Marcel Desailly

France always has been better known for its appreciation of art, romance and fine dining than for the muscular tenacity typically attributed to northern and eastern European countries. Historically, the more subtle French sensibility had seeped into the...

There hasn't been a repeat World Cup champion in 40 years, not since Brazil in 1962, and that team had Pele on its roster. Brazil came reasonably close four years ago, taking its defense of the 1994 championship to the final round. There, the...

For Asia, it is confirmation that, at last, it is ready for the big leagues. For Japan and South Korea, it is a chance to out-promote, out-accommodate, out-sell and out-host one another, with the rest of the world watching, for 31 hyper-kinetic, hyper-...