The FIFA World Cup 2022 played out in Doha, Qatar ended in sterling style with Argentina clinching the title after 36 years in what could arguably be described as a game for the ages. It would not only go down as one of the greatest finals ever contested but even as a solitary match would easily stake claim as perhaps the finest football World Cup match ever played. The Germany vs Italy semifinal of 1970 is largely considered as the greatest World cup match ever contested but this encounter between France and Argentina in 2022 probably pips that one and takes the cake.
The initial Football World Cup was played way back in 1930 and it's been in operation for almost a century of years being rich in history and tradition. The silver lining with regard to this match was that it had to come at the most pinnacle junction like a final which made the whole event all the more awe inspiring. One of the games greatest Lionel Andres Messi finally got his hands on the coveted Jules Rimet trophy, the one eluding him that he was waiting dearly for so long and it just ended up being so very extra special that it had to happen in his final World Cup appearance.
The game had it's ebbs and flows right from around the second portion of the second half. Until then for almost 75 minutes, Argentina had dominated the match in what initially appeared like a lackluster performance by France only to suddenly turn it around thanks to their talisman Kylian Mbappe who produced a blitzkrieg of a hat trick literally out of nowhere and nearly snatched it for France. It was a bit depressing for the defending champions France to eventually bow out on penalty kicks having come so close and virtually having one hand at the trophy.
However the final hurrah was reserved for one man Argentina's Lionel Messi. He came agonizingly close to capturing the trophy 8 years back in 2014 but which ended in heart breaking fashion as Germany made the decisive move to capture the crucial winning goal in the wee minutes of extra time. Messi being the player of the tournament was no solace as he so badly wanted the victors medal but alas it was not to be. The heart break continued again in 2018 as Argentina came undone against a quality young French side in the quarter finals who eventually would go on to claim the title. 2022 was Messi's last chance and a failure again would have deemed to be catastrophical. At the same time there was so much weight riding on Messi's shoulders to emulate the feat of Diego Maradona and anything other than a first placed finish was simply not good enough. Also to end up with no World Cup for not only the most seasoned player of his generation but also of all time would just be unacceptable. God however wrote the perfect script and Messi did eventually see his dream coming true with his beloved Argentinian side clinching victory in an unprecedented anti climax fashion to finally cement their side a World Cup medal after 1986 when Messi wasn't even born then.
The obvious comparison with Messi finally being a World Cup winner would be to line him up with his immortal country man Diego Maradona who performed a similar feat in 1986. It was as if the monkey was finally off Messi's back as he ultimately sealed glory alongside Maradona in being a World Champion himself. It would have even more amazing if Maradona was alive and witness to this. However there is no doubt that the great legend would have been blessing Albiceleste from the stars. Another of the comparison would have been with his illustrious peer Cristiano Ronaldo who along with Lionel Messi have been staving off comparisons over more than a decade now as to who is the greatest in the present generation. Messi has certainly leapfrogged Ronaldo with this success as CR7s only major triumph for his country Portugal came in the Euro 2016 when they upstaged France in the final. With this monumental triumph however, Messi also officially has staked his claim to be the GOAT alongside former winners Pele and Maradona. Incidentally, Pele, Maradona and Messi contributed with exactly a total of 10 Goals/Assists during their respective world cup winning conquests in 1970, 1986 and 2022 respectively.
Despite the heavy comparisons with former football players feats, the one which attracts an eerie level of coincidence happens to be with one of the torchbearers of Indian cricket namely Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Though Football and Cricket are sports as different as chalk & cheese, the situations in both Messi and Sachin's case appear so similar and it's remarkable that they just have so much in common with respect to their World Cup journeys.
Looking below at some of the engaging and interesting commonalities that have transpired in the lives of two of the greatest sportsmen from their respective fields of play:
1) Jersey Check - Both Sachin Tendulkar and Lionel Messi wore jerseys with the number 10 inscribed during their World Cup campaign.
2) Birth Date Check - Both are born on a #6 as per numerology and more specifically on the 24th of a calendar month. (Sachin 24th April 1973, Messi 24th June 1987)
3) Stature Check - Both are built around the same height measuring about 5'7 and considered to be the shortest players of their respective sides.
4) Heartbreak Check - Both encountered heart break losing the final of a World Cup 2 editions previous to their last and exactly 8 years prior. (Sachin in 2003 and Messi in 2014)
5) Player of the Tournament Check - Both were Player of the Tournament in their respective World Cup event despite not going on to win the trophy for their respective countries.
6) Appearance Check - Both of them have represented their countries in maximum World Cup campaigns in Cricket and Football respectively (Sachin with 6 and Messi with 5)
7) 2nd Highest Scorer Check - Both ended up being the 2nd highest run and goal scorer respectively during their victorious campaign with the highest coming from the losing side playing the final (Dilshan for Sri Lanka and Mbappe for France)
8) Defeat of Previous World Cup Winner Check - Both their sides India and Argentina defeated previous World Cup champions Australia (2007 Cricket World Cup Winner) and France (2018 Football World Cup Winner) on their way to victory. (India beat Australia in Quarter Finals and Argentina defeated France in the finals)
9) One Match Defeat Check - Both their teams lost only one match in the entire tournament which came during the group stages (India against South Africa and Argentina against Saudi Arabia)
10) Player of Match in Semifinals Check - Both were player of the match in their respective semi finals en-route to the final. (Sachin vs Pakistan and Messi vs Croatia)
11) Previous World Cup win in 80s check - Both their teams previous World Cup victory incidentally occurred in the 80s. (India in 1983 and Argentina in 1986)
12) World Cup Victory Multiple Check - Both Sachin and Messi finally realized their long standing dream of winning the coveted World Cup title in their last attempt and coincidentally it came in years involving multiples of 11. (Sachin in 2011 and Messi in 2022)
13) Post Retirement Check - This is rather more of a cheeky one. Both were largely expected to hang their boots after their final world cup hurrah especially since this was what they were expecting to fructify during their lifetimes with the sport they love. However that was not to be the case as Sachin continued to play for a couple more years after that and with respect to Messi's case, he has just hinted in a post match interview that he intends to continue a wee bit longer in the Argentina shirt.
Thus is a short similarities compendium of the World Cup winning journeys of 2 amazing sportsmen who carried the entire burden of their respective nations on their shoulders and finally achieved unprecedented iconic status by winning the biggest prize the sport has to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment