After a month of competition in Qatar, the 2022 World Cup ended on Sunday December 18 with the crowning of Lionel Messi and his Argentinian accomplices. Monday, the whole world seems to agree on one point: the quality of the final disputed between Argentina and France.
A part “monumental”summarizes the Spanish daily El País. A final “for eternity”, “the most exciting in history which saw Argentina triumph after nearly 140 minutes. The newspaper highlights a fourth half “exhausting”, ” tirelessly “ and with a “staff on the edge of the abyss” which marked the apogee of a “cosmic duel” between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
“Argentina wins one of the most spectacular World Cup finals in history”salutes the German Die Welt to sum up the meeting. France and Argentina delivered a final “memorable, exhilarating and historic”continues the newspaper, going so far as to qualify the event as a match ” of the century “. Unheard of for a conclusion of Mondial, believes Die Welt. The “Madness in Five Acts”.
The Italian daily Corriere della sera remains incredulous in the face of a final ” crazy woman “, “139 minutes, including two heated overtimes and eight penalties”. The newspaper highlights a “game of a thousand facets”dominated by the Albiceleste for 75 minutes, then “incredibly thrown to the wind” by the return of the 2018 world champions and the‘” hurricane ” Mbappé animated by his “competitive fury”. “A magnificent and unforgettable final”concludes the daily.
“Insane”, “Extraordinary”, “Delusional”
Across the Atlantic, the Americans also welcome an anthology final. Sunday’s meeting will remain “immortal” for the washington post. An evening that people will be able to repeat ” to infinity ” in “cafes, hairdressers, pubs” or ” the classrooms “.
across the Channel, the British of Guardian dedicate a podcast in the game between the Albiceleste and the Blues. A match which was announced, according to them, “like the worst” to finally become “the greatest World Cup final of all time”. For almost an hour, the British media remakes the film of an entirely Argentinian first half, a France ” hopeless “until Mbappé doubled twenty minutes from the end of regulation time, the “most irresistible player you’ve ever seen”. “Insane”, “Extraordinary”, ” outstanding “, “delusional”exclaim the journalists, who are still savoring the ” bigger “ game of round ball which they have witnessed.
Alan Shearer, ex-English international turned sports analyst for the BBC, struggles to find the words to describe the closing match of the World Cup. A scenario that “no one could have predicted”according to him. “Not this magnificence, not this match worthy of the annals”he continues in the columns of the British sports site The Athleticthanking Lionel Messi and Kylian MBappé for this “beautiful madness”.
The biggest match on the greatest stage served up the best World Cup final of all time – I’m still coming to terms… https://t.co/8kuTbIT76k
The ex-international describes with passion what is, for him, “the biggest game on the biggest stage”and the “best World Cup final ever”considering himself happy to have witnessed it. “There were times when you could just get carried away by the beautiful madness” of the game offered by French and Argentinian players, where you could only “to pinch”incredulous at this ” privilege “. “Football is a team sport, the best sport, but that was pure gladiatorial combat”exclaims the ex-English player and coach, who concludes by quoting a famous line from Russell Crowe in the film Gladiator : “Didn’t you have fun?” »