Stars are born at World Cups and reputations enhanced, but it’s just as much true that those who step on the game‘s grandest stage can fall flat. On their faces.

And in South Africa there hasn’t been any shortage of those.

Without too much prologue, here’s Robert Lusetich’s All Flop Team.

Perhaps the noted astrology buff should’ve read his charts before going to South Africa? But it didn’t take a clairvoyant to see what was wrong with France. The players had no respect for the coach. In a typically French way, the national federation did nothing about it, even though Laurent Blanc was waiting on the sidelines and would’ve rallied the troops. Domenech is, shall we say, a divisive man and well earned his right to coach the All Flops.

The last place in the team was a matter of serious debate, because as noted earlier Iaquinta deserved a shirt on the All Flop squad, as did the sulking Nicolas Anelka or Ayegbeni Yakub of Nigeria, who showed he can miss from anywhere, even right in front of an empty goal. Lionel Messi didn’t score and strictly speaking is a flop even though he didn’t play badly and had good shots saved. In fact, I really wanted to give this shirt to his teammate, Angel di Maria, who was awful, doing nothing but shooting from preposterous angles and distances while managing never to threaten scoring. But Rooney earned his spot; maybe the most potent striker in the game found a way to be entirely missing in action in South Africa.

It’s hard to believe Spain have come so far with no meaningful contribution from their star central striker. Luckily, David Villa has picked up the slack, but Torres is a major concern. He hasn’t been the same player for many months, perhaps because of injury, or perhaps because he’s not happy at Liverpool. His first touch, usually so deadly, has been absent, as has his speed.

The excuse that Portugal didn’t play to Ronaldo’s strengths don’t forgive the many free kicks he sent sailing into Row 75 or the other bad touches that characterized his World Cup. If he’s the star he’s made out to be, he’d find a way to insert himself beyond one late goal in a seven goal rout of North Korea. Uruguay aren’t remotely an attacking-minded team but Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez have done brilliantly by themselves, why not CR7?

Supposedly he's one of the world’s most accomplished midfield generals and yet he gave balls away near his own penalty box like a panicking schoolboy in South Africa. It became obvious just how much Italy’s been hurt by the breaking down of Gennaro Gattuso and the aging of his AC Milan teammate Andrea Pirlo. The Italians now don’t just have a suspect defense and a strike force in Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alberto Gilardino who specialize in firing blanks, but a lack of talent in midfield, too. Coach Marcelo Lippi had no chance with this bunch.

He’s struggled at Juventus, but coach Dunga kept faith in him and it seemed a brilliant move when Melo played the perfect pass that led to Robinho’s opening goal against Holland. But the darker side of Melo haunted him — and Brazil — in the second half. He jumped in front of his goalkeeper and got the fatal touch on Wesley Sneijder’s equalizer and then lost his head entirely, stomping on Arjen Robben and being sent off in ignominy. Robben’s constant rolling around on the ground as if he’s in need of emergency surgery is annoying, to say the least, but an experienced head knows to stay calm, not react in the way Melo did.

A third English starter in the All Flop team. Who could forget the sight of a laboring Barry, who’s supposed to be a holding midfielder, just giving up the chase against the faster thinking Mesut Ozil as he sprinted down the left wing to set up Germany’s fourth goal? Barry contributed precisely nothing to England, other than another pair of slow feet.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley controversially turned to the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder even though Maurice Edu had performed admirably in the role. Bradley had to drag Clark off after 30 minutes against Ghana, but not before the Atlanta native had gifted the Africans a goal that would help end American World Cup dreams.

The Bayern Munich man claims the final spot on behalf of Gabriel Heinze and Nicolas Otamendi, as all three were exposed by Germany in their 4-0 whitewash. Demichelis has nice hair and looks the part, until the whistle is blown. In soccer, central defenders just can’t be slow of foot and have no positional sense.

The hero of Italy’s 2006 World Cup victory was exposed after his big-money transfer to Real Madrid and he was exposed again as he led an inferior Azzuri in South Africa. The nation which invented ‘catenaccio’ (literally, the door bolt), a system which strangles an opponents creativity and scoring chances, simply doesn’t lose 3-2 to Slovakia.

Is there a more overrated player in the world than Terry? Thierry Henry used to say Terry was the easiest centre half to get past in England’s Premier League. Terry’s been lucky to have Ricardo Carvalho alongside him at Stamford Bridge, but he doesn’t have that luxury on the national level. He was left chasing German shadows in England’s darkest hour.

The captain of France needs to have his nation’s best interests at heart and not be leading mutinies against the coach. As dysfunctional the relationship between Raymond Domenech and his players was, the fact is they got to the World Cup final together four years ago. This campaign was sabotaged before it ever got going and the French defense, led by Evra, was horrendous. There’s no doubt in my mind that they quit. Consider that France gave up 21 shots — while taking only 10 — in their 2-1 loss to South Africa. If that were a horse race, officials would be demanding a doping test.

The adidas Jabulani ball was a disaster in the opening rounds as players clearly had no idea how to deal with its idiosyncrasies. But the ball wasn’t to blame for Green’s schoolboy blunder against the United States which set the tone for a miserable campaign for Fabio Capello‘s overrated team. This was just a good, old-fashioned English cock-up.