What I’ve learned about the FIFA World Cup as someone who is very unfamiliar with soccer and never really paid attention to this competition until now.
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I had heard of the players Messi and Ronaldo being the best soccer players in the world, with it being widely debated who was officially the best and who was second best. Unfortunately, I have not watched enough games to provide my own opinion on this matter but the clips I have seen clearly prove they are both very talented. What I do know is that Messi has won the Ballon d’Or (honor awarded to the best soccer player of the year (this is an oversimplification but I would just like to reiterate my unfamiliarity with the sport in general)) 8 times while Ronaldo has won it 6 times. But I will also say that there are various other soccer awards which Ronaldo has won more times than Messi. In my eyes, the data is inconclusive.
Interestingly enough the winning of the World Cup could be the tipping point in this debate. Neither Messi or Ronaldo have won the World Cup and both have stated that this World Cup will be their last. I personally believe they are set on topping their soccer career with this achievement not only for the pride they will bring to their native countries of Argentina (Messi) and Portugal (Ronaldo) but because they will find satisfaction in knowing the other hasn’t achieved this level of success and has missed the opportunity to do so.
Speaking of phenomenal soccer players who have yet to win the World Cup, the Brazilian player Neymar Jr. immediately comes to mind. He quickly became my favorite player as he is extremely skillful but also seems to have a lively and fun personality off the field. My TikTok For You Page has revealed much about him which I will now share with you in no particular order. This knowledge was completely obtained from TikTok so I would take anything I write below with a grain of salt. His soccer talent enabled him and his family to escape poverty. He plays for the Paris Saint Germain (PSG) club alongside Messi (who he has a very close and adorable friendship with). His ex-girlfriend, Bruna Marquezine, is currently dating Miguel from Cobra Kai. He has an 11 year old son (I just discovered he has an Instagram account with 1.4M followers). The song that seems to be synonymous with this name on TikTok is Parado no Bailão by MC L da Vinte and MC Gury. He had a falling out with friend and fellow PSG player, Kylian Mbappé, after discovering that Mbappé tried to get him removed from the team so that he could make more money. I also like to think that his eyes sparkle whenever he smiles but I digress.
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I would like to hold a brief moment of silence for Mexico being eliminated in the group stage. As a Mexican American I was saddened by this news and felt even worse once I saw the faces of the players and fans within the stadium after their last game. When discussing, Mexico’s team I think it’s important to note that Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa is a rock star goalie (as proven by his save against Poland), Chicharito (Javier Hernández) and Diego Lainez should have been apart of the Mexican National Team this year, and I’m pretty sure the team’s coach (Gerardo Martino) was fired as soon as Mexico was eliminated from the World Cup (this is the first time in 44 years the team has not surpassed the group stage).
Now that Mexico is eliminated I will be rooting for Brazil all the way. Not just because I like Neymar Jr., but because I think he genuinely deserves it. He seems to be hyper-criticized and targeted by soccer fans and players as shown by Brazil’s match against Serbia. The Serbian players looked like they were aiming for Neymar instead of the ball, doing anything to slow him down and prevent him from scoring. Unfortunately, this resulted in him suffering an ankle injury which prevented him from playing in Brazil’s game against Switzerland. I’m hoping he has a speedy recovery so that he can continue to play and bring home that trophy.
There are various other random facts I’ve learned in regards to the World Cup which I do not have enough time to delve into. I will instead finish off with brief but special recognition of the following things:
Christian Pulisic scoring on Iran, accepting bodily injury in the process but securing the US’s spot in the next round of games.
The 7 additional stadiums Qatar built in preparation for the World Cup.
The all female-referee team today for the Costa Rica vs Germany match, a first in FIFA World Cup history. Karen Diaz Medina, Stephanie Frappart, and Neuza Back.
Meg Gurram
December 6, 2022 — 3:43 pm
Gabrielaaaa,
It is kind of funny how much I relate to your blog. Literally everything I know about soccer and FIFA and the world cup is literally all from Tik Tok. It makes me super basic and obviously not a “real” fan but I truly do enjoy watching soccer. I have never been a sports person, my parents do not watch sports and I never had any friends or like a brother growing up that was really into it. I never got football terminology and I just felt very out of touch. The first sport I truly understood was lacrosse when I started playing it my freshman year and I would watch every NCAA lacrosse game on Youtube because I truly understood the game. After I joined a Fantasy Football league with my friends a few months ago, I learnt a little bit more about football but I do not like how there are so many pauses in the game. I think I have always enjoyed watching soccer and basketball just because of how fast paced the games are. Like your blog said, I learnt about the stardom of Messi, Neymar, and Ronaldo and about like Bruna and how Ronaldo’s son doesn’t know his real mom.. blah blah blah.. the one Christian guy on the U.S. soccer team people are making edits about and the random Joe Biden clips with the USMNT. I think it is just interesting how we all consume the same media. Also, I do agree with you… Neymar’s eyes do twinkle when he smiles.
arramachandran
December 8, 2022 — 10:10 am
Gabby, I completely agree when you say you’re unfamiliar with soccer. I feel like I sometimes forget the World Cup exists except for when it actually happens, and then I just ignore it till the finals. I guess this time around it’s different, because I’m super invested, mainly in seeing England lose (hopefully) on Saturday. I was one of those kids that played Naperville park district soccer for six years before I outgrew it, and the whole time I was a midfielder but somehow scored literally only two goals. Still, I think soccer is incredibly fun to watch, especially when one team gets close to the goal and the cheers start getting louder, but then they head it 50 feet above the top post. Target practice much? Now about Neymar – I don’t know if his eyes really sparkle when he smiles or if it’s camera flash reflection, but either way, I will say that he is an absolutely amazing player. I love watching the Brazilian team play in general because it seems like they’re not just playing to win – they have an absolutely amazing time doing it. And while other players slide into the grass or take off their shirts when they score a goal, I love how the Brazilian team dances together. We will root for them together!
imking
December 8, 2022 — 9:02 pm
Hi Gabriela,
I really don’t know much about soccer at all. While you know the players names, I don’t even know the basic rules, so I’m basically taking your word as gospel here. I just learned what offsides is like a week ago. This little universe of Messi vs. Ronaldo is fascinating. My friend Max is always talking about the Premier League (“Prem League,” as he calls it), so maybe I have to get on that and watch a game, Messi’s team versus Ronaldo’s. It would be awkward if they were on the same team or one of them isn’t in the Prem League, but I don’t really care to be quite honest with you. I love the story about Neymar’s rise, it’s a great underdog story. Getting his family out of poverty is definitely noble. He’s also very attractive. Perhaps I should get an eyebrow slit and a fade to look like him. Sadly, I just don’t think I’m on that level of handsomeness. I’m sorry for your loss and was surprised when Mexico lost, because as you mention, historically they’re really good at soccer. Also, I don’t know if you know this, but my friend Max (he’s the only one who knows soccer stuff I talk to) mentioned that Qatar exploited Nepalese workers in order to get the stadiums built. Anyways, thank you for sharing! Your blog was interesting!
zmwu
December 8, 2022 — 10:13 pm
Gabby,
As someone who sporadically is extremely invested in the big leagues of competition in Europe and relies on very limited knowledge of the actual mechanics of the game when watching games, the World Cup is one of the times where I suddenly become an ardent fan and expert on all things soccer (not really).
One of the things I do know is that Mexico’s manager Tata is utterly inept. He very rarely takes responsibility for the soccer being played, including aspects like the substitutions he makes or the offensive formations he plays. Instead, in front of the media, Tata blames poor performances on excuses like “lack of intensity” or “inattention,” which really do not provide any context or insight into the play happening on the pitch. Also, he indeed massively dropped the ball by leaving out players like Chicharito and opting instead for mediocrity. Definitely a sad tournament for Mexico fans, but it’s a good step for the future moving away from Tata.
The Messi-Ronaldo debate here also seems pertinent, although I’m not really sure Ronaldo has much of a leg to stand on anymore. In the octafinal match between Portugal and Switzerland, Ronaldo rode the bench and the guy who took his place in the starting XI had a hat trick. Yikes. Messi has been steady all the way through, whereas I’m not actually sure Portugal is a better squad with Ronaldo on the pitch. Although, both legends have ample opportunities to break FIFA records in Qatar, like most match wins, most matches as captain, and longest time between first World Cup goal and last. It’s certainly historic to see the two greatest players of the generation, perhaps all time, duke it out one last time. I hope we’ll see a dramatic duel between Messi and Ronaldo in a stunning Argentina vs. Portugal final to close out two incredible international careers.
nlallie
December 8, 2022 — 10:20 pm
Hi Gabby! I would like to first clarify that MESSI is the best player in the world and while Ronaldo has gotten close, I strongly believe that he has NEVER touched this title and never will. As you probably know, I love soccer and it is not difficult to stay on top of games and things when everyone in my family is always talking about them. Hindo has made it very clear that in order to make the argument that Messi is unequivocally the best soccer player in the world, Argentina must win the World Cup and I would say I agree. While the same argument could be made for Ronaldo and Portugal, I just do not see them even making it to the finals. I LOVE Neymar’s Tik Toks! He is hilarious and handsome and, though he has questionable political beliefs, he is two (maybe three, don’t quote me) goals away from breaking Pele’s record of the all-time top goalscorer for the Brazil men’s national team. I was not aware of this Mbappe drama but I will be asking Hindo for all of the juicy details because Mbappe has been one of my favorite players the entire tournament. I empathize with Mexico losing because I have been rooting for every African team from the very beginning, knowing deep down that they would not make it very far. That in combination with my preference for Messi over Ronaldo, I am rooting for Morocco in the game tomorrow but I foresee France and Argentina making it to the finals. I did not notice the all female team of refs, that is actually so cool! I love any opportunity to talk about soccer so thank you for this and I hope that you keep this energy for the Womans World Cup this summer!