Argentina kicking their way for success in World Cup

Alicia Gilbert, Pinnacle Sports Editor

On December 18, 2022 Argentina kicked their way to win the World Cup. Argentina was one of the favorites to win the World Cup because this is the last thing Messi has to win. Their star player Lionel Messi is considered the best soccer player of our generation and possibly of all time. He has won 42 trophies and winning the World Cup secured his place as the best soccer player. France was the 2018 World Cup winner so fans knew this would be a historic match and Argentina and France did not disappoint. 

     As the end of extra time was rapidly coming to the end, Kylian Mbappe scored an amazing goal from a penalty kick. Because of this kick, it was tied so the game went into a penalty shoot out. With Argentina making four penalty shots and France only making two, Argentina won the World Cup for the third time. Argentina fans have been waiting for this moment, and they got to watch Messi proudly hold up the World Cup with his family along his side. Of course this was a huge moment for all soccer fans but this is not the only memorable moment for fans. 

     The first one came as a shock to the world and that is Saudi Arabia beating Argentina. Although the fan favorite Brazil did not win the World Cup, they came and did not disappoint fans. At their first match against Serbia, Brazil’s star player Neymar injured his ankle. This was a widely talked about event because recently Neymar had gone viral on social media so he has many new fans and old fans right by his side supporting him. Many were worried that he would not play in the World Cup again, but he missed only one game and was as good as new as he led Brazil to a win against South Korea. Brazil’s team was the fan favorite to win the World Cup and they have fans all around the world. For most countries, the fan base is people from that county. For example Portugal’s fans are mostly Portuguese, but Brazil’s fans are from all around the world. This is because Brazil adds an element of fun to the game. When they score they always have a quick dance planned out. This makes all the fans’ attention draw to them and gets the fans excited. Sadly they lost against Croatia and were eliminated, but fans will never forget the impact they had on the 2022 World Cup. 

     If we are talking about soccer it is impossible to not bring up Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players ever. Fans were devastated when Portugal got eliminated because it is Cristiano’s last World Cup. He has never won a World Cup and sadly that continues. A lot of fans are considering this to be the best World Cup of all time so in 2026 hopefully America can reach the high expectations that Qatar has set!