Who Are The New World Cup Superstars? Messi's Last Dance, CR7’s Last Chance At Glory | SI FC

That's the beauty of the World Cup, finding that guy who just takes the tournament by storm that no one would have predicted before the ball was kicked.

No, I'm gonna say Paul Pogba.

Oh, you better play like Paul Pogba then.

Don't worry about that.

I never thought I'd be able to look at an Italian and say, yeah, in your time of watching football, my national team's been watching the World Cup.

That is insane.

Is there anything better than enjoying a World Cup with your friend, your family?

In a sofa in the stadium, we're going to discover it with Lia Buzzidi, with Luca Aloo, Alessandromiti.

This is Sports Illustrated Football Club.

I want to travel back with you guys and talk about your memories of the World Cup because it's a magical moment.

Do you remember your first memory, the first thing that comes to your mind?

My first World Cup was 2006.

In fact, that was like the first football I ever even watched, 2006 World Cup, and.

I just, I remember that tournament faintly, but also really like vividly.

Like some moments that just stick out in my mind are from that World Cup.

I always tell people the only time I can ever remember crying at football was when Zidane got red carded in the final because I just remember watching that game with my family and wanting Zidane.

They all want Zidane to do well because he's one of us, right?

But I remember when he got sent off, I just looked around and I'm young at this point.

I'm seeing people crying.

So I just started crying .

So I just figured, OK, we're all crying, man.

That's what we do.

But yeah, that tournament, and I always look back at it and just look at the amount of legends that were playing in that tournament.

It's just the names just roll off the tongue.

Like you have Totti, you have Buffon, Zidane, Henri, even look at like guys like Ned Ved and Shevchenko.

That tournament, when you look at it, it was, yeah, R9 or Alinho, that was like the tournament of superstars.

I really feel that way.

That night, some were crying, some were laughing.

Luca, what's your first memory?

I, I think, I think I was crying as well, but I was a child.

I probably like lost my toy or something.

I don't remember the 2006 World Cup.

I was too young, but mine was probably 2010.

But in moments, like I don't remember the whole tournament uh tournament vividly, I was six, but I remember like the Lampard ghost gold.

Put your header in the semi-final, and then of course the winning goal from Iniesta in the final, and it wasn't like, I, I liked the vibe of it in South Africa, and I think the, the marketing leading up to it was very vivid.

It wasn't the best quality World Cup in my opinion.

Um, but yeah, 2010 World Cup was my first memory of the World Cup.

And yeah, according to Wayne Rooney as well, it wasn't the best World Cup, that's what he said recently.

Luca, for you it's something particular because we know you support Italy, but unfortunately it's like you never saw your , your team playing at Knocko Stadium in the World Cup.

How, how it was for a football fan like you growing up with, uh, of course your dad probably uh was telling you, wow, we were a great national team.

We won the World Cup, we are magical, and then your team all of a sudden decide to don't qualify for two World Cups in a row.

Hopefully just do, otherwise we'll see.

My dad said I bring bad luck to the national team, that's what he told me.

He said it's my fault apparently.

No, it, for me it was unfortunately, it's quite normal not to see Italy.

Even at a World Cup, really, like the, the one World Cup I remember vividly was 2014 where we were there, we got grouped, we were awful, and post then I haven't seen us play at a single tournament, let alone a knockout stage, so I'm just trying to see us at a tournament again.

That's, that's the first step.

Lucas started properly watching the World Cup.

He's seen Algeria in more knockout games than he's seen Italy.

Look, look what that is incredible , man.

That is incredible.

I never thought I'd be able to look at an Italian and say, yeah, in your time of watching football, my national team's been more successful World Cup.

That is insane.

But do you know what the weirdest thing is, I've seen us do well at Euros.

Euros 2012, we made the final, Euros 2021 we won.

Even Euros 2016 with the poor team we had.

Conta took us to, I think it was the quarters, we lost to Germany and like pretty harshly, and we could have won that game as well.

Um, but yeah, the World Cup is just.

I, I don't know, like, it just doesn't work well with me.

We just don't blend unfortunately.

Hopefully it's gonna change, fingers crossed, uh, touch wood and whatever you want.

Uh, if I ask you, Lia, your favorite goal, the first goal that comes to your mind if you think about the World Cup.

The first goal when I just think World Cup period.

Oh man, probably, I don't know why it just came to my mind right now, but Van Bronkhorst against, uh, another against Uruguay, sorry, that was just the first goal that randomly came to my mind.

No, no, I, as a screamer.

I, I, I totally get you because for example, if, if I don't consider Fabio Grosso, the first goal that came to my mind, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna make happy the, the Dutchman behind the camera man, he's responsible for the clips.

It's Dennis Berkha versus Argentina in 1998.

Luca, what about you?

Haers versus Uruguay, 100%.

Like that's the first goal that comes to mind when I think about the World Cup , that World Cup tournament.

James Rodriguez just exploded.

He was at Monaco at the time, he moved to Madrid in that summer, but.

It was just such an icon.

I don't know how young was he?

Like he was young, 20, maybe.

No, no, he was older than 20, but the thing is Has at that point was known, right?

We, we knew who Jas was, but we didn't know how good he was.

Yeah, that was really his announcement to the world.

But at that point he must have been like 23, maybe, probably, probably just about approaching his, he was young though.

I remember, and there was that goal, I think he scored against Japan as well, the, the little, uh, run, that's low key my, my favorite goal of his at that time.

Tournament.

I know that Uruguay will takes the plaudits, but that goal against Japan will step over and drops him and dinks the keeper mic.

I think like if you ask anyone around my age group that especially like grew up around that World Cup, I think Hammers is always gonna be like one of our most memorable players in our childhood.

And that's the thing with the World Cup.

That's my favorite part of the World Cup actually is finding out a star who just emerges on that stage and takes a tournament by storm.

It's always someone you don't think of, right?

2010 , Diego Forlan, what he did at that.

Tournament that stupid Jabulani ball and no one on planet Earth could get under control.

You were looking at Rooney, Ronaldo, Messi, all these superstars had the worst international tournaments of their life, and Diego Forland found a way of manipulating the ball like no one else could.

That's.

That's the beauty of the World Cup, finding that guy who just takes the tournament by storm that no one would have predicted before the ball was kicked.

And if I ask you now in March, a name.

For the next guy who's gonna do it that you don't expect.

Oh man, Ryan Sherina.

We know Ryan.

That's, that's the difficulty though with the World Cup now, right, because I think the game has grown so much and everything is so accessible to us, it's impossible, I feel, for a guy to really come out of nowhere because we know so much about every other player.

The mystique around someone coming in, like who was it in Italy?

Was it Scallaci or was it Salvatore Scilaci, right, who comes out of nowhere and takes the tournament by storm.

You never really get those kinds of stories anymore.

But if I had to think of someone.

You, you probably gotta look at the smaller teams, with all due respect, someone from that kind of, uh, country that can come in and just take everyone by, by notice.

Yeah, when you ask that question, he's not an unknown name whatsoever, other than, everyone knows him, but I think it could be Hendrick, really.

I mean, considering how young he is, the season he's having at Lyon at the minute.

Brazil, I think that number 9 role is still up for grabs, and I think Hendrick potentially could make a very big imprint on the World Cup.

Nico Paz, but again, like you said, Leos, I think.

In an era of social media where everyone's consistently watching football, you know everyone.

I think it's more so for the younger audience, maybe that don't watch football week in, week out, where they find an emerging player that they have, they don't really know too well.

So let me tweak the question, who would you like to see succeeding at the World Cup in terms of teams or in terms of individuals, yeah.

I mean you guys know me with Ryan Serkia.

I so no, I, I, I don't hide whatsoever when it comes to how much I admire this player.

I would love to see him take the tournament by storm.

I'd also, when I look at Germany, I'd really like to see Musiala and Leonard Karl.

I think the two of them are amongst other players, right?

Wertz as well too, but they're really part of that trio of players that are trying to bring this national team back to where they belong because we can make fun of Italy all we want.

Let's look at Germany as well too.

Who's.

We don't want to make fun of Italy.

I can make fun of Italy as much as I want, but all jokes aside, Germany as well too, are a national team that for all the, the pedigree that they have across the years, last two tournaments, they haven't made it out of the group stage.

So there's big expectation on them as well too to, to make a stand.

And I look at Musiala, I'm looking at Leonard Karl, I'm looking at Vierz.

I think the three of them have a lot of pressure and responsibility in terms of getting Germany to where they need to be.

Well, I'm hoping every single Italian, hopefully when we make it, Alessandro leaves a big imprint on this World Cup, so I'm looking out for every Italian, hopefully, fingers crossed.

Pio Esposito, maybe he's the golden boots for Per Esposito, that's what we hope assist man for Palestra, man, we will be there.

We will be there and then we'll see who's gonna laugh, but guys, it's gonna be a special World Cup because after 20 years it's gonna be the last dance for Messi, for Cristiano, and for a lot more because Modricy.

There's a lot of superstars that are kind of doing their last tournament, and it's similar to what I was saying about 2006 where you had this crop of legends Figo, Zidane, R9, Shevchenko, um, Nedve.

This was their last tournament on the big stage.

I look now, you're talking about Moorris, you're talking about Mana even you're talking about Mahrez.

You're talking about Salah.

You're looking at so many superstars that have defined this recent generation of football that are really going to do it on the big stage for one last time.

I'm interested in seeing who flops, but who also leaves a huge imprint because we've seen at times like guys like Zidane, Zidane's last ever kick of a ball was basically dominating the World Cup, and that's the final memory we ever have of him.

Who could do similar to that in a sense.

You, you know what , if I think about Zidane in that World Cup, in my mind, OK, uh, of course there is the, the red card in the final, but in my mind there is for me the most brilliant individual performance in 20 21st century against Brazil.

So that's my memory of Zidane at the World Cup and of course the final in 1998 because it was, was an alien, was something, something different, as Aieli used to say.

A Zidane is a luxury, it's more beautiful than than useful, but it's something, something, uh, really special, Luca.

So Cristiano Messi, if I ask you for a memory of Cristiano Messi, the first one to cancel you won in the World Cup, Cristiano unfortunately doesn't have many because I think the World Cup for as brilliant a career as he has is really the one stage where I think you're still waiting for.

And that's not even coming from winning the World Cup.

I still even think a vintage knockout performance.

I actually think his best tournament was probably 2006, which is, it's kind of crazy to say.

Maybe that the hat trick against Spain, but even that is, that's that's maybe the one from Cristiano.

But I'm still waiting, and maybe it's a shame because now he's coming towards the end of his career.

I'm still waiting for that one World Cup moment where you're like, Ah, he has arrived.

Maybe the hat trick is, is that one.

But Messi, you can look no further than.

The last World Cup, which he ended up winning, that was finally the, the crowning moment for him, that has to be.

Yeah, for me, Cristiano, it was in his 4th World Cup, but the hat trick against Spain, that's by far and away his most memorable moment.

He's not a massive World Cup player, which is really weird because he's a phenomenal footballer, one of the best ever, but he always struggled at the international stage, specifically in the World Cup, in my opinion, um.

Yeah, but Messi, 2022 World Cup run, of course, 2014, he was very, very good as well.

You know, that, that 2014, that goal against Bosnia on the first, yeah, that, that's, that's, that's the one that really stands out because I remember there being so much pressure on Messi ending in that World Cup.

He hadn't scored in the previous edition, and I think the game was 1-0 at that point, and when he scored that goal, the entire stadium.

Just exploded and it was like, ah, he's here now, like he's not gonna have that same World Cup back to back, that was a big one.

And, and let's say that Messi changed completely his reputation in Argentina after the winning because before now everything that they're comparing to Maradona and, and, and the biggest in the, in the world , but before the tournament.

That the, the, the, the reputation of Messi wasn't that big because, oh, OK, he's a Spanish guy.

He grew up and the Copa America did a lot to change it, but I think the World Cup was ultimately the one that he always needed to really kind of enter that echelon and Argentinian fans' minds of Maradona.

I think he needed that badly.

I, I, I totally agree with you, but on the, on the subject of Portugal, you know, I think they're potentially a dark horse for this tournament, right?

We were talking obviously about who we could see winning the tournament, who are the favorites.

I think Portugal have kind of gone under the radar, right?

I think typically we almost expect, we almost like brace ourselves for, for disappointment with Portugal because they enter every tournament as could they do something.

But I think when you're looking at that squad, that midfield of Bruno Neves and Vitinha is up there with the best in the entire tournament.

I think that The best left back in the world, they still have really good pieces around.

I think that the question mark is always about the striker situation, but it looks like Cristiano is going to be heading into another World Cup as the starter.

I think Portugal might be a team you have to, you have to keep an eye out for, man.

Yeah, but if you line up with that midfield, can you be defined a dark horse?

Because it's a good point, but I think they're not really spoken about that much if you think about it.

Everyone's talking about Spain, France, you know, Brazil, even with the names Argentina, and rightfully so, but Portugal as a squad, they've got good depth as well, they've got a very strong starting 11, and they have some of the best players in every like position in the world, in their national team, so you can't really count them out.

Yeah, yeah, and if we look at the next generation, of course there, there is Lamamal, who is gonna be the, the other main character.

It, it's too soon to say Max Dauman .

No, he makes the plane, man.

I think Due, I think Due obviously had a great performance against Colombia.

The question for him is, will he start in the team because France just have so many different weapons in there.

Um, I look at Leonard Karl again like we said for Germany .

Maybe Esteva as well too.

Esteva could be someone that we look at.

Obviously the wing positions for Brazil are really, really stacked with Vinny.

Obviously Rodrigo's gonna be missing the tournament, Barraffinha, but Esteval might be one that you have to look at because I actually think in his little brief cameos for Brazil, he's actually looked quite good.

And can they last 20 years?

Can they make it, because football has changed a lot since, since Cristiano and, and Leo made their debut in the World Cup.

So I don't know.

I don't think you'll ever see what, what those two did in terms of just the, the peak of their longevity, not just how long they did it, but how good they did it for that long.

I, I just don't see anyone ever replicating that.

That's a crazy level to sustain.

Yeah, it's very tough.

I mean, with the new technology in football and sports science and diet, I wouldn't put it past a player like Lamiho Mao to potentially match the amount of World Cups, at least the amount of minutes he's already racking up at such an early age, that's one thing that it could take a toll on his body, sort of, we saw that one year of Pedro, do you remember he played like every tournament and he was just completely burnt out, and since then he's suffered from injuries quite a lot.

So hopefully we see more players at the top level of football like Messi and Cristiano, but yeah, of course it's gonna be very hard.

Guys, since it's an international Blake, we can play a bit.

I want to know more of your football taste, and it's like, I want to ask you if you are a goal, a goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder or an attacking player, who would you be based also on personality.

I'm gonna start with you from a goalkeeper, probably you're gonna say David Dreyer.

I'm short.

No, you know me.

Everyone knows me as someone who doesn't like goalkeepers.

I think I just, I don't like talking about goalkeepers, man.

For me it's the most boring position.

So who's, who's your comparison?

If you had to be a keeper.

Someone's also impossible Reneguita, the Colombian, right, the the the scorpion King, yeah, because he's the most interesting one there are, man.

Goalkeepers are boring to me, man.

So you save the interesting guy.

For sure , some might say it depends on who asks.

What about you?

Of course, Buffon.

Oh, of course every answer is gonna be Italian.

I mean, I should have said rice and bully probably for the defender is gonna say as palesro or maybe, uh, no, maybe, uh, Maldini.

Well, so we're doing, we're throwing, we're throwing Maldini here.

one Maldini.

Oh, defender.

Oh, I would say.

Let me think of a defender.

Oh, there's some good defenders.

Now we're talking a little bit.

Someone who's got some flair to them in the, in the position.

Maybe so you have flas when you play.

I like to.

I like to be imaginative.

I know you like.

Come on, bro.

I like players that make me that make me dream, man.

Come on, Sergio Ramos.

Sergio Ramo, he's a little too crazy though for me.

I'm trying to think like you that you could take it.

Come on.

Fair enough.

Fair enough, fair enough.

I'm thinking like a fullback who has a, who has all the tricks and all the Dani Alves, Marcello.

I've seen Marcello in the flesh train.

I promise you he's the most gifted player I've ever seen like in.

Person like that, I'll go Marcello1 Barcello.

We need to see him kick a football.

No, I'm not Marcello.

Hey, hey, I said what I'd like to watch.

I think we need to see him do some tricks.

I'm, I'm, I'm not gonna speak because me and Lea exchanging something.

This guy, this guy might be Marcella speak, otherwise I'm gonna be in big, big trouble, big, big trouble.

This guy's closer to Marcello than I am.

I'll give him that in the middle.

So you're gonna say Pillo.

No, I'm gonna say Paul Pogba.

Oh, so I, I'm gonna return the favor.

You better play like Paul Pogba then.

Don't worry about that.

There's no differences between me and Paul Pogba.

OK, OK, we are talking big here, OK, and what about you?

For me now midfielders, I like a certain kind of midfielder, and my kind of midfielder is Sask Fabregas, man.

Passing, metronome, weight of pass, vision, football IQ.

Beautiful.

Oh, that was so Italian.

Let's close it with uh an offensive player.

Of course Neymar, I'm Neymar.

Of course, man, I've got all the tricks in the book.

Now attacker.

I'm gonna go for Mahrez, man.

I'm gonna go for Mahrez.

The first touch, the silk.

I like players who make the game look easy.

That's my favorite kind of players, players that look like they were born of a ball at their feet and Mahrez at his best, man.

Forget about it.

Beautiful, beautiful picks.

Let us know your picks in the comments.

Let us know if you believe they can play football like they say.

We might have to have an SAFC friendly game, man, seriously, I now I need to see Paul Pogba .

At this point we need to do it.

At this point we need to do it.

Thanks Lia, thanks Luca, and see you next time.