“They are hopeless. They are bad people… I want nothing to do with Spain.” These are the words of US President Donald Trump at the recent NATO summit. As it happens in life, these statements came back like a boomerang. A few days passed and it was the head of the White House who handed over the trophy to the new world champions.
The twenty-third World Championship has ended. They will be defined by Trump’s grand pronouncements, megalomania, controversies, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s tears, Spain’s perfect tactics and boring finals.
There will also be mention of extremely expensive tickets, not allowing the referee and some fans into the USA, or the disadvantage of the Iranian national team.
Embarrassing Trump show with Infantino
The most negative characters of the championship were Donald Trump and the head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino. Even before the final, both praised each other for “the most successful sporting event in the history of the world”. However, it was rather megalomaniac and controversial.
Trump’s phone call to Infantino and his request to cancel the red card of American Folarin Balogun will go down in football history.
The American president’s excuses that he didn’t even know what a red card meant and just wanted both teams to play in the best lineup seemed comical. The head of the White House showed several times during the championship and before it that he absolutely does not understand football.
The most powerful man in world football, Infantino, could only nod. Their performance was symbolically ended by an embarrassing moment at the sale of medals and the winning trophy. It happened what everyone expected. Trump remained on stage with the celebrating Spaniards, and Infantino tried to signal to him that he should leave.
Earlier, Trump was booed by fans and Argentine defender Cristian Romero did not shake his hand. However, it is not yet known whether it was intentional.
FIFA, in cooperation with the USA, turned the World Cup into a very embarrassing show. Hydration breaks did not help the pace of the matches too much. Instead of two halves, we suddenly had four quarters and added commercials.
The highlight was the halftime show in the final, which was as boring as the match itself. Who would have thought a few years ago that the most surprising moment of the World Cup final would be Ronaldo and Ronaldinho carrying Madonna.
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Football won over brutality
There could not have been a greater contrast between the final matches in Lusail, Qatar, and in New Jersey. Four years ago we saw total football with six goals and a dramatic end in a penalty shootout. On Sunday, it was a game of one half. Argentina became the first team in history to not have a single shot on target in the final. Spain didn’t allow her anything and wiped out the entire offensive led by Messi.
If, after such a performance, Argentina took the match to penalties and won, football would have no logic. In the history of championships, we probably won’t find a more deserved victory than the Spanish one.
Argentina did not win many fans in the final. And it wasn’t just for the defensive game, but especially for the huge aggressiveness. Everything escalated after the final whistle, when her players tackled the celebrating Spaniards. The final match was aptly named by the British Daily Telegraph, who wrote that football triumphed over Argentine brutality.
Spain had a perfect tournament. It went through him inconspicuously. While there was talk of the strong offensive of France, the combativeness of England and Argentina, the genius of Messi and Mbappé, the Spanish progressed quietly. They conceded only one goal in eight matches. And they had no easy opponents. They eliminated Portugal, Belgium, France and finally conquered Argentina.
La Furia Roja from 2026 is very strikingly reminiscent of the one from 2010. In South Africa, they got two goals. Even then, she started with a stumble, when she lost the opening duel with Switzerland. Now it was a draw with Cape Verde. The team around Xavi, Iniesta and Casillas also went to the title after winning 1:0 in extra time.
Tiki-taka rules the world again after 16 years. Luis de la Fuente perfected it. It is no longer a boring thousand passes, it is more offensive. But he can still paralyze the opponent by holding the ball. The French, who had the best attack in the championship, felt it the most. But the Spaniards showed probably the best tactical performance against them in the history of the World Cup.
Spain did not have great individuals. The tournament did not go as expected for rising star Lamin Yamal. But it had Rodri, the conductor of the midfield, who had absolute control over the course of the match.
Rodri became the best player of the championship. Although before the final, it was more expected that Lionel Messi could win the trophy. But in the final match, he disappeared, like all of Argentina.
Messi and Mbappe
Despite this, the genius from Rosario was the central figure of the past month. Without him, Argentina would have ended up very far from the final gates.
At the age of 39, he gave an incredible performance. He was a leader, commanding turnovers in games that already looked hopeless.
He was more emotional on the field than in the past. He cried after winning duels in the playoffs. He knew that every duel could be his last in the national jersey. If you are not a fan of the overseas MLS, in which Messi plays, then you probably saw him in a competitive game for the last time on Sunday.
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The world’s media raced in bombastic headlines about the fact that the debate about the best soccer player of all time was finally over. It never ends.
However, Messi gave both fans and critics strong arguments to be considered the greatest player in history. And his second lost final won’t change anything about that.
Kylian Mbappé is also one of the great figures of the world championships. The French captain became the top scorer when he surpassed Messi by two goals. And he is also the best scorer in the history of the World Cup. Although the national team did not make it to the finals for the third time in a row, they will still have several opportunities to improve their record. Already under the baton of the new coach Zinedine Zidane.
Surprises and disappointments
The championship also brought other interesting stories. The most beautiful one was written by Cape Verde and Norway. The African archipelago in the Atlantic with half a million inhabitants did not lose to Spain or Argentina.
The round-of-16 battle with the later vice-champions of the world was one of the most exciting in the tournament. There wasn’t much missing and they would make for the surprise of the century. Sidney Lopes Cabral scored the most beautiful goal of the championship. The former Trenčín goalkeeper Vozinha also caught the attention, becoming a star on social networks and gaining 30 million followers on Instagram.
He also pleasantly surprised Egypt, who had Argentina on their shoulders in the round of 16. At some points, Mohammed Salah’s team were rightly angry with the referee for influencing the match.
The rise of Africa was confirmed by Morocco. It showed everyone that the fourth place from Qatar was no accident.
If we think about the just ended World Cup, the rowing of the Norwegian fans comes to mind. The Northerners eliminated Brazil in the round of 16 and were a balanced opponent of England in the quarter-finals. Erling Haaland scored seven goals in his championship debut. The Norwegians were a pleasant refreshment of the tournament, they enjoyed the game and their fans took over the stadiums.
The most successful teams of the past were the most disappointing. Five-time world champions Brazil and four-time champions Germany could not come close to the most famous times again. Joga Bonito (The Beautiful Game), which has been used for many decades, is slowly disappearing from Brazil’s DNA. In the loss to Norway, they had just 34 percent possession, an absolute nightmare for a country that is the epitome of football.
Germany, on the other hand, cannot get back to its machine football. Since the title in 2014, it has never reached the round of 16.
In addition to Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar also said goodbye in tears. Both have been under enormous pressure in their respective countries throughout their careers. In the end, not one of them was able to fulfill the dreams of the fans in the form of the world champion title. Luka Modrič, the best player of the championship in 2018, is also leaving the world’s highest forum.
The world championships in the USA, Canada and Mexico were certainly not among the best. However, they were the most successful in terms of earnings. They were marked by the “Americanization of football”. And several of these elements will probably gradually become established in other competitions as well.
Thanks to the expansion, they were also the largest. If someone thought 48 teams was a lot, they will probably be disappointed. In four years it may be even more. With current statements, FIFA is already preparing the ground for the expansion of the championship to 64 teams. More matches, more viewers and more advertising means more money.
Source: Postoj
