The World Cup is starting soon. It is the most valuable and important competition in every footballer's career. The value is heightened by the fact that, unlike many other sports, the World Cup takes place once every four years, as opposed to hockey, for example. Therefore, a footballer has about two chances in their career to win it and show what they and their national team are capable of. Coaches cultivate entire generations for the World Cup and European Championship, and this yields results: total (or almost total) dominance by one or several teams. Starting from the 2000s, for example, we can highlight the national teams of Italy, Spain, and Germany, which developed their core players over many years, and this paid off. The World Cup usually takes place in the summer, but this year the competition will be in late autumn because it will be held in the hot country of Qatar, where winter offers a more suitable climate. The last World Cup was won by the French national team. Yes, the same one that took place in Russia, where they defeated Croatia in the final. Croatia, boasting a star‑starred lineup, finished in second place, while Belgium, with an even more star‑starred squad, took the bronze by beating England in the third‑place match.
Let me remind you that neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi has a World Cup trophy, and I am sure they would trade all their Ballon d'Or statuettes for this award. The most legendary footballer is considered to be the Brazilian Pelé, who became a world champion three times with Brazil. Additionally, Italians, Uruguayans, and Germans have also won the World Cup multiple times. However, the English, whose national team has always been strong, have only won the World Cup once.
Another interesting fact is that Italy, after winning the last European Championship two years ago, managed not to qualify for the World Cup. Although there was a last‑minute possibility to exclude Tunisia and replace them with Italy (as the highest‑ranked team that did not qualify), this did not happen, and Tunisia will participate on their own. This year, it will be extremely difficult for France to defend their title, as they will go to the tournament without many players due to injuries in the defense and midfield.
Let’s look at the favorites for this year's competition:
- 🇧🇷 1. Brazil
- 🇦🇷 2. Argentina
- 🇩🇪 3. Germany
- 🇪🇸 4. Spain
- 🇫🇷 5. France
- 🏴 6. England
- 🇳🇱 7. Netherlands
- 🇩🇰 8. Denmark
- 🇧🇪 9. Belgium
- 🇭🇷 10. Croatia
In conclusion, let’s remember the top scorers of this competition, who are the German Miroslav Klose and the Brazilian Ronaldo (not to be confused with the Portuguese Cristiano).
Who will you be cheering for if you watch the matches at all?
(All facts were written from memory, so there may be minor inaccuracies, but I hope I got everything right.)
