With the World Cup reaching the home straight, many of the game's biggest stars have yet to shine.

Some may yet step up and become heroes once more, but at the moment they're stinking up football pitches all over Germany.

We look at some of the worst offenders...

FRANK LAMPARD (ENGLAND)

England's top goalscorer in qualifying, voted the second best player in the world behind Ronaldinho by his fellow players, and winner of back-to-back Premiership titles with Chelsea.

Lampard certainly arrived in Germany with a reputation as one of the best midfielders in the world.

He's now in danger of leaving though with a reputation for being fat, lazy, selfish and crucially unable to strike a bovine behind with a stringed instrument.

Lampard has had a whopping 21 shots on goal in four games in Germany. Miroslav Klose is next on the list with 18, but he's scored four goals. Lampard is yet to break his duck.

Just nine of Lampard's attempts have been on target, and I can't remember any of those forcing the keeper into a meaningful save.

And it's not just the wayward shooting that infuriates. Lampard has contributed virtually nothing to a midfield that should be among the most-feared in the tournament. Indeed, all he seems to do is deny Steven Gerrard space.

Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick have both been used in midfield in this tournament, and both have offered much more to the cause than just clearing the crossbar from 25 yards every 15 minutes.

Lampard is in the team on reputation alone at the moment, but it's a reputation diminishing by the game.

LUCA TONI (ITALY)

Toni arrived in Germany having become the first player in almost 50 years to score more than 30 goals in a Serie A season.

His 31 goals fired Fiorentina to a Champions League place and have attracted the attentions of leading clubs, both in Italy and elsewhere.

But Germany 2006 has been a disaster thus far for Tonigol, with chance after chance spurned, and his partnership with Alberto Gilardino failing to fire.

Italy have somehow scraped through to the last eight, and Toni could yet make himself a hero, but at 29 years old Europe's Golden Boot winner is in danger of blowing what could well be his first and only chance at the highest level.

RONALDINHO (BRAZIL)

He may be unrivalled as the world's greatest player, but he has struggled to impose himself on games during Brazil's run to the last eight.

Indeed, the real trickery behind Brazil's fabled 'Magic Square' seems to be reducing Ronaldinho to the level of mere mortals.

Ronaldo and Adriano may be pilloried for their size, but at least they've weighed in with the goals to get Brazil in to the latter stages, while the fourth point Kaka has enhanced his burgeoning reputation as a player of rare class.

Undoubtedly alongside talent like his comes impossible expectations, but by any reasonable standards the Barcelona wizard has failed to dazzle...so far.

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY (HOLLAND)

Unlike some of the others on this list, van Nistelrooy did not arrive in Germany in high spirits after storming out of Old Trafford before the final game of the Premiership season.

Whether continued uncertainty over his Manchester United future played on his mind is hard to say.

But what is clear as that the Ruud on show here was a pale imitation of the man who has terrorised defences at home and abroad for United.

He did at least manage a goal in the victory over Ivory Coast, but was a virtual spectator for much of that clash and the final group game against Argentina before being reduced to an actual spectator as Holland crashed out in a bad-tempered last-16 clash with Portugal.

THIERRY HENRY (FRANCE)

The world's best striker may have helped himself to goals against the mighty South Korea and Togo, but there's no escaping the fact that Henry for France just doesn't bear comparison to Henry for Arsenal.

For Arsenal, he is the team's talisman, a player of genius who has frequently bailed the team out almost single-handed. His eye for goal and ability to bring onrushing team-mates into the game, allied with electric pace, make him one of the hardest opponents to face.

For France, he appears lethargic and too often finds himself isolated from his team-mates.

Apart from two goals against minnows, Henry's only contribution thus far has been to ensure for the second World Cup running one of the tournament's enduring images will be one of the world's best players throwing himself to the ground clutching his face in feigned agony in a shameful attempt to get an fellow professional sent off.

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (SWEDEN)

Apart from the second half against England, when Ibrahimovic was absent injured, Sweden looked utterly toothless in this World Cup.

As they obligingly rolled over against the hosts in the last 16, much of the attention was on Henrik Larsson and his penalty miss.

But at least Larsson was trying to drag his team back into contention.

Ibrahimovic appeared entirely uninterested in proceedings, apparently unaware he was playing in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

At one point in the first half he simply stood with the ball at his feet for what seemed an eternity before Torsten Frings came and took the ball away and put the big man out of his misery.

Ibrahimovic is clearly a great talent, but when he's bad he is shocking, skulking morosely around the pitch and draining the spirit from team-mates and fans alike.