Spain was crowned the new world champion in South Africa after beating the Netherlands 1-0 in a tactical game on July 11. The 2010 World Cup brought the best and worst of many. Here is a quick recap:

The Golden Ball went to Diego Forlán, who propelled Uruguay to the semifinals. The Golden Boot goes to Germany’s Thomas Mueller, who scored five goals and three assists. The Golden Glove goes to Spain’s Iker Casillas, who came up with big saves in the final. New Zealand returned a national hero after tying in three matches in the group stage. The CONMEBOL brought honor to South America after all their teams qualified to the second round. Ghana showed the world that it will be a force to contend with in 2014. 

The biggest disappointment of the tournament: Italy and France earned two and three points, respectively. Do you believe in curses? We should ask the superstar who appeared in the Nike ad, “Write the future.” All the stars in the commercial (with the exception of the three Spanish players) have fallen short of expectations and had early exits in the World Cup. Another disappointment: the referees and their controversial calls, which caused an almost universal call for the addition of instant replay in soccer.

Whatever FIFA decides to do, one thing is clear: the road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil starts now.