The FIFA world cup 2022 in Qatar concluded a couple of days back with the heartthrob of millions, Lionel Messi, finally getting his hands on the coveted trophy after 5 attempts. It was a surreal feeling for Argentina and Messi fans across the globe. The game ebbed and flowed for 120 minutes and eventually, it took some Martinez brilliance to stop France from winning the trophy twice in a row.
Every event teaches us some lessons and this year’s FIFA football world cup was no different. Here are some key takeaways from Qatar’s recently concluded football world cup.
- Messi is a Legend – Sometimes in the sporting world, we define an athlete by the number of trophies and medals they have won. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar faced this and the case was no different with Lionel Messi until recently. Messi has won a Copa America, 4 Champions League titles, 7 Ballon d’Ors and many other awards but his legacy came down to one trophy – the FIFA World Cup. Since his debut, Messi has lived under the shadow of Argentine great Diego Maradona who brought the last world cup to Argentina in 1986. Now, with the biggest trophy in the cabinet, Messi has shrugged off the question mark “Is Messi one of the Best Football Players in the World” from his shoulder.
- Africa has the Potential to Become the Football Powerhouse – Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-final of a FIFA world cup and their style of play captured the heart of football fans globally. Morocco put their best foot in FIFA World Cup 2022 and beat some top-ranked teams like Portugal, Spain and Belgium. Their performance in this year’s football world cup has brought hope to the continent. Before this, only thrice an African nation made it to the quarter-finals – Ghana (2010), Senegal (2002) and Cameroon (1990).
- The Future Looks Good – Every FIFA World Cup springs a handful of new talents that reassure the football fans that the sport is in safe hands. The Qatar world cup also sprung some bright talents to the forefront. Apart from the Argentine youngster Enzo Fernandez (Best Young Player of FIFA 2022), the competition brought others like Goncalo Ramos from Portugal, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka from England, Aurelien Tchouameni from France, Jamal Musiala from Germany, Vinicius Jr. from Brazil and Pedri from Spain to the limelight. Football fans are assured that the game is in the hands of these bright youngsters and they will win many accolades for their respective nations and clubs.
- Kilian Mbappe is the Next Big Thing in Football – The 23-year-old French footballer gave a glimpse of being the next big thing in football during the FIFA World Cup in 2018. This year, that glimpse became a statement. Mbappe netted the ball 8 times this FIFA world cup. He also holds the record of scoring a hat trick in a world cup final. These are just early signs that he is going to be the next big thing in the soccer world. However, if he stays injury-free, we might see him in the league of Messi and Ronaldo in a couple of years. Mbappe is also just 4 goals shy of equalling the 16-goal record (highest) of Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who achieved this milestone in 4 world cups. Currently, he stands equal with the legendary Pele with 12 goals in the multi-team format.
- World Cup Heroes and Age do not Go Parallelly – Age is just a number for world cup heroes who remain on the side of the age spectrum. These heroes prove to us time and again that experience has no match when it comes to big games. This year, we saw the following players who defied their age clock and showed us they can compete equally fiercely with the young legs –
- Luka Modric (37), Croatia
- Nicolas Otamendi (34), Argentina
- Angel Di Maria (34), Argentina
- Lionel Messi (35), Argentina
- Olivier Giroud (36), France
- Cristiano Ronaldo (35), Portugal
- Thiago Silva (28), Brazil
- Sergio Busquets (34), Spain