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Thirteen months of pure football

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A tour of what happened in football in 2022 must definitely start from the bottom. However, in this count, the 12 months are no longer the only ones to be revisited, as January has left us, and it has also left other noteworthy details on its agenda. In any case, the countdown puts us face down to the World Cup in Qatar and a new Argentinean triumph that will bring Buenos Aires Albicelesta’s third historic crown and the first in the hands of one of the best players. of all time: Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini.

However, the brilliance of a tournament that ended almost 50 days ago should not overshadow what has happened throughout this year and little, with the usual trophy disputes in the world’s major leagues, continental competitions such as the European Champions League. or Copa Libertadores, African Cup, Gold Cup and other less important events, including the recently concluded Spanish and Italian Super Cups. The world, figuratively speaking, connoisseurs, almost always revolves around a ball and leaves no room for rest.

Argentina and Messi: honest champions

There is little doubt left: Qatar 2022 will be remembered as Messi’s World Cup. And although it would be a mistake to brand the Argentine title in the world championship with only the number 10, the truth is that before the start of the tournament there was only one question: will Lionel or Cristiano Ronaldo become iconic figures of the whole era, the success of universal football, the most coveted trophy until retirement ?

With the image of Rosario’s star raising the cup, the curtain is probably closing on some of the most glorious years the sport has given to its most ardent fans. And yet it was a thorny path. Argentina began its involvement in Qatari lands with a surprise defeat by Saudi Arabia that froze the hopes of an entire country and called into question the chances of a sudden death.

The most faithful clung to the cabals and remembered Spain in 2010, which, having lost their original duel with Switzerland, also won the title. A fall in the first run could already be considered a good omen for the presumed champions. Lionel Scaloni’s team overcame all subsequent trials with character and cunning, played football with a touch of sobriety and rivalry, and won every one of the finals presented to them in the organizational structure.

The rest is history. Along with Albiceleste’s victory over France in the final, other details from Qatar are remembered, such as Cristiano Ronaldo crying over the disappointment of Portugal being eliminated and his dreams of being monarch cut short, or Croatia’s brilliant performance from Modric. and enthusiastic Morocco, whose qualification to the semi-finals is the best among African teams in this type of competition.

Real Madrid, always Real Madrid

In the Champions League, the king won again. It could be the same paragraph every year to talk about what happened at the most important club tournament in the world. Real Madrid lifted Orejona to 14th place in their history, becoming the overall winner of the competition. In the final, held on 28 May, Meringue beat Liverpool 1-0 at the Stade de France with a goal from Vinicius Junior.

However, it was the Champions League with the nuances of a Madrid comeback that was almost a phoenix resurrected from the ashes in the qualifying rounds, like the one that pitted him against Manchester City, and also the very difficult path that led him to victory over rivals of great prestige in the Old Continent. It was also the second Cup won by the club at the hands of Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was present when they won the tenth in 2014.

Flamenco, finally!

It was not easy for Flamengo to win their third championship trophy in the Copa Libertadores. On October 29, he attended his second final in a row at the Estadio Monumental in Guayaquil – in the previous one he lost to Palmeiras – and faced the current monarch of Brazilian domestic competitions, Atlético Paranaense. In front of 38,517 fans, Mengao won 1-0.

This was the fourth Libertadores final decided in a single match final. The team led by Vitor Pereira left the former Corinthians on the road in the quarterfinals, and defeated the hopes of Vélez Sarsfield in the semifinals. Paranaense, for his part, submitted to the move to the final match, knocking out defending champion Palmeiras.

Africa was from Senegal

The African continent has endured a busy football calendar in 2022 with the brilliant performance of Morocco in the World Cup, the first team from this region of the planet to achieve such an achievement. However, this was also the year of the Cup, won by Senegal in the final against Egypt on 6 February. Led by Sadio Mane, Teranga Lions won an attractive duel between current Bayern player and Pharaoh squad leader Mohamed Salah.

The final match, in fact, was decided in a penalty shoot-out after a goalless draw in the 90th minute of normal time, and then in extra time. Édouard Mendy, Chelsea’s goalkeeper, became a Senegalese lottery hero from eleven metres, stopping a shot from opponents and leading his team to victory.

United States, a prophet in his own land

Another continental tournament held last year was the Gold Cup, in which the United States lifted the trophy after defeating archrival Mexico for the gold metal. In that match, the Americans won 1-0 thanks to a goal scored by Miles Robinson in the 117th minute of the match, held at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

This Gold Cup also had a negative connotation with the inability of the Cuban team to attend its qualifying match for participation in the tournament, as our players and technical staff were denied visas to enter the United States, which deprived the Caribbean Lions of the opportunity to compete and show their progress with challenges of football players who play in foreign leagues.

2023: another eventful year

If 2022 is rescheduled, the current year will be even more rescheduled as events are expected this season, such as the Club World Cup starting this week and the Nations League Finals of some of FIFA’s affiliated confederations. . Recently, to support this idea of ​​a continuous calendar, Barcelona and Inter lifted their respective Super Cups in Spain and Italy, both hosted in Saudi Arabia. Mighty gentleman gift money!

Finally, Messi became the leader of the Albicelesta in a magnificent event. Photo: Getty Images

Source: Juventud Rebelde

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