World Cup football is never just football. Although only days have passed since the end of the tournament, we look back with longing…
Football’s most iconic stop, the World Cup, has closed its doors again for four years, which it opened four years later. The 2022 edition, which was held with the controversial hosting of Qatar, won hearts with its story-based struggles despite the negative impression it created at the first moment. Highest scoring World Cup in history; It was crowned with one of the most special final matches in history, and Lionel Messi stepped off the stage, strengthening his claim to be the greatest football player in history. Of course, although the overall narrative was centered around Messi and Argentina, the big picture wasn’t just about them. We’re talking about 29 days when Cristiano Ronaldo took the World Cup stage for the last time, teams such as Japan and Morocco challenged giants, and Kylian Mbappe was very close to breaking records at a young age. From 64 matches, 172 goals and countless stories… Let’s take a look at a few:
Fairytale
Moroccan coach Walid Regragui, who walked to the semi-finals in Qatar and scored the best in the cup history of an African team, compared his stories to one of Hollywood’s most famous fictional athletes, Rocky Balboa saying, “Supporting Rocky because of his heart and passion. We are as brave as he is, as passionate as he is…” Moreover, the Moroccan team combined their passion with an extremely talented and disciplined group of players. Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri, who are already playing in the strong teams of Europe; Sofyan Amrabat, who had a great tournament, combined with relatively surprising names such as Azzedine Ounahi and Sofiane Boufal, resulting in an unforgettable result. Outstanding team defense at all levels; Belgium finished in fourth place, stopping Spain and Portugal, losing to Morocco, France and Croatia, who came in the last four. Yet no one will forget them…
Sadness
Being on the side of the best football player debate means achieving a lot. Being in the second step of the discussion is also very sad… Because there are huge egos fueled by incredible skill and great achievements. The only thing that drives them to the top is their hatred of defeat. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Qatar adventure, “nemesis”, which has recently come to the fore with his problems with his club Manchester United rather than his merits, could have strengthened his hand against Messi. The Portuguese star was an invaluable experience boost for the young core of his team, even though his physical level had declined, and his acuity was below his previous level. The legend, who opened the tournament by scoring a goal against Ghana, could not bring the rest and was left as a substitute by his teacher Fernando Santos. When the quarter-finals, in which he entered the game as a saver against Morocco, were over, he was on his way to the dressing room in tears. Maybe most of all with the sadness of the second place…
