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2022 World Cup - Qatar

Ronaldo's ~50 best games > Messi's
Ypou've lost the plot there mate. That is mental.

For any game you pick from Ronaldo i will pick one from messi that is better. Pick a judge and go first.
If you've be willing to bet on it i'd get a mortgage, then a second mortgage and then go to some dodgy break-your-legs type of financier and get money just for the wager.

It's not even a contest.
 
Even if that robe carries status over there it was still totally crass to put Messi in it to receive the trophy. No win situation for him in what should have been his, and Argentina's, moment.

While the players put on a show, as they were always going to, I'm glad the whole thing is over.
 
While the players put on a show, as they were always going to, I'm glad the whole thing is over.
Yeh, totally footballed out after that. But great world cups need a great final. Definitely the best I have seen in my lifetime for Drama and what was at stake.

I think RWC can learn from it. Would like to see a round of 16. It would extend the knockout stage of the competition. But can't see how they would implement it with only 20 teams.
 
I think RWC can learn from it. Would like to see a round of 16. It would extend the knockout stage of the competition. But can't see how they would implement it with only 20 teams.
It may be interesting if they also add more teams. Looking at the 10-16 in the rankings, Italy, Georgia, Samoa and Fiji to be competitive enough. It just wouldn't be as wild as football in terms of upsets and that's down to both the nature of the game, professional levels of some of the lower teams and the general gap between the top 10 and the rest.

But adding a last 16 as it currently stands would just make the group stages pointless. You'd likely need to increase it to 32, and there would thus likely be some New Zealand vs Japan 1995 type scores in the mix (maybe not as bad, but to 100)

But anyway, good World Cup final. Highly entertaining. Terrible choice in host and I hope no large sporting Organisation would even consider them again given how they've done last second backtracks for future events (and avoid the massive bags of money)
 
Yeh, totally footballed out after that. But great world cups need a great final. Definitely the best I have seen in my lifetime for Drama and what was at stake.

I think RWC can learn from it. Would like to see a round of 16. It would extend the knockout stage of the competition. But can't see how they would implement it with only 20 teams.
Rugby doesn't have enough competitive teams to make expanding the numbers worthwhile. They will just be fodder.
 
If anything to make Rugby more interesting cutting out the Quarter Finals would do a lot.
 
If Messi did half the amount of gear Maradonna did he wouldn't be half the player he was so Maradonna wins.
Well, you could put that hyothesis to the test by watching what Maradona did before Napoli and comparing it to what Messi did till he was 24. Not sure that would yield the result you expect.
Messi at his best was better than Maradona at his best. Messi at his avg day was much better than Maradona at his average day. The differences are mainly 3
- Maradona had his best at a World cup, Messi didnt.
- Maradona was a natural leader, Messi wasnt and isnt. This is my opinion: Maradona inspired his team mates more, much more. He had this aura, and it was a powerful one.
- Maradona was as controversial as human beings come and the gap between where he came from and what he achieved was among the biggest. He spoke out loud and backed up those statements forcefully with actions in a couple of key momenys of his life and carreer. He was contradictory, and his story is one of endless talent, struggle, passion, hate and an ocassional redemption along the way. He never, EVER shied away from a challenge. Even on his worst day, he asked for the ball time and time again. And he tried, and failed. And tried again, and failed again (that day). From a stoy telling pov that is as good of a input as you can get. I am talking Greey mythology material. That is why probably why so many artists have taken a crack at depictimg/honouring him. Music, theatre, tv series, movies, painting, the lot.

Messi's greatest controversy was his accountant making a mistake and him being fined by the spanish tax authorities. And him paying dilligently, course. Sure, haters will target practice with that but hardly what we cold pultizer material. Maradona walked into a room, any room, and time stopped. No matter what the subject of the conversation was.

If my life depended on the restul of a game and i could pick one player for my team it would be Messi. 10 times out of 10. One other thing i've hear a LOT was that Maradona was more aesthetic and pleasurable to watch. I understand where they are coming from but i disagree. The ball control at speed Messi had is something we wont see for many, many years and it is/was a thing of beauty. Messi is more, how should i call it, efficient. He rarely, if ever, makes a feint just for the sake of it. His movements tend to have a very, very specific purpose. Maradona nutmegged players because he could and because he like it. For Messi nutmegging is a recourse, just like any other, to get past a defender and score. If he had a more efficient recourse to achieve the same, he prolly wouldnt use a nutmeg. Maradona would still attempt to nutmeg his defender. Difference might be sutil, but it is there.

Another thing people repeat ad nauseam is how their eras differ in terms of defending and defenders. They generally attach a video of defenders beating the crap out of Maradona when saying that. Fouling was vicious back then, true. Brutal. But there is a catch many overlook. Attacking players had more space. Tactically. Coaches have learned how to stop most by positioning their teams in certain ways.

One last thing that i thought i should mention. People, a LOT of people, a LOT of people who know or should know better repeat things like: 'Maradona was carrying a pack of nobodies in Napoli, facing and besting the best teams in europe'.
Well,

Ciro Ferrara, De Napoli, Andrea Carnevale, Careca, Alemano... those are some pretty big names. Sure, they werent Milan, but they were pretty close.
 
You're a ******* genius
I don't advocate it as a viable option but it would make group stage games far more interesting as there would be something actually on the line. Teams couldn't get away with loosing to Japan.
 
Well, you could put that hyothesis to the test by watching what Maradona did before Napoli and comparing it to what Messi did till he was 24. Not sure that would yield the result you expect.
Messi at his best was better than Maradona at his best. Messi at his avg day was much better than Maradona at his average day. The differences are mainly 3
- Maradona had his best at a World cup, Messi didnt.
- Maradona was a natural leader, Messi wasnt and isnt. This is my opinion: Maradona inspired his team mates more, much more. He had this aura, and it was a powerful one.
- Maradona was as controversial as human beings come and the gap between where he came from and what he achieved was among the biggest. He spoke out loud and backed up those statements forcefully with actions in a couple of key momenys of his life and carreer. He was contradictory, and his story is one of endless talent, struggle, passion, hate and an ocassional redemption along the way. He never, EVER shied away from a challenge. Even on his worst day, he asked for the ball time and time again. And he tried, and failed. And tried again, and failed again (that day). From a stoy telling pov that is as good of a input as you can get. I am talking Greey mythology material. That is why probably why so many artists have taken a crack at depictimg/honouring him. Music, theatre, tv series, movies, painting, the lot.

Messi's greatest controversy was his accountant making a mistake and him being fined by the spanish tax authorities. And him paying dilligently, course. Sure, haters will target practice with that but hardly what we cold pultizer material. Maradona walked into a room, any room, and time stopped. No matter what the subject of the conversation was.

If my life depended on the restul of a game and i could pick one player for my team it would be Messi. 10 times out of 10. One other thing i've hear a LOT was that Maradona was more aesthetic and pleasurable to watch. I understand where they are coming from but i disagree. The ball control at speed Messi had is something we wont see for many, many years and it is/was a thing of beauty. Messi is more, how should i call it, efficient. He rarely, if ever, makes a feint just for the sake of it. His movements tend to have a very, very specific purpose. Maradona nutmegged players because he could and because he like it. For Messi nutmegging is a recourse, just like any other, to get past a defender and score. If he had a more efficient recourse to achieve the same, he prolly wouldnt use a nutmeg. Maradona would still attempt to nutmeg his defender. Difference might be sutil, but it is there.

Another thing people repeat ad nauseam is how their eras differ in terms of defending and defenders. They generally attach a video of defenders beating the crap out of Maradona when saying that. Fouling was vicious back then, true. Brutal. But there is a catch many overlook. Attacking players had more space. Tactically. Coaches have learned how to stop most by positioning their teams in certain ways.

One last thing that i thought i should mention. People, a LOT of people, a LOT of people who know or should know better repeat things like: 'Maradona was carrying a pack of nobodies in Napoli, facing and besting the best teams in europe'.
Well,

Ciro Ferrara, De Napoli, Andrea Carnevale, Careca, Alemano... those are some pretty big names. Sure, they werent Milan, but they were pretty close.
Is there a TLDR version of this? Was just a bit of a throw away comment to be honest but thanks for the response.

I guess if I'm fleshing out my uninformed opinion more I would just say being a coke fiend since your early 20s is not conducive with being a professional football player only a god of Maradonna's status could pull it off. Had Messi been on the bag since he was 24 he wouldn't have got close to Maradonna. But hey, not being a coke fiend is a good thing so props to Messi but my vote goes to the guy who did bumps on the pitch after scoring penalties. He was built different.
 
Rugby doesn't have enough competitive teams to make expanding the numbers worthwhile. They will just be fodder.
Or have a Plate competition for the 3rd and 4th place teams and a shield competition for 5th place teams so they get more exposure to competitive games.
 


At least England won something from this World Cup. Are they just too nice to win?
 
Got this from a Uruguayan with a comment along the lines of 'congrats on the win. You're catching up'
See what i was talking about?

I could take a jab from a brazilian. I wouldnt like it but they do have more wc's than we do. But this? I love em to bits, but when it comes to this topi uruguay is nothing short of a mental asylum.




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Nice to see this support from the French public and an appreciation for a good ***le defence.


Of course there was racist abuse of the missed penalty takers as well. This is a modern first world country after all.

Deschamps claims his starting players were all 100% fit which only adds to the merit of Argentina. It seems hard to believe given we saw one french player (number 4?) literally crawl off the pitch on his hands and knees before being substituted. I wonder if Deschamps says that to deflect criticism for not starting with the seemingly clearly fitter substitutes who changed the match.

 
Yeh massive shame about the racist abuse. Totally uncalled for as it was last year. Cowards hiding behind their computers.
 
Nice to see this support from the French public and an appreciation for a good ***le defence.


Of course there was racist abuse of the missed penalty takers as well. This is a modern first world country after all.

Deschamps claims his starting players were all 100% fit which only adds to the merit of Argentina. It seems hard to believe given we saw one french player (number 4?) literally crawl off the pitch on his hands and knees before being substituted. I wonder if Deschamps says that to deflect criticism for not starting with the seemingly clearly fitter substitutes who changed the match.


I think the opposition fans provided the vast majority of the racist abuse this time around to be honest. Some fairly grim chants going around.
 

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