There are many soccer events worth noticing all year-round. But the real celebration of the game that unites its enthusiast around the globe happens every four years and it is called the World Cup. Apart from supporting one’s national representation, the fans are wondering who emerge victoriously in the tournament. As per usual, there are some candidates to be watching that seem stronger than others.
This soccer event sure does promise a lot of emotions. With teams like Brazil and Germany often being perceived as the top two favorites to win in the World Cup, we can witness some exciting battles as soon as the round of 16, given they are close to each other in the group tables. However, this may only happen if one of them doesn’t advance to the next stage from the first place. On the other hand, if they both finish on top, they could face one another at the end.
The Germans are almost automatically lined up among the ones with likeliest chances for final success in any given competition, regardless of their current form or any other predicaments. Come to think of it, it has been a long time since they experienced any trouble or an unsuccessful streak. In Russia, however, they are perceived as the highly probable winner. Among their many strengths for many years now has been the fact they are a real collective, working together in harmony. This is largely due to the substantial representation of players from the national league (Bundesliga), most notably Bayern Munich.
Brazil has already revealed most of their squad for the championships. They’ve always had plenty of talented players, above all on offensive positions. Nowadays, coach Tite can have his pick of the litter from respectable players on any part of the pitch. Marcelo, Dani Alves, Paulinho, Fernandinho, Willian, Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, Roberto Firmino — they all play crucial roles in their clubs, competing for the top titles. The clubs make an impression, too: Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool.
It also wouldn’t be wise to exclude any title claims made by some other respectable parties. There is France, which came out as runner-up in the Euro 2016 final. Spain seems to have their glory days behind them, but still, can come up with something. There’s Belgium — yet to impress the world with the so-called golden generation of capable athletes by going far in a major tournament. Portugal has already snatched the prestigious title from the opposition by winning the last Euro, and they might want to prove it wasn’t a coincidence. Argentina didn’t power through qualifications, plus doesn’t shine on big occasions. But they still have Lionel Messi and that is no small thing.
In the end, the champion will turn out to be the squad that proved to be the most determined throughout the duration of the whole tournament. Perhaps it will be the best contender, some aspiring team writing their history, or maybe the underdog nobody would bet on. Each of those scenarios has its sporting value if it doesn’t fail to deliver beautiful football emotions.
