Think how many likes he could add to his current total of 5.2m!
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23/23 Pedro - Spain
Selection for the squad went down to the wire, but it’s Barcelona and Spain winger Pedro who scrapes in by the skin of his teeth. Weighing in with 3.4m likes on Facebook, Pedro has 23.5% of the following that his (new) team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo holds. While he’s got some work to do on the social media front, Ronaldo will be deeply envious of his World Cup and European Championship victories.
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Do you agree? Leave your opinion on whether this squad would be able to gel together or if there are too many egos to cope with in one squad.
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