[HN Gopher] Argentina Wins the World Cup
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Argentina Wins the World Cup
        
       Author : wslh
       Score  : 279 points
       Date   : 2022-12-18 17:57 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.theguardian.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.theguardian.com)
        
       | marcodiego wrote:
       | As a Brazilian who watched in 1994 we get the title, lose it for
       | France in 1998 and make it again in 2002... I saw Germany score
       | 7x1 in Brazil in 2014... I can say this was the BEST final for a
       | World Cup ever! Argentina totally deserved it and I was rooting
       | for them despite all the rivalry between us.
       | 
       | The plot twists we watched this time is just not common. It has
       | been a long time since I watched such a good game and it will
       | probably restore my feelings on watching football again. I think
       | other Brazilians can say the same.
       | 
       | Thank you all who made this possible.
       | 
       | Disclaimer: I spent a few days in Argentina in 2011. That country
       | and people have a special place in my heart. I learned to
       | appreciate the sound of romance languages beyond Portuguese and
       | took a respectful photo in Maradona's star. It is an emotional
       | thing to see Messi make it in his last chance and Argentina get
       | another title since 1986. Dieguito is no longer alone and I'm
       | happy to see that in a way that is hard to explain.
        
         | coffeebeqn wrote:
         | 1994 was my first World Cup and this really felt similar from
         | what I remember. Except the stars put in their penalties
        
         | AlchemistCamp wrote:
         | Agreed! This is the most epic championship I've ever seen in
         | any sport.
         | 
         | I was watching with a French friend and cheering for them, but
         | I've got to say Argentina earned it and it would have been a
         | shame if Messi never got a cup.
         | 
         | Mbappe's hat trick was also an epic display that the torch is
         | being passed to the next generation. Tonight was just about
         | everything you could ask for in a game.
        
           | lubujackson wrote:
           | Gotta give that one to the Patriots beating the Falcons with
           | the (by far) biggest comeback in NFL Super Bowl history, all
           | in the 4th quarter.
           | 
           | It required about 8 minutes of nearly perfect play to keep
           | their chances alive.
        
         | antihero wrote:
         | After the first half it was a phenomenal game. I was in a pub
         | in Peckham and despite people not particularly rooting either
         | way the atmosphere was insane.
         | 
         | Also loved that everyone booed the Qatari blokes.
        
           | IG_Semmelweiss wrote:
           | if you are referring to the TV....they actually booed
           | infantino, the president of fifa.
           | 
           | No one booed the qataris. In fact the boos ended once the
           | king was announced.
           | 
           | They love their king and deservedly so
        
           | curiousgal wrote:
           | > _everyone booed the Qatari blokes._
           | 
           | I always find this hilarious, half of Canary Wharf is owned
           | by Qataris lol
        
             | carnitine wrote:
             | How is it hilarious? I doubt the average English person is
             | a massive fan of Canary Wharf and it's owners.
        
               | curiousgal wrote:
               | It's hilarious because it plays a part in the UK economy
               | and generates tax pounds. So in way or another they are
               | not so disconnected form the people they are booing.
        
               | viciousvoxel wrote:
               | I really don't understand your point or your sense of
               | humor
        
           | mardifoufs wrote:
           | The amazing part is that even the second half looked like a
           | complete bore until the _80th_ minute. I don 't think I've
           | ever watched a match turn around not only in the score, but
           | also in the pace and intensity so decisively and so late. I
           | rooted for argentina but I'm so glad Mbappe almost single
           | handedly made the final legendary by bringing France back
           | from the brink.
        
             | crdrost wrote:
             | The second half was better than you think it was and will
             | hold up under rewatching, I suspect.
             | 
             | In the first half, Argentina dominated possession and kept
             | France completely on defense and just pummeled them, a
             | boxer just getting blasted in the corner holding gloves up
             | for dear life, super lopsided.
             | 
             | In the second half, from the very start, France was hungry
             | for blood, it's just that the Argentinian defense was very
             | strong as they had not yet really had to play much in the
             | first half. It seemed boring because we were already
             | thinking we saw this going 3-0, Messi sweeping up the Cup
             | easily in the last game against a sick team stuck at their
             | 75%. But if you are paying more attention, you will see
             | France with the lead on possession, numerous back-and-forth
             | pushes, lots of French pushes only to be stuck inside a
             | "cup" of three Argentine defenders who shut it down... Then
             | they start to get tired, leading to that first penalty
             | ("let me just hug you in the box"), followed by the French
             | sharks sensing the fatigue, blood in the water, a French
             | feeding frenzy. It should hold up well I think
        
         | 29athrowaway wrote:
         | Agreed. It was a genuine, high intensity game.
         | 
         | No diving, no risk-averse passes for minutes, no BS. It was a
         | proper world cup final.
        
           | tim333 wrote:
           | The first penalty looked a bit iffy diving wise https://www.t
           | iktok.com/@mishary.19/video/7178520312630267137...
        
         | azlyrics wrote:
        
         | IG_Semmelweiss wrote:
         | Argentina were the best team by far 80 min.
         | 
         | It just so happened that things went out of the script in the
         | following 3 minutes, and then after we proceeded to watch quite
         | possibly the best extra time played of all time, certainly in a
         | final game.
         | 
         | Best final? Possibly. But only because of the unexpected 2-2
         | which looked impossible in the preceding 80mins. In fact, there
         | was only 1 team that showed up for most of the first 90mins.
         | 
         | Had the game not gone into extra time, this would just be
         | another lopsided game with a deserved winner. This was not a
         | trade of blows, Rocky style.
         | 
         | That was left for extra time :)
        
           | AlbertCory wrote:
           | That's kind of silly. A match doesn't have to be trading
           | blows like Rocky for the whole 90 minutes. Stuff happens. If
           | you have a 2-0 lead, you have to protect it for the entire
           | game.
           | 
           | I get tired of things being proclaimed "the best ever"
           | though. "It was really good" is plenty, unless you've watched
           | every other one.
        
         | rebelos wrote:
         | Worth noting that France was deeply unlucky. Virus hit the team
         | just before the final. Benzema and Pogba missing. And Deschamps
         | made some questionable decisions in my view.
         | 
         | And Mbappe still showed up and put in one of the most heroic
         | performances I've ever seen in sports, basically carrying the
         | entire team. Really looking forward to watching his career.
        
           | agumonkey wrote:
           | MBappe did carry his weight fully, despite his status, youth
           | and the usual pressure of a WC final. It was a honourable
           | defeat.
           | 
           | Surely the team was decimated, such is life.
        
             | mardifoufs wrote:
             | Mbappe has such an insane future if he keeps it up. He
             | could've won his 2nd worldcup and he's only 23 years old,
             | and has already scored more goals than almost anyone in a
             | WC, while almost entirely carrying his team. I'm glad
             | France lost, because they have the potential to be
             | completely dominant for another 10 years, and that's even
             | without mbappe.
        
               | 29athrowaway wrote:
               | Mbappe scored 3 goals + a penalty in a world cup final.
               | 
               | He is an amazing player with no equal at this moment.
        
               | Andrew_nenakhov wrote:
               | 1 goal and 3 penalties.
        
             | The_Colonel wrote:
             | MBappe scored the most goals in the WC final history (4),
             | yet it wasn't enough.
        
           | coffeebeqn wrote:
           | Benzema could have (should have) been a sub in the final -
           | they even took Giroud out early! But in true French fashion
           | they couldn't get over their drama.
           | 
           | Still it let Mbappe shine and put on a legendary show
        
           | underdeserver wrote:
           | Also, that foul on Di Maria in the penalty box wasn't.
        
       | belter wrote:
       | Predicted by Supercomputer 52 days ago..zero comments...shame on
       | you HN :-))
       | 
       | "Supercomputer Predicts Argentina Wins 2022 World Cup" -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33356979
        
       | grwthckrmstr wrote:
       | We went in expecting nothing. But honestly despite whoever won
       | this was the most exciting football World Cup final that my
       | friends and I ever watched together. Loved the experience. What a
       | match.
        
       | jasonhansel wrote:
       | Congratulations on all the hard work that made this possible!
       | 
       | I mean the work of the quasi-enslaved migrant laborers who built
       | the stadiums in 100-degree heat, of course. But I'm sure
       | Argentina put in plenty of effort too.
        
       | racl101 wrote:
       | Go Messi!
        
       | sergiotapia wrote:
       | Messi goes home a warrior. What an incredible game!
        
       | haykmartiros wrote:
       | Absolutely legendary game.
        
       | sys_64738 wrote:
       | France were poor up until the 75th min then showed up. Argentina
       | thought it was in the bag at 2-0 but then France did what France
       | do. Messi was a passenger from the 2nd half on and was out of
       | steam in ET. France blew it late in ET with two golden chances.
       | Winning on penalties is a crap shoot so down to luck. Mbappe was
       | really the star of this WC Final dragging France back from the
       | brink and nearly getting them over the line. Messi didn't have a
       | great game from HT.
        
         | niffydroid wrote:
         | As an England fan, I didn't think they were that good against
         | us, England were the better side who just couldn't convert. The
         | ref helped them a lot, their first goal came after they fouled
         | an England player and they didn't even get the ball when doing
         | so. Overall they don't actually look world cup winners playing
         | us.
        
           | lairv wrote:
           | At least France has players able to score 2 penalties
        
           | pritambaral wrote:
           | Neither did Argentina against Saudi Arabia.
        
         | rcarr wrote:
         | > "Messi was a passenger from the 2nd half on and was out of
         | steam in ET"
         | 
         | He scored a bloody goal in ET!
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | phreack wrote:
           | I am convinced everyone is watching a different game in every
           | country at this point.
        
         | ESMirro wrote:
         | "Mbappe was really the star of this WC Final"
         | 
         | This is the narrative, but it's far from reality. Mbappe was
         | invisible for 80 minutes, his refusal to track back and defend
         | in part the reason France were forced to sub off Giroud and
         | move Mbappe into the centre.
         | 
         | He scored two penalties, admittedly that requires nerves of
         | steel but it's not particularly impressive given they've a high
         | xG, and scored an excellent second goal.
         | 
         | Typically players are judged on their quality throughout the
         | entire game, not a moment of quality in an otherwise drab
         | performance, but this seems to be the modern way - the
         | highlights are more important.
         | 
         | To that end Messi was involved in everything, created the
         | second goal with an excellent through ball into space, scored
         | twice, and set up numerous chances that Martinez was unable to
         | finish. A far more impactful performance.
        
           | coffeebeqn wrote:
           | The second penalty was a hand ball blocking Mbappes excellent
           | looking strike so I'd only take half a point off of that
        
           | dj_mc_merlin wrote:
           | If we're gonna go that route then Emi deserves the hero title
           | just for that save at 120+3'.. not just for how important it
           | was, but how unlikely it was and what followed after.
        
             | ESMirro wrote:
             | It was a vital stop, and he absolutely deserved the golden
             | glove over Lloris for it.
             | 
             | I'm not sure I see how it counters my argument though - had
             | Martinez let everything past him for the first 80 minutes
             | (not that France actually had a shot during that time, but
             | hypothetically) whilst an excellent Argentine attack kept
             | it level, that save alone wouldn't cement greatness as the
             | rest of his performance was subpar.
             | 
             | This is essentially the crux of my argument regarding
             | Mbappe, he was far too quiet for far too long and didn't
             | play for the team often enough to deserve such plaudits.
        
               | dj_mc_merlin wrote:
               | Yes, you're right :) I'm still just star struck with how
               | well he did the whole tournament, is all.
        
               | ESMirro wrote:
               | I see what you were trying to say now, yes he was
               | excellent and will go down in Argentine history thanks to
               | his heroics in both the Copa and World Cup wins.
        
         | SSJPython wrote:
         | Mbappe is like a combination of Ronaldo Nazario and Thierry
         | Henry. He needs to stay injury-free, however. And at some point
         | he will need to adapt his game to account for the eventual loss
         | of pace that comes with age.
        
           | dfadsf4 wrote:
           | Mbappe is amazing, great, awesome player, hope he keep
           | getting better and play again, this sport is like this, you
           | can get back and win where you've once lost.
        
         | switch007 wrote:
         | If scoring a goal is "out of steam", what is full of steam for
         | you? Hah
        
           | frontman1988 wrote:
           | That goal was from a rebound, not as impressive as Mbappe's
           | second goal which also happened because Messi lost possession
           | rather lazily. And seriously Messi was literally walking even
           | when the Argentinians were attacking. It really felt Messi
           | was out of steam. He lost possession a lot, couldn't convert
           | atleast two opportunities even though he got into the D and
           | shot at the center of the goal right where the keeper was
           | standing in the final minutes in extra time. Messi is a
           | legend, but today Mbappe outshone him.
        
         | wslh wrote:
         | It was not luck, it was Dibu [1] at the end. He is not lucky,
         | he is an ace. Also Messi is 35 while Mbappe is 23.
         | 
         | [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiliano_Mart%C3%ADnez
        
           | sys_64738 wrote:
           | Penalties are always pot luck. Also, Mbappe has now score
           | four times in two WC Finals. Not bad for a 23yo.
        
             | dj_mc_merlin wrote:
             | Partly luck sure, but Emi's gotten into his opponents heads
             | quite well, if you've seen his other penalty shootouts (..
             | so many this WC). The little "shoot the ball away" tactic
             | did cause the unforced error from.. one of the French
             | players, cba to look it up.
             | 
             | > Mbappe has now score four times in two WC Finals. Not bad
             | for a 23yo.
             | 
             | Yeah absolutely, he's taking the record for sure. He
             | carried the team on his back. Messi's been doing that for
             | longer though.
        
         | frontman1988 wrote:
         | France were pathetic up to that point. I remember there were 0
         | shots on target for like 3/4th of the game. That really
         | shouldn't have happened in a world cup final.
        
           | coffeebeqn wrote:
           | Finally not having Benzema (and Pogba) caught up to them.
           | Giroud was completely useless when they don't control the
           | game
        
       | wcerfgba wrote:
       | _Men 's_ World Cup
        
         | kaba0 wrote:
         | It can be safely implied from context when one is orders of
         | magnitude bigger than the other.
        
         | sharikous wrote:
         | The one with the most audience, I guess. By far.
        
         | mardifoufs wrote:
         | Is there any other world cup going on right now?
        
         | gred wrote:
         | Here in the U.S. this is also the main women's event.
         | 
         | (The women's team will receive more money from the men's team
         | as charity this year than they will earn in the next women's
         | world cup, even if they win it.)
        
         | rosnd wrote:
         | There's no such thing as a men's World Cup, women are allowed
         | to play too.
         | 
         | You'll have a very hard time finding any women playing at this
         | level though.
        
           | dbbk wrote:
           | That's wild, I didn't know this. Though worth noting there is
           | also a dedicated Womens' World Cup next year.
        
             | rosnd wrote:
             | I think almost all sports that have separate women's
             | competitions allow everyone to participate in "men's"
             | competitions.
        
           | wcerfgba wrote:
           | Nope. Per Wikipedia:
           | 
           | > The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is
           | an international association football competition contested
           | by the _senior men 's national teams_ of the members of the
           | Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the
           | sport's global governing body.
        
             | turbonaut wrote:
             | And from the relevant FIFA regulations: "For FIFA men's
             | competitions, only men are eligible to play. For FIFA
             | women's competitions, only men are eligible to play." https
             | ://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/3950e57162ea513d/original/ihf3...
        
           | shp0ngle wrote:
           | What about a golden retriever?
        
       | haunter wrote:
        
         | maybelsyrup wrote:
         | Why are you broadcasting his assassination coordinates
        
           | pifm_guy wrote:
           | Can't be banned from twitter twice.
        
       | foruhar wrote:
       | Bien Leo! Te lo merecias.
        
         | longemen3000 wrote:
         | grande messi!
        
       | vagrantJin wrote:
       | Yeah. Happy for messi the Goat.
       | 
       | Game felt staged and considering the stakes...have a feeling it
       | was fixed. But Im likelt wrong and I hope I am.
       | 
       | Miracles happen in football - like Liecester City lifting the
       | EPL, a moment etched in the history of the sport. Croatia and
       | Morrocco are warriors, happy for them too.
        
       | JumpinJack_Cash wrote:
       | Check-mate
        
       | didip wrote:
       | Messi did it! The ultimate GOAT finally got it before retirement!
       | 
       | I will remember this game for a long time. The dramatic twists
       | and turns are so memorable.
        
       | jrib wrote:
       | Argentina dominated most of the game up until France scored. Was
       | a very fun game to watch.
       | 
       | I'm pretty sure Argentina's 3rd goal should have been revoked
       | after a VAR review. Messi looks off-side for the second to last
       | pass that starts the play. I assume VAR reviewed the ball on the
       | goal line and the last pass but didn't look at the pass that
       | started the play right before?
       | 
       | I wish the reviews were televised. We get to see the referees
       | making decisions, why not the VAR communication too?
        
         | lee wrote:
         | On the feed I was watching it showed that only attacker's hand
         | was passed the line. Hands and feet are exempted for the
         | offside rule.
        
           | awb wrote:
           | Hands are exempt, feet (and any body part you can score with)
           | are not exempt from offsides.
        
       | propogandist wrote:
       | both Messi and Mbappe play for the same qatari owned team back in
       | france, qatar is the biggest world cup winner here
        
       | redbell wrote:
       | I quit football a few years ago but I have to admit that this
       | final game was exciting and full of "suspense" (I couldn't
       | completely ignore it, I watched the extra time and penalties). I
       | would like to cite a few facts..
       | 
       | 1. Since the 2002 world cup in Japan/Korea, every time, if the
       | winner is European , it got kicked out in the next tournament in
       | the first round. 2002(France), 2010(Italy), 2014(Spain) and
       | 2018(Germany). however, France broke the rule this time and
       | almost won the title!
       | 
       | 2. France had lost two finals in its history, both were in
       | penalties (Today, and in 2006 against Italy).
       | 
       | 3. Both Argentina and France have won the title two times so far.
       | Argentina won the coveted trophy in 1978 and 1986 while France
       | achieved glory in 1998 and 2018. So this final is: for whom the
       | 3rd trophy goes? it turns out to be Argentina
       | 
       | 4. France had the chance to join Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil
       | (1958,1962) to be the 3rd Team to win two World Cups
       | successively, but failed.
        
       | browningstreet wrote:
       | I was in Berlin for the last World Cup. It was delightful to
       | experience it like that.
       | 
       | This time I tracked it and really enjoyed the whole thing. The
       | finals was the only game I was able watch in full and it was
       | everything I hoped it would be.
       | 
       | Argentina's second goal was just the best.
        
       | ubittibu wrote:
       | *the MALE Football World Cup
        
         | ramblerman wrote:
         | Lol
         | 
         | Given there is no female World Cup this year this is a little
         | bit petty no? Im guessing you didn't know that though because
         | you don't watch it.
        
         | f1refly wrote:
         | Isn't it the world cup where both genders are allowed but women
         | don't make it into the teams because their bodies aren't as
         | performant when brought to the limit? I don't think there's a
         | rule disallowing women, is there?
        
       | spaceman_2020 wrote:
       | Harsh for France but Argentina deserved it
        
       | albertopv wrote:
       | I hate soccer word, americans must always be different and call
       | 'football' a game you play with hands.
        
         | Ekaros wrote:
         | And they don't even use spherical ball.
        
         | DiggyJohnson wrote:
         | This is essentially flamebait. Different cultures use different
         | words for lots of things. How is this discussion not tiresome
         | and played out?
        
         | albertopv wrote:
         | Of course I'm downvoted, best not to criticise american way of
         | life on HN.
        
         | atonse wrote:
         | This comment is like low quality empty calories. This is a fake
         | debate largely from misunderstanding and misinformation (which
         | a sibling comment has already provided historical context). Can
         | we just move on and talk about the game/match?
        
         | jogjayr wrote:
         | It's not the fault of North American soccer fans that the
         | international word for their game was already taken by another
         | sport. What else are they supposed to do?
         | 
         | American football (gridiron) has the same roots as association
         | football and rugby. They didn't randomly or illogically decide
         | to call it "football"[1] when American universities first
         | started playing it in the 19th century. Over time they changed
         | rules to put more emphasis on throwing and catching, and less
         | on kicking.
         | 
         | And Italy doesn't call it "football" either - they call it
         | "calcio". What's your position on that?
         | 
         | 1.
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_football#F...
        
         | evan_ wrote:
         | Concussionball isn't as catchy
        
         | implements wrote:
         | "Soccer" comes from the original name of the game: "Association
         | Football" - a game whose rules were set by the "Football
         | Association" back in 1863.
         | 
         | From WP: _Soccer was a term used by the upper class whereas the
         | working and middle classes preferred the word "football"; as
         | the upper class lost influence in British society from the
         | 1960s on, "football" supplanted "soccer" as the most commonly
         | used and accepted word._
        
       | petepete wrote:
       | Having watched every possible minute of every competition since
       | France '98, I haven't seen any of this World Cup.
       | 
       | It still boggles my mind that FIFA weren't forced to overturn the
       | decision when they were uncovered as the most corrupt
       | organisation to ever have existed.
        
       | thom wrote:
       | As someone who works in football statistics, it will be sad when
       | we have to move on to a more rigorous form of model evaluation
       | than "is Messi at the top?"
        
       | wslh wrote:
       | Yes, Lionel Messi is impossible:
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34038357
       | 
       | Now, Maradona is indisputably not alone.
        
         | sys_64738 wrote:
         | Maradona has no close second from his country.
        
           | SSJPython wrote:
           | It's hard to have a second when Maradona himself is second.
           | Statistically, Messi is better. Trophy-wise, Messi is better.
           | The only area where they come close is style of play since
           | they are both dribbling playmaking forwards.
        
       | agumonkey wrote:
       | Interesting mind-centric game. Up until the penalties, where the
       | Argentinian goal keeper managed to get ahead psychologically it
       | seems.
        
       | SSJPython wrote:
       | The debate should be settled now. In terms of trophies, Messi is
       | the GOAT. In terms of statistics (goals, assists, dribbles),
       | Messi is the GOAT. In terms of style of play, Messi is the GOAT.
       | Pele, Maradona, and Cristiano are not on his level.
        
         | paganel wrote:
         | I'm really glad that Messi got to win his World Cup but you
         | can't really compare players from very, very different eras. I
         | grew up in the '80s and '90s under Diego's spell, and for that
         | I would always see him as the greatest player ever, no matter
         | what will happen next, but Maradona was playing a different
         | game than what was played during Pele's time, and Messi is
         | playing a different game compared to what used to be played in
         | the '80s and '90s.
         | 
         | But, yeah, in the great scheme of things this would be the
         | magic trio for me: Pele, Maradona, Messi, in chronological
         | order, that is.
        
         | ardit33 wrote:
         | lol what. Pele is 3 times WC winner my dude. Messi is great,
         | but not yet at Pele's level.
        
           | SSJPython wrote:
           | Pele is amazing. But he did not play in Europe where the
           | competition was more fierce. And he was also a goal-scoring
           | forward primarily. Messi is both one of the greatest
           | goalscorers and one of the greatest playmakers.
        
             | IG_Semmelweiss wrote:
             | LOL.
             | 
             | At the time Europe, particularly UK, was the backwater for
             | soccer.
             | 
             | Teams (and players) went to play in Uruguay exhibition
             | matches, because that's what the best players did.
             | 
             | EU didn't rise as a competitive market until the late 80s.
             | 
             | Before that, certainly around the time of Pele, Penarol,
             | Santos and some other south american teams ran around in
             | CIRCLES against any european team. Look at who won the
             | world cups! France did not even register. UK was nothing
             | except on home soil. Spain was a backwater league. Italy
             | was just emerging. Germany was the only country that could
             | actually compete.
             | 
             | Only the Hungarians were worthy of calling themselves
             | competition....
        
               | fosk wrote:
               | Fun fact: Silvio Berlusconi, who has been the
               | controversial prime minister for Italy many times, sort
               | of revolutionized football in Europe in the 80s when he
               | acquired AC Milan and started spending like no tomorrow
               | in an unprecedented way for the best international
               | players money could buy. It's not that before players
               | weren't worth a lot, Silvio Berlusconi added an order of
               | magnitude or two to that. He also created the first
               | "soccer team as a brand" movement. That trend - started
               | in the 80s - continues to this day.
               | 
               | More here: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ac-milan-
               | silvio-berlusc...
        
             | rafaelero wrote:
             | > But he did not play in Europe where the competition was
             | more fierce
             | 
             | Looks like he didn't have to since he still won 3 world
             | cups.
        
               | fernandotakai wrote:
               | another datapoint regarding pele:
               | 
               | >After changing the rules in 1995, France Football did an
               | extensive analysis in 2015 of the players who would have
               | won the award if it was open for them since 1956--the
               | year the Ballon d'Or award started. Their study revealed
               | that Pele would have received the award a record seven
               | times (Ballon d'or: Le nouveau palmares). The original
               | recipients, however, remain unchanged.
               | 
               | from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pel%C3%A9#Accolades
        
               | mardifoufs wrote:
               | Very different times honestly. And being a GOAT, in this
               | context, isn't specific to the world cup. Winning a world
               | cup basically seals the deal, but it's about a lot more
               | than just that.
        
         | 29athrowaway wrote:
         | Mbappe is.
        
           | usaphp wrote:
           | he was invisible for 90% of the game, aside from the second
           | goal, he hasn't done much, both penalties were terrible
           | mistakes by Argentina defense.
        
         | nishs wrote:
         | This is a poorly informed comment.
         | 
         | The same commenter also calls both Messi and Maradona dribbling
         | playmaking forwards.
         | 
         | Some of their other comments when talking about Messi say, "If
         | you come at the King, you best not miss."
        
       | jogjayr wrote:
       | "World Soccer Championship"? Are we in some football simulator
       | game that doesn't have a license to use the real name of the
       | competition?
       | 
       | It is colloquially called the Football (or Soccer) World Cup. The
       | official name is the FIFA World Cup.
       | 
       | I was rooting for France, but congrats to Argentina and Messi.
       | 
       | Edit: Thank you to whoever changed the title.
        
         | switch007 wrote:
         | Almost as embarrassing as someone localising someone else's
         | name eg Juan to John
        
           | sprkwd wrote:
           | John Mastodon?
        
         | highwaylights wrote:
         | Argentina Wins also would have been fine. The whole world knows
         | what's happening today.
        
           | ksec wrote:
           | >The whole world knows what's happening today.
           | 
           | Not entirely sure if that is true in North America, both
           | Canada and USA.
        
             | parasubvert wrote:
             | It's everywhere in the USA (coasts, anyway) and Canada.
             | Flags on cars, matches on TV, etc. Both countries being in
             | the tournament helps.
        
               | grogenaut wrote:
               | Barely noticed in Seattle. If it wasn't for coworkers and
               | the internet I would have missed it completely.
        
               | jen729w wrote:
               | "If it wasn't for hearing about it, I wouldn't have heard
               | about it." ;-)
        
               | pestatije wrote:
               | I wouldn't have known I didn't hear about it
        
             | mardifoufs wrote:
             | It certainly is true in Montreal. There is a huge french
             | diaspora here, but immigrants in general have been closely
             | following the WC. That has also been making soccer a lot
             | more popular amongst non immigrants, and I see a lot more
             | quebecers following the world cup than even 4 years ago.
             | It's just such a ridiculously catchy event, even for a lot
             | of those who usually don't like soccer in general.
        
           | geraldwhen wrote:
           | I don't know anyone who follows soccer.
        
           | koolba wrote:
           | And half the world knows why people are getting in to the
           | office late tomorrow.
        
         | wslh wrote:
         | Title changed.
        
       | Simon_O_Rourke wrote:
       | Argentina wins, but I'm not sure if the guys hosting it (spit)
       | have accrued any goodwill after all the deaths and abuses they
       | inflicted on poor migrants to get their way.
       | 
       | And news just in, they tried to buy off the VP of the European
       | Union last week too.
        
         | bojan wrote:
         | > VP of the European Union
         | 
         | There is no such thing. The corrupted person was a VP of the
         | European Parliament, one of the 3 governing bodies of the EU.
        
       | kitd wrote:
       | Wow, greatest ever final! Congrats Argentina and Messi.
       | 
       | Tough for France and Mbappe. Dead and buried at 80 minutes then
       | took it all the way to penalties.
        
         | amelius wrote:
         | > Wow, greatest ever final!
         | 
         | Meh, a penalty series spoils the nature of the game.
        
           | dj_mc_merlin wrote:
           | After 2hrs of unhealthy heart rate that penalty shootout was
           | cathartic. I might be biased by Argentina winning though..
        
             | smcl wrote:
             | Me and some friends doubted whether Messi had it in him to
             | last the full 120, but he lasted. Good on them, a fantastic
             | victory and an exciting game :)
        
               | geerlingguy wrote:
               | He was definitely standing and walking a little more in
               | those overtimes.
        
           | sys_64738 wrote:
           | On the contrary, it amps up the intensity to the zenith.
           | Penalty shootouts are brilliant entertainment and a great way
           | to finish the game if tied after Extra Time.
        
             | listenallyall wrote:
             | You already had 3 of the 6 regular goals come from penalty
             | kicks, and Messi/Mbappe get to kick them regardless of
             | whether they were the fouled player. Absolutely seems that
             | PKs are the dominant path to victory, I have to imagine the
             | sports analytics community starting to focus on best
             | strategies to maximize PKs rather than traditional goal-
             | scoring.
        
               | myroon5 wrote:
               | This game was exceptional. Most games don't have any
               | penalties.
               | 
               | "In Europe's top five leagues, 10.41% of the goals were
               | scored from penalties"
               | 
               | https://www.driblab.com/driblab-en/how-significant-are-
               | penal...
        
               | random42_ wrote:
               | If you follow soccer you will know that diving in the box
               | trying to get a PK is a thing since... I don't know, PKs
               | were added to the rule? Seriously though, I've seen my
               | share of games where a player had a good chance of
               | scoring but decide to dive and try to get a PK instead.
               | These days, with VAR, it might not work as well as it did
               | before.
        
           | perfectstorm wrote:
           | but after 120mins of play, somehow they have to make a
           | decision.
        
             | amelius wrote:
             | A better approach I've heard someone coin is: after 90
             | minutes, you start taking away one player from both teams,
             | every 5 minutes.
        
               | Cyph0n wrote:
               | But they already do just that: you have a finite number
               | of players, a finite number of subs, and each player has
               | a finite amount of stamina.
        
               | kgwgk wrote:
               | They could add an additional ball instead - every 5
               | minutes. Would be much funnier to watch.
        
               | nothrowaways wrote:
               | How do you decide that?
        
               | tobltobs wrote:
               | And if no more players are on the field and it is still a
               | tie then what?
        
               | duxup wrote:
               | The odds of someone getting an open shot seems like it
               | would make a goal all but inevitable.
        
               | michelb wrote:
               | Both coaches duel with pistols.
        
               | amelius wrote:
               | Use your imagination. Anyway, by that time, the number of
               | red cards will probably have decided the outcome.
        
               | smcl wrote:
               | I think that's a pretty bad idea - the objective is for a
               | _team_ to win, having to tear apart your team every five
               | minutes would be a very complex and niche tactical meta
               | to master and will result in an incredibly slow paced
               | game as lungs tire when teams get down to 7-8 players
               | each. If teams are on even terms after 90 minutes, and
               | cannot break the deadlock after 30 minutes of Extra Time
               | then they 're as evenly matched as possible and therefore
               | deserve a way to win that doesn't break them physically.
               | Whether or not they can handle it _mentally_ is another
               | matter [casts an eye towards England...]
               | 
               | I can say that as a player I can stomach a loss on
               | penalties, I wouldn't say that I _enjoy_ taking them but
               | I could handle it. I would absolutely _detest_ the idea
               | of playing Extra Time with my teammates disappearing
               | every few minutes.
               | 
               | Edit: hope it doesn't sound like I was having a go at you
               | for raising this proposal! On the contrary, I find it
               | interesting when people want to tweak the game in
               | creative ways and talk about it!
        
               | duxup wrote:
               | I don't know if that means the better "team" wins, but if
               | that's the point I think is up for debate too...
               | 
               | Having said that in the US college hockey they do a 3 on
               | 3 overtime. In contrast to a typical 5 v 5 game it is
               | INTENSE. Crowd is on the edge of their seat and so on.
               | Suddenly it's like some back yard / local ice rink where
               | kids just get together to play style game.
               | 
               | It's still the same game as far as the players go, but
               | just more space and a great pass or move to shake a
               | defender / goal keeper is huge.
               | 
               | I don't know if that's the best route to go, but it
               | really is exciting and I prefer it to shootouts by far.
        
               | amelius wrote:
               | Interesting!
               | 
               | > I don't know if that means the better "team" wins, but
               | if that's the point I think is up for debate too...
               | 
               | Of course you should keep in mind that if you want the
               | better team to win with a p-value of e.g. < 0.001, then
               | you will have to play hundreds of games ...
        
               | duxup wrote:
               | Yeah more so in such a low scoring sport I imagine where
               | rando outcomes are possible?
               | 
               | It's a constant discussion I have where folks talk about
               | a playoff is there to determine the best team but ...
               | that's not really how it works. Having said that, I'd
               | rather not see an endless "regular season" where we just
               | tally up stats and everyone just goes home after playing
               | a ho hum game and happy that they're statistical champs
               | ...
               | 
               | I like playoffs, it produces those extraordinary moments
               | of greatness that we seem to want in sports.
        
               | coupdejarnac wrote:
               | This is the quintessential American take on soccer. It's
               | ok if you're not a soccer fan. Soccer doesn't need to be
               | like hockey or basketball, where teams can be dogshit for
               | most of the season and still wind up as champions.
        
             | huhtenberg wrote:
             | Just flip a coin.
             | 
             | Will give enough incentive to try and win, but also be fair
             | to both if there's a tie.
        
               | webkike wrote:
               | Oh yeah, that would have been SO much better and less
               | controversial than a shootout. What a great way to end
               | 120 minutes of people pouring their heart out. A coin
               | flip
        
               | huhtenberg wrote:
               | But teams are on par - so either crown them both or
               | choose randomly.
               | 
               | Penalties is just a more elaborate form of a coin flip,
               | still largely random.
        
               | dj_mc_merlin wrote:
               | People are not robots. Penalties do test the nerves of
               | both teams. And besides, the feeling of fairness is more
               | important than actual fairness in football. We don't
               | watch it to get a perfectly stat driven understanding of
               | the game, but because it's fun and emotional.
        
               | webkike wrote:
               | It is random, it's definitely not as random as a coin
               | flip
        
               | jogjayr wrote:
               | If penalties were truly random then teams wouldn't
               | practice them. Goalkeepers wouldn't study their
               | opponents' past penalties or use cheatsheets when facing
               | kicks. There wouldn't be so much analysis and game theory
               | poured into the perfect sequencing of kick-takers.
               | 
               | It's true that penalties test fewer skills than a full-
               | fledged game of football. But they are still a contest of
               | skill, not a game of chance.
        
               | mk89 wrote:
               | Penalties are not random at all. There is a reason why
               | some teams suck big time on penalties while others nail
               | them all the time (or almost always, depending on the
               | generation, players, etc).
        
               | huhtenberg wrote:
               | I meant "random" is a sense that it doesn't really
               | reflect which _team_ is the best in the world. Penalties
               | is a player-specific skill, but the football _is_ a team
               | sport first and foremost and the world champion status
               | should reflect _that_.
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | Kaibeezy wrote:
             | They may as well have literally flipped a 70.3/29.7
             | weighted coin 10 times.
             | 
             | I walked out of the pub in disgust.
        
             | diego_sandoval wrote:
             | In reality, they end up being like 140 mins.
             | 
             | (45+5)+(45+10)+(15+15+5)
        
               | smcl wrote:
               | Remember that additional 20 minutes is added because it's
               | actually time they spent _not_ playing. So in reality
               | they 're now playing a full 90 or 120 minutes after
               | having in the past possibly played only 75 or 100.
        
             | amadeuspagel wrote:
             | instead, if it's a draw after 90 minutes, just played until
             | someone scores a goal.
        
               | dj_mc_merlin wrote:
               | They tried that, look up Golden Goal. Most people agreed
               | it was a bad idea.
        
               | coupdejarnac wrote:
               | It's as if half of the people commenting here watched a
               | soccer game for the first time today, lol. That's fine
               | and all, but it's incredibly unlikely that a neophyte has
               | all the solutions.
        
         | throwaway743 wrote:
         | Felt a bit of schadenfreude seeing Mbappe sulk and being a sore
         | loser, especially after what he said about South American
         | teams.
         | 
         | Mbappe and Giroud act too cocky, always have a face on like
         | they're the stars of a show and the camera's on them, and a lot
         | of the time don't feel like they're playing for the team or as
         | a team.
         | 
         | Argentina on the other hand acts as the sum of a machine's
         | parts. And though Messi is a star, he doesn't act like it on
         | the field, appears grateful for his team, and plays as a member
         | of a team.
         | 
         | Super happy Argentina won, happy to have seen the SK vs
         | Portugal match, and happy to have seen Morocco's games. But
         | also happy to see Mbappe sit and pout even after pulling off a
         | hat-trick in the final game of the world cup lol
        
           | rebelos wrote:
           | Messi has by far one of the worst attitudes I've ever seen in
           | a star player so I have no idea where this is coming from. He
           | was petulant, nasty, and classless at various times
           | throughout this very tournament.
        
             | SSJPython wrote:
             | You must've been watching from a different universe in the
             | multiverse then. Messi was class in the tournament and only
             | responded "nastily" to the Netherlands since they were
             | playing dirty and running their mouths disrespectfully. If
             | you come at the King, you best not miss.
        
             | throwaway743 wrote:
             | We watched two different tournaments then
        
           | galactus wrote:
           | I'm also happy for Argentina, but I didn't find Mbappe's
           | words any offensive. It is true that european teams are
           | generally stronger.
        
           | dakiol wrote:
           | You sure don't know Argentinians. The most arrogant people;
           | even more when it comes to soccer. Just see their goalkeeper
           | how he celebrates when he received the prize for being the
           | best goalkeeper of the world cup. See what Messi said to
           | Weghorst... pathetic.
        
             | throwaway743 wrote:
             | Okay let's make wild generalizations about a whole
             | population.
             | 
             | I spoke of two players from the French team, not French
             | people as a whole. If I were to say anything about the
             | French team though, I'd say they deserve oscars for their
             | fake injuries to kill the clock. Again, not speaking of
             | French people or fans, just the team and in particular two
             | players.
             | 
             | Saw how Argentina's goalie celebrated and agree it was in
             | poor taste, but that does not discredit the points made in
             | my original post regarding their team functioning as a well
             | oiled machine rather than separate components in an
             | incomplete machine.
             | 
             | What Messi said to Weghorst, hard to tell when there's one
             | perspective given. What was reported as being said seems
             | wildly unlikely to have sparked such a reaction. So, until
             | more accounts from other sides are given to paint a duller
             | picture, what was reported seems bias as hell
        
               | cryptonector wrote:
               | From what Messi said immediately after, he was rather
               | upset at some Dutch behavior (I didn't watch the game so
               | idk what it'd have been) and also at the referee
               | -especially at the ref- and I guess he wasn't in a
               | sporting mood. That's too bad because t-shirt exchanges
               | are a nice touch :(
        
               | throwaway743 wrote:
               | Yeah idk after looking into it more after the response,
               | it seems like others are suggesting it wasn't simply the
               | request for his shirt, but the request following bad
               | calls by refs and provocations from the Dutch team.
               | 
               | Who knows what all went down, but definitely not as
               | simple as he was being asked to exchange shirts. He had
               | to of been either instigated prior by the other
               | team/another player or fuming from bad calls
        
               | cryptonector wrote:
               | He doesn't do this every time. Clearly he was animated.
        
               | tangus wrote:
               | During the penalty shootout, where teams traditionally
               | stay quietly on the center circle and keep to themselves,
               | the Dutch team decided to intercept and harass the
               | Argentine penalty takers going to the penalty stop. This
               | kind of unsportmanship was never seen before (Dutch
               | always innovating lol) and understandably the Argentines
               | were quite peeved.
        
             | wslh wrote:
             | You sure don't know or you don't want to compare with other
             | cultures. While you can talk about specific Argentinian
             | subcultures that inherit a lot of traits from other places
             | in the world you can also say that the racism and
             | nationalism that is alive in other countries don't have a
             | place in Argentina. For example, slavery was abolished
             | around 1860.
             | 
             | It is always great to take a look at the following paper:
             | "Cultural Biases in Economic Exchange?" [1]
             | 
             | [1]
             | http://www.econ.yale.edu/~shiller/behmacro/2004-11/guiso-
             | sap...
        
               | prmph wrote:
               | You do know the reason why there are few visible blacks
               | in Argentina right?
               | 
               | Hint: They were not repatriated back to Africa
        
       | gus_massa wrote:
       | It's strange because we had like 4 or 5 ways to see it, and each
       | one has a different delay. So I can hears the goals like 30
       | seconds before it's in mytv
        
       | mellosouls wrote:
       | World CUP
       | 
       | Edit: thanks for the change
        
       | dfadsf4 wrote:
       | Great, great game, France was superb, we won the cup but both
       | teams played very well. Just incredible.
        
       | seydor wrote:
       | What is it with americans and "our football" this year? :) Looks
       | like the US is way more into football than i thought. Everyone
       | seemed so taken with Messi. But the truth is the MVP of this
       | final is Mbappe
        
         | frontman1988 wrote:
         | Mbappe hardly did anything in the first 80 minutes of the game
         | though. But yeah he still outshone everybody else.
        
         | [deleted]
        
           | verdenti wrote:
        
         | sys_64738 wrote:
         | Totally agree. Mbappe was the MVP today for sure.
        
           | jpgvm wrote:
           | Truth be told if he was he MVP they would have won. Instead
           | he contributed substantially to France being down 0-2 in the
           | first place, a deficit if they were without they would have
           | won handily. His defensive work rate was worse than Messi who
           | is 12 years his senior and has one foot out the door to
           | retirement already. This caused Giroud to be swapped out and
           | Mbappe to be moved more centrally so they could make up for
           | his unwillingness to track back. Arguably this was also why
           | Di Maria was able to completely savage the left wing, forcing
           | the penalty out of Dembele.
           | 
           | He scored when he got the ball and that is great but he isn't
           | yet the complete player that Messi is. Messi got the MVP
           | today because he won the match for his team, through yes, a
           | goal and a penalty but more importantly through drawing out
           | space for Di Maria to generate the opportunities that created
           | that initial lead.
        
       | nicolapede wrote:
       | It was a great final, exciting and fun to watch, at least towards
       | the end. As a World Cup edition, though, I found it a
       | disappointing one. It might be that the unusual season when it
       | was played made physical skills more important than usual, not
       | sure. It was difficult to find good, modern football though
       | (beside maybe with Brazil, but they self sabotaged them in a few
       | minutes folly). In general, it seemed that the whole world wanted
       | Messi to win and we eventually had that.
       | 
       | The fact that the two (possibly three) top players of the
       | tournament played for the same club is something to ponder about
       | I feel.
        
         | coob wrote:
         | This World Cup has seen some of the best football for decades.
         | It helps that the players aren't knackered after a full season.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | paraiuspau wrote:
       | That was some brilliant footie!
        
       | ankaAr wrote:
       | As argentinian i'm very happy because the team was awesome, very
       | nice people, very good players and excellent final match against
       | the last wc champion.
       | 
       | One thing that made me even happier is now i will be planning the
       | 2026WC because at least 10 americans wants to go to see it.
        
       | whoevercares wrote:
       | Messi the GOAT!
        
       | nedsma wrote:
       | Definitely one of the best World Cup finals ever. Even 1/2 finals
       | were too good. Argentina deserved their win, I missed di Maria
       | when they replaced him, and when it was 2:2, he couldn't be there
       | when he was needed the most. The Polish referee did amazing job
       | as well, one must say.
        
       | perfectstorm wrote:
       | it was an incredible game. Argentina was cruising along nicely
       | till 79mins and then the penalty happened and a minute later an
       | equalizer. who would have thought that. followed by an engaging
       | 30mins of overtime. wow. as a neutral, it was entertaining. Happy
       | for Messi.
        
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