PT Barnum may have been right 150 years ago, but The Greatest Show on Earth these days gets underway this afternoon, despite the shameful corruption displayed by Fifa. By comparison, the Olympics is a sideshow. My first experience of the World Cup was watching Scotland play Zaire in 1974. For 20-odd years the tournament had participation value for Scotland, even if the joy of being there was short lived.
These days the joy is all about being a neutral football fan and soaking up the drama and brilliance from the game.
Statistically it is difficult to look past Brazil, who will benefit enormously from home advantage. European teams have never won the tournament in the Americans, where Brazil and Argentina have won every competition since Uruguay triumphed in the last time the tournament was held in Brazil 64 years ago.
Leo Time
Lionel Messi was, until recent times, the undisputed best player on the planet, but his position in the all-time greatest list is in considerable dispute. Ask an older Barcelona fan, who has watched Cruyff, Maradona Ronaldo and Messi all do their stuff at the Camp Nou, and they are likely to tell you Leo is by far the better player. His stats as a striker bear this out, but ask an Argentinean, and he’ll scarcely get a mention in the same breath as Diego. There is not even a debate that Messi is the greatest Argentine.
After giving a spectacular display of goal-scoring prowess in 1982, then 25-year-old Diego Maradona singlehandedly led Argentina to their second World Cup in 1986 and back to the final four years later. By Comparison, 26-year-old Messi has looked comparatively pedestrian in his two previous tournaments. He’ll be 30 by the time of the next tournament, which will be held in the completely different environment of Russia. If Messi is to be considered an all-time great, he needs to take Argentina to the final. If his career ends without an outstanding World Cup, he’ll slip somewhere between Eusabio and Cruyff in the list.
I’d like Belgium to win. Belgian clubs and FA go about their business correctly and brought a remarkable bounty of talent to Brazil. It’s always been easy to back Brazil but I’m still not over the Neymar thing. The guy is an abomination in the Brazil No. 10 shirt, a vastly over-rated charlatan. Anyone but Neymar, please.
Bertie Auld live chat, tomorrow, 1pm, on CQN. Be there.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his tome, All the Best.
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Dani Alves for the first dive
Still excited by the prospect of good football. The politics and corruption can take a back seat and I can marvel at the skills of these guys.
Modric and Rakatic taking on all the stars of Brazil. I would love to have a player of Paulinho’s class in the hoops. He is wasted at Spurs.
Right, where’s ma samba shoes?
A blue top with five stars on it?Must be Brazil.
Whoa the Brazillians are really feeling their anthem!
That was pretty good
No Andy Townsend again.
Please no.
Addidas samba , giving my age away…8)
TnT
Thank you sir! :)
Got Mr Maynard this morn at 14s.
Happy days! :)
…and a bit of acapella there too! Game on!
PF
You where meant to remind me about twistys horse, thats what happens because we didn’t become happy clappers…
twists n turns
I salute you sir, stuck a fiver on each way !
Cheers, I will be thinking of you when I am buying extortionate bottles of Cidre tomorrow !
The dove from above
Brazil already winning on National anthems
Twists and Turns.
Thanks for the horse tip, I got on at 8s but it has paid out at 13s (I use decimal), even better, you’ve got the World Cup off to a flier for many Tims, n1 m8ty.
Going for over 2.5 goals in the first half at 8s now.
Aqui vamos . . .copa do Mundo 2014!!
Rocket Man
We go to a village near Porec 3-4 times per year. Do you go often?
Maybe we will share a Karlovacko one day.
Did David Luiz sign for PSG ?
Emdae know what it costs to send a text from Turkey?
Andy Townsend
“Expectation, you’ve got to expect it”
A master of words
Hull City start the World Cup.
English Commentary CSC
Four year ago I visited Croatia, glen daly(who rarely posts now) was married in St Blase church in dubrovnik, fantastic week.
thinking about his dad today, miss you uncle Frank..
Aiden
He did indeed
Hulk gets flattened!1 Whit???
What odds on jelavic getting booked for diving?
Queens Park Rangers are still the only club in the world with two salads for goalkeepers
Green and Cesar.
What a chsnce olic
twists n turns
cheers…..
HH
Hrvatski Jim – we only went to Zadar and Petrcane. If we find ourselves there I’d love to a couple of ice cold Karlovackos with you!
garygillespieshamstring
A dirty diving cheat of a man, that even Thompson had to book.
Have we got our No2 yet ?
Lennybhoy where are U :-)
Now I’ve seen May comments on Jack Buaer,wearing the new top
I take it this is last season of 24 ? now photies of the full cast doing the rounds in our Teams tops! With their named on them, Ross McCall gift for the team :-) now on FF banned list
Hail Hail
I was told today that Blatter would be burned at the stake as the finale to the opening ceremony.
Just seen him at kick off. That’s my World Cup ruined!
bsr
<;0)
Brazil are a decent team but could use Charlie mulgrew
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
20:56 on 12 June, 2014
Still excited by the prospect of good football
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You talking about your graduation to CQN 7s tonight? :-)
HH
CRC
OG
O g marcelo!
Ha ha ha
Well well well…..