Budweiser Man of the Match: Carlos TEVEZ (ARG)

21 June 2006

Argentina forward Carlos Tevez showed why so many European teams are trying to pry him away from Brazilian side Corinthians with his impressive display of hard work and attacking skill in his team’s final group match against the Netherlands, and the performance earned him Budweiser Man of the Match honours.

Although strike-partner Lionel Messi also displayed some dazzling skills, Tevez’s combination of strength, speed and skills proved to be a constant danger to the Dutch defenders, and when virtually everyone else seemed to settle for a point late in the match, Tevez was still working to try to get the match-winner, latching onto a long ball and firing a powerful volley just wide in injury time.

“In an evenly contested match, Tevez was the strongest,” said FIFA Technical Study Group member Jim Selby.

“He fought for every ball and caused problems for Netherlands not only with his attacking play, but also by occasionally dropping back into midfield to win the ball and even helped the defenders.

"Ultimately, he made several efforts to create his own scoring chances. For his work in the attack and also his collaboration with the defence, he is the Budweiser Man of the Match.”