FIFA World Cup 🇺🇸 🇲🇽 🇨🇦 2026

[danhirons]

thank god football won in the end

argentina fortunately shown the world their true colours now with some utterly embarrassing behavior! the strangest thing is that they actually play pretty well when they do come out and attack!

awful refereeing all tournament - the decision to rule out Spain's first goal yesterday was a disgrace

[1964white]

thank god football won in the end

argentina fortunately shown the world their true colours now with some utterly embarrassing behavior! the strangest thing is that they actually play pretty well when they do come out and attack!

awful refereeing all tournament - the decision to rule out Spain's first goal yesterday was a disgrace

Indeed.

[SG90]

what a terrible post

England have never ever (in my living memory) played like Argentina did. Being clever to win a penalty (Kane definitely didn't dive as there was clear contact) is something pretty much every nation does and just completely different to the way Argentina acted. There's a reason why you're in the (minuscule) minority with this opinion

Get real, it was a blatant dive. England cheat as much as everyone else does. It's just hypocritical to only criticise the Johnny foreigners for doing it.

[danhirons]

Get real, it was a blatant dive. England cheat as much as everyone else does. It's just hypocritical to only criticise the Johnny foreigners for doing it.

sorry which bit of this is a dive because you can clearly see there is contact? whether kane makes the most of it is a different issue entirely and not at all comparable to argentina's behaviour

nobody is really complainig at argenina for diving, they didn't get high enough up the pitch to even try that!

It's not hypocritical at all - Argentina's entire game is about dirty tackles, fouls, abusive behaviour. the fact that other teams every now and again don't behave perfectly is completely different

[SG90]

England? no way, apart from 20 to 25 minutes in the second half against Croatia and a very good defensive display with 10 men against the over hyped Mexican side England have been poor, terrible against Ghana, poor against Panama, terrible against Doctor Congo, ok against Norway and brutally bad second half against Argentina, Kane and Bellingham got England out of jail in most of those

Yep, Spain beat Portugal-Belgium-France-Argentina in a row conceding only one goal. England don't beat any of them, let alone all. Yes I know they beat France in the dead rubber exhibition, but once France took it seriously, they scored four goals.

Spain are on a different planet to everyone else atm. The midfield is something else.

[SG90]

sorry which bit of this is a dive because you can clearly see there is contact? whether kane makes the most of it is a different issue entirely and not at all comparable to argentina's behaviour

nobody is really complainig at argenina for diving, they didn't get high enough up the pitch to even try that!

It's not hypocritical at all - Argentina's entire game is about dirty tackles, fouls, abusive behaviour. the fact that other teams every now and again don't behave perfectly is completely different

I said it at the time, but he clearly throws himself towards the keeper's hands to try and initiate contact and was expecting his usual penalty. The replays showed it at the time. You can slow it down to make it look like England were "cheated", but if that was Messi, you'd all be screaming cheat.

Also it's a bit funny to see a Leeds fan on a Leeds forum complaining about a team being dirty, when we call ourselves "Dirty Leeds".

[The Subhuman]

thank god football won in the end

argentina fortunately shown the world their true colours now with some utterly embarrassing behavior! the strangest thing is that they actually play pretty well when they do come out and attack!

awful refereeing all tournament - the decision to rule out Spain's first goal yesterday was a disgrace

Good pair of posts

[1964white]

[SG90]

It's only a matter of time before Real win the Champions League, so he just needs the Euros for footballing immortality.

[The Subhuman]

Great player ...

[The Subhuman]

Chin up mate, maybe you can ambush the Spanish team, kick the s**t out of them and steal the cup. That's what you were trying to do anyway

[John in Louisiana]

And zero trophies.

[BlackHillsPaul]

Messi not a genius at anything but scoring goals and Pele is? Come off it. Messi is probably the greatest goal scorer and playmaker in history.

And certainly in the top 3 best dribblers

What have you based that on? You can't have watched him much as their isn't much footage.

People who did didn't even think he was the best player in those World Cup games.

Talented I'm sure but the pr hype around Pele has greatly inflated his reputation.

Basically played amateur football in Brazil, wasn't the best player at any of his World Cups according to the people who watched and played at a far less competitive time.

Cruyff said Messi was "incomparable" and a "different level to anyone else" incidentally.

Everyone has a different opinion on the greatest chat.

Maradona, Cruyff etc I can get.

Pele I never have tbh and yeah I watched plenty of footage.

It's always difficult to compare players from across the generations. Particularly when you haven't seen them play. Except for some grainy old black and white film footage. I happen to be one that DID watch Pele play. On live TV in the States for 3 glorious seasons. And although he had come out of retirement to join the New York Cosmos he was still a GREAT player. And he was playing alongside other great International players like Franz Beckenbauer and Georgio Chinaglia.

But your comment that truly struck a nerve was the second one I highlighted. You obviously know absolutely NOTHING about football in this hemisphere. Or the history of it. To call the Brazilian League "Amateur", particularly in THAT era, when most of the best South American players didn't go to Europe is just ignorant!

But don't take my word for it Cjay. I suggest you read some of Author and Commentator Tim Vickery's work. He's a British Ex Pat based in Rio de Janeiro. Perhaps you've heard of him as he still does some work in the UK. He's an expert on Brazilian football.

[Jaydog]

I wonder if Messi wishes he was Spanish.
He’d have had some decent players to back him up then. There’s a few Argies you wouldn’t mind in a small room with a cricket bat in your hands.
Horrible team filled with nastiness.

[malcolmw]

Messi not a genius at anything but scoring goals and Pele is? Come off it. Messi is probably the greatest goal scorer and playmaker in history.

And certainly in the top 3 best dribblers

What have you based that on? You can't have watched him much as their isn't much footage.

People who did didn't even think he was the best player in those World Cup games.

Talented I'm sure but the pr hype around Pele has greatly inflated his reputation.

Basically played amateur football in Brazil, wasn't the best player at any of his World Cups according to the people who watched and played at a far less competitive time.

Cruyff said Messi was "incomparable" and a "different level to anyone else" incidentally.

Everyone has a different opinion on the greatest chat.

Maradona, Cruyff etc I can get.

Pele I never have tbh and yeah I watched plenty of footage.

No doubt about Messi's amazing talent. But I simply cannot vote him as GOAT.
To be given that label, imo, you have to represent the game as much as excel at it. I'm not sure Messi has always done that. Nor has Ronaldo.

Call me old fashioned, but thats how I see it. Not just in football, but cricket, rugby, tennis, golf, and other sports too.

We lost Kevin Keegan today. His contributions to the sport were so varied and many. Not the goat either, but added value to the game in everything he did - long after he stopped playing. Cruyff the same, and others like them can be listed. Pele, to me, is one on that list.

I dont see Messi or Ronaldo in that light. Great players of course, but it will be interesting to see what they do now - aside from going off and counting their money?!

And you know how I feel about George Best

[malcolmw]

Due to the timing of matches, one of a few WC tournaments I've missed so many games.

Maybe not a bad thing as it wasn't great.

I tend to agree with both of you. Sort of glad its over really, it was becoming exhausting.

No doubt good for boosting the sport in, in particular, the USA and Canada, but too many non-football issues and distractions - hydration breaks making for 4 quarters, dumbass 1/2time show, VAR errors and of course the Tangerine Twat and The Infant.

Also too many teams and too many games - many of which meaningless to all but their own fans.

The best world cups have always been in countries where the game is really treasured. Sounds pompous, I know, but true I think

[Jaydog]

Argentina played the way that was most likely to get them success and nearly did it. I wouldn't have minded one bit if they had won it. You cna't just turn up and play like Burnley (under Kompany) and Southampton (under Martin Russell) in the prem and say 'oh well we played how we wanted and it was good to watch.' A lot of respect for Argentina.

So you would be ok with Leeds behaving like that if it meant success? I wouldn’t. Fighting with the Spanish at the end. Some of the most disgraceful scenes I have ever witnessed. Thank christ they lost. Their behaviour throughout the tournament was tiresome but yes if you win then its all good.
You can’t honestly tell me you wouldn’t like to smash Enzo Fernandez face with a brick.
See , I am turning in to a South American.

[Cjay]

It's always difficult to compare players from across the generations. Particularly when you haven't seen them play. Except for some grainy old black and white film footage. I happen to be one that DID watch Pele play. On live TV in the States for 3 glorious seasons. And although he had come out of retirement to join the New York Cosmos he was still a GREAT player. And he was playing alongside other great International players like Franz Beckenbauer and Georgio Chinaglia.

But your comment that truly struck a nerve was the second one I highlighted. You obviously know absolutely NOTHING about football in this hemisphere. Or the history of it. To call the Brazilian League "Amateur", particularly in THAT era, when most of the best South American players didn't go to Europe is just ignorant!

But don't take my word for it Cjay. I suggest you read some of Author and Commentator Tim Vickery's work. He's a British Ex Pat based in Rio de Janeiro. Perhaps you've heard of him as he still does some work in the UK. He's an expert on Brazilian football.

It's funny you mention Tim Vickery

He's said he thinks the best player ever on more than one occasion is . . . .

Alfredo Di Stefano

So we are all wrong

[Cjay]

No doubt about Messi's amazing talent. But I simply cannot vote him as GOAT.
To be given that label, imo, you have to represent the game as much as excel at it. I'm not sure Messi has always done that. Nor has Ronaldo.

Call me old fashioned, but thats how I see it. Not just in football, but cricket, rugby, tennis, golf, and other sports too.

We lost Kevin Keegan today. His contributions to the sport were so varied and many. Not the goat either, but added value to the game in everything he did - long after he stopped playing. Cruyff the same, and others like them can be listed. Pele, to me, is one on that list.

I dont see Messi or Ronaldo in that light. Great players of course, but it will be interesting to see what they do now - aside from going off and counting their money?!

And you know how I feel about George Best

Pele was unfaithful by his own admission to multiple partners

George Best was physically abusive

Messi has been with his wife since they were kids.

Messi is the shining example

[malcolmw]

Pele was unfaithful by his own admission to multiple partners

George Best was physically abusive

Messi has been with his wife since they were kids.

Messi is the shining example

Not really.