The 2022 World Cup final will go down in history as one of the greatest finals of all time.
From Messi’s brilliant form despite criticism to Mbappe’s new record and the bright future of African football, here are five things we learned from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar:
For many, Lionel Messi’s status as the greatest footballer in history has always been overshadowed by the fact that he has never lifted the World Cup trophy.
7 Ballons d’Or, 4 Champions League titles and 1 Copa America are just some of the trophies the Argentinian great has won during his illustrious career, but the biggest prize of all – the World Cup – is always
The striker’s two goals – one from the penalty spot and one in extra time – took his tally in World Cups to 13, with seven in this tournament alone.
For many years, Messi stood in the shadow of another Argentine great – Diego Maradona – who had the glory of winning the 1986 World Cup. However, after leading his country to victory in Qatar, few people would
No player has ever scored a hat trick in a World Cup final while ultimately being on the losing team.
The silver medal was a brutal end to an excellent tournament for Mbappe, who just celebrated his 24th birthday.
Mbappe’s eight goals in Qatar helped him leave the tournament with the Golden Boot.
Mbappe needs just four more goals to equal Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record (16) and is now level with the great Pele, who scored 12 goals in four World Cups from 1958 to
And while Qatar ended with heartbreak for Mbappe, this won’t be the last we hear of this exceptional talent, who will have the chance to play in three more World Cup tournaments before he
One country that captured the hearts of global fans at this World Cup was Morocco, which became the first African country in history to reach the semi-finals of football’s top international tournament.
Entering the tournament with a world ranking of 22, to compete for a ticket to the semi-finals, Morocco overcame Belgium (world No. 2), Spain (world No. 7) and Portugal (world No. 9) before
Before Morocco faced France, only three African teams had reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup: Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010. But that all changed this year, with Morocco overcoming all challenges.
Although Pele’s prediction that an African team would win the World Cup in 2000 did not come true, Morocco’s rise in the tournament gave the `forgotten` continent hope that its dream could be fulfilled.
After a thrilling tournament, Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was named Best Young Player.
Portugal’s Goncalo Ramos, also 21 years old, had a brilliant performance, scoring a hat trick in a 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16.
Another youngster who had an excellent tournament was France’s Aurelien Tchouameni, who scored a stunning goal against England in the quarter-finals.
Besides the young talents, the veterans of the football world have shown that there is nothing like experience when it comes to glory at the World Cup.
35-year-old Messi was joined by 34-year-old Angel Di Maria in scoring in Sunday’s final, with 34-year-old Nicolas Otamendi, 31-year-old Marcos Acuña and 30-year-old Nicolas Tagliafico all showing their worth.
And Argentina are not the only team relying on an older generation of players who may have just played in their last World Cup tournament.
Another veteran who could be playing in his final World Cup is Portugal’s Ronaldo.
Source: Olympics
