Re: FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread
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Higuita was one of the few players that understood that this is not only a sport but also a spectacle that people watch, and if the players do not make it exciting then people will find other things to do with their time, some may argue that his antics risked scores against his team, but the fans loved him precisely because he was willing to take some crazy risks just for them to be entertained, unfortunately there are not many players like him anymore on the world of soccer these days.
Higuita was one of the few players that understood that this is not only a sport but also a spectacle that people watch, and if the players do not make it exciting then people will find other things to do with their time, some may argue that his antics risked scores against his team, but the fans loved him precisely because he was willing to take some crazy risks just for them to be entertained, unfortunately there are not many players like him anymore on the world of soccer these days.
Yeah, it is an spectacle basically.
The players that are most entertaining are usually the ones that are most respected and loved by the people, even if their skills are not that great.
The same is true in reverse. It doesn't matter if a player skill is incredible if there's not charisma from the player. People won't like that player as much.
What do you understand as charisma?
Ronaldo hasn't been charismatic. Zidane has been charismatic (except for his head kick against Italy). They can also be polarizing and still contribute to the spectacle.
But in reverse a player that is burdened with high expectations can also create a lot of disappointment. What would people have said if Messi didn't win the World Cup? He would be called a loser, incomplete star. There are very fine lines when it comes to how people treat the players.
Argentina is a very special country where everyone is crazy about football and nothing is recognized as success except winning the world cup. Any other result is a disaster and a failure, and so it is in Brazil. It is very difficult to play under such enormous pressure from the public, and this can be seen in the example of Brazil and Argentina. Brazil has not been able to become the world champion for 20 years, and Argentina managed to become the world champion after a long 36-year wait.
Messi was also constantly compared to Maradona and it was said that he could not be the greatest Argentinian footballer in history if he failed to lead the national team to the world title. That was a huge pressure even for a football player like Messi. I think that winning the South American cup title before the world cup in Qatar helped him a lot and that he played in Qatar with less pressure.
Messi is a charismatic footballer and one of the best footballers in the history of football, but for me personally Maradona was still better. He practically single-handedly led Argentina to the title of world champion in 1986 and no one has ever been able to repeat that, such individual dominance in such a team sport.