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Who I’d like to see win the World Cup and who I think will win are two completely different things.
I’d like to see Argentina win it. For Leo Messi. To take his rightful place on the “best ever” shortlist, Messi, who, in my opinion, is the best player of his generation, needs to be a member of a team that wins a major international competition.
(Copyright AFP 2017/Pablo Cozzaglio)
I don’t think Argentina will win, though. I say that because Argentina—well, this Argentina anyway—tend to find a way to get it undone.
I’m backing Brazil to win. As I write, there are still a few concerns, most importantly, the fitness and form of Neymar who is coming back from his injury. As critical as I am of Neymar, his antics and seeming lack of responsibility in the blue of PSG, that is in total contrast to the Neymar I see in the yellow of Brazil.
And I have to say that I never thought I would ever see such panic as I am currently seeing surrounding the (un)availability of a 35-year-old right-back. If Brazil can patch that Dani Alves-sized hole, I think they’ll be okay.
I think they think they’ll be okay too, which is more important.
The greatest hurdle to Brazil’s lifting the World Cup is Germany. Why? It’s very simple. From a manager, in Joachim Low, who commands the respect of everyone on the team and off it and who has the authority that Low does, to a team that always seems to add up to something greater than the sum of its parts, the Germans always bring their A-game.
And that makes them always the greatest threat to any pretender’s claim to the crown. I would only delete the word ‘always’ from what Gary Lineker said after England went down to the Germans in the semifinal of the 1990 World Cup.
“Football is a simple sport: you have 22 players chasing a ball for 90 minutes with Germany always winning in the end.”
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Shaka Hislop is a football analyst with ESPN and a 2006 World Cup player with Trinidad and Tobago.
He played professionally in England with Reading, Newcastle, West Ham and Portsmouth and has an Executive MBA in Business Administration and a Mechanical Engineering degree from Howard University.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame athlete in Trinidad and Tobago and Howard while he was the inaugural winner of the England PFA’s Special Merit Award for his services to football.
Stepuesssssssssss
I would like Brazil to win it for Brazils’ sake
I disagree. Messi has already engraved his name in the Legend’s book! No need to win a WC to be considered great.
I don’t agree that needs the world cup to be the best but he has worked hard enough despite his teammates not pulling their weight.
Kamal Baldeo it unfortunate that ppl watching dis man play for over ah decade and still saying he needs to win ah world cup to be one of the best ever….
Keston people delusional yes. Messi has nothing else to prove. He could retire in the morning!
#gobar
YESSS. MY FAVOURITE COUNTRY TO WIN SINCE THE 70s.
Portugal…..ronaldo……
I tip Spain,cause i live here.
France
I tip Spain because they are amongst the top 3.
So wait nah… nobody eh taking on de samba boys??? Alright… alright…
#FiersdêtreBleus
Long wet steups
Messi!
Brazil needs to be victorious at this World Cup to reestablish their dominance on the World Football stage.
Shaka Hislop blast pep his first year at city so think of his judgment
Pep didn’t win anything in his first year at City. And Pep himself said that if he was coaching at one of the elite European clubs, he would have been fired after that first year.
Shaka blast him regardless
Ok pardner… ?
Lets face it messie lacks championship quality the likes of the pele maradonna to carry the team the way big game players do it internet voting has place him as the best in this mordern era however the great players stamp their greatness on the game biggest stage the world cup .
What does Messi know about big games eh? My eyes must have deceived me all these years.
When to step up an take country to world cup glory the way pele did it an maradonna not club country
Messi is the record goal scorer for Argentina. Too bad he can’t play defence and midfield at the same time or get Higuain to score sitters.
But I hear you man. Weah never even got Liberia to the World Cup. Does that mean Stern John was more inspirational?
With out a world cup so far
He could hold what record untill he gets a world cup
Remember Brasil 1982 team an the coach Tele santana his home was firebomb
George Best was one rated as good but never went to a world cup
Can you remember the name of the Brazil coach in 1958? What does that mean?
Is Holland not the most memorable team of the 1970s?
But say what. I hear you pardner.
Brasil almost distroyed ginga an change there phylosiohy
Same in 1982 they changed there phylosophy to more europen defencive style an they suffered up untill there world cup win in the u s
Yes Holland was at two straight world cup finals and failed to win leaving cruff a great with out a world cup title
Shaka is a dunce
Yea…. as he learn to score penalties in finals….
When Maradona won it , he was in exile prior to the finals …my humble opinion as an Argentina fan is …it’s theirs for the takeing. ..Viva Argentina. ..Viva Messi…
What a load of crap he has not done much for Argentina, they were lucky to qualify, yes he is a good player but he has nothing on Maradona now he was class.
Very true
Never heard of him cheating–like the hand of Maradonna.
Racheed Mohammed course I have ? but every footballer is a cheat falling down like it’s the end of the world, let’s face it the man was a genius with a ball fella
Doesn’t need a wc to prove anything. If that was the case players like platini, cryuff, goerge best, eusebio should not be remebered as great players then. Plus Messi is argentina all time leading goal scorer if he’s not been a good player for Argentina how come he managed to be their best scorer. At the end if the day I’m not saying he’s the best ever. But to deny he’s not been an absolutely brilliant player over the years would just be ignorant.
Without messi Argentina wouldn’t be at the w/cup n if the rest of the Argentina players do their part especially higuain Argentina would have been world n copa champions. So better u watch cricket or tennis cause u sure don’t know shit about football
Brazil or Nigeria
If they do not win it he will go down as a great player that never win a world cup .
And if they don’t win Messi should retire again permanently
Mark Shaka knows
Messi winning the world cup doh
Supporting that, good prediction.
France got this
Dreaming, dreamingggg
Too bad he aint gonna be close to get it lol
Shaka eh know what he talking about
Damn right
I’ve loved and admired since the days of Hans-Peter Briegel and Karl Heinze Rummenigge. A German team has always been lethal. They always play as a formidable unit.
Hmmm you know your stuff, rudy voller, mathaias and company
Ncosi yeah boy. Mathaias was the best?
Matthaeus actually. But yeah I hear that. Since I was backing Argentina hard from those days, I don’t quite share the sentiment. But I do respect those players. And I quite liked Littbarski and Haessler.
Lol. Actually “Matthäus”. I used to just call him Lothar?
Lol yeah had a mind the spelling was off, but you know, ha ha
Germany to the world!!
Rose-Marie Ingrid Lemessy-Forde remember when Bethold played with a broken arm. The Germans are tough!!
Mala yes I remember!
This woman knows about football and a great football country. .Germany all the way
I am German
Mala Seepersad ..a dutchman played with a cast on his arm in a World Cup game too…I think it was van der kerckoff
Germany for the tea cup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shakka continue wishing on that
Cause I team win world cup not player
We respect your opinion Shaka, but not Argentina with that defence
Winning a world cup says you are the best team not player.people just don’t want to admit that he has surpass the great Pele.just like they won’t admit Germany is the greatest football nation. They gone pass Brazil
Agreed a team performance does not define individuality
Exactly….it shows that messi does nothing without the rest of his barca teammates around him….
Germany could never ever be the greatest football nation ok like u drunk or u on some kind of drugs Brazil is the greatest football nation in the world one lucky world cup Germany win steups man
What really is the definition of a good player???.
Brazil has four world cups,Germany has four.Germany has gone pass more quartet finals and made it to more finals. Not because a team or a person it means they r the best. I love Argentina but they are not the best
I meant Brazil has five
Some people don’t understand what u are trying to say…messi don’t have to win a worldcup to be the best player he already is…u don’t have to win something to be great individualy…at this present time Germany is the best football nation…jus like cricket India n Australia won more worldcups than west Indies recently but who was the greatest player sir Brian Charles Lara…he was the best player individually even tho he had a shitty team….
Kerwin Mohammed well said kerwin
Sacarsm.. Every player that has ever won a world cup is better than Mess I and Christiano. He is simply the best individual player ever
Keep wishing
I share the sentiments of Hislop.
That’s the same thing with me
Messi is not even the greatest Argentine player….plain and simple
Like yuh feelings hurt
Cousin Mango ..nah…but doh let fact get in the way of a good story.
Diego Amando Maradona
Messi is great but Diego all the way!!
Troy Alcantara Diego is a legend
James Walklin yep!
Partially agree, would augment his status as the best ever but I don’t think he has to be win world cup to cement that status.
Last I checked football is a team sport. Many great footballers have never held the cup. DieMannschaft will make history in 2018.
korey is spot on all the way.
Argentina good but not that good. he’d be a great like Patrick klivert and rui Costa and dem .
#DieMannschaft would repeat as #Worldchamps2018 they play as a unit no player is bigger than the game. There is talent on and off the bench.
Agreed.
Intelligent man
Well said
Shaka sums it up perfectly for me……ah remember why I like that Shaka fella so much….
League
Zubizaretta most La Liga appearances with 622- Messi 415 counting
Champions League
Clarence Seedorf won CL 4 times with three Clubs- Messi 4 times one club counting
Worst finish domestic league CL winners Liverpool 5th with Gerrard- Barcelona 1st- 3rd Messi (both debuted age 17)
World Cups
Pele won 3 World Cups- Messi 0 and counting
Muller 16 world Cup Goals- Messi 5 and counting
Career Penalties
Matt Le tissier 98% conversion over 16 years- Messi 75-77% over 14 years counting
Chelsea (Argentina Matchup)
Sergio Aguero 7 in 11 matches- Messi 1 in 8 matches (745min per goal)
Career Yellow Cards
Maradonna 20- Messi 72 counting
Speed
Bale 36.9kmh- Messi 32.5kmh
Tackles
1st Alexis Sanchez 1.5 tackles per game (2017)- Messi .7 tackles per game (2010-17)
Walking Around
Messi 80-83% Sprinting 1% The rest is jogging.
Short List as the Greatest ever? In Shaka’s own voice Ehyyyuumm. Great but greatest ever? Greatest shortman ever! Probably! In this generation? Ha!
This is like saying Rihanna is a greater artiste than Michael Jackson because she has more youtube views.