For the History Books

I have been looking forward to Tuesday June 16th for a long time, and boy did it live up to the hype. Messi scores a hat trick on the opening game of Argentina’s title defence, Mbappé with a brace, and most importantly for me, Iraq score a goal in the World Cup and I got to watch it with my own two eyes. We played such a good game and deserved a better result, exceeded all of my expectations. I’m so happy for Aymen Hussein, what an absolute beauty of a goal it was and what a player he is. We have two tougher games coming up, and I just hope the boys have some fun. Soak in the moment, you’re playing against some of the best players in the world. We already met the target I had set up before a ball was kicked, which is to score a goal, everything else from now on is a bonus. Put up a fight, try your best like you did against Norway and that’s all you can do. My sister and I invited a few friends to watch the game with us and it was so special to see everyone in our group supporting Iraq. This is what football is all about, I fucking love this game. 

Alright, here we go, just two more teams left to preview before the end of the first round of games… 

England

This current England generation is so likeable. I have a lot of respect for them and the way they conduct themselves on and off the field. They come into this tournament with Harry Kane and Declan Rice having the best form of their careers. Rice is currently the best holding midfielder in the world, and Kane is the best player in the world right now. What he did with Bayern this year is not getting the attention that it deserves. He’s scoring goals for fun while also providing an insane amount of chances for his teammates. With Thomas Tuchel being at the helm and his experience in knockout games, I think England will go far this tournament. Maybe a third-place finish? Time will tell how they will handle big moments but I won’t be mad at this England team going the distance, this team deserves it and have lost two finals already. 

Portugal

Portugal are coming into this tournament with massive expectations on them, and for good reason. They have an incredible squad of players at their disposal, especially that midfield trio that many people see as currently the best in the world. For me, it all depends on how Cristiano conducts himself this tournament. If he makes it all about himself, denying the fact that he’s 41 and thinking that he needs to be the main man no matter what, Portugal will crumble sooner than people think. However, if Ronaldo is able to step up and be the leader that this group needs, plays for the team and accepts the fact that his role has to fit his age and physical ability, then they could have a really good World Cup. I just, quite frankly, hate how Ronaldo has been acting like he’s above the game the last couple of years. Doing interviews with Piers Morgan claiming that the World Cup is not a dream for him, that it’s a 7 game tournament and all the other bullshit that he’s been spewing. It’s like, shut the fuck up and adapt your game to the fact that you’re not prime Cristiano Ronaldo anymore, you’re not above human biology. I love that he’s talking about playing in the 2030 World Cup already, is that really the type of attitude you want to have towards a game that has given you so much. The other thing that I have doubts about with the Portugal team is Roberto Martinez. I’m not fully convinced by him as a manager. Diogo Jota’s passing last summer will make this an especially emotional tournament for these players. I’m really curious to see Portugal at this World Cup, definitely one to keep an eye on. 

And that’s it, no more teams to preview. Loving the World Cup so far. Thank you dear reader, for reading my ramblings. Let me know your thoughts, and I’ll be back soon!