FIFA World Cup will always remain special
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 01: Pele speaks on stage during the New York Cosmos Legends Gala at Gotham Hall on August 1, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/Getty Images for New York Cosmos)
Last week, the number of teams who confirmed their spot in the World Cup finals in Brazil 2014 expanded to include a host of veritable veterans as well as one or two debutantes.
And with 21 teams already dead certs to appear on the Canarinha’s home soil in a few months, now is as good a time as ever to look at what makes the World Cup so special.
For starters, it brings together the best footballers on the globe to compete against each other for the biggest prize in the sport – and it always makes for an enthralling experience. And because the tournament has always been used as a measuring stick for players in the pantheon of greats, it will forever be the pinnacle of success.
If you win it outright, you can consider yourself eternally celebrated by your fellow countrymen.
And for the last 83 years it has separated the great from the very good – it’s as simple as that.
Just take this quote from Pele as an example, per Goal.com: “For me Pele is the best. Nobody has done more than Pele. He’s the only player to be World Champion at 17, winning three World Cups and score over 1,208 goals”
Throughout the recent flurry of matches, some sides put any niggling doubts to rest as they booked their tickets to the world’s biggest and most respected football tournament. Germany, Belgium and Spain were all among those who qualified automatically, while others could only perpetuate their uncertainty by failing to make the grade for now, such as Uruguay and Sweden.
On the one hand, sheer joy and ecstasy took hold as fans and players alike celebrated clinching their spot in the 32-team feast of football, while other experienced pangs of distress having fallen at the final hurdle.
However, despite the ever-fluctuating, see-saw of emotions, there was one other thing that was for sure – the World Cup shows no signs of losing its appeal.
The scramble to earn the right to compete against some of the best footballers of the modern age showcased exactly how highly-sought after an appearance at the World Cup is.
Regardless of the strength of a country’s domestic league, there has been unrivalled passion and determination right across the board throughout the current campaign. Whether it was Roy Hodgson’s England or Safet Suši?’s Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was clear that pride in their team and a desire to ply their trade on the biggest stage in international football was there – stronger than ever before.
And with more teams still to earn their spot in the month-long marathon of play, that same spirit can be witnessed again when the next round of matches kicks off.
Now, it’s no big surprise – the World Cup has always been unique.
However, considering the level of club commitment that exists today as well as the personal effort involved in rising through the ranks to become a modern day, professional footballer, it still seems remarkable that the tournament has retained its worldwide appeal ever since its inception in 1930.
But importantly it has.
Even the controversy currently surrounding the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 underlines this.
Considering the uproar that’s been justly made against the proposed move by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, it’s safe to assume that interest in the competition shows no signs of waning.
Although the idea to host the World Cup in what’s sure to be swelteringly hot conditions in a time period that would disrupt many of Europe’s top domestic leagues is a terrible one, you can be sure, viewing figures will be higher than ever for the event.
Why? Because you just can’t beat the World Cup for a spectacle – even if it is mired in controversy or negativity.