MattBurden927

[Louis Beneventi 🤌🏻 @Louis_Beneventi]

This surprised me so much. We all knew it would happen one day, but to turn them down for that kind of love is special.

Man made me fall in love with football, and the fact he fell in love with us fills me with joy.

Proper Chels 💙

[Sean Walsh @SeanDZWalsh]

I am grateful we live in a world where what Peter Crouch said about Messi vs Ronaldo is the norm because I was very tired of the alternative

[CarefreeDaily. 🚬 @CarefreeDailyFC]

Kai Havertz losing back to back penalty shootouts means everything to me.

[JS🪵 @jaacknffc]

Any chance the nation that invented the fucking sport get one you corrupt cunts?

[Ellis Platten - AwayDays @ellis_platten]

It is absolutely insane that we’ve only hosted one World Cup by the way.

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

So could England and you'd have the added bonuses of..

The oldest football nation on earth with fans able to walk up to stadiums rather than being located 20 miles outside of the city in a former swamp. Walking past houses, cafes, pubs where you can feel the energy build.

Enjoy that pint and a sing song in a real pub in a real housing estate next to the stadium rather than 12 different concessions that all sell burgers at a mall/airport stadium concession centre.

Pricing that demands ALL fans can realistically attend rather than a cock waving wanker telling everyone he paid a million dollars for his ticket.

Communities that live a breathe the game instead of pretending they know what they're talking about for a month every 4 years.

Stadiums that are built for the game, generate noise rather than spaceship sized Disneylands that generate zero football atmosphere.

A chance for supporters to visit any one of 100 professional clubs stadiums in one small country, many within a 10 mile radius, where 150 year old rivalries have played out. You'll end up buying the shirt of a shitty club in a random town you've never heard of and it'll hit like crack for the rest of your life.

A travel experience by car or rail that could see you get to any ground from any other in 4, not 14 hours.

An opportunity to have jellied eels before going into the London stadium, jerk chicken or jollof rice at Arsenal , world class Balti pies at Villa Park or homemade top class pies at Anfield by @HomebakedBakery then sitting on the world famous Kop or beautiful new Everton stadium for a game.

Let the American mind boggle as St James's Park sits squarely in the City centre of Newcastle, not 20 miles out.

Stay in London and visit 15 or 16 professional clubs in one city.

Visit the @NFM_Shop and understand 150 years of English football culture, footballs and shirts that are half the age of your country, the world's most fascinating collection of football history.

Not everyone wants bigger, more expensive or corporate. Most fans across the globe proudly campaign for affordable pricing so that EVERYONE can enjoy and be a part of this sport.

I'll invite you to Spain and Portugal and Morocco , as my guest, for the next edition. Football cultures that from Seville to Barcelona to Bilbao to Marrakech to Lisbon to Porto to Vigo highlight difference in cultures, regions, cities and football experiences. A 24/7 living and breathing passion for the sport that unless experienced, cannot be fully comprehended or appreciated.

If you like big, corporate, burger concessioned, greed driven pricing, sure, America wins.

But if you want your mind blown, you'll go to a World Cup in Italy, Spain, England, Germany, Brazil, Argentina. I guarantee, even in jest, you'll realise how naive your comments are.

[Nik Stankovic @nikstankovic_]

There are a few others, but I'll settle on hundreds of posts like this as the ONE reason why a World Cup should NEVER again be held in the US. Ever.

Nobody in the history of the World Cup and football, back to the Roman Times, has EVER said only their country can have an atmosphere like this. Literally EVERY World Cup has had better atmospheres than this.

[Emmanuel Echeta @PenTitan]

"Ronaldo is 41! He would have carried Portugal on his back if he was younger"

Meanwhile 39 year old Messi is tracking back to midfield to collect the ball, moving it while feinting, then creating a clear chance to a teammate who misses it. Then he pursues the rebound, shoots, catches the rebound and scores

What is your excuse?!

[Maxi @MaaxiAngelo]

Lionel Messi retired from the Argentine national team after losing three consecutive finals in 2016. A nationwide campaign led to his return in 2018, and now he has one WC title, two Copa America titles, and is the WC's leading scorer of all time. What a story.

[Unpopularfootyx @Unpopularfootyx]

🚨🎙️ ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ ON LIONEL MESSI'S INFLUENCE ON ARGENTINA AFTER THEIR WIN OVER AUSTRIA:

“I'm obsessed with watching Messi.

Not because he's my friend.

Not because of nostalgia.

Because after all these years, I'm still trying to understand how one player can control a football match without touching the ball every minute.

I watched Argentina today and the first thing I noticed wasn't the scoreline.

It was the way Austria reacted whenever Messi moved.

One step to the left, defenders follow.

One drop into midfield, the entire shape changes.

One glance over his shoulder panic.

That's not football.

That's psychological warfare.

And that's why I laugh when people reduce him to goals and assists.

They don't understand what they're watching.

Messi isn't just Argentina's best player.

He's Argentina's system.

He's their confidence.

He's their belief.

He's the reason every teammate walks onto the pitch thinking the impossible is possible.

People ask me about the GOAT debate.

What debate?
Seriously.

What debate?

For me, there isn't one.

The debate exists because television needs content and social media needs arguments.

When I watch football, I don't see a debate.

I see Messi.

Then I see everybody else.

That doesn't mean other legends weren't incredible.

It means I've never seen another player influence a match, a team and an entire generation of football the way Messi has.

And today was another reminder.

He didn't need a hat-trick.

He didn't need to score from 40 yards.

He just needed to be Lionel Messi.

And suddenly Argentina looked like a completely different team.

That's greatness.

Not when everything depends on you.

When everybody becomes better because you're there.

I've played against great players.

I've played with great players.

But Messi is the only player I've ever watched and genuinely thought:

'This isn't normal.'

The scary thing?

Opponents know exactly what he's going to do.

And they still can't stop it.

That's why I don't waste my time with comparisons anymore.

Some players become legends.

Some players become icons.

Messi became a category of his own.

And after today's performance, if you're still asking me who the greatest footballer of all time is...

You're asking the wrong question.

The right question is:
Will football ever produce another one like him?”

[J. 🇭🇷 @JosipFCB93]

Messi becoming World Cup's all time leading goalscorer is crazy when you consider that by the time 2014 World Cup kicked off, he was turning 27 years old and only had 1 World Cup goal in his career at that point.

For most all time greats, career goes downhill after that age. Not Messi.

[Kendall Rowan @kendallrowanx]

Booing the hydration break, booing American celebs on screen, refusing Americans trying a Mexican wave, genuinely makes you proud to be English

[- @sulkfenomeno]

Roberto Martinez relegated Wigan, flopped at Everton and two different countries gave him their golden generation 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Mod @CFCMods]

Roberto Martinez being entrusted with Portugal’s golden generation after he destroyed Belgium’s golden generation is actually killing me 😭

[Jack D 🏳️‍🌈 @JackDunc1]

England being the first country to boo the hydration break so loudly the stadium shakes. Proud. 😫😫

[Ioan Grillo @ioangrillo]

The World Cup should be:

In 1 country
With 32 teams
And 64 games
And each game should have two halves (not four quarters)

[Andy S. 🇩🇲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @AndySTHFC]

Yeah let's give the most financially lucrative sporting event in the world to a country that hates football AND foreigners. What's the worst that could happen??

[S. @SebC__]

I wish any fanbase to experience the thrill of your best ever player coaching your team full of Academy graduates you've heard about for years winning every trophy in youth football.

That 2019-20 season was the most enjoyable season I had as a Chelsea fan after the league title seasons.

[Kachii @badasskachii]

Mexico and South Africa are about to play the opening match of the World Cup for the second time in history. 16 years apart. Exact same calendar date. Completely reversed host roles. In 2010, Mexico pulled up to Johannesburg to spoil South Africa's party. In 2026, South Africa is pulling up to the Estadio Azteca to return the favor. This is officially the most unique, historic opener we’ve ever seen. Football always finds a way to repeat itself.