From Messi’s twilight triumph to bountiful showings of hospitality by the Qatari people, there was plenty to smile about during this year’s World Cup.
As the curtain came down on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, most fans of the sport will immediately look forward to enjoying the return of the domestic leagues, which the tournament’s December placement interrupted.
But this World Cup brought a ton of positivity to a sporting event that had been scrutinized for years leading up to kick off.
It’s difficult to say it was somehow uniquely positive, since in sport there must always be a loser, but it’s hard to ignore that, all politics aside, there were moments of progress, of real-life script writing, and of humanity that make such a statement a convincing argument.
1: Messi Emerges from Maradona’s Shadow
For the man who most people are happy enough to designate as the greatest to ever play the sport, the 2022 World Cup was a crowning achievement on the most legendary of careers.
As with all sportsmen, it seemed the 35-year-old Lionel Messi would finish his career with a knock on him: that he never won a major trophy with Argentina. The legendary Argentine forward Diego Maradona took his nation to World Cup glory in 1986, and has carried a greater consideration in some ways to Messi.
There is now no easy argument to make that Messi isn’t the greatest of all time, not least because he didn’t merely play in a team that won the World Cup, he shined from the 1st match to the last, becoming the first player to score in a group stage match, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final. He netted his penalty in both shootouts Argentina played in, and scored two goals in the thrilling 3-3 final against France. He scored 8 goals this tournament.
It was telling that when Gonzalo Montiel stroked home the penalty which won Argentina the cup, the left back celebrated alone with the goalkeeper; every other player had jumped atop Lionel Messi.
2: The Atlas Lions Become African Heroes
For the first time in history, an African team made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Lead forward by standout performances from fullback Aschraf Hakimi, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, and midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.
Finishing first in a group that contained previous World Cup finalists Croatia, and highly-ranked Belgium, beating the latter 2-0, Morocco then eliminated Spain on penalties in the knockout round of 16 before beating Christiano Ronaldo and Portugal 1-0 to reach the semi-finals.
They would be defeated by a 2-0 scoreline against France. Morocco had more foreign-born players in their squad than any other team, with 14 of the 25 choosing to play for Morocco rather than various other nations such as France, Germany, or Spain.
“Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said. “Morocco is ready to face anyone in the world. We have changed the mentality of the generation coming after us. They’ll know Moroccan players can create miracles.”
3: The Rise of the World Game
Remaining on the topic of Africa, it was the most successful tournament for the continent: with 5 African teams all winning at least one group stage match, two emerging from the groups into the knockout rounds—a joint record—and a team making it to the semi-finals for the first time ever.
Furthermore, it was the first time ever that all 5 African teams were led by coaches born and raised in the same country as the squad. In other words, Africa trusted its own, and it paid off.
Huge strides were made in Asian football as well. Despite the elimination of Qatar, Iran, and Saudi Arabia in the group stage, three teams, South Korea, Japan, and Australia, made it into the round of 16 for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Japan finished 1st in their group which contained Euro-giants Germany and Spain, Australia finished 2nd in their group, beating both Denmark who were hopeful of a deep tournament run after a strong showing in the last EURO Championships, and Tunisia. South Korea needed a win or draw against Portugal in the final group match to advance, which they got at 2-1.
When Japan came from behind to beat Germany 2-1, Jose Mourinho said “it was not a big surprise.”
“I think at this moment in European football, there is a big focus on the individual, a big focus on egos… I have never coached Japanese players, but I’ve coached Asian players,” he said, perhaps chidingly. “In my case, I was lucky because I’ve coached the best Asian player, (Son Heung-min) and I understand that the mentality is really special.”
4: Stéphanie Frappart’s Perfectly Normal Match
Stéphanie Frappart, Neuza Back, and Karen Diaz made history as the first all-female officiating team for a men’s association football match. And everything was completely normal.
It’s not particularly surprising, Frappart is very experienced, and like all great referees, is a bit cold and hard.
“The men’s World Cup is the most important sporting competition in the world. I was the first referee in France and in Europe, so I know how to deal with it,” Frappart, who also made history this year officiating a men’s UEFA Champions League match, told reporters.
While the fourth official was a man, the video assistant offside ref was a woman as well. It’s noteworthy this occurred before the eyes of a host nation where the de-facto places in society of men and women are not necessarily equal.
5: The Qatari People
Qatar is a conservative nation, and restrictions on activities which infringe on religious customs were enforced. That didn’t stop the average people from recognizing that as hosts of the biggest event in the “World Game” it was their responsibility to provide warmth and welcome to all.
Early on in the tournament, videos were constantly surfacing on social media of locals helping visiting fans adjust or tie the traditional Qatari headdress, called the shayla, which was often being improvised out of a national flag of the visitor’s nation.
The government told fans not to wear Arabic headdresses or robes, but just before the opening match of the tournament, Qatar vs Ecuador, a video surfaced of a Qatari police officer helping none other than an Ecuadorian fan tie a headdress made of the Ecuadorian flag.
By all accounts they were a credit to their nation, and the sport’s international community.
Understandably dour Frenchmen will be rightfully excused from agreeing it was an excellent World Cup, but for neutrals there were so many positives to take away from a sporting event which could have been crushed by negativity.
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