#Football Cup 2021

[tushav]

Here’s some Di Maria picking Leo up to hug him because it’s been a week since the wc and I still haven’t gotten over this little habit of theirs (+ bonus copa america hug because I couldn’t resist)

#messi #di maria #leo messi #angel di maria #argentina nt #world cup 2022 #copa america 2021 #finalissima #argentina football #lionel messi

[cloudsspoke]

" Yo estaba en la habitación de al lado de Cuti y Licha. Te levantabas y el pasillo era Londres. Abrías la puerta y había un humo increíble. Palo santo había por todos lados. Llegó un momento en que le dije 'Licha, pará un poco' " -- The story of La Banda del Palo Santo as told by Leandro Paredes

💨

IDK, it's either let these three share a room together or give them the connecting room.

....Un error de uno hace que sea más chiquito, porque el otro lo banca o le dice no pasa nada. O porque el otro la arregla sabiendo que es un amigo - Lionel Scaloni on AFAStudio

💙

Cuti - Licha: *happily slanders Molina*

meanwhile, Molina: *tries not to cry while thinking about Cuti - Licha*

Cuti 🤝 Licha

It just had to be that way. The first and only time Cuti, Licha, & Molina played as starters in this World Cup, Molina scored such an amazing goal which gave us this moment when the last players embraced him leaving only Messi, De Paul, Licha, and Cuti.

#TMI: (Probably) the first ever they played together as StartingXI was on this edition of CONMEBOL 2017 (Sub20) with Cuti being Cuti got his 2nd red card (after the 1st one happened exactly right on their 1st match 😂 )

Our 98 Line ~

Many people think Cuti's recent tattoo is a silhouette of their WC photo, but it's actually from the Finalissima one.

UPDATE: LICHA'S NEW TATTOO !!

⭐⭐⭐

Frequently seen together, DO NOT SEPARATE THEM EVER!!

#argentina nt #arg nt #la scaloneta #LISANDRO MARTINEZ #CUTI ROMERO #NAHUEL MOLINA #la banda del palo santo #“You open the door and it was LONDON” 😂 I'm so dead at how Paredes vividly explained the situation in the Qatar dorm #FULL CREDIT FOR DE PAUL WHO BROUGHT UP THE STORY THE FIRST TIME #and Scalo's statement 🥲 You know it's the truth #WORLD CUP 2022 #COPA AMERICA 2021 #FINALISSIMA 2022 #OT3: Cuti-Licha-Moli 💕 #football #fifa world cup #Licha martinez #Cristian romero

[calciopics]

Super Julián

#Julián Álvarez #julian alvarez #Argentina NT #seleccion argentina #River Plate #Manchester City #FIFA World Cup 2022 #CONMEBOL Copa América 2021 #Finalissima 2022 #UEFA Champions League #supercopa argentina #Primera División #Premier League #FA Cup #football #fussball #fußball #foot #fodbod #futbol #futebol #soccer #calcio

[schumi-nadal]

I’m already missing my boys so here are some gifs I made from the Laver Cup 2021 🥹🥹🥹

I want them to play double again 👉🏻👈🏻

#casper ruud #daniil medvedev #this GS is the worst #i miss them so bad #laver cup #laver cup 2021 #casper's football skills are still the same #australian open

[takiki16]

so what’s the deal with your new blorbo? assume 1. i know how football works (used to actually watch) but not how/why some players get famous; (2) i know nothing about messi except that he. exist; (3) feel free to go bananas to your heart’s content if you decide to answer this.

fuuuuUUUUUUUQ ME. Can litchrally any Argentinian, any FC Barcelona supporter, ANYONE who has followed fuutyball for more than *checks watch* TWO WEEKS spot me for this one?!?! I am GROSSLY underqualified to answer this question Cunningham's law is about to hunt me for SPORT.

Okay. LIONEL MESSI. I can't summarize everything about this Guy who is currently one of the Main Characters of the most watched sport in the world, but I CAN summarize how he has started cooking my brain!!!

(that is him!!!! my guy!!!! HIM JUMP)

I have been trying to read a book with @rhaeneystargaryen for at least a couple years now, but somehow never had the spoons or the right overlapping interest. And then she told me that she was reading this:

I figured I would give it a try! I wanted something low effort, low investment, something I didn't care a whole lot about that I could put down at any moment bc work has been hell lately. And then I hit THIS line in the introduction, and I could literally FEEL the cursed hyperfixation key in my brain start to turn:

GUESS WHICH ONE IS MESSI!!!!!

I'm not a twitter stan, I swear. I am AWARE there is a media layer here. These people are real, actual human beings with documented flaws and mistakes, I am WELL AWARE that they are ungodly wealthy pro athletes and not "stars who are just like us!!! ✨✨✨." It's also obviously reductive and unfair to view anyone solely through a comparative lens - no living being could live up to the marketing hype that has been generated around Messi, Ronaldo, or indeed any pro athlete in the elite leagues.

BUT GOTDAM IF THIS FUCKER DOESN'T MAKE IT HARD!!!!

Bare bones: Lionel Messi is a football player born in Rosario, Argentina, who at 13yo moved to Spain to play for FC Barcelona. He joined the adult team at a whole ass 17 years old. Ensue absolutely RIDICULOUS teen prodigy meteoric rise, with both Messi and Barcelona winning all the Best Football Awards ever and Best Individual Sports Achievements in Everything. I have spent the last two weeks spending FAR too much time reading football books, and all the gotdam graphs look like this:

People talk about Messi being the player who made them fall in love with "the most beautiful game," and I can SEE WHY!!! HERE I AM!!!! A CLOWN!!! ALSO FALLING IN LOVE!!!! I am googling sports highlight reels of his plays like a CHAD FOOTY HOOLIGAN!! WHO AM I, I AM HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS. It is just so much fun to WATCH him! Listening to commentators screaming "Eight, ten, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY DEFENDERS THERE HE GOES THROUGH THEM!!! MESSI GOAAAALLLLL"

What makes it WORSE is the whole fukken rivalry business the book was about. Cristiano Ronaldo was another super-gifted player who debuted at about the same time and had a similar prodigy teen genius rise. He signed for a rival club in the same league at the same time Messi was playing with Barcelona. The story reads like a gotdam Hollywood sports drama, on both an individual and a team level!! I cannot IMAGINE what it was like watching this unfold as it was happening!

For starters: on an individual level, they were constantly thrown up against each other for every award imaginable. The Ballon d'Or awards list, which crowns you King of Soccer for the year, has looked like this since 2008:

(there is obviously talk that Messi is up for an EIGHTH award this year, but I don't think about the future bc it is bad for my cooked brain 😊)

On a team level, there was (and IS) of course the clubs. I am ABSOLUTELY not qualified to get into the weeds on this, but the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid has deep, deep political, historical, and cultural roots going back (among other things) to Catalonian oppression under the fascist Franco regime in Spain. Josep Suñol, then-president of FC Barcelona, was shot in 1936 by Francoist troops.The matches between the two clubs and the two players with their drastically different teams and styles at the time were super-charged - an ACTUAL QUALIFIED Barcelona supporter is going to have to get in here and explain the history and emotion behind the Clasicos bc THAT IS SEVERAL BOOKS IN AND OF ITSELF!!!!!

The whole point of THIS particular book was not, in fact, a blow-by-blow comparison of the players. The point was that by being WHO they were and WHEN they were, Messi and Ronaldo changed the shape of the game forever in terms of marketing, branding, team strategy, finances, etc etc etc. It's an interesting read (if not entirely unbiased on all points), if you enjoy the absolute blood and oil-soaked clown show that is professional football money!

But ANYWAY.

AFTER I finished the book Messi ended up cooking my brain bc (1) all of the context above re: rivalry in league football, and (2) his PERSONALITY. Someone made him in a lab to ruin my life!

I mean, the club loyalty gets me. For his entire professional career, Messi has played for exactly two teams - Barcelona and his homeland Argentina NT. He only left Barcelona in 2021, VERY much against his will (per him, his agent, his friends, his family, AND FC Barcelona) due to an absolute hot mess of a league financial situation that is apparently still sorting itself out. I don't know how common it is for pro athletes at his level to move around, but I feel like it's more common than that!!! THE CLUB LOYALTY gets me, the HOME LOYALTY gets me!!!! Especially as he's gotten better and better, and there's been more and more pressure on him to keep delivering even in the absence of anything else!

The gotdam STOICISM also gets me!!! Call it shyness, call it humility, call it down-to-earthness or reservedness or whatever you want - what everyone kept mentioning about him in the books (and what certain French marketing departments are still probably saying about him) is how QUIET he is. Journalists would complain about how he "made it to age 30 without ever uttering an interesting sentence in public." A Nike exec who lost a bid with his agent for a sponsorship waved it off by saying "Imagine how much trouble we would be in if Messi had a personality." Relative to his peers in the elite football world, he doesn't have a flash lifestyle with a huge entourage. He doesn't do a lot of press. He doesn't try to push a personal brand, even though it's a big chunk of income for wherever he plays. Even though he obviously COULD, he doesn't go around talking about Greatest Of All Time (TM). When he DOES give interviews he doesn't even talk super loudly. He keeps to his immediate family and his closest circle of friends.

AND YET. AND YET. ON THE PITCH, HE PLAYS LIKE HE DOES. He creates not just for himself, but for his TEAMMATES the way that he does! I realize that NO ONE gets an award for being a team player in a team sport, or for "not being as much of a dick as you could have been," but HE STILL HAS HIS HOMETOWN ACCENT!!! He dedicates his goals to his GRANDMOTHER! He met his wife when he was FIVE YEARS OLD, he has never had a relationship with anyone else ("It has always been Antonella, for me"), he has three beautiful kids, his teammates keep apparently falling in love with him and doing Intricate Rituals, I AM ENDEARED I AM ENDLESSLY ENDEARED

Did I mention he is also very short? Allow me to mention that. 5"7 / 1.7 meters in pro-athlete world is PICK-UPABLE SIZE. Multiple reels out there of his teammates celebrating goals just by PICKING HIM UP it MAKES ME SO FOND

(on an Intricate Rituals note, Messi's size and his evasive style of play has caused a lot of opposing team's strategy to be "make a cage, kick him as soon as you can and tackle often," which has in turn prompted a lot of specific protection strategies for him as a forward and also over-protective teammates :)))). WHICH OF COURSE COOKS MY BRAIN EVEN MORE YOU KNOW HOW IT IS.)

And that isn't even STARTING on his saga with the Argentina NT, which reads like YET ANOTHER HOLLYWOOD SPORT DRAMA that I cannot believe actually happened!

Again, I am begging ANY Argentine to jump in here, I AM GROSSLY IGNORANT as to the history of this sport I got here two whole weeks ago how is this HAPPENING to meeeeeeee

My very basic understanding of the situation is that Messi has played for the national team ever since 2004, whenever he was on break from Barcelona. Over the years since then, Argentina (with Messi) has tried again and again to win the World Cup (and the Copa America), but consistently failed despite regularly advancing to finals. BECAUSE Messi was on the team, Argentina routinely and perhaps unfairly got billed as "favorites" to win, with criticism in the press being focused disproportionately on Messi when they didn't. I don't know how bad the situation in Argentinian media got, but even the western English outlets were picking it up. "Messi plays better for Barcelona than for his home country, Messi isn't Argentinian enough, Messi keeps too much to himself and doesn't sing the anthem,etc etc etc". Maradona famously commented that Messi was "a great person, but had no personality," and that it was useless to try to make a leader out of him because he caved under pressure (referring to Messi reportedly being sick from nerves before the world cup games).

(note: gotdam rivalry. Of the people named who would be better and more stylish leaders, Cristiano Ronaldo was up top )

The pressure DID get to Messi in the end - he issued a statement in 2016 saying he would retire from international football, but there was a huge home campaign to get him to come back to the team. Argentina still didn't win the 2018 World Cup (players of opposing teams said that their strategy against Argentina was not letting them pass to Messi). And so on, and so forth.

AND THEN!!!!! 2021!!!!!

I THINK I HAVE POSTED FAR TOO MUCH ALREADY about the current Argentina NT for someone who, as I said, JUST ARRIVED AT THIS GOTDAM SPORT, but I'm going to make everyone look at these quotes again. These are quotes the team has given ABOUT MESSI HOW IS THIS REAL????

Argentina would go on to win the Copa America - and then...well 🥰

I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE EXPLAINED THIS ADEQUATELY!!! I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE SUFFICIENTLY REPRESENTED THE DEGREE TO WHICH MY BRAIN IS COOKED!!! Did that mean anything to anyone???? I don't know!

HELL

#my posts #football #lm10 #i am WELL aware this is extremely embarrassing #i give you my solemn word i am not going to become a twitter stan #but also it is BIZARRE to read books about either him OR ronaldo or them BOTH that were written before the world cup #sports journalists who do longform about Messi had this way of writing about him like he was already dead #like this wasn't a real live human being who is going to show up in gotdam Ligue 1 Uber Eats next week #actually you know what it makes me even MORE nervous that he's still out there playing sportsball #it FEELS LIKE there was this perfect cathartic triumph to the episode but you look at the buffer bar #and there is way too much time left for something ELSE bad to happen #lm10 will be a free agent come june 2021 WHERE WILL YOU GO WHAT ARE U GONNA DO. #this was the literal worst decision of my life i hate sports #@Gallifreyburning i know i owe you a volley i SWEAR i am working on it #did I just say 2021 I meant 2023 this is what I MEANNNNNN

[anime-of-the-day]

World Cup Anime of the day: Sayonara Watashi no Cramer

Alt Title: Farewell, My Dear Cramer

Released: 2021

Women’s soccer has been falling in popularity in Japan. However, there are quite a few teams who are fighting to keep the game alive. Onda is one such person. She previously played on boys teams, but now she will have to leave this behind to join Warabi Seinan High School’s soccer team. Overtime she might just help overturn the popularity of women’s soccer.

#Sayonara Watashi no Cramer #Farewell My Dear Cramer #2021 #anime #anime review #anime rec #anime rec list #anime recommendation #anime of the day #world cup #fifa #soccer #football

[teammessi]

LIONEL MESSI Argentina vs Uruguay Buenos Aires on October 10, 2021

#mine #leo messi #messi #argentina nt #argentina #leomessiedit #football #world cup qualifiers #2021 #buenos aires #footballedit #dailyfootballgraphics

[rangersfc-1872]

SCOTTISH CUP WINNERS 2022 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏆

#rangers #rangers fc #glasgow rangers #rangers football club #rangersfc #glasgowrangers #rangersfc-1872 #GVBera #scottish cup #scottish cup winners #2021/22 season #2021/22 #scottish cup winners 2022 #scottish cup 2022 #giovanni van bronckhorst #James Tavernier #ryan kent #scott wright #ryan jack #calvin bassey #joe aribo #Glen Kamara #connor goldson #allan mcgregor #kemar roofe #aaron ramsey #scott arfield #Jon McLaughlin #leon balogun #cedric itten

[aahana-writes]

FOOTBALL

A short note on football

Picture from : Pinterest (aesthetixx)

Association football, usually known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players using a spherical ball. It has roughly 250 million players in over 200 countries and regions, making it the most popular sport in the world. The game is played on a pitch, which is a rectangular surface with a goal at each end. The purpose of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by getting the ball over the goal line and into the opposing goal in 90 minutes or less. Football is played according to a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The football has a circumference of 68–70 cm (27–28 in). The two teams compete to get the ball into the opposing team's goal (between the posts and under the bar) and score a goal. Except for goalkeepers within the penalty area, players are not permitted to use their hands or arms to touch the ball while it is in play. Players may strike or pass the ball with any part of their body except their hands. they mainly use their feet. The side with the most goals at the end of the game wins; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals, a draw is declared, or the game proceeds into extra time or a penalty shootout, depending on the competition's structure. Each team is led by a captain who, according to the Laws of the Game, has just one formal responsibility: to represent their team in the coin toss and during kick-off or penalty kicks.

Picture from : Pintrest (Jessica ✨)

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA; French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association) governs football on a global scale, hosting World Cups for men and women every four years.  Since 1930, the men's FIFA World Cup has been held every four years, with the exception of the 1942 and 1946 editions, which were cancelled due to World War II. For a spot in the finals, around 190–200 national teams participate in qualification tournaments organised by continental confederations. Every four years, the finals event is conducted, with 32 national teams participating over four weeks. It is the world's most prestigious men's football competition, as well as the most extensively televised and followed the athletic event, surpassing the Olympic Games. Similarly, the FIFA Women's World Cup has been held every four years since 1991, despite the fact that women have played football since its inception. The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France drew a record-breaking 1.12 billion viewers.

- Aahana  Follow for more <3

#football #fifa #fifa beach soccer world cup 2021 #fifa world cup #socerer #footballer #football fans #cristiano ronaldo #lionel messi #neymar #zlatan ibrahimović #manchester united #real madrid #fc barcelona #paris saint-germain

[marcdurm]

God did not let me chase and bag tsimikas and be a Greek nati wag bc I would have passed out on the stands by now

#it’s not good out here #Im getting 2021 cup final flashbacks of my Apple Watch saying 190 bpm #greek national team #greek nati #greek football #greek nt

[asiarugby]

Lesley Mckenzie excited to help Japan realise potential on road to Rugby World Cup 2025

Lesley Mckenzie excited to help Japan realise potential on road to Rugby World Cup 2025

We caught up with the Sakura 15s coach, who signed a contract extension with the Japan Rugby Football Union last month. Continue reading Untitled

View On WordPress

#Rugby World Cup 2021 #Japan Rugby #Rugby Football Union #Lesley McKenzie

[theabrahmi]

Messi the goat have all awards & trophies

#findyourthing #redbubble #lionel messi #messi vs ronaldo #messi #champion #world cup #mundial de qatar #qatar22 #qatar 2022 #qatar #argentina #the best #best players football manager 2021 #best player #leo messi #mess

[calciopics]

Photo finish

#The Emirates FA Cup #season 2021/2022 #Final #Chelsea FC #Liverpool FC #football #fussball #fußball #foot #fodbold #futbol #futebol #soccer #calcio

[newsallbd]

#asia cup 2022 points table #asia cup football qualifiers points table #asia cup hockey 2021 points table #asia cup hockey 2022 points table #asia cup hockey 2022 schedule points table #asia cup hockey points table #asia cup points table #asia cup points table cricket 2018

[timesofocean]

China withdraws from hosting 2023 AFC Asian Cup due to COVID19

New Post has been published on https://www.timesofocean.com/china-withdraws-from-hosting-2023-afc-asian-cup-due-to-covid19/

China withdraws from hosting 2023 AFC Asian Cup due to COVID19

Beijing (The Times Groupe)- The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Saturday that China has withdrawn from hosting the 2023 Asian Cup due to COVID19 pandemic, which was to be held in ten Chinese cities next year.

The AFC announced in a statement that it has been informed by the Chinese Football Association that it will not be able to host the tournament.

“The AFC acknowledges the exceptional circumstances caused by the Covid19 pandemic, which led China to relinquish its hosting rights,” the statement said.

According to the governing body, it will “continue to work closely with its commercial partners and stakeholders in charting the course forward, and remain grateful for their understanding and support during this period.”

“Further details about the next steps regarding the hosting of the Asian Cup 2023 will be announced in due course,” the statement said.

At the AFC Extraordinary Congress in Paris on June 5, 2019, China was chosen to host the tournament.

The 2022 Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, were postponed previously due to the pandemic.

Likewise, the 2021 Asian Youth Games Shantou, which were scheduled to take place in the Chinese city of Shantou, were also canceled.

#2021 Asian Youth Games Shantou #2022 Asian Games #2023 Asian Cup #AFC Extraordinary Congress in Paris #Asian Cup 2023 #Asian Football Confederation (AFC) #asian news #asian sports news #Beijing #Chinese cities #Chinese city of Shantou #chinese sports news #COVID19 Pandemic #Hangzhou #hosting 2023 Asian Cup #latest News #latest of asia #news of asia #Sports News #The Times Groupe #Times Of Ocean #Unravel News #Sport

[ruone-pro]

#national football league #football #footballlover #american_football #football_lovers #fifa futsal world cup 2021 #fifa news #fifa 2022 #europa_ #europe_league #champions league #league