No event escalates individuals to the status of national hero or global villain as dramatically as the World Cup. The idolatry that follows success and the stigma that follows failure are woven into the fabric of history, and the repercussions will typically follow footballers for the rest of their lives. Daily, we’ll take a look at who played the role of hero and who played the role of villain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
No event escalates individuals to the status of national hero or global villain as dramatically as the World Cup. The idolatry that follows success and the stigma that follows failure are woven into the fabric of history, and the repercussions will typically follow footballers for the rest of their lives. Daily, we’ll take a look at who played the role of hero and who played the role of villain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The pride experienced by the team and the masses of a country for making it to the greatest sporting event in the world is never more on display than during the World Cup national anthems before a match.
The playing of the national anthem is incredibly potent. Hearing the hymn has been a surefire trigger for waterworks on the pitch. It turns strangers into friends as fans croon in unison.
If you like your dramas with a bit of continuity — and you haven’t watched a soccer match since the 2014 World Cup — you needn’t worry, the 2018 World Cup has got a better story arc than Anna Karenina. Here are 10 narratives that dominated the 2014 tournament that still apply in 2018.
#1. 2018 Costa Rica is 2014 Costa Rica.
Who is the greatest soccer player of all time? A question as difficult to answer as who is the greatest president, scientist, inventor, composer, actor, writer, poet, painter, musician or comedian, a near impossibility to narrow it down to just one human being amongst that elite few that we recognize as not just “great,” but “the greatest.”
The Bundesliga YouTube channel released a video today counting down the top 10 free kicks of the 2017-18 season, and it’s certainly worth a watch if you’ve got five minutes to spare. If not (or if you just want to see the choicest cuts of the bunch), here are the top three free kicks from the video.
When Germany announced its final roster for the World Cup, the exclusion of Leroy Sane vaulted the Man City winger to the top of the list of the best players not going to the World Cup this summer. Whether a player was snubbed from a loaded World Cup roster or plays for a country that didn't qualify, there is some great talent that will be missing out on the action in Russia.
*WARNING: READ THIS OR YOU WILL BE BUTT HURT*
I too know the obvious favorites based off the readily accessible odds that are available to everyone. But upsets do happen at the World Cup. In fact, they happen every single tournament. Every. Single. Time.
So if you want to see traditional power rankings with all the countries lined up entirely how you’d expect them to be, go to ESPNFC or something. Have fun reading that.