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.
Rafael Márquez set a new World Cup record on Sunday. The legendary Mexico defender became the third player to appear in five World Cups when he came in for Andrés Guardado in the 74th minute for El Tri against Germany. More impressively, by taking the captain’s armband from Guardado, Rafa Márquez became the first player to captain five teams at the World Cup.
Many people following the World Cup this summer watched Fox's announcing duo of Jorge Perez-Navarro and Mariano Trujillo for the first time on Saturday. Many people were quick to point out how much they hated Jorge Perez-Navarro.
Iceland’s first trip to the World Cup is off to a pretty fantastic start. The smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup won 1-1 against Argentina to start Group C play on Saturday. Alfred Finnbogason scored the equalizer for the underdogs and the call from Iceland announcer Gummi Ben showed just what it meant to his country.
Iceland has a population of about 334,000, smaller than more than 50 cities in the U.S., but the team qualified for its first World Cup two years after thrilling at the 2016 Euros.
Group C is off to a wicked start folks. I’m going to get this out of the way early.
I never understood why Gonzalo Higuain got time over Sergio Aguero on the Argentina national team. That decision really personifies the shit show that is the Argentine FA. Sergio Aguero, who's been out with a knee injury since the end of April, made his return and showed just why he’s more valuable than Higuain. He can make something out of nothing in an instant and finish. (Now watch Higuain come in a score the game winner.)
The Portugal vs Spain World Cup 2018 prediction articles from around the planet have been somewhat rocked by news of Julen Lopetegui’s dismissal as coach of Spain, but the drama surrounding la Furia Roja has only intensified the hype surrounding what’s quite possibly the game of the 20
Let’s just get this out of the way: Unless you’re a mom, you have no interest in opening ceremonies. Whether it’s the Olympics, Champions League final or World Cup, most fans just want to get to the action. That said, the 2018 World Cup opening ceremony wasn’t all that bad thanks to one man: Robbie Williams.
Robbie Williams isn’t a singer too many Americans are familiar with. To be honest, the only reason I know him is because his song was the primary anthem for FIFA 2000.
The Spain vs Portugal World Cup matchup on Friday, June 15, is going to be the battle of who will come first in the group. Both sides have quality in areas where the other does not, in addition to each manager having their own playing styles and drilling that into their players.
De Gea; Odriozola, Pique, Ramos, Alba; Busquets, Thiago, Isco; Silva, Costa, Iniesta
Paul Pogba is an enigma wrapped repeatedly in a bunch of increasingly comical synonyms for enigma. And the puzzle that is Pogba will likely be solved during the 2018 World Cup.
The France midfielder has immense talent and potential. He’s dynamic, versatile, athletic, powerful and silky smooth. It’s why Manchester United paid a then-world-record $125 million for him after letting him go for free four years earlier.