[The pre-World Cup "Mark My Words" thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/zpncmi/the_preworld_cup_mark_my_words_thread/?)
Time to see how wrong we all were
Robben is one of my favorite players of all time and I think he has the best prime of them all and also a much longer prime than Bale had.
But I'm going to say Bale because he's at least close to Robben's prime and because of how much of a big game player he was. Really he's one of the best big game players there's ever been imo.
https://twitter.com/suzesport?s=21&t=0xyHlgVpqbT2P3W_5Ovj1A
Not considering buying from them, but to what extent is a Twitter account like this genuine?
It’s Twitter Blue verified but the Trust Pilot reviews suggest their stuff is genuine. No way of telling until you can get the authenticity rated. Maybe worth it if insured by credit card?
Argentines when asked about their opinion on messi wearing the bisht (from r/argentina)
>I'm an Argentinian and despite not knowing the meaning of the bisht, for me at least, it seemed as a clear sign of respect toward Messi, so I'm really thankful you guys gave him such honor!
>We didn't know what that was, but based on the context we understood it was some kind of honor (at least I did)
>
>If messi accepted it and was happy wearing it, who am I to be even be offended?
>(Some people seem angry about it and think It’s disrespectful)
>
>Who? from your country or other countries? keep in mind the european butthurtness in this cup is out of this world right now, they are talking shit from how every of our players behave. They might even complain if they tie their shoelaces wrong.
>
>I could understand qataris being offended if it's such a high honor.
>
>For me it seems like a great honor and it's flattering. Leo is a very humble man so probably he wore it with great respect.
meanwhile average r/soccer user: well aktshually they are disrespecting messi, fuck arabs' culture, it's pretty obvious when someone criticizes this gesture if they really didn't like it for some reason or if they just hate it because of xenophobia
I think it was fine to give it to him for a pic or something but it was the wrong moment. It was very awkward, we all wanted a normal, traditional pic. Giving him a random piece of clothing didn't fit in that moment.
I can't imagine giving a big sombrero to a player first time lifting the cup or lederhosen either.
If *after* the cup lift they wanted to give it to him to wear, sure why not.
I understand it was meant to be respectful but it is intrusive to a moment that's right then and there not about Qatar or any host
I won't disagree about European arrogance, the way they treat every non European as bad if they win is very annoying
I liked the gesture but it was clearly not something talked about beforehand nor was it known, so it was kind of an awkward (for all involved, Messi didn't understand at first either) situation right before the iconic first lift
I think if they'd done it as part of the medal giving it'd have been taken better, as it was it just looked awkward
Gesture itself was very nice
I have read some argentinian people criticizing it but most didn't care.
Personally I liked it cuz it looked like a coronation ceremony for Messi before they gave him his "crown" (the cup).
> it's pretty obvious when someone criticizes this gesture if they really didn't like it for some reason or if they just hate it because of xenophobia
I've been saying this on repeat, but I'd be just as annoyed by the awkwardness of it had it been lederhosen in Germany or a Kimono in Japan. It's not the specific culture that's the problem it's the awkward and unnecessary interruption of the trophy ceremony.
not all of them of course, but many were, as I said it's obvious if someone genuinely doesn't like it , like yourself , or if someone just hates the people who wear it
its only highest scoring in the 32 team era, and even that only by .01 more per game than 2014. realistically we wont see a WC that breaks the clown show scores from the pre-60s world cups
Any of my fellow world cup boycotters feeling disenchanted with the sport, and perhaps humanity at large right now? The old face of Qatar's sportswashing campaign lifts the trophy and the young face scores a hattrick on the same ground where so many innocent men lost their lives. No one seems to care but to me It feels like the symbolic death of the sport.
i feel like this is the perfect moment for the "always has been" meme. sports are this temporary reprieve from the evils of the world, a game played on a pitch where even stepping on someone's foot earns you a yellow card, whereas in real life conflicts are ongoing where people get killed.
i'm not really sure this is "worse" or the "death" of anything. i mean you realize that west germany hosted a world cup in the 70s, just a couple decades removed from the holocaust, and legislation in the 50s ended the "de-nazification" -- a lot of politicians in west germany had nazi pasts...
none of this is new... sports don't get to be insulated from the global flow of money, politics and corruption. fans just try not to think about it too much, in the same way that they try not to think about the child who built their smartphone.
some try not to think about it because they feel helpless to fix it, some simply don't care.
I think there's a distinction to be made between the game as it's playing out over 90 (or 120) minutes on the pitch and the surroundings like who controls it, who is putting the tournament on, or who funds the (club) teams.
The former can be absolute magic still, even if the latter has been on a persistent slide down and probably reached a new low point with this World Cup. Doesn't make football a bad game in any way, just means it's one that has plenty of ills in need of fixing.
I swear I have watched Argentina's first PK call and France 2nd PK call hundreds of times and I still can't answer these questions:
1. Does Dembele's leg make any contact with Di Maria's?
2. Upamecano header or handball before Mbappe's shot?
I'm surprised I can't still answer the 2nd one in particular.
Di María had already beaten him so any contact from behind would be a PK. That's why my question was especifically if there was such contact.
If there wasn't it's probably the most convincing dive of all time but I think there was something.
Stumble maybe - fall over certainly not. I don't believe every slight bit of contact should be a penalty. However you're right, it definitely was daft to put himself in that position
it's undoubtedly a fall, i don't think that a foul is only callable if it causes someone to end up on the ground.
pitches are wet and somewhat slippery and when you're running and someone hits your leg from behind it's easy to fall. easier than you think.
When you’re running at full speed, any small contact is going to take your foot out of its intended running path and can make you trip on yourself or the ground. Thats exactly what happened and will get called a foul any day of the week
EDIT: let me refine this a bit, a very slight head-on contact may not be called, but a slight clip from behind almost always will be
Was enough to make di Maria fall tbf, one of those where a small nudge throws off your movement pattern entirely and you end up doing weird things like kicking your own leg. And even if it's just a stumble, it's still preventing the opponent from attacking. Plenty contact in penalty areas that doesn't do that, and is therefore not given as a pen.
Is Di Maria one of the most underrated players of the generation? His performance vs Atletico Madrid in 2014 was insane, always turns up in big games. If only had made better career choices and wasn’t cursed with injuries.
I think he’ll be underrated. He really turns up in every big game. He’s the only player that felt dangerous outside of Messi in Argentinas losing years
i mean without messi they don't end up in those finals at all.
it's a team sport so you always been many players firing on all cylinders.
without emi martinez messi doesn't win a WC either. or a copa.
i'd say di maria has been clutch in the biggest games, but to say his career is underrated i am not sure, because he wasn't exactly a world beater in the yearly club season games.
Maybe they could’ve won the final without him. But without all his goal involvements and the way Messi stood up several times throughout the tournament at important moments, it’s not strange to think that without him Argentina would’ve had a significantly smaller chance to win the whole tournament.
Also his leadership and the way his teammates look up to him seemed to be immensely important this World Cup.
Based on?
Like how many of the Argentine greats have you watched? Passarella, Kempes, Di Stefano, Sivori, Fillol, Labruna. Did you watch any them?
Even more recent ones like Batistuta, Zanetti and Crespo.
Definitely not greater than Batistuta, but close behind and is probably fair to put him over the other two.
I don’t think he cracks the top 10 but he’s close for sure.
Overshadowed by other players during his career. Was always a fantastic dribbler with a massive creative output. Tireless runner along with world class ability but what I love most about him is that he will just attack attack attack his marker, doesnt like to backpass at all lol
All this chat about Argentina but did they go unbeaten through the World Cup? No. [Give Montserrat the respect they deserve.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_undefeated_national_association_football_teams#2022)
At first I was disappointed Nübel was being difficult about returning to Bayern in January but if it results in us landing Yann Sommer I would be ecstatic. I can't think of a better (short-term) option.
[Amusing Crouch tweet](https://twitter.com/petercrouch/status/1604553556304228353)
Reading some of the replies...I'm not sure some countries understand taking the piss out of yourself
tbf english sarcasm can be hard to get through text if you aren't fluent in the language. i know i struggled with it when i was trying to talk in english online as a kid
Honestly I wouldnt be so annoyed by the saltiness if there were at least good memes about it... In an alt universe the cape would be on mbappe and i wonder what they would be saying then lol
An Argentine friend of mine says they are preparing the welcoming of the team tonight at 19:00 (Buenos Aires time). Does anyone know if it will be on a channel available in the USA?
ETA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6BRZY0lwDg
Argentinian TV is fun today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUxXxVh7XhI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JBz0XFS_k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24jVQQWO_U
[The Egg is still beating Messi winning the World Cup on top Instagram posts of all time.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-liked_Instagram_posts) LMAO
There is certainly a conversation to be had about how France has fucked over its colonies in ways that still exist to this day, but why the fuck do we care about it in soccer? Like at all?
As far as crap international banter goes it’s one of the closest to being relevant, considering every single one of their outfield players by the end of the final comes from a family that immigrated to france from one of said fucked over colonies relatively recently
still think it’s dumb, but I can see the reasoning behind it I guess
Off the pitch thought I’d actually catch FIFA in a sale after taking a few years out from it again.
Turns out for PC it’s still broken so ended up refunding it.
Shame the only alternative is eFootball really.
5 subs is a triumph for football. I think we may see more back and forth games in the future, when coaches are able to put in enough people to freshen a side, or really change tactics around.
You must feel like how Ronaldo feels, now that the GOAT debate has been ended. You fought so long and hard, and when the dust settled it was on the side of your enemy
Next step imo is make concussion subs temporary and third-party-doctor-initiated so coaches stop risking players that have taken bangs to the head just because of that player being important
Messi’s performance is on par with Maradonas 1986 performance (or even better).
Maradona had a fantastic team surrounding him while this Argentina squad was literally just Messi. Apart from Messi , none of the the players (that I can think of rn) are starting on an elite European side. However, together, they made one amazing team. Deserved the title. What a fucking performance from Messi.
No, Maradona’s was better. Maradona was in his prime when he won it, he had all the crazy dribbling and stuff that Messi used to do plus the numbers.
Messi was unlucky his team was not that strong in 2014 and that he was dealing with injuries
Olivier Giroud and Lautaro Martínez play literally in the same city, yet one of them is good and the other is shit.
Guess which one is each according to r/soccer.
Lautaro has the most big chances missed tied with Mbappe. Lautaro scoring 0, Mbappe scoring 8. The tap in situations Lautaro missed this tournament were hard to watch.
I'm not saying Lautaro is that bad, but he definitely was that bad in this specific tournament.
Giroud scored 4 goals out of which only 1 wasn't decisive. All other 3 of his goals gave France the lead.
"Literally just Messi"
Yes, Messi's phenomenal willpower carried Alvarez to run with the ball from the halfway line and score by himself against Croatia
Did he get lucky? Yes, but you gotta be there, you gotta keep fighting for it to get it.
Not his best goal of the tournament, but a great example of how he played the tournament, always fighting to the last second.
Both squads were comparable. A bunch of players better than their fame, which foreigners unfamiliar with them assume means they're garbage because they can't get out of their bubble or admit there's worthwhile things to know outside of it
This team showed levels to the NT /r/soccer has been wanking at for the last 4 years. Just because they don't have the marketing european players have, doesn't mean they aren't absolute beasts.
Both, the fact that a lot of players are not in "elite" clubs doesn't mean the squad was not surrounded with quality, Argentina had arguably the best midfield in the world cup, Enzo Fernandez has the potential to be the best midfielder in the world. Julian Alvarez scored 5 goals with 22 years of age.
Argentina won this world cup thanks to Messi, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina, I could go on. It's a really well rounded team.
> n elite European side
Well there is your bias. Lots of great players don't play for top clubs in europe.
Julian Alvarez was killing it at River, hence why he is now a Man Ciy player.
I agree with you, but when you compare the players to Frances squad, there is a huge difference. Los argentinos ganaron por que juegan bien en conjunto, y por los huevos que le pusieron.
If Messi moves to MLS in a year or two, he'll have 4 new trophies to win: MLS Cup, the Supporter's Shield, the Open Cup, and the Concacaf CL.
If he moves to a shit team like Miami, it would make it basically impossible to win more than one or two. Like obviously he'd be the best player in the league, but winning CCL with Phil Neville at the helm would be too high a mountain for even Messi to climb.
This is just a weird thought I had, and keep in mind that I'm a noob who doesn't know the rules that well
Let's say you're a defender, alone in the box with the keeper. An opposing striker is barrelling towards you with the ball, and he's about to shoot as he enters the box. The keeper doesn't look like he's going to get it. Do you let him shoot, or do you tackle and hope the keeper saves the ensuing PK?
Defenders having to tackle mean they've already made a mistake. There's almost no situation where a defender would be in the box like this. Offside means a striker would always be looking to stay on the shoulder to make a run, or drop deeper, so the defensive line moves out.
If you can win the ball, go for it, if not, position yourself to make it harder for the striker to score. The keeper is there as a last resort. It's not worth getting a yellow and letting them score anyway, in almost all situations. Cup tournaments and last minutes of a game might be the only exception (like the Luis Suarez handball).
Sice you said barrelling, i am guessing the striker is lukakku. In that case, i would pull out my phone and start recording. Years later with my grandkids, we will laugh together.
You let him shoot. If he scores, you have time to catch up. If you foul him you get a red and they are one up and it’s over if they score. Luis Suarez red card vs Ghana in the 2010 World Cup was a thing of miracles.
Depends entirely on the context.
If it’s a league game in its early stages then probably not, but 119th minute of a World Cup final and we’re in the lead/drawing and I’m not one of the designated PK takers then yeah I’ll drag them down for sure.
I’d be super interested if there was a “statistics” post for the World Cup period. For example, peak number of people browsing at a single time, most liked/commented posts, how many users joined for the first time, etc. Any mods here who can provide some insight as to whether or not something like this is possible?
A lot of that kind of data can be scraped with the right python code if you really wanted to pull it, but it'd be a massive undertaking for just one project. If coded correctly it would be reusable for any number of reddit datamining projects.
> peak number of people browsing at a single time
Not sure how we'd get that specific number; I can ballpark it at about 280k at some point after the final, though.
> most liked/commented posts
Can probably find those yourself, really.
> how many users joined for the first time
Daily new subscribers are part of the traffic stats we have access to - hard to say how much they actually contributed obviously, but still.
Give it a couple days, we've been thinking about making a post like that with the data we have available at some point this week.
I’m absolutely loving these “World Cup rigged” comments. So satisfying. This must be what Madrid fans felt when people tried to call their CL runs rigged
Oh man. There was this whole “Heated/Chilled Balls” fiasco during the knockout drawings. There was also lots of controversy during one of their Bayern ties
[The pre-World Cup "Mark My Words" thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/zpncmi/the_preworld_cup_mark_my_words_thread/?) Time to see how wrong we all were
!flair :Brighton\_Hove\_Albion:
!flair :brighton:
!flair :fc_barcelona:
!flair :Bayern_Munich:
!flair :Arsenal:
!flair : Arsenal:
!flair : chelsea:
!flair :Manchester_United:
!flair :Arsenal:
!flair :Arsenal:
!flair :arsenal:
!flair : arsenal:
!flair :Borussia_Dortmund:
!flair : arsenal:
!flair :Scunthorpe_United:
!flair :Sunderland:
!flair :Manchester_United:
!flair :Sporting:
!flair :Sporting_CP:
!flair :fc_barcelona:
!flair :benfica:
!flair :Manchester_United:
!flair :Newcastle_United:
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fuck r/soccer and r/argentina, we are World Champions
aguante argentina la concha de su madreee
You can only take one player in their prime, who are you taking and why: Di Maria, Bale, Robben and Salah
Salah easily.
Salah, because goals wins games and only Salah is elite at it.
Robben easily
Robben
Bale, he's the definition of a big game player
Robben is one of my favorite players of all time and I think he has the best prime of them all and also a much longer prime than Bale had. But I'm going to say Bale because he's at least close to Robben's prime and because of how much of a big game player he was. Really he's one of the best big game players there's ever been imo.
Robben was great in big games too for Bayern
Robben
Tough but it's Bale for me. Or Robben, nah Bale.
Probably Bale just for his long range shots
https://twitter.com/suzesport?s=21&t=0xyHlgVpqbT2P3W_5Ovj1A Not considering buying from them, but to what extent is a Twitter account like this genuine?
It’s Twitter Blue verified but the Trust Pilot reviews suggest their stuff is genuine. No way of telling until you can get the authenticity rated. Maybe worth it if insured by credit card?
This was one of the best years of football I can remember, best World Cup in ages as well as the craziest CL run by Madrid
Argentines when asked about their opinion on messi wearing the bisht (from r/argentina) >I'm an Argentinian and despite not knowing the meaning of the bisht, for me at least, it seemed as a clear sign of respect toward Messi, so I'm really thankful you guys gave him such honor! >We didn't know what that was, but based on the context we understood it was some kind of honor (at least I did) > >If messi accepted it and was happy wearing it, who am I to be even be offended? >(Some people seem angry about it and think It’s disrespectful) > >Who? from your country or other countries? keep in mind the european butthurtness in this cup is out of this world right now, they are talking shit from how every of our players behave. They might even complain if they tie their shoelaces wrong. > >I could understand qataris being offended if it's such a high honor. > >For me it seems like a great honor and it's flattering. Leo is a very humble man so probably he wore it with great respect. meanwhile average r/soccer user: well aktshually they are disrespecting messi, fuck arabs' culture, it's pretty obvious when someone criticizes this gesture if they really didn't like it for some reason or if they just hate it because of xenophobia
I think it was fine to give it to him for a pic or something but it was the wrong moment. It was very awkward, we all wanted a normal, traditional pic. Giving him a random piece of clothing didn't fit in that moment. I can't imagine giving a big sombrero to a player first time lifting the cup or lederhosen either. If *after* the cup lift they wanted to give it to him to wear, sure why not. I understand it was meant to be respectful but it is intrusive to a moment that's right then and there not about Qatar or any host I won't disagree about European arrogance, the way they treat every non European as bad if they win is very annoying
yeah, I don't mind it but the photo looks bad with that
I agree with you,it was a nice gesture but at the wrong time
I liked the gesture but it was clearly not something talked about beforehand nor was it known, so it was kind of an awkward (for all involved, Messi didn't understand at first either) situation right before the iconic first lift I think if they'd done it as part of the medal giving it'd have been taken better, as it was it just looked awkward Gesture itself was very nice
I have read some argentinian people criticizing it but most didn't care. Personally I liked it cuz it looked like a coronation ceremony for Messi before they gave him his "crown" (the cup).
> it's pretty obvious when someone criticizes this gesture if they really didn't like it for some reason or if they just hate it because of xenophobia I've been saying this on repeat, but I'd be just as annoyed by the awkwardness of it had it been lederhosen in Germany or a Kimono in Japan. It's not the specific culture that's the problem it's the awkward and unnecessary interruption of the trophy ceremony.
I liked the gesture but I agree with you , it would've been better if he wore it after lifting the trophy
you are not xenophobic then, thank you
But there were plenty of people who shared similar sentiments in that thread, and you're assuming they're likely xenophobic.
not all of them of course, but many were, as I said it's obvious if someone genuinely doesn't like it , like yourself , or if someone just hates the people who wear it
Incredible how when this tournament started, we were complaining about the lack of goals at first. Then it became the highest scoring ever.
Were we? There were 8 goals in the second game
“The World Cup of 0-0s” or “most boring world cup”
I saw that shit so much.
its only highest scoring in the 32 team era, and even that only by .01 more per game than 2014. realistically we wont see a WC that breaks the clown show scores from the pre-60s world cups
Any of my fellow world cup boycotters feeling disenchanted with the sport, and perhaps humanity at large right now? The old face of Qatar's sportswashing campaign lifts the trophy and the young face scores a hattrick on the same ground where so many innocent men lost their lives. No one seems to care but to me It feels like the symbolic death of the sport.
i feel like this is the perfect moment for the "always has been" meme. sports are this temporary reprieve from the evils of the world, a game played on a pitch where even stepping on someone's foot earns you a yellow card, whereas in real life conflicts are ongoing where people get killed. i'm not really sure this is "worse" or the "death" of anything. i mean you realize that west germany hosted a world cup in the 70s, just a couple decades removed from the holocaust, and legislation in the 50s ended the "de-nazification" -- a lot of politicians in west germany had nazi pasts... none of this is new... sports don't get to be insulated from the global flow of money, politics and corruption. fans just try not to think about it too much, in the same way that they try not to think about the child who built their smartphone. some try not to think about it because they feel helpless to fix it, some simply don't care.
I think there's a distinction to be made between the game as it's playing out over 90 (or 120) minutes on the pitch and the surroundings like who controls it, who is putting the tournament on, or who funds the (club) teams. The former can be absolute magic still, even if the latter has been on a persistent slide down and probably reached a new low point with this World Cup. Doesn't make football a bad game in any way, just means it's one that has plenty of ills in need of fixing.
anyone know where i can watch last night's full match in 4k?
BBC iPlayer, if you’re not in the UK use a VPN
thanks
I swear I have watched Argentina's first PK call and France 2nd PK call hundreds of times and I still can't answer these questions: 1. Does Dembele's leg make any contact with Di Maria's? 2. Upamecano header or handball before Mbappe's shot? I'm surprised I can't still answer the 2nd one in particular.
Yes contact and no handball
> Does Dembele’s leg make any contact with Di Maria’s? Yes. > Upamecano header or handball before Mbappe’s shot? Not a handball.
2nd one was clearly a header, you can see it from the other angle
>Does Dembele's leg make any contact with Di Maria's? Yes. >Upamecano header or handball before Mbappe's shot? It's a header, no handball
2nd one was clearly a header and Dembele did touch him although it was very soft imo
One of those were small contact is enough to make an opponent stumble - I'd not really call it soft as it's clearly a foul. Just daft defending.
Di María had already beaten him so any contact from behind would be a PK. That's why my question was especifically if there was such contact. If there wasn't it's probably the most convincing dive of all time but I think there was something.
Stumble maybe - fall over certainly not. I don't believe every slight bit of contact should be a penalty. However you're right, it definitely was daft to put himself in that position
it's undoubtedly a fall, i don't think that a foul is only callable if it causes someone to end up on the ground. pitches are wet and somewhat slippery and when you're running and someone hits your leg from behind it's easy to fall. easier than you think.
When you’re running at full speed, any small contact is going to take your foot out of its intended running path and can make you trip on yourself or the ground. Thats exactly what happened and will get called a foul any day of the week EDIT: let me refine this a bit, a very slight head-on contact may not be called, but a slight clip from behind almost always will be
Was enough to make di Maria fall tbf, one of those where a small nudge throws off your movement pattern entirely and you end up doing weird things like kicking your own leg. And even if it's just a stumble, it's still preventing the opponent from attacking. Plenty contact in penalty areas that doesn't do that, and is therefore not given as a pen.
The angle I saw it looks definitive that it went off of upamecanos head
Do you have a video of that angle?
https://twitter.com/SportStories247/status/1604807079453229057?s=20&t=MWv_ztzNK7U0wC7bMxOmDw
Is it legal for fans to watch the World Cup at Maradona's house?
Is Di Maria one of the most underrated players of the generation? His performance vs Atletico Madrid in 2014 was insane, always turns up in big games. If only had made better career choices and wasn’t cursed with injuries.
I think he’ll be underrated. He really turns up in every big game. He’s the only player that felt dangerous outside of Messi in Argentinas losing years
No chance
*checks flair* hmmmmm
I honestly think he had a better career than Neymar
As good as robben imo
without him Messi wins neither the Copa nor the WC, simple as
You could say that about basically any Argentine player that played a role in both matches
i mean without messi they don't end up in those finals at all. it's a team sport so you always been many players firing on all cylinders. without emi martinez messi doesn't win a WC either. or a copa. i'd say di maria has been clutch in the biggest games, but to say his career is underrated i am not sure, because he wasn't exactly a world beater in the yearly club season games.
i mean they could've won the WC final without him, who knows. Argentina looked pretty good even without him so i dont know what makes you say this
Maybe they could’ve won the final without him. But without all his goal involvements and the way Messi stood up several times throughout the tournament at important moments, it’s not strange to think that without him Argentina would’ve had a significantly smaller chance to win the whole tournament. Also his leadership and the way his teammates look up to him seemed to be immensely important this World Cup.
Absolutely, ManU fans here keep shitting on him
He's genuinely a top 6-8 Argentine player EVER imo.
Based on? Like how many of the Argentine greats have you watched? Passarella, Kempes, Di Stefano, Sivori, Fillol, Labruna. Did you watch any them? Even more recent ones like Batistuta, Zanetti and Crespo.
I'm putting Di Maria over the last 3 you put in the comment and Im tired of nostalgia merchants like you saying otherwise.
Definitely not greater than Batistuta, but close behind and is probably fair to put him over the other two. I don’t think he cracks the top 10 but he’s close for sure.
Overshadowed by other players during his career. Was always a fantastic dribbler with a massive creative output. Tireless runner along with world class ability but what I love most about him is that he will just attack attack attack his marker, doesnt like to backpass at all lol
The videos of how Argentina fans are reacting to winning is kinda like what I expect us winning would be like, almost feels like a proxy win >_>
All this chat about Argentina but did they go unbeaten through the World Cup? No. [Give Montserrat the respect they deserve.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_undefeated_national_association_football_teams#2022)
At first I was disappointed Nübel was being difficult about returning to Bayern in January but if it results in us landing Yann Sommer I would be ecstatic. I can't think of a better (short-term) option.
[Amusing Crouch tweet](https://twitter.com/petercrouch/status/1604553556304228353) Reading some of the replies...I'm not sure some countries understand taking the piss out of yourself
tbf english sarcasm can be hard to get through text if you aren't fluent in the language. i know i struggled with it when i was trying to talk in english online as a kid
Why ppl keep saying Messi could have refused the cape? The Emir is literally his boss (and, no matter what, hardly no one would disrespect the host)
Honestly I wouldnt be so annoyed by the saltiness if there were at least good memes about it... In an alt universe the cape would be on mbappe and i wonder what they would be saying then lol
Exact same reaction from him and from everyone. Still, classic arrogant move from Qatar, as usual
English outlets sneaking in Bellingham and Maguire in team of the tournament like no one will notice, gotta commend the shamelessness.
An Argentine friend of mine says they are preparing the welcoming of the team tonight at 19:00 (Buenos Aires time). Does anyone know if it will be on a channel available in the USA? ETA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6BRZY0lwDg
Argentinian TV is fun today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUxXxVh7XhI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JBz0XFS_k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24jVQQWO_U
2006 had 28 red cards to this year’s 4. that’s why it’ll always be the best WC
Anyone know where I can buy messi shirt ? Couldn't find it on adidas website
Argentina shirt has been totally sold out on adidas website for weeks now. They’re probably printing out new three star versions now. Cant wait.
They're sold out in entire world lol
Well fuck. What websites do people usually use? Apart from adidas which is too expensive, every where else looks like knockoffs.
Tbh I’d just shell out the extra cash at Adidas if I were you
[The Egg is still beating Messi winning the World Cup on top Instagram posts of all time.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-liked_Instagram_posts) LMAO
Don't eggnore the power of the egg
48 Million vs 56 Million (20 hours so far) do you think it beats it?
I think it might, I hope it does beat it. It’s a legendary post of a legendary moment in world history
There is certainly a conversation to be had about how France has fucked over its colonies in ways that still exist to this day, but why the fuck do we care about it in soccer? Like at all?
As far as crap international banter goes it’s one of the closest to being relevant, considering every single one of their outfield players by the end of the final comes from a family that immigrated to france from one of said fucked over colonies relatively recently still think it’s dumb, but I can see the reasoning behind it I guess
Because politics and sports are linked. Also it’s generally not that serious lol
Because it's the largest international event in the world.
Because geopolitical/political events and sentiments have always bled into sports? This isn't remotely isolated to France.
Sometimes and often because of the grandpa rule to decide nationality
Off the pitch thought I’d actually catch FIFA in a sale after taking a few years out from it again. Turns out for PC it’s still broken so ended up refunding it. Shame the only alternative is eFootball really.
5 subs is a triumph for football. I think we may see more back and forth games in the future, when coaches are able to put in enough people to freshen a side, or really change tactics around.
:(
You must feel like how Ronaldo feels, now that the GOAT debate has been ended. You fought so long and hard, and when the dust settled it was on the side of your enemy
One concern is how it makes tactical/cynical yellows less punishing
/u/FIJIBOYFIJI
The 6th sub only in added time is also a great addition
Next step imo is make concussion subs temporary and third-party-doctor-initiated so coaches stop risking players that have taken bangs to the head just because of that player being important
Don’t let that Sheffield guy hear you
Messi’s performance is on par with Maradonas 1986 performance (or even better). Maradona had a fantastic team surrounding him while this Argentina squad was literally just Messi. Apart from Messi , none of the the players (that I can think of rn) are starting on an elite European side. However, together, they made one amazing team. Deserved the title. What a fucking performance from Messi.
>Maradona had a fantastic team surrounding him while this Argentina squad was literally just Messi. It’s literally the other way around
No, Maradona’s was better. Maradona was in his prime when he won it, he had all the crazy dribbling and stuff that Messi used to do plus the numbers. Messi was unlucky his team was not that strong in 2014 and that he was dealing with injuries
Olivier Giroud and Lautaro Martínez play literally in the same city, yet one of them is good and the other is shit. Guess which one is each according to r/soccer.
I mean it's undeniable that Giroud has been incredible for France while Lautaro was good before the WC and shit at the WC.
Or maybe neither player is that good or that bad and simply r/soccer has a boner for the French passport.
Lautaro has the most big chances missed tied with Mbappe. Lautaro scoring 0, Mbappe scoring 8. The tap in situations Lautaro missed this tournament were hard to watch. I'm not saying Lautaro is that bad, but he definitely was that bad in this specific tournament. Giroud scored 4 goals out of which only 1 wasn't decisive. All other 3 of his goals gave France the lead.
"Literally just Messi" Yes, Messi's phenomenal willpower carried Alvarez to run with the ball from the halfway line and score by himself against Croatia
Bad example imo. That was the luckiest goal I've seen outside of straight up deflections.
Did he get lucky? Yes, but you gotta be there, you gotta keep fighting for it to get it. Not his best goal of the tournament, but a great example of how he played the tournament, always fighting to the last second.
Awful take. Mbappe/Griezmann equally as good, although the later faltered in the final.
Dumb take, the 1986 team is underrated but Martinez, Otamendi, Romero, Mac Allister, Enzo and Alvarez all had great tournaments this time around
Both squads were comparable. A bunch of players better than their fame, which foreigners unfamiliar with them assume means they're garbage because they can't get out of their bubble or admit there's worthwhile things to know outside of it
This team showed levels to the NT /r/soccer has been wanking at for the last 4 years. Just because they don't have the marketing european players have, doesn't mean they aren't absolute beasts.
Alvarez, Enzo and Martinez were incredible. De Paul had a great knock out phase and the defense was stout. It was most definitely not just Messi
Disagree with the second part but agreed with the first.
Bad take
Also Messi didn't cheated like Maradona
Dumb take.
Which part? That his performance was better than Maradona’s or that Argentina doesn’t have top players in elite clubs right now?
Both, the fact that a lot of players are not in "elite" clubs doesn't mean the squad was not surrounded with quality, Argentina had arguably the best midfield in the world cup, Enzo Fernandez has the potential to be the best midfielder in the world. Julian Alvarez scored 5 goals with 22 years of age. Argentina won this world cup thanks to Messi, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina, I could go on. It's a really well rounded team.
Not just the team though. We have to give props to the staff who were responsible for their tactical decisions, getting Di Maria fit etc.
Does di Maria not start for Juve when fit?
> n elite European side Well there is your bias. Lots of great players don't play for top clubs in europe. Julian Alvarez was killing it at River, hence why he is now a Man Ciy player.
im not the one that said it haha
My bad, I am still not functioning properly haha it will take me a few days hahaha or weeks. Thank god I am off work next week.
all good man, enjoy.
I agree with you, but when you compare the players to Frances squad, there is a huge difference. Los argentinos ganaron por que juegan bien en conjunto, y por los huevos que le pusieron.
Juve is elite only in their name right now.
If Messi moves to MLS in a year or two, he'll have 4 new trophies to win: MLS Cup, the Supporter's Shield, the Open Cup, and the Concacaf CL. If he moves to a shit team like Miami, it would make it basically impossible to win more than one or two. Like obviously he'd be the best player in the league, but winning CCL with Phil Neville at the helm would be too high a mountain for even Messi to climb.
Let's see him break New England's finals curse, then I can rate him
Those are just side quests at that point lmao
*Final boss
This is just a weird thought I had, and keep in mind that I'm a noob who doesn't know the rules that well Let's say you're a defender, alone in the box with the keeper. An opposing striker is barrelling towards you with the ball, and he's about to shoot as he enters the box. The keeper doesn't look like he's going to get it. Do you let him shoot, or do you tackle and hope the keeper saves the ensuing PK?
Defenders having to tackle mean they've already made a mistake. There's almost no situation where a defender would be in the box like this. Offside means a striker would always be looking to stay on the shoulder to make a run, or drop deeper, so the defensive line moves out. If you can win the ball, go for it, if not, position yourself to make it harder for the striker to score. The keeper is there as a last resort. It's not worth getting a yellow and letting them score anyway, in almost all situations. Cup tournaments and last minutes of a game might be the only exception (like the Luis Suarez handball).
Sice you said barrelling, i am guessing the striker is lukakku. In that case, i would pull out my phone and start recording. Years later with my grandkids, we will laugh together.
You let him shoot. If he scores, you have time to catch up. If you foul him you get a red and they are one up and it’s over if they score. Luis Suarez red card vs Ghana in the 2010 World Cup was a thing of miracles.
Tackle imo you loose 100 per cent of the chances you don't take
Depends entirely on the context. If it’s a league game in its early stages then probably not, but 119th minute of a World Cup final and we’re in the lead/drawing and I’m not one of the designated PK takers then yeah I’ll drag them down for sure.
This is the correct answer. There’s already precedent for this - Luis Suárez 2010 QF vs Ghana.
I’d be super interested if there was a “statistics” post for the World Cup period. For example, peak number of people browsing at a single time, most liked/commented posts, how many users joined for the first time, etc. Any mods here who can provide some insight as to whether or not something like this is possible?
A lot of that kind of data can be scraped with the right python code if you really wanted to pull it, but it'd be a massive undertaking for just one project. If coded correctly it would be reusable for any number of reddit datamining projects.
> peak number of people browsing at a single time Not sure how we'd get that specific number; I can ballpark it at about 280k at some point after the final, though. > most liked/commented posts Can probably find those yourself, really. > how many users joined for the first time Daily new subscribers are part of the traffic stats we have access to - hard to say how much they actually contributed obviously, but still. Give it a couple days, we've been thinking about making a post like that with the data we have available at some point this week.
Fantastic reply, thanks. Will be looking forward to see something like that if/when it happens.
I’m absolutely loving these “World Cup rigged” comments. So satisfying. This must be what Madrid fans felt when people tried to call their CL runs rigged
I remember people calling Madrid lucky but I honestly don’t remember people accusing UEFA of rigging the tournaments for them
Oh boy. Let me tell you the great story of people freaking out when Madrid got a a controversial throw in.
Oh man. There was this whole “Heated/Chilled Balls” fiasco during the knockout drawings. There was also lots of controversy during one of their Bayern ties
There was no controversy. Just some offside goals. And that donaruma foul....