Football Fanatic!! Big MAN UTD Fan since i was 12.. Scholesy and Totti among fav footballers. Also a Computer Engineer with least passion towards computers.
France 22 almost beat Argentina 22. No way Arg 22 are beating that Zizou lead Fra 98 side. About Individual performance no one can argue about El Diego.
I've spent far too much time thinking about this: every great World Cup team in history enters a knockout tournament at its peak.
Brazil 1970. Spain 2010. Argentina 2022. Germany 2014. Hungary 1954. Italy 2006. I have considered performance, quality, balance, depth, goals scored, goals conceded, tactical sophistication and game-changing players.
And these are the last stages of this made up Word Cup
Quarter-finals
🇧🇷 Brazil 1970 beat 🇮🇹 Italy 2006
The greatest attack ever assembled against one of the greatest defensive champions ever assembled. Cannavaro's Italy would make life miserable, but eventually Pelé, Jairzinho, Tostão and Rivellino find a way through.
🇪🇸 Spain 2010 beat 🇭🇺 Hungary 1954
Hungary's attack was extraordinary, perhaps the greatest before modern football. But Spain's ability to suffocate games through possession and positional control would be uniquely difficult for the Magical Magyars to solve.
🇦🇷 Argentina 2022 beat 🇫🇷 France 1998
A brutal match. France 1998 had a phenomenal spine and perhaps the best defence of any champion. But Argentina 2022 had more attacking solutions, tactical flexibility and, of course, Messi still capable of deciding any game.
🇩🇪 Germany 2014 beat 🇧🇷 Brazil 1958
One of the toughest calls. Brazil 1958 had more genius. Germany 2014 had more balance. Neuer, Lahm, Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Müller and Klose form perhaps the most complete World Cup-winning side of the modern era.
Semi-finals
🇧🇷 Brazil 1970 beat 🇪🇸 Spain 2010
Football's ultimate clash of styles.
Spain's defensive record and control of space were unmatched. But Brazil 1970 possessed too many creators, too many scorers and too much imagination. They remain the only team that could probably make Spain play a game they didn't want to play.
🇦🇷 Argentina 2022 beat 🇩🇪 Germany 2014
The match that surprised me most.
Germany 2014 might be the most complete side of the 21st century, but Argentina 2022 combined elite organisation, elite mentality and a Messi-led attack with genuine support around him. Dibu Martínez, Cucho Romero, Enzo Fernández, Mac Allister, Julián Álvarez and Di María made this far more than a one-man team.
Final
🇧🇷 Brazil 1970 beat 🇦🇷 Argentina 2022
And this is where I ended up after changing my mind several times.
Argentina 2022 are probably the most balanced team in the tournament. Better goalkeeper. Better defensive structure. Greater tactical flexibility.
But Brazil 1970 had something no other team in football history has quite matched: world-class players everywhere you looked, all at the same time.
Pelé. Jairzinho. Tostão. Rivellino. Gérson. Carlos Alberto.
Every attack looked capable of producing something nobody had ever seen before.
So my final ranking is:
🥇 Brazil 1970
🥈 Argentina 2022
🥉 Germany 2014
4️⃣ Spain 2010
5️⃣ Brazil 1958
One final thought:
I still think Maradona's 1986 remains the greatest individual World Cup performance ever alongside Messi 2022. But if we're judging teams rather than individuals, Argentina 2022 is the strongest Argentine side I've ever seen and, for me, the closest anyone comes to knocking Brazil 1970 off the top of the mountain.
Agree or disagree? Who am I underrating? 👇🏆⚽️
Knowing when stages come to an end.
Knowing when to say goodbye when you feel that you will be remembered and respected forever.
Four months to give my all for this badge and for our goal.
Eternal respect and affection for Manchester United and its wonderful fans.
Forever Red Devil.
With players like Rasmus Højlund, Antony & Marcus Rashford seeing success after leaving Manchester United…
Is this a trend that Scott McTominay sees as well? 👀