As Africans, we live in hope that one of our nations will one day win the World Cup. We just have to stop listening to Pele’s predictions — which are always off the mark.
Africa has five representatives at the showpiece, the first to be held in the Middle East following the controversial selection of Qatar as hosts 12 years ago.
Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal carry the hopes of the continent. The Terranga Lions of Sadio Mane are sweating over the fitness of their Bayern Munich striker, who is nevertheless an important figure in their onslaught for glory.
Mane, the current African Footballer of the Year, is in coach Aliou Cisse’s 26-man squad, selected for the World Cup even though he suffered a leg injury against Werder Bremen on Tuesday in Bayern’s penultimate match before the global spectacle.
Senegal, alongside Cameroon and Ghana, are so far the best performing African nations as they have all reached World Cup quarterfinals — Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2000 and Ghana in 2010.
The Teranga Lions, who head for Qatar as champions of the continent, will keep their fingers crossed that Mane will make a contribution.
A LAST HURRAH FOR MESSI
Lionel Messi is synonymous with success. Footballer extraordinaire. Small in stature. Gigantic deeds. They make them like that in Argentina, don’t they? Think the late Diego Maradona. The late maestro had what his sacred number 10 jersey’s successor oh-so craves — a World Cup trophy.
The disciples of football around the globe are in agreement that while others play football, Messi makes magic, drawing on his superhuman powers. Qatar 2022 is the final arena where “The Flea” will do duty for Argentina.
We will no longer witness his tantalising twists and turns, making a mockery of defenders and fools of goalkeepers. It would be great for him to bow out in grandiose fashion by grabbing the holy grail for his final dance.
Some self-styled humorist joked that Messi once asked that when his coffin is lowered, Gonzalo Higuain must be there to let him down for the very last time. Higuain is history. The current crop of La Albiceleste players have the capacity to contribute to a cause that may see a memorable end to a glorious era.
Coach Lionel Scaloni announced a squad mainly drawn from the team that beat Brazil in the Copa America final, an achievement that saw Messi lead his country to a major trophy. Winning against his friend Neymar at Maracana, the hallowed home of Brazilian football, must have felt like a dagger being pushed into the heart of their biggest rival.
SPEAKING OF NEYMAR…
Neymar is supposedly the heart and soul of Brazilian football. But he has fallen short of inspiring them to world dominance. Messi’s Paris Saint Germain teammate and the Selecao golden boy ticks the boxes for hairstyles and rolling on the turf at the slightest tackle. Add crying a river of tears to the list and you have yourself an almost-hero.
But frivolous dramatics have never won anyone a World Cup. Messi carries the burden of constant comparisons with Maradona. Ditto Neymar, who has forever been identified as an heir to the crown of the great god of Brazilian football, Pele.
Coach Tite has to conjure up a plan that will uplift the Brazilian nation from the pitiful posture of a 20-year World Cup drought. It is a cardinal sin.
He could with help from the Real Madrid twosome, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. They know how to visit trouble on opponents. Vinicius, in particular, has grown in leaps and bounds, proving himself a formidable creator and scorer of goals.
Playing alongside Karim Benzema could never do him any harm. He is on the path to becoming a powerhouse outside the shadow of the Frenchman.
Neymar is supposedly the heart and soul of Brazilian football. But he has fallen short of inspiring them to world dominance
WHAT OF THE BELGIAN GOLDEN GENERATION?
No group of players has generated as much excitement among neutrals as the gems in the hands of Roberto Martinez. It is difficult not to love them. Their Stella Artois beer is as tantalising to the tongue as their pretty football is pleasing to the eye.
This lot have promised so much but delivered so little. Their only success is being on the top of the Fifa rankings but nothing in the way of silverware.
One day children will sit around in a circle and be told the story of a certain Kevin de Bruyne. The tale-teller will regale them of his prowess in passing and precision in shooting. The children will be told that the ginger-haired machine had a room so full of trophies, resembling a museum.
But they were all won at club level, never with Belgium at Euro or World Cup level. Not that other Belgium players are not important. But even they know that KDB is their main man.
DON’T FOLLOW ME, FOLLOW THE FRENCH
A France squad sans the indefatigable industry of N’Golo Kante and the persistent inventory of Paul Pogba starts from a position of disadvantage. The duo are crucial cogs in the set-up of Didier Deschamps.
Included among the 25-man squad Deschamps announced to do battle in Qatar is Eduardo Camavinga. It must have been a perfect gift, not to mention a well-deserved inclusion for the dreadlocked rising star who just on Thursday celebrated his 20th birthday.
No Pogba, worry not, there is Camavinga. Concerns about the absence of Kante are also well addressed by the presence of Camavinga’s Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni.
Antoine Griezmann, senior citizen, leader and Ballon d’or holder Karim Benzema, as well as Kylian Mbappé will lead the line in defence of their title.
France: the force of world football, the country of the majestic Zinedine Zidane, who inspired them to become rulers of Europe and kings of the world. It is just the way the French like doing things — when they were world champions in 1998, which they followed up with a Euro championship in 2000, they had Zidane conducting the orchestra and Claude Makelele in charge of the mop-up operation.
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